Repairs could begin within the month on sections of First Avenue and Wilson Drive that have been closed since being damaged by rainfall in December 2015.

The Troy City Council on Tuesday approved the awarding of bids for repair projects on both those streets.

Troy Mayor Jason Reeves said Daniels has worked with five different FEMA project managers in the evaluation process, and city officials are pleased to see these repairs finally get underway. “I can tell you Vaughn (Daiels) has worked very diligently on this project,” he said.

Daniels, public works director, said FEMA had approved both the repair projects, although the city likely would not receive full reimbursement for the cost of repairs.

“We don’t know what that amount will be yet,” he said. “They want us to repair just a section of the damage, but we know that we have to replace the whole pipe so we’re going to go ahead and do that.”

Gencon Associates Inc. of Dothan won both bids for the projects: $123,467 for Wilson Drive and $127,187 for First Avenue.

Daniels said other projects remain on the FEMA list, but two proposed projects – Linwood Avenue and a University Avenue repair – will not be approved by FEMA. “We still have some pending, though,” he said.

Marcus Paramore, District 3 councilman, said he appreciates the efforts to repair the two roads were closed by the damages. “I know the people whose lives are affected by this every day will appreciate it,” he said. “And I appreciate the effort to bring these up to current standards, so we don’t have this problem next time.”

City officials also finalized a grant, which will provide federal funding for a new multi-use pathway on Park Street.

The $483,833 project will create a 10-foot wide multi-use path along Park Street from Elm to Madison streets. The city will contribute $96,766 and federal funds will cover the remaining costs.

In other business, the council:

• Approved a $461,250 project to upgrade lift station No. 1 and to abandon lift station No. 2 on the city’s sewer and water system. “This is the last of some well-spent SRF dollars,” said Mike Davis, assistant general manager of the utilities department. “We have squeezed every dollar out of these funds.”

Davis said the department had $463,000 in remaining funds and the bids came in at $461,000, leaving about $2,000 in contingencies.

This project will upgrade the capacity at the first lift station, allowing the department to abandon the second station on Shellhorn Road. “This will eliminate a lot of maintenance problems,” Davis said.

• Awarded a retail beer and table wine off-premises license to the operators of ZTec 612 on U.S. 213. Councilwoman Dejerilyn King Henderson abstained from the vote.

• Approved an easement agreement with Powersouth Energy which gives the city access to provide utilities for new construction on U.S. 231 behind Pike County Ford. Ideal Graphics is building a new office and facility at the site.

• Awarded a bid to Zoll Medical for $28,064.57 for the purchase of a new monitor system for the ambulance. The system replaces the circa 2004 AED device, which was declared surplus and returned for credit. The ambulance should be in service by late July or early August.

• Heard the first reading of an ordinance authorizing the sale of approximately 3 acres of land at the Industrial Park on U.S. 231 to Horn Beverage Company. Reeves said the land is adjacent to Horn’s property and had been purchased by the city from Ward’s Woodworks, the previous owner. “We have about $15,000 per acre in it and that’s what we’ll sell it for,” Reeves said.

• Appointed Eva Green to a new five-year term on the Troy City Board of Education. Henderson voted against the appointment; council president Johnny Witherington abstained; and members Charlie “Sarge” Dunn, Greg Meeks and Paramore voted in favor of the appointment.

• Recgonized Susie Stell, a Pike Liberal Arts Student who won the AISA state golf title, and Alex Bland, a Charles Henderson High School student who was senior class president and will be attending the University of Alabama in the fall.