Holly Pond Mayor Carla Hart announced Monday, Oct. 7, that the town’s recent request for a state grant through the Rebuild Alabama Act, which would be used toward the repaving of Finley Circle, had not been included in the most recent round of funding announced last week.

Hart discussed the project in July after submitting the grant application to the North Central Alabama Regional Council of Governments. She said the roadway’s frequent use by truck drivers as an alternate entrance to the adjacent Jack’s restaurant has led to its continued deterioration, which she believed was unfair to residents who use the road to access their homes and the town’s senior center. The grant application also included repaving projects for Daniel Road and Lee Road.

The Rebuild Alabama Act requires the Alabama Department of Transportation to set aside a minimum of $10 million of the state’s share of gas tax revenue to fund local projects. This year, 2024, is the first year since the law went into effect in 2019, that the state has exceeded the minimum standard with the most recent funding announcement bringing the yearly total to $15 million.

Although the project will not be receiving supplemental state funding, the town prioritized the project with a $300,000 allocation in its FY 2025 budget approved Monday. This inclusion, as well as $250,000 budgeted for a new bathroom facility at the town’s park, creates a shortfall of more than $334,000 between the year’s budgeted revenues — $704,600 — and expenditures — $1,038,902. However, town clerk Connie Moore said neither project’s inclusion in the budget guarantied its approval.

The town council did approve for Hart to begin the bidding process for the project which she plans to do after she meets with surveyors Thursday, Oct. 10, to determine the exact boundary between the town’s right of way for the road and the Jack’s property.