Downtown Development Authority Chairman Marc DeMott, left, fills out and signs the paperwork for the Commercial Facilities Grant that yields $25,000 for downtown improvements. USDA Area Specialist Linda Westberry, right, sits and watches, ready to answer any questions.

MOULTRIE, Ga. — The Downtown Moultrie Development Authority has received a $25,000 grant to improve area safety and, down the line, offers “endless possibilities,” according Chairman Marc DeMott.

Announced on the city’s Facebook page Tuesday, the money was accrued from the United States Department of Agriculture’s Community Facilities Grant.

With money now in-hand, the first order of business is installing a fiber ring around the downtown area.

“[There’s] just a world of things we can do with it,” DeMott said.

One such thing — the second step, in fact — is installing security cameras around the downtown to protect citizens, tourists and other passersby. But once the fiber is installed, the city should prepare for so much more, DeMott said.

Installing the fiber ring and security cameras are the initial steps. The next steps are installing free Wi-Fi for those in downtown to use, speakers to use for events and holidays, and even decorative lights.

More could come beyond that, however.

“You’re unlimited on what you’re able to do going forward,” DeMott said. “Initially, we were just going to get cameras and put them in strategic areas for safety.”

Fiber would’ve been individually placed into each of the cameras, but a new information technology employee warned against this.

“[He] said ‘Why spend the money on specific connections for each individual camera when we could put a fiber ring in, and you could do a myriad of other things?’” DeMott said.

This plan has been in the works since before the DDA applied for the grant in 2016. It’s been a long time coming, said Director of Downtown Economic Development Amy Johnson.

“It took a good bit of time because they had some job transitioning within the USDA during that time,” she said. “But what matters is that the DDA now has the $25,000 that can be put toward the project.”

Johnson is one of the orchestrators of the project. She said the DDA is working on a request for a quote for the fiber ring to see its actual cost.

Afterwards, a proposal will be drawn up, as will conceptual art to show the public where the fiber ring will be placed. There’s no set date on when everything will happen, but Johnson assured it will be forthcoming.

The USDA Community Facilities Grant “provides grants to assist in the development of essential community facilities in rural areas and towns up to 20,000 in population,” according to the Rural Information Hub site.

The DDA was approved Sept. 30 to apply for it again as a way to add more money to the development budget.