The Newton County Board of Commissioners approved the awarding of two state grants to Keep Covington/Newton Beautiful with a total amount of $64,000 at their Tuesday meeting.

One of the grants, in the amount of $50,000, came from the Georgia Department of Transportation and is to be used for the purchasing and installation of plants and shrubbery to beautify the Interstate 20 interchange at Exit 90 on U.S. Highway 278.

KCNB will be collaborating with the city of Covington on the beautification project.

The second grant, in the amount of $14,000, came from the Georgia Environmental Protection Agency and requires an in-kind match of $14,688, which can be met through volunteer hours and contributions.

The grant will fund the cost of KCNB puppet show productions including the cost of a script, soundtrack, puppets, workbooks and prizes for children.

In other BOC news:

The board signed off on design changes to the District 4 Community Center that will eliminate the need for the construction of some costly storm water infrastructure and also make unnecessary some labor from the Public Works Department.

• The total cost of the design changes is $12,520 which brings the total cost of the construction contract with Tommy Gibson Builders to $357,520. Funding for the project comes from a Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax allocation.

• Included in the design changes order were additional design services, landscape plan drafting, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and architectural designs.