A public computer center that would be open for all citizens to use could be coming to Berry if a grant that Bevill State Community College and the town of Berry has applied for is approved.

The grant program, funded through the National Telecommunications and Information Administration and federal stimulus program, has as one of its objectives to make broadband service accessible to rural areas across the nation.

BSCC is partnered with other community colleges to apply for grant money on behalf of communities in the college service area that could most benefit from a computer center.

Brian Gann with BSCC said the college is applying for grants that would fund computer centers for Berry in Fayette County, Aliceville in Pickens County and Bear Creek in Marion County.

“Right now this is only a proposal. We don’t know if we’ll get it. This is stimulus money and it is very competitive,”  Gann told Berry council members in their Monday, Aug. 17 meeting.

“There are three application rounds. [We met] the deadline for the first round on Friday [Aug. 14]. If we don’t make it in the first round, maybe we can get in on the second or third round,” Gann said.

The center would initially be funded for two years. Gann said that although there was a 20 percent match on the funds, the center would more than meet that match through in-kind work that would be done locally.

The center is expected to be open 36 hours per week. Ideally, some of that time would be at night and on the weekends to accommodate people who work or go to school.

The grant, if funded, would cover the cost of two part-time individuals to staff the center and could have a part-time instructor, if there is a demand.

“You tell us what you need as it is opened, and we will try and provide it,” Gann said.

There could be instruction at the proposed center in Microsoft Word, Excel, work force development and education in addition to serving as an open computing center for anyone who would want or need to use a computer.

There is a possibility the center could be housed in the old Berry town hall that is currently being renovated, depending on how many computers the center would ultimately have.

“If funded, there we’ll be 100 questions to figure out together. But that is a good problem to have,” Gann said.

“Bevill wants to try and provide a greater level of service for our area. On behalf of BSCC  and President Anne McNutt, thank you for working with us on this,” Gann said.