Waelder recieves $250,000 grant

The Texas Department of Rural Affairs (TDRA) presented the City of Waelder with two oversized, ceremonial checks to recognize the community for its hard work in securing a grant from the agency’s Texas Community Development Block Grant program.  Agency staff presented the checks, which came from two different funds, on June 1 in Victoria, Texas.
“We are very pleased to present this ceremonial check to the community,” said Charles Stone, executive director of TDRA.  “Community development grants such as this help Texans in rural communities improve their quality of life significantly.”
The Waelder will use the $250,000 grant to provide first-time water and wastewater service to 11 households.  Construction shall take place near N. 4th Street and S. 1st. Street.
The agency awarded $2,037,181 to nine Golden Crescent region communities, including Cuero, Goliad, Hallettsville, Jackson County, Port Lavaca, Seadrift, Shiner, Waelder and Yorktown.  TDRA awarded more than $88 million to rural communities in Texas for the 2009 funding cycle.
“Texas CDBG is a competitive grant program, so the community is to be commended for their hard work and diligence in pursuing this grant,” said Mark Wyatt, director of TDRA’s community development division.
The grant comes from the Texas Community Development Block Grant program, the largest CDBG program in the nation.  Rural cities with populations less than 50,000 and counties that have a non-metropolitan population under 200,000 and are not eligible for direct funding from HUD may apply for the agency’s TxCDBG program.  This program serves approximately 1,017 eligible rural communities, 245 rural counties and provides services to more than 375,000 low to moderate income beneficiaries each year.