By Lisa Tindell
ews editor

A new set of rules is now in place for anyone looking to build a new home in East Brewton.
In a move by members of the city council, new codes are now in place for construction, plumbing, energy and electrical work.
Lawton Shipp, compliance officer for the city, said the implementation of the codes was necessary to allow the city to continue to be eligible to apply for ADECA grants.
“We need to have the 2006 International Building Code in place,” Shipp said. “We also need to have the 2009 Energy Codes, the 2005 Electrical Codes and the 2006 Mechanical/Plumbing Codes in place by Oct. 1.”
The passing of the new codes was a unanimous decision of the council, keeping alive their chances to apply for grants.
At the previous meeting of the council, the group nixed the changes in the city’s codes — a decision they reversed on Monday.
The approval of the codes was mandated by state officials and was required to be in place by Oct. 1 in order to continue to improve the safety and efficiency of homes built within a municipality.
The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs is administering the grants from funds made available by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. ADECA administers an array of programs that support law enforcement and traffic safety, economic development, energy conservation, workforce development, water resource management and recreation development.
The City of East Brewton recently received a $350,000 ADECA grant to improve and rehabilitate existing sewer lines in a section of the city.