ROBERTSDALE, Ala. — A motion was passed at Monday morning’s council meeting by the City of Robertsdale to schedule a public hearing for Friday, December 17 at 9 a.m. at Robertsdale City Hall to discuss the closeout of the ADECA (Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs) Community Development Block Grant Katrina Disaster Recovery Project DR-06-014.

City Engineer Greg Smith said the $632,000 grant was awarded in 2006 in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and had been used to make upgrades and replace old pipes in the Rock Creek sewer system. Municipal funds in the amount of $300,000 have also been used in conjunction with the grant to complete the project.

“We are in the last stages of getting this project complete. We have three of the five pumping stations up and running and will use the rest of this week to get the last two working. Monday is the deadline for completion and when we will have our final inspection,” Smith said.

This hearing is required by law to let anyone that has ties to the project discuss anything or claim any funds owed to them.

The CDBG program is funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and has been in place since 1982, according to the ADECA web site. The program is available to communities who meet applicable requirements and “funds may be used for the acquisition, construction, rehabilitation or installation of public improvements or public facilities including streets, sidewalks, water and sewer lines and parks.”

The council also passed a motion to purchase Lot #8 in Kennedy Place on County Road 65 from Mike McConnell Homes for $15,000. Mayor Charles Murphy said this property would be used for green space and to make improvements on drainage issues in the adjacent properties.

“This is a vacant lot and had a lot of flooding problems and not safe for families so we are going to use it to improve these problems,” Murphy said.

City financial officer Ann Simpson said they had $20,000 left in the budget they had not used and that was being used to purchase the property.

In other business, the council passed a motion to purchase two new 2011 patrol cars for the Police Department. Chief Brad Kendrick said they will be ordered this week and be here by February. $30,000 had been budgeted for them but Kendrick said they will cost less than that.

“We have to replace cars when they get 90,000 mile on them but we are still going to be able to use some of the equipment from them on the new cars,” Kendrick explained.

Two motions were passed to allow the Robertsdale High School Football team to use one of the free days on December 9 at the coliseum for their football banquet and to renew their annual $2,500 contract with the Central Baldwin Education Foundation.

Lastly, the council rejected the proposal from the Baldwin County Watershed Coalition to solicit funding for the stormwater management initiative. This proposal had been table at the last meeting and since the amendment was voted down in the November election, there was no need to accept it, Murphy said.