City to receive grant for water improvements

The city of Breckenridge will receive a 2018 Texas Community Development Block Grant from the state in order to provide water improvements in an amount of $275,000.

City Manager Andy McCuistion said this was the maximum amount the grant could give. The city will match this grant with $55,000 of their own money, bringing the total to $330,000 for the project.

McCuistion said the money will be used south of Elliott Street near James Street, Cottage Street, Power Street and Robert Avenue to improve water lines in the area.

“The waterlines [in the area] are in really bad shape,” McCuistion said. “They haven’t been replaced in a long time.”

He added the conditions of the waterlines have made getting a consistent flow of water difficult in the area. This is due to the pipes, which are steel metal, closing up over time due to corrosion and leaking, which McCuistion said the city has had to repair numerous times in the past.

The grant comes through the Texas Department of Agriculture, and the process is still in the beginning steps. In order to fully receive the grant, the city has to meet certain requirements, which McCuistion said they are working on at the moment.

McCuistion said this is his second time getting a CDBG since he has worked for Breckenridge. The first time came when Panther Avenue also needed work on their waterlines. Getting them is a competitive process though, as Breckenridge has to compete with other cities similar in size. McCuistion said typically Breckenridge gets them every other year.

“We were in line for it and it was our year to get it,” McCuistion said. “To qualify it has to be in an area that is low-income.”

The application guide for a CDBG is 65 pages, and lists several requirements, including what makes someone eligible, some of which include a lack of potable water supply, adequate sewage systems and decent, safe and sanitary housing. Though, this process is still in its early stages, and the city still has work to get done before they are able to start working on the waterlines. At their January city commissioner meeting, the commissioners passed an updated civil rights notice as part of the requirement for the CDBG. The civil rights policy for non-discrimination had since been changed since the last CDBG the city received.

For more information, contact the city offices at 254-559-8287.