------------------------------------Walter Sansing gives us a tour of the Ovens
For Immediate Release:
The Town of West Blocton Receives Grant for Blocton Coke Ovens Park
The Town of West Blocton is pleased to announce that it has received a grant of $4,500 from the Alabama State Council on the Arts (ASCA), the state arts agency. This grant will provide part of the money needed to design a conceptual plan for the Blocton Coke Ovens Park. The rest of the monies will be donated. This conceptual plan is necessary to show future grant sources (federal, state legislators, and similar agencies to ASCA) what is needed to make the park a showcase of our coal mining heritage, a cultural center for the town, as well as a key component of the regional Cahaba tourism plan with some of the most well preserved Coke Ovens in the region.
ASCA grants are awarded through a multi-faceted competitive review process. This grant signifies that The Town of West Blocton, the University of Alabama Center for Economic Development, and the Americorps OSM/VISTA Program through the Cahaba River Society, Cahaba River Authority, and the Bibb County Citizens for Wildflowers are providing programs to serve the needs of the community.
This grant, awarded by the Alabama State Council on the Arts is made possible through funding from an annual appropriation from the Alabama State Legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts. This public Support enables our project at the Blocton Coke Ovens Park to reach new audiences, foster community development, and demonstrate the importance of arts as a component for quality of life in Alabama.
