VIDALIA, La. – On Wednesday, the Town of Vidalia received a $932,900 Louisiana Community Development Block Grant for sewer line replacements.

Vidalia will match the grant with $127,260 of its own funds.

&uot;This will be a tremendous boost for our area,&uot; Mayor Hyram Copeland said following a presentation of the grant check with state Rep. Bryant Hammett, D-Ferriday.

&uot;Without these grants, we would have to increase sewage and water rates in order to do these types of improvements,&uot; he added, noting that some of the town’s sewer lines are more than 50 years old.

The improvements will affect more than 1,000 residents and will extend through 75 percent of the town, including the following streets:

4Area 1 – Oak Street, Concordia Avenue, Alabama Street and Walnut Street.

4Area 2 – McCoy Lane, Carter Street, Elm Street and Concordia Avenue.

4Area 3 – Myrtle Street, Mimosa Drive, Dogwood Drive and Cedar Street.

The town had been working on the grant for more than one year, Copeland said. He said that town plans to replace the rest of its sewer lines in the future. &uot;But we can only apply for these types of grants every other year,&uot;&160;he said.

Vidalia’s is not the only major sewer improvement project going on in Concordia Parish.

Replacement of sewer lines in south Ferriday is well under way. That work is being done with an almost $1 million grant the town received in 1998 for sewer improvements.