Silverhill offering grants to spruce up local businesses

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SILVERHILL, Alabama — The town of Silverhill is offering the opportunity for local businesses to make improvements through a $5,000 façade grant program.

The Silverhill Town Council passed a resolution at its meeting on Monday, June 15, establishing the Façade Grant program and a Façade Grant Committee, which will consist of the mayor, a member of the town council, a member of the Silverhill Planning and Zoning Board of Adjustments, a town employee and two residents and/or business owners from the town.

According to information provided by the town the program “seeks to stimulate private sector investment for the revitalization of existing commercial and mixed-use buildings along Highway 104 and County Road 55.”

Through the program, the town will provide up to $5,000 in one-time matching grants to assist exterior appearance and/or structural quality improvements.

Mayor Jared Lyles said at the June 15 meeting that money had been set aside in the town’s budget for 2019-20 and that the amount of each grant will depend on the number of applicants and the amount of work that needs to be done.

“We could have one $5,000 grant or we could have 100 $500 grants or a combination of larger and smaller grants,” he said. “It really just depends on what we get and what the committee decides to do.”

Grant applications are available at town hall.

In other business June 15, Lyles asked council members and local law enforcement officials to look into placing some type of system along Alabama 104 and County Road 55 to warn drivers of reduced speed limits along those routes.

Lyles said there have been several complaints recently about dramatic drops in the speed limits coming into town along those routes. Speed limits along Alabama 104 are controlled by the state highway department, while limits along County Road 55 are controlled by the Baldwin County Highway Department.

“We can’t do anything to change the speed limits, but maybe we can do something to alert drivers that the speed limit is about to change,” Lyles said. “We just want people to know that we are doing something to address their concerns.”

Police Chief Kenneth Hempfleng said the department could supply information as to whether there have been a high number of citations issued in areas where there is a big drop in the speed limit.

Also on June 15, the council:

•Approved construction expenses in the amount of $1,075 to replace the court/utility drop box at town hall, which was removed in the process of making improvements.

•Announced that the senior lunch program would resume at the Silverhill Community Center in July. Until further notice, the lunches will not be potluck, but boxed lunches would be served to participants. Social distancing guidelines will also be observed. Lunches are held the second Thursday of every month, but were suspended in March because of the COVID-19 outbreak.

•Was presented with information about a proposed wireless provide contract. Council members were asked to look over the contract to address concerns at the July 6 council meeting. Town attorney Josh Myrick said he had some small changes that needed to be made. The contract should be ready for a vote at the council’s July 20 meeting.