PORT ISABEL, Texas (ValleyCentral) — The City of Port Isabel announced it has been awarded $1 million in Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development via the Texas General Land Office.
The city’s news release said the funds will be used for improvement along Pennsylvania Avenue in Laguna Heights to help with the flow of water. The Texas GLO announced the award on March 21.
The project will consist of Pennsylvania Avenue being resurfaced, with the installation of a concrete curb and gutter and underground drainage pipes replacing open bar ditches. The total project area is approximately 1,900 linear feet, running from Lincoln Street to Roy Street.
The city of Port Isabel will supplement the $1,000,000 in CDBG-DR funds for this project with a $5,000 local match.
“I would like to thank GLO Commissioner Dawn Buckingham for this major award,” said Port Isabel Mayor Martin Cantu, Jr. “Laguna Heights is the front door to our city, and we’ve been working for years to improve living conditions there. With the continued assistance of our state and federal representatives, we look forward to performing additional improvements in Laguna Heights following the installation of this new drainage infrastructure.”
The new award comes at a time when the city of Port Isabel is preparing to begin a project to reconstruct Washington Street, which will also include the installation of curb and gutter. That project, which totals $439,221 was funded by the Texas Community Development Block Grant administered by the Texas Department of Agriculture and City of Port Isabel voter-approved Series 2019 Bond funds, said the news release.
