The Alabama-Tombigbee Regional Commission held its semi-annual meeting at the Demopolis Civic Center on Wednesday evening.

The commission meets twice a year, in the spring and fall. The last meeting was held in Selma.

Executive director John Clyde Riggs spoke at the meeting and described the many programs ATRC has a hand in.

Riggs said many people know something the commission does but few “know all we do and the wide reach of this agency.”

The non-profit agency serves the governments of Marengo, Choctaw, Clarke, Conecuh, Dallas, Monroe, Perry, Sumter, Washington and Wilcox counties.

The commission helps counties and cities get many different kinds of grants.

They also have a loan program for businesses and their Area Agency of Aging provides seniors with meals, transportation, home healthcare and more service.

“It’s probably the most visible thing we do,” Riggs said.

The commission also supports a rural transportation program in Clarke, Conecuh, Monroe and Wilcox counties as well as traffic safety grants that help pay for overtime for police officers to work events like “Click It or Ticket.”

Blackbelt Treasures Cultural Arts Center in Camden is also a subsidiary of the commission.

“It’s a first class arts and culture center,” Riggs said.

Marengo County Commissioner Freddie Armstead represents Marengo County on the ATRC Board of Directors.