MOULTRIE, Ga. — A symbolic check marked the next step in improvement to mental health services in Moultrie.

The City of Moultrie has been approved for a Community Development Block Grant of $712,746, according to a press release last week. City Manager Pete Dillard, City Councilman Daniel Dunn and City Clerk Tina Coleman received an honorary check from the Georgia Department of Community Affairs.

The grant is being used to buy and renovate a building for use by Georgia Pines, the state-contracted mental health provider for the region.

“We are proud that the City of Moultrie is one of the recipients,” Dillard said in the press release. “Moultrie plans to use $712,746 in CDBG funds to acquire and renovate a building for the new Colquitt County Mental Health Center. This project will bring increased support and service to better handle the mental health needs of Moultrie and Colquitt County.”

The County Board of Commissioners was also presented with a check for $684,183 to use for street and drainage improvements on Coy Cox Road. 

The announcement comes after a long wait period for Dillard and the rest of the council. Dillard stated in a previous article of The Observer that the grant funds were “all we’re waiting on” in regards to the mental health center. The current Georgia Pines facility, located on North Main Street, has been the Thomasville-based mental health facility’s only Moultrie location. 

“They need something much more updated and functional,” Dillard said in an interview Monday. “We’re happy the new facility will beef up the mental health services we can provide within Moultrie.”

The building that will house the mental health center, located on Second Avenue at First Street Southwest, is currently owned by the Southwest Georgia Bank. The city plans to purchase the building then lease it to Georgia Pines for $1 a month, according to Dillard. 

Robert Hurn, CEO of Georgia Pines, said the bank will be leaving some furniture in the building and only things like “files, desks, chairs and general office equipment” will need to be moved. 

“We are excited to upgrade our mental health, intellectual developmental disability and substance abuse service in Moultrie. I want to thank Dillard, the council, the county and the community for their continued support,” Hurn said in an interview Monday.

The Colquitt County Board of Commissioners will also be donating $15,000 to help with reconstruction or other moving costs, according to Hurn. 

While Dillard hopes to have the facility open by December, the city is still waiting on the money to be transferred from the state to buy the facility. Hurn also said that he wanted to have everything “ADA compliant before any openings can be set in stone.”

If you would like to contact the Georgia Pines Moultrie location, you can call, 229-891-7375.