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Social Circle using grant to add sewer upgrades to city’s south side
Social Circle sewer check
From left are Beth Eavenson, Region 5 representative with Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA), Malisa Thompson, CDBG Field Representative, Social Circle City Manager Eric Taylor, Public Works Director Robbie Groves, Mayor David Keener, DCA Commissioner Christopher Nunn and Kim Carter, director of the Community Finance Division at DCA. (Special to The News)

SOCIAL CIRCLE, Ga. — The city of Social Circle has set a tentative date to begin sewer improvements made possible by a $1 million 2022 Community Development Block Grant the city received in October. 

The Marco Estates neighborhood of southern Social Circle is the area targeted for sewer infrastructure upgrades.

A tentative date for advertising bids for construction is set for May 1, 2023, with construction projected to begin on Aug. 1, 2023.

“We are honored to have received this award,” Social Circle Mayor David Keener said. “This grant will ensure our residents receive the quality of life they deserve by allowing us to provide improved services.”

A kickoff meeting for the project was held on Nov. 7 with the project team and a representative from the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, the agency that oversees the federally funded CDBG program for local governments in Georgia.

The city held a public hearing on Nov. 9 so that residents could learn more about the project.

The CDBG program assists low- to moderate-income residents through development projects and infrastructure improvements. To qualify for a CDBG grant, cities like Social Circle must have timely audits and complete comprehensive plans, as well as demonstrating an urgent necessity for the proposed community rehabilitation project.

The scope of the project will include portions of South Cherokee Road, Marco Drive, Paige Court, Colette Lane and Wildwood Drive. The project is still in the design phase.

The city’s consultant, Allen Smith Consulting of Monroe, and the city’s engineering firm, Turnipseed Engineering, assisted city officials in preparing the grant award application in September 2021. The CDBG awards were announced on Sept. 23.