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County joins five-county economic development alliance
The authority will have an 18- member board of directors. The Clarke County Commission will be able to appoint three members to the board. "(Alabama Gov. Bob Riley) talks about the importance of regional partnerships," Jackson Mayor Richard Long told the commission. "…Small communities like Jackson, Alabama and ones in rural counties cannot make the deals if we don't have those kind of partnerships." Riley and Alabama Development Office Director Neal Wade are placing their support behind the five-county agency. Grove Hill Mayor Lamar Hudson was also present and said he "fully supports participating in the alliance." Commissioner Joe Hunt said the resolution would not obligate the county financially. The resulting board will come back to the county commission with any requests for funding, said Debra Bolen, executive director of the Clarke County Economic Development Partnership. Funding will likely be asked for on a case-by-case basis, she said. A recent alliance by the county with Coastal Gateway is different, concentrating on marketing the region. "This alliance would be more of a funding mechanism for potential mega-projects that may exist," Bolen said. With all the economic activity to the south, this alliance "could directly benefit Clarke County." Montgomery County became part of a similar alliance when the Hyundai plant came to that area, said Commissioner Rhondel Rhone.
In other action from this week's commission meetings, the county approved receipt of a Delta Rural Health Network $10,000 grant from the Alabama- Tombigbee Regional Commission. Half the money will go to the Area Agency on Aging for five health screening events, and the other $5,000 will go for the Alabama Tombigbee Rural Transportation Program.
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