It Started With an Air Conditioner…
These are questions.
I am sure someone knows.
The question is, who?
Hey Friends,
My rage was coming out in my post, and that is not what I want it to reflect. I wanted to walk my followers down the path that is leading me to questions; some that I still have and a few that I have gained on this journey.
I want to be clear that I am not making any accusatory statements or questions pointed at one person. My goal is not to be a Facebook warrior. Although after just a small amount of digging, someone has to be brave and start asking why.
This may have started with an air conditioner, but I do not believe it will end with one. In fact, it looks like we are up to three already.
When I received the city's letter, I was upset and didn't understand the
project; I didn't have the funds to make a change.
When I emailed the City attorney, he encouraged me to look at the deed/recorded plats since I was a REALTOR.
And he is right. As a REALTOR, I understand protecting my own property is really my job as an owner.
So I took his advice.
The Courthouse
I started online, found the original ASA Hamby Plat, but online lacked the proof of dedication. After speaking to a wonderful surveyor who was familiar with the area, I went to the courthouse and found the original.
I was excited to hear that someone else had also been emailing about it. That made me have hope that the city was looking as well.
I have not heard from them yet about their findings, but I am living in confidence that they are doing the same digging. This made me proud that they heard me and are looking. As a citizen, what more could I ask for?
Thank you, Arab.
Remembering the Coffee Shop
As I started asking questions and going back in memories, it made me think about other alleyway projects that have happened.
I reflected on a repair that caused my coffee shop to be closed due to the sewer being reversed, flowing back into the shop, along with the health inspector showing up that same day.
We all know how failed health inspections can affect a small business via social media…
There is nothing like the health department telling you to make customers leave and closing your business for something that was absolutely none of your doing. I had to meet the requirements, cut out about 3 inches of sheetrock, repair, and sanitize. I also had to have the establishment rechecked by the health department before they would allow me to reopen. A few days closed, plus repairs, can be and are detrimental to a small business.
In 2018, ARAB received a 200,000 ARC grant to repair damaged downtown sewer lines. While this one was not labeled specifically for the alleyway, I believe it was these repairs that caused my closure.
We were told as downtown business owners the sewer was fixed.
I wondered: If money is allocated to a project, how does it receive funds again for the same project? I am sure that is my lack of knowledge and understanding of grants.
Which led to my confusion: why was this needed now?
Looking at the Grants
This made me lean into my search for grant funds and how they are being used.
I ran a very basic grant search; here are a few I found. If one grant caused the alley to close the shop, did it actually get fixed? Or why would we need another one?
Does this happen often??
*Notably, the second grant is for much more than the sewer; this was clarified by the city of Arab, Alabama's Attorney by sending over the site plans.
I only did ten years to find these:
2016 CDBG 130,000 for Waffle House sewer improvements
2017/18 CDBG 450,000 sewer rehab for multiple streets; the final amount I found is 347,290.81
2018 – ARC 200,000 for ARAB Sewer project; total listed at 876,600
2018 CWSRF LOAN for 8.275 million
2019 Homeland Security Grant for many areas of Marshall County; cannot find the grant amount
2020 LOAN 3.5 million for supplemental CWSRF substantial repairs to the Gilliam Creek and the Riley Maze wastewater: more than 48,000 linear feet of gravity sewer line
2024 – ADEM Grant for recycling/solid waste grant 258,360
2024 – ARC 200,000 Heroes Lane
2025 – ARC 187,000 Arab Infrastructure for Downtown Arab, with the project totaling 374,000
Available Grant PDFs
Still Asking Questions
However, in 2021, ADEM received an engineer compliance statement stating that neither the Gilliam Creek nor the Riley Maze wastewater treatment plant achieved compliance. That is, after the two loans from 2018 and 2021.
So what work was done?
Why didn’t we achieve compliance after such extensive work?
Following the Paper Trail
Since the preponderance of how I find things, I made a small list of items I researched:
Deeds
Old plats
The Hamby plat
Chain of title
Looked for recorded easements
Dedication
And Vacation of Alley documents
Survey vs. tax maps (tax map is incorrect)
All of that digging brought me right up to another set of questions — this time around Heroes Lane.
I’m not diving all the way in today. That will be its own post. But the same pattern kept showing up: grants, construction, conflicting statements, and more questions than answers. I’ve already started looking at ownership, the 1970s deed, and the timeline from the 2024 ARC grant through the 2026 closure. I’m also waiting on a records request from ALDOT.
As soon as I have more, so will you.
For now, I’ll leave it here the same way I started:
These are questions.
I am sure someone knows.
The question is, who?
If you would like to anonymously share information concerning The City of Arab, Alabama, check out Arab, AL | Confidential | Tip Line
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