Chilton County received some positive news last week regarding a $200,000 grant to help restore hospital services in the county.

The Community Development Block grant, which is federal money administered by the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA) will fund infrastructure for the hospital.

The new $46.5 million, 35-bed facility being built in Clanton off Lay Dam Road near Interstate 65 is something many residents in Chilton County have wanted to see open since Chilton Medical Center closed in 2012.

The strain of having the nearest hospitals about 30 minutes away is something too many people have experienced since Chilton Medical Center closed in 2012.

The sign currently standing on Lay Dam Road attracting passersby with news of the location where the site of the future hospital will be located is a welcomed sight.

The grant will help the city of Clanton extend public water service to the hospital, a 40-acre plot west of I-65. The city is providing a $100,000 match for the project and is seeking additional funding to extend sewer services to the location.

The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs is administering the grant from funds made available to the state by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Although the grant awarded to the county is taxpayer money, the grant could have gone to other counties in the state, and the fact it was awarded to Chilton County is something to be excited about.

Entities such as the city of Clanton should be commended for pursuing the grant, and we can all take comfort that care in the form of a hospital is on the way.