Costa Secures $11 Million for Local Projects in Appropriations Bill
WASHINGTON – Representative Jim Costa (CA-16) released the following statement after President Biden signed into law the Fiscal Year 2022 government funding package. Costa secured $11,004,664 in Community Project Funding for 10 local projects that respond directly to some of the most pressing needs in Fresno, Madera, and Merced Counties.
"Bringing federal funding back home is one of my top priorities," said Costa. "These projects support underserved areas and foster economic development, making a real difference in local infrastructure and providing more opportunities for folks to get ahead. I am proud to have secured funding that will have a profound impact in the daily lives of my constituents. After all, these are hard-earned taxpayer dollars that go to Washington and it's only appropriate that they come back to help people in our district."
Costa championed funding for 10 projects that will directly benefit Fresno, Madera, and Merced County residents. These include:
$475,000 for Fresno City College to develop the Nurse Pipeline Extension Project, a collaborative program with Fresno State, to increase the number of Nurse Practitioners in the San Joaquin Valley;
"As the largest nursing program in the state, Fresno City College has always known the importance of training nurses, but the pandemic has really opened the nation's eyes to their vital role. We are thrilled that we will greatly increase the number of nurses in the Central Valley because of Congressman Costa's work to secure funding for the Fresno City College-CSU Fresno Nurse Pipeline Extension Project. In addition, our students will also benefit from the Congressman's advocacy to secure a $400 increase to the Pell Grant award, the largest increase in more than a decade. This increase is desperately needed to help students pay for basic needs such as housing, food, and childcare. As the leaders in the training of today's workforce, we are also grateful for Congressman Costa's efforts to increase Career Technical Education funding so we may continue to provide hands-on education and provide students with a fast path to employment." said Dr. Carole Goldsmith, Chancellor of the Colleges at State Center Community College District
$1.9 million for the Fresno County Economic Development Corporation to construct a 60,000-square-foot training center in West Fresno to assist women, minorities, veterans, ex-offenders, at-risk and disconnected young adults, and other underrepresented individuals with job training and counseling;
"At the Fresno County Economic Development Corporation (EDC), we are seeing firsthand the urgent need for a highly-skilled workforce in the Valley. For many years, the EDC has inspired to develop a high-quality training center that would serve residents within the County of Fresno and other San Joaquin Valley counties setting them on career paths that will enable them to provide for their families. We would like to thank Congressman Costa for his tireless efforts to ensure underserved populations in the Central Valley will receive much-needed job training. The Central Valley Training Center will be a model for the entire country." said Lee Ann Eager, President/CEO, Fresno County Economic Development Center (EDC)
$500,000 to study the viability of a project to expand the single purpose Los Banos Creek into a multi-purpose reservoir, which would provide long-term solutions to flooding, drought, overdraft, and subsidence in Fresno, Madera, Merced, and Stanislaus Counties;
"We appreciate Congressman Costa's hard work securing federal funding for this project. The Community Project funding allows the local project partners to continue work on the construction of the Los Banos Creek Reservoir Regulation and Storage project on an expedited schedule, which will provide desperately needed water for growers, wildlife management and communities in our region." said Steve Chedester, Managing Director of Policy, and Programs, San Joaquin Valley Exchange Contractors Water Authority
$2 million for the Merced County Courthouse Museum to rehabilitate Merced County's most historic building, community gathering place, and educational resource;
"We are grateful for Congressman Costa for the recent appropriations bill because it provides much-needed funding to help preserve our historic Courthouse built in 1875. Generation after generation of our county's residents and visitors have climbed its granite steps, passed through its grand hall, and visited the historic courtroom---some for business, some as litigants, and, more recently, as admirers of Merced County's rich history. This funding will ensure that our beautiful historic Courthouse will continue to be a beacon of wisdom and justice and that we are able to properly maintain one of the legacies of our county's founders." said Sarah Lim, Museum Director of the Merced County Courthouse Museum
$279,000 for the City of Dos Palos to replace a water clarifier at the city's aging water plant to ensure uninterrupted service for residents.
"We want to thank Rep. Costa for his continued efforts to ensure the people of Dos Palos have clean, reliable drinking water. This funding will allow the city to make repairs to its existing water system while progress is made on the construction of a new water plant over the next year. This funding, along with additional state and federal dollars already committed, allows the city to make necessary infrastructure improvements so that our community can avoid critical water shortages and contamination that shut down the water flow to homes in our community in recent years. With this funding, our hope is that residents will have the assurance of clean drinking water as we deal with the fallout from the ongoing drought." said Darrell Fonseca, Dos Palos City Manager
$3.5 million for the City of Madera to rehabilitate a 50-year-old corroded pipeline responsible for carrying the City's wastewater to its treatment plant;
"Thanks to the efforts of Congressman Costa! Funding for the Avenue 13 (Pecan Avenue) Sewer Trunk Main Rehabilitation Project comes at a crucial moment, as the project is essential to protecting the quality of life in Madera. Following the completion of a recent sewer system condition assessment, we discovered approximately 5 miles of sewer trunk pipeline displaying signs of extensive corrosion, with approximately 1.5 miles being at a particularly high risk of failure. Failure of this sewage main, which is the sole sewer interceptor pipeline carrying wastewater from the City of Madera general region to the wastewater treatment facility, would have severe if not disastrous consequences for our community." said Arnoldo Rodriguez, Madera City Manager
$950,000 for the City of Gustine to finish the water loop line from North Avenue to East Avenue, which will create a more stable and safe water distribution system;
"The City of Gustine is overwhelmed with gratitude to Congressman Costa for his support of the Million Gallon Water Tank with Booster Pump and the Water Loop Line Project. Both projects will help offset the needs of the community and meet the citizen's expectations of water quality and processing. Congressman Costa has once again supported the needs of rural America and the farming communities. He has shown that he continues to work for everyone's needs and supports all communities." said Doug Dunford, Gustine City Manager
$625,000 for Madera Unified School District to ensure the district's approximately 5,500 English Language Learners address unfinished learning in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic;
"Congressman Costa and Madera Unified both believe in the core value of equity before equality to help all students lift themselves up on a level playing field. Nothing levels life's playing field like high-quality English language acquisition and full biliteracy. Together, WE BELIEVE deeply in the cultural and linguistic assets of our English Learner students and are committed to their lifelong success. This investment in the lives of our students and staff will improve Madera and the Central Valley for decades to come!" said Todd Lile, Superintendent of Madera Unified School District
$475,000 for UCSF Fresno to construct an Alzheimer's Center and Center on Aging, which will provide clinical services for age-related care and serve as a center for geriatric and neurological education for students and residents;
"We are thrilled that the UCSF Fresno Alzheimer Memory Center and Hillblom Center on Aging community project was included in the Consolidated Appropriations bill. We thank Rep. Costa for championing this important project that will help improve elder care in the San Joaquin Valley." said Loren I. Alving, MD, Director, UCSF Fresno Alzheimer & Memory Center, Health Sciences Clinical Professor, Neurology, UCSF, Director, UCSF SJV PRIME
"This critical federal support will improve access to services for people living with dementia while providing valuable training for UCSF Fresno's medical students and residents. We are grateful to be included and thankful for Congressman Costa's leadership and advocacy on behalf of UCSF Fresno and constituents in the San Joaquin Valley." said Michael W. Peterson, MD, MACP, UCSF Fresno Associate Dean for Undergraduate Medical Education and Research and Y. Frank and Roxie Moradian Chair in Medicine, UCSF Professor of Medicine
$300,000 for Advance Peace Fresno to intervene and help prevent gun violence by investing in communities and individuals disproportionately impacted by violent crime.
"Thank you, Congressman Jim Costa, for working to ensure the $300,000 in federal funding for Advance Peace Fresno made it over the finish line. Advance Peace Fresno is making a tremendous impact in our community, and we are honored to receive this significant federal acknowledgment and investment from Congress. Thanks to the support of community leaders and elected officials, like Congressman Costa, Advance Peace Fresno will continue its lifesaving work." said Emilia Reyes, CEO of Fresno Economic Opportunities Commission
Background
Under the guidelines issued by the Appropriations Committee, each Representative was permitted to request funds for up to 10 projects in their community for the Fiscal Year 2022. Projects are restricted to a limited number of federal funding streams, and only state and local governments and eligible non-profit entities are permitted to receive funding. Rep. Costa's office received more than 80 funding requests. After careful consideration and evaluation, Costa and his team selected 10 local projects for inclusion. Costa continuously advocated for these projects, and all were included in the government funding package.
Details on CPF rules and guidelines can be found here.
A detailed summary of the bill is available here.
The full text of the bill can be viewed here.
###