Many people take the week of the Fourth of July off for their annual vacation. For those who do work, it’s usually a fairly slow week.

That wasn’t the case in Selma, however.

Three announcements were made that will inject millions of dollars into our local economy.

On Tuesday, U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., was in town to distribute checks totaling more than $4.2 million in rural development funds to the South Dallas County Water Authority, Lowndes County Commission and the town of Hayneville.

The funds will be used to improve water service, construct a fire station and purchase police cars.

On Thursday, U.S. Rep. Artur Davis, D-Ala., presented a $1 million check to local officials for the development of the Selma Interpretive Center, an estimated $20 million project that will chronicle the city’s role in the voting rights movement.

The federal appropriation is part of the U.S. Department of Interior’s Fiscal Year 2008 appropriations bill, and is one of the bill’s largest earmark amounts, Davis said.

With its completion slated for 2010, the interpretive center is located on the corner of Broad Street and Water Avenue.

Also announced last week are plans to build a $24.5 million state trooper training facility at Craig Field.

Plans for the project include six new buildings. Two will be classrooms and administrative offices.

New dormitories for trooper cadets and DOC trainees, a common cafeteria and a new gymnasium are slated for completion over the next three years, according to the Alabama Department of Public Safety.

All of these projects are welcome news and indicate a broader momentum of growth that is building in our area.