The walking trail at the Troy Recreation Center will be extended by 3,800 feet after the Troy City Council unanimously approved a grant for the project.

The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs agreed to fund 80 percent of the $125,000 project, while the City of Troy will provide the remaining $25,000.

The walking trail is currently 1.1 miles and will be extended to around 2 miles according to Dan Smith, director of Troy Parks and Recreation.

“This is a very exciting time for the people that have been using the current walking trail because we’ve been hoping for an expansion,” Smith said. “Now that the state and the city have signed the agreement, we’ll be moving forward with the engineering and the construction very, very soon.”

Smith said that officials are projecting the project to be completed by August 2017. Smith described this as phase two of a three-phase project, explaining that an expansion to a three-mile trail is the hope for the final phase.

The council awarded an $86,000 bid to Layne Christensen Company for four motors for the city’s deep-water wells. Layne Christensen was the lowest of three bidders to supply the equipment.

Mike Davis, assistant manager of Troy Utilities, explained that the department had previously sent motors to be rebuilt instead of buying new ones, but that the rebuilt motors were experiencing problems.

The council also approved to update the city’s code to reflect the contracting agreement that was made to waive utility deposits based on good credit outside of the City of Troy. The amendment to the code also allows utility deposits to be given back once a resident has paid 12 monthly payments on time and gives the utilities superintendent the discretion to waive deposits.

Davis explained another ordinance that he said would bring the utility department’s water and sewer specifications up to today’s standards for customer’s to see be able to see online and in writing. The council members did not take any action on the new ordinance The council also took no action on a request for off-premises beer and table wine licenses by Yogi Mart, a convenience store that will open in the city in four to six weeks on Elba Highway.

Councilman Greg Meeks explained that there were some things that needed to be done still with building codes and fire department codes at the store before any action could be taken.

The city council will meet again on October 25 for the last meeting of the term. They will hold a work session upstairs at 4 p.m. and the regular council meeting at 5 p.m. in the City Council Chambers.