Costa ensures nearly $500 million for critical valley services
Wendy Alexander/The Madera Tribune
California Congressman Jim Costa visits with City of Madera officials for a tour of the city’s wastewater treatment plant. Costa recently signed a bill that would send $3.5 million to the City of Madera to rehabilitate a 50-year-old corroded pipeline, in addition to giving $625,000 to the Madera Unified School District.
WASHINGTON — Caifornia Congressman Jim Costa released the following statement after his vote on H.R. 4502, a $253 billion package to fund the federal government in the next fiscal year that also makes historic investments in American jobs and opportunities for working families. If passed in the Senate, the bill would bring nearly $500 million to Rep. Costa’s district:
“As we emerge from the worst public health crises in our lifetime, it’s critical we make investments in our communities that will ensure no American is left behind during our recovery,” said Rep. Costa.“This bill works to reverse decades of disinvestment by improving our aging infrastructure, creating better paying jobs, and improving public health. This investment in our communities will build a stronger, cleaner, and brighter future for all Americans.”
This legislation includes money for nine Community Project Funding requests Costa submitted for consideration in April. In total, they provide nearly $11 million dollars to the counties of Fresno, Madera, and Merced to complete water projects and fund jobs, health, and educational programs:
• $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;
• $2 million for the Merced County Courthouse Museum to rehabilitate Merced County’s most historic building, community gathering place, and educational resource;
• $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;
• $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;
• $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;
• $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;
• $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 Practioners in the San Joaquin Valley;
• $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;
• $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.
Local leaders shared the following insight on how these projects will benefit the Valley:
“The 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. Failure of this sewage main would have severe if not disastrous consequences for our community. The vote sends a clear message that sustaining the reliable and robust wastewater infrastructure necessary for our community to continue to safely grow and our City to thrive is a top priority of Congressman Costa’s office. We are thankful for this funding and what it means for the citizens of Madera.”
— Arnoldo Rodriguez, Madera City Manager
“The Madera Unified Governing Board is committed to helping all our secondary multilingual learners acquire English proficiency and gain access to the most motivating opportunities. With Congressman Costa’s partnership, this $625,000 of aid will jumpstart our efforts with resources and training for our hundreds of teachers and thousands of students from grade 7 - 12. Simply put, this partnership will change student outcomes and lives for years to come!”
— Todd Lile, Madera Unified School District Superintendent
