Sometimes he pleaded. Other times he begged.

Macon County Mayor Shelvy Linville said he was determined, one way or another, to bring running water to more county residents.

After months of work on Linville‘s part, and with the help of a grant writer and an engineer, more running water is on the way to 58 homes, likely by the end of 2010.

Linville’s efforts were rewarded last week when Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen announced that Macon County was approved for a $500,000 Community Development Block Grant to install water line extensions along Phillips Hollow, Carter Branch and Green Grove roads.

The county will provide a $95,500 local match for a total project cost of $595,500. Construction is likely to begin in spring 2010. The county has not yet advertised for bids.

Linville had planned to make the announcement at Monday night’s County Commission meeting but by that time word had already gotten out, thanks in part to press releases from state leaders.

“I’m pleased and excited for the people who live in these areas that are finally going to have running water,” Linville said prior to Monday’s meeting. “I know there are a lot of other areas that need it as well, but you’ve got to be happy for those people who are getting it.”

For those residents who still don’t have running water, Linville said relief could be on the way through various disaster relief funds. Linville said the county applied for such funds back in May and will apply again at the end of November.

Phillips Hollow, Carter Branch and a portion of Green Grove roads were selected from a list of 35 potential roads, all of which were represented at a public hearing prior to the CDBG application being submitted last February.

For Macon County, just being able to apply for the grant this year was a feat in itself.

CDBG’s generally run on a two-year cycle, though there is no rule prohibiting counties from applying on a yearly basis. However, before a county can apply for another CDBG it first must have completed the project for which the previous grant money was given.

Macon County still has not closed out a 2006 CDBG project on Scottsville Road.

That project was supposed to have been a four-month project lasting from July to November 2006. The deadline for completion passed but the contractor still had not finished the project.

The county gave the contractor several extensions but the work still was not completed.

The deadline to submit all paperwork for potential grants is the end of February. But by Feb. 28, 2007, the contractor still had not finished the work and Macon County still was not eligible to apply.

The project eventually was completed but has been in litigation since the first-half of 2007. Therefore, when the deadline for the next round of CDBG money came around, in February 2008, Macon County still wasn’t eligible.

In his bid to get the county eligible, Linville said he first spoke with Philip Trauernicht, director of Tennessee’s Department of Economic and Community Development. In a letter to Trauernicht, Linville “more or less pleaded my case, begged him and asked him to do something to make us eligible.”

The answer Linville received was “no.”

With the end of 2008 quickly approaching, Linville called Trauernicht again and told him the county and contractor were still in litigation.

People in the county in need of water are being punished for the previous project, Linville told Trauernicht. Linville added that the litigation could drag on for years and that something had to be done.

Eventually, Linville was contacted and told Macon County could make itself eligible if it completed a list of four things, some of them legal in nature.

“We did that,” Linville said. “And they did what they said. They said, ‘OK, we’ll make you eligible to apply for a grant.’”

Linville said he was told it was the first time the state had allowed such an exception, adding that he has no way of knowing whether what he was told was true or not.

Now eligible to apply for the grant, the next order of business was determining which roads would receive the work. The county already had a list of 35 area roads, all of which had been represented at a public hearing.

Residents living along each of those roads filled out surveys. Questions included things like how many people live in the house and what is the household income, among other questions.

“A lot of it is based on how many people the water line would serve,” Linville said of the selection process, adding that because some of the money is federal money, low-to-middle income ranges usually have an advantage in the selection process.

Another hurdle arose in January when the Lafayette City Council voted to deny a request from the county for matching funds for the project. The deciding “no” vote was cast by Lafayette Mayor J.Y. Carter.

Low water pressure on the west side of the county was cited by some Lafayette council members as a reason why the city did not match the funds.

Linville then turned to officials from Trousdale County for help.

Linville negotiated with Trousdale County to have their lines extended all the way to Carter Branch Road. Residents there will be served out of Trousdale County, as will residents along Green Grove Road.

Next, Linville contacted Sumner County officials.

The Bethpage Water Utility District, Linville said, was in the process of running a line up through Westmoreland and then up through Phillips Hollow Road up to the Macon County Line.

Officials agreed to help service Macon County residents on Phillips Hollow Road. They balked, however, at Linville’s self-described “out on a limb” proposal of matching funds for the project.

Sumner and Trousdale counties will receive the revenue for those water services.

Next, Linville took his case to the County Commission and told them the situation. They voted for the match.

Linville said the county is especially grateful to grant writer Faye Leonard, of Vantage Consulting, and engineer Alan Pedigo.

“Without their help I don’t know how we’d have done this,” Linville said.