Special Grants For Education Programs

Bridget Divers was in Decatur to tell us how two grant recipients will spend their money.

Twenty different public school and college authority projects in the state of alabama have been awarded 298-million dollars by governor kay ivey.

Two of those twenty are located in decatur.

Waay-31's bridget divers is in downtown decatur to tell us how the two recipients are planning to spend their grant money.

Bridget?

Dan, najahe -- the alabama institute for deaf and blind received more than 28 million dollars for the new decatur campus.

And the alabama center for the arts received fifteen million to build a new residence hall in downtown decatur.

Dennis gilliam/ executive director of special projects for aidb "we're very fortunate and blessed that governor ivey has seen fit to give us this opportunity.

We can't express our thanks to her and the alabama legislature anymore.

It's fantastic opportunity."

Dennis gilliam is the executive director of special projects for the alabama institute for deaf and blind.

And he says the institue served more than twenty-six thousand deaf and visually impaired alabamians over the past year.

That's why the new decatur campus is so important for them.

"the plan for the decatur property is to have a satellite operation at that location so, we can serve more alabamians that have any kind of sensory loss.

And that doesn't just mean pre-k, k - 12, and post-secondary, it means all kinds of adults or clients across the state."

The new decatur campus will be located at the lurleen b.

Wallace developmental center that is currently owned by the alabama national guard "right now there are approximately 20 buildings on campus that will be used in our large-scale plan.

The only building that has been renovated is the main administration building.

So our plan is, we have a plan to renovate each one of those."

The alabama center for the arts in decatur also received funding from the state it will use to build residence halls in downtown deactur.

Philip mann/ executive director of external affairs for the alabama center for the arts "these dorms are being built primarily for use for students at the alabama center for the arts which is in downtown decatur."

Philip mann says the alabama center for the arts wants to work with students at the alabama institute for deaf and blind when it opens in decatur.

Philip mann/ executive director of external affairs for the alabama center for the arts "we want to partner with them to do some arts and arts education programs for students at this institution so we always look for ways to connect the dots education wise."

These two recipients plan to start construction right away.

Live in decatur, bridget divers, waay-31 news.