SILVERHILL, Alabama — The town of Silverhill will be able to do a little more work resurfacing and widening streets in town after bids came in slightly under budget.

In January, the town received word that it had been awarded a $250,000 Alabama Department of Transportation Rebuild Alabama Grant. The $250,000 grant application included resurfacing projects on First, Second, Third, Fourth, Seventh and Ninth Streets, and South Avenue. It also allowed for the widening of some of the streets.

The bid from Asphalt Services, approved at the Nov. 16 meeting, came in slightly under budget, at $238,000, said Alan Killen with Civil Southeast, the engineer for the project.

“Basically, we are back to square one with the project,” he said. “We will still be able to widen all of Fourth Street and part of South Avenue and we can determine what additional work can be done with the remaining budget.”

At an August council meeting, Killen said there is a time limit on the bid process and completion of the project. Killen said the project must be completed within one year when the grant was awarded, which means the project would have to be completed by January of 2021.

Killen told council members at the Nov. 16 meeting that the project should be ready to start at the first of the year and should be completed by the deadline.

The town is currently setting aside $25,000 a year for street repaving, Lyles said, part of which would be used for engineering fees not covered by the grant.

The resurfacing would not include Alabama 104 (Main Street), which would fall under the Alabama Department of Transportation, or County Road 55 (Broad Street), which would fall under the Baldwin County Highway Department’s jurisdiction.

Superintendent of Utilities Scottie Smith told council members to consider paving North Avenue and Second Avenue in the near future between County Road 55 and First Street, areas that connect with streets in the project, to avoid having uneven pavement in those areas.

The council voted unanimously at the Nov. 16 meeting to adopt a resolution awarding the bid for the project. Mayor Pro Tem Steve Brooks presided over the meeting in the absence of Mayor Jared Lyles. Council member Tonie Norden was also not present for the meeting.

In other business Nov. 16, the council discussed purchasing a generator for town hall; approved longevity payments for town employees, and discussed purchasing tickets and selecting a Business of the Year for the annual Central Baldwin Chamber of Commerce Annual Banquet in January.