HAWKINS COUNTY, Tenn. — The Hawkins County area received around $1.26 million in grants from the state meant to improve the community.
According to a release from Rep. Gary Hicks (R - Rogersville), the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development gave out the grants. The release said Hawkins County received a $630,000 grant for highway department improvements and Rogersville received another $630,000 grant for a park improvement project.
The Hawkins County grant will go towards work making sure the highway department facility is compliant with the MS4 stormwater permit — mostly referring to the department's responsibility to monitor some streams to identify septic problems. The county is expected to build storage structures and use spill-prevention measures to prevent pollutants from getting into stormwater runoff.
At the same time, crews are expected to build a sidewalk walking path, repair and resurface tennis courts and add parking spaces at the Rogersville City Park. Crews are also expected to convert two tennis courts into pickleball courts and another two into multipurpose courts. They are also expected to address parking lot drainage issues.
The grants come after the state approved around $36.6 million in grants to 78 communities, according to the release.