Etowah County has received a $4.6 million SEEDS grant from the Alabama Department of Commerce to help construct approximately three miles of water transmission main to serve the NEAR Megasite.
The SEEDS Act is aimed at providing funding to prepare industrial sites across the state. For the NEAR Megasite, funding the water and sewer infrastructure has been one of its challenges. The cost of the water transmission main has been estimated at $8 million. With the SEEDS funding, the remaining $3.4 million will come from American Rescue Plan Act funds Etowah County has already received and designated for water and sewer infrastructure.
“We’re making progress towards getting the final pieces of infrastructure in place so that the Megasite is ready for the right project when it comes along,” said Etowah County Commissioner Tim Ramsey.
The first phase of the water transmission main, which will run along Canoe Creek Road from Highway 411 to Steele Station Road, is currently being designed by Goodwyn Mills Cawood.
The second phase of the water main is also being designed by GMC and should be let for bid by the end of the year. It will pick up where the first phase ends and connect to the 500,000-gallon elevated water storage tank currently nearing completion. The water tank was constructed using a Growing Alabama grant from the state and funding provided by Norfolk Southern, which has a mainline adjacent to the industrial site.
Located in Rainbow City, the NEAR Megasite is 1,100 acres and has the Alabama AdvantageSite designation.
