During last week’s fall conference for the Georgia Department of Community Affairs (GDCA), the City of Thomasville was officially recognized as one of 60 Georgia communities to receive a combined total of more than $40 million in federal assistance to help grow their local economies. The City of Thomasville will receive $750,000 from the 2018 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG). The CDBG program is funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and administered by Georgia’s DCA.
“This is fantastic news for the Fletcherville community where these funds will be used,” said Wayne Newsome, City Engineer. “We were the recipient of $750,000 CDBG funding in this area for 2017, which allowed us to begin an infrastructure improvement project. Receiving additional funding for this year will allow us to continue these improvements and expand it into other areas of the Fletcherville neighborhood.”
The funding will be used to address water, wastewater street and drainage improvements along Fletcher Street, Andrews Street, Magnolia Street, Augusta Avenue and Lester Street. Newsome said that 50-year old galvanized pipe and asbestos-cement pipe will be replaced. More than 650 Thomasville residents will benefit from these improvements.
“Replacing the infrastructure in this area will greatly improve the delivery of these essential services to the Fletcherville community,” said Newsome. “In total, the project will cost more than $2.2 million. Additional funding will come from the 2012 SPLOST.”
The CDBG program supports projects in Georgia’s small and rural communities that create jobs and assist citizens with low and moderate incomes. Of this year’s grant awards, $38.2 million will go to infrastructure projects such as neighborhood revitalization, construction of community facilities, and water, sewer, drainage or street improvements. An additional $2.8 million will be disbursed through the Employment Incentive Program (EIP) and the Redevelopment Fund, which together are projected to create 345 new jobs and generate $50.2 million in additional private investment.
On October 23, 2018, there will be a public hearing regarding this project. The hearing will be held at the Community Resource Center, 501 Varnedoe Street beginning at 6:00 pm. For more information, please call 227-3263.