County celebrates MCEDA, Extension building renovations

October 28, 2020October 27, 2020 Jan McDonald Alabama, Extension, Linden, mceda

City and county officials joined with board members of the Marengo County Economic Development Authority Tuesday to celebrate the completion of major renovations to the old National Guard Armory in Linden.

MCEDA director Jo Ellen Martin accepts the certificate of recognition from Chris Beeker III, USDA State Director.

One speaker after another praised the collaborative efforts that went into making the renovations possible and how such efforts will continue to improve life in rural Alabama.

The renovations were made possible by a $145,500 USDA Rural Development grant. With the funds, MCEDA was able to provide air conditioning to the auditorium, resurface the parking lot and repair the HVAC unit to Deep South Food, one of the business incubators on the site.

Former Linden mayor and the first MCEDA director Kathryn Friday said acquiring the armory “was the best project I was ever involved in.”

Thanks to the joint effort of ADECA, USDA, Alabama Power and others, the County Commission was able to purchase the property and furnish it.

“It shows what you can do when you work together,” said Friday.

The building also is used by the county Cooperative Extension Service. Pam Stenz, coordinator for 4-H and Youth Development in Marengo, said the center is the envy of many other county extension offices around the state.

The auditorium is large enough that the Extension Service didn’t have to shut down its activities, allowing the “huge” 4-H program to continue, she said. Now that it can be cooled in the summer, the facility won’t have to shut down operations in its industrial kitchen. It can expand renting out the room for parties and receptions.

Alice Moore, regional Extension Agent for Food Safety and Quality, said training can continue throughout the year, too. The Marengo County facility is only one of two in her 10-county area large enough for her to conduct in-person Food Safety training during the COVID-19 pandemic, training that cannot be done virtually.

Chris Beeker III, USDA State Director, formally presented the Marengo County Commission with a certificate recognizing its commitment to improving the quality of life in rural Alabama.

“Projects such as this can only be achieved through partnerships and teamwork,” he said. “We’re not done here.”

Nivory Gordon, Jr., area director for the USDA, told the audience, “You people here today represent what rural America can do.”