Coldspring, Shepherd win grants

Special to the News-Times

AUSTIN — Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham, M.D., announced the Texas General Land Office approved $128,208,664 in regional mitigation funds for 19 infrastructure projects to improve streets as well as water and drainage facilities last week.

The funds were allotted to the cities of Aransas Pass, Coldspring, Corrigan, Dayton, Freeport, Hitchcock, Iowa Colony, Katy, La Marque, Palacios, Pearland, Richwood, Rosenberg, Shepherd and Texas City, and the counties of Jefferson, Liberty and Waller.

Through the Regional Mitigation Program, the GLO enabled local prioritization, which will have a tremendous impact across multiple regions.

“Locally led prioritization of mitigation projects is important because it strengthens critical infrastructure and protects communities against the impacts of natural disasters,” Buckingham said. “At the Texas General Land Office, we are not only helping those in need, but also supporting our communities as they grow.”

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The city of Coldspring was awarded $631,000 for sewer system improvements, to be used for the survey, design, and construction of a sewer collection system, and upgrade its Pea Patch Lift Station.

The city of Shepherd will receive $1,964,000 for water system improvements. The project includes construction of a new water production system, water distribution lines, and drive access.

Texas GLO Regional Mitigation Program Council of Government Method of Distribution (COG MOD):

The Texas General Land Office allocated $1,166,997,000 in Community Development Block Grant Mitigation (CDBG-MIT) funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for the Regional Mitigation Program to reduce the risks and impacts of future natural disasters.

HUD defines mitigation as activities that increase resilience to disasters and reduce or eliminate the long-term risk of loss of life, injury, damage to and loss of property, and suffering and hardship, by lessening the impact of future disasters.

HUD requires that at least 50 percent of total funds must be used for activities benefiting low- to moderate-income persons. For more information, please visit recovery.texas.gov/mitigation.