There will be another name listed as mayor Tallassee after the municipal elections in August. She has chosen to not get on the ballot, but it doesn’t mean Mayor Sarah Hill, the city’s first female mayor, hasn’t left her mark on the city. Hill came to the mayor’s office via a Tallassee City Council appointment almost three years ago.
“She worked on infrastructure,” Ward 2 councilmember Linda Mosher said. “It’s something we’ve got to continue working on. Many of those things are underground or hidden. They tend to be forgotten about until they become a problem.”
Tallasse had an issue with cast iron gas lines. Tallassee had more cast iron pipe in the ground per capita than any other city in the U.S. The city did borrow $4 million through bonds to begin replacing them. But it was far short of completing the task of replacing the lines.
Hill went to work from the mayor’s office applying for grants. First came a $9.7 million grant from the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). It was enough to begin the process of replacing 17.75 miles of cast iron gas lines in the Elmore County portion of Tallassee. The next year saw a $5,469,300 from PHMSA to replace more than 13 miles of cast iron gas lines in East Tallassee.
The grant funding will allow Tallassee to replace almost all of its cast iron gas lines.
The combined $15 million in grants is the highest in the history of the City of Tallassee.
“Now, we are able to quickly and efficiently remove these dangerous gas mains over the next few years,” Hill said. “The city is very lucky to have received back-to-back funding to address both sides of our city’s gas mains.”
The best part is the grants had no match, costing the city nothing.
Now the remaining bond funds can be used on other utility issues such as the water filter treatment plant. It’s an area where the city received an ADEM grant in the amount of $546,000 to aid in the replacement of the pipe gallery.
“When I stepped into this role, our city was working to rebuild from a difficult chapter in leadership,” Hill said in a release. “The city endured a period of instability and unwanted headlines that cast a shadow over it, but with the support of a dedicated council, we focused on restoring trust, rebuilding relationships with our partners and returning integrity to City Hall.”
The city has also been able to partner with the Elmore County Commission to receive $10 million in funding for a new recreation center. The design for the new center is still in process. Lights at all of the city recreational ballparks were replaced adding new and better lighting with a much needed safety upgrade.
“These efforts, among others, contributed to the highest amount of grant/partnership funding in the history of Tallassee,” Hill said. “It’s a milestone of which I’m incredibly proud.”
Mosher sits in the Ward 2 council chair. It’s the same position Hill held three years ago. Mosher has been Hill’s councilmember. Mosher likes what the city has done under Hill’s leadership. Mosher looked to Hill for guidance when she replaced Hill.
“I have learned so much,” Mosher said. “She has been so supportive. She has helped me and guided me along. The mayor has been outstanding in that role.”
