Citizens For A Better Grand Bay has received several grants from the Gulf Coast Resource Conservation & Development Council (Gulf Coast RC&D) over the past two years.
In October this year an $18,000 Community Development Grant was used to purchase a car for the Homebound Meal Delivery Program at the Grand Bay St Elmo Senior Center. The 2018 Hyudai Tucson is now used to deliver daily meals to the Homebound and disabled Senior Citizens in the Grand Bay and St Elmo communities.
Representative Chip Brown said that, “This meal delivery program provides a critical link to the outside world for many seniors by providing them with nutritional meals as well as a check-in visit by someone nearly every day.”
The daily meals are provided by the Area Agency on Aging through the Title III Senior Nutrition program. Other funding for the delivery program is provided by a Community Block Development Grant through Mobile County. The meals are packaged and delivered by the Senior Center staff and volunteers and the program is managed by Citizens For A Better Grand Bay.
In 2018 a Gulf Coast RC&D Council grant for $5,000 was received and used for door improvements and for a canopy over the front entrance at the Grand Bay Library. When renovations are complete the building it will used for a Regional Branch of the Mobile Public Library.
The location for the library is in the old Grand Bay State Bank Building (c1913) on the corner of Freeland Ave and Pottertract Road. The Grand Bay State Bank was located in this building from 1913 to 1929 and the building is on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Mobile County Commission purchased the building for the community’s use and Commissioner Jerry Carl recently appropriated the final funds needed to complete the building’s renovations.
“The Grand Bay Library will be a great enhancement to South Mobile County,” Carl said. “Most importantly, it will be place where residents can utilize library resources and computers to apply for jobs online.”
Senator David Sessions also commented that, “There is a definite need in our rural communities for public access to technology, computers and the many benefits a public library offers. The Grand Bay Library will be that access point. There is no doubt the Gulf Coast RC&D has helped make the Grand Bay area a better place to live.”
The Gulf Coast RC&D has been a benefactor for many programs in Grand Bay area for over the past 20 years beginning with funding to assist Citizens For A Better Grand Bay purchase the Senior Center Van now used to transport Seniors to the Center on Hwy. They have given numerous grants for the renovation of the Grand Bay Library Building.
All these project grants are sponsored by the Gulf Coast RC&D with support from Local Legislators. Charles Ramsey, Executive Director for the Gulf Coast RC&D said. “It’s a rewarding experience when community groups, local legislators and organizations like GCRC&D can work together on projects that benefit of the residents of a community.”
For more information on the Gulf Coast Resource Conservation & Development Council and their projects please visit their website at https://www.gulfcoast-rcd.org/
For more information on the Grand Bay Senior Center, Grand Bay Library or Citizens For A Better Grand Bay call 251-865-4010 or visit our website at Grandbay.org and on Facebook
Photo above: Delivery Vehicle Grant: Commissioner Jerry Carl,, CBGB President Aleta Boudreaux, Meal Delivery Driver Bob Hodges, GCRC&D Chair Dr. Brenda Linchfield, Senior Center Director Diana Ankney, Representative Chip Brown, CGRC&D Executive Director Charles Ramsey
Photo below: Library Grant: CGRC&D Executive Director Charles Ramsey, County Engineer Tim White, CBGB Board Members Aleta Boudreaux, Kathleen Beesley and Ann Bennett, Representative Chip Brown, Commissioner Jerry Carl, GCRC&D Chair Dr. Brenda Linchfield, Supervisor for Sycamore Construction Chris Henderson, and Oliver Hammond.
