East Texas

By COSHANDRA DILLARD
Staff Writer

Mineola residents packed city council chambers Thursday night to hear about a grant application that would allow the city to place a new sewer system in their neighborhood.

Alexandra Gamble, a program development specialist with the Office of Rural Community Affairs, presented an overview of the grant process and what was needed from citizens. The Texas Small Towns Environment Program, or Texas Step, is a program that offers a self-help approach to meeting a community's water and wastewater needs. If awarded, the city could receive up to $350,000 to begin installing a sewer pipeline on two streets.

The line would run through the east end of McWhorter Street for about 400 feet and about 2,400 feet on Baker Street.

While the grant would fund most of the project, the community must provide at least 40 percent of the retail cost of the sewer project through volunteer labor.

"The city will furnish equipment but if we need additional equipment we would have to rent it and it would be included in the total project," Ms. Gamble said.

City administrator David Stevenson said the project made good economic sense because it will allow residents in that area to rehabilitate their homes and even develop property more efficiently with the improved wastewater system.

"There are approximately four to five houses on McWhorter Street that don't have sewer and people with septic tanks have had issues," Stevenson said.

Stevenson said they are hopeful they will receive the grant, although there are other cities applying for the same grant.

"We're in competition with other cities for the same dollars," he said. "But we score high because the project is providing a first-time service."

Ms. Gamble said there are 17 applicants vying for the grant and all application materials must be received by Oct. 10. The grant will be awarded in December.

The fact that so many residents attended the meeting was a good indicator that the city would have more than enough volunteers to help with technical skills, access to equipment and construction, Ms. Gamble said.

Pastor Demethruis Boyd of Saint Paul Missionary Baptist Church rallied some community members to get involved. He said it was important for citizens to come together to for a common goal.

"You want to see the neighborhood become up-to-date," Boyd said. "We are a little behind the times and this project will allow the community to take an active role in improving our quality of life. Volunteering is a key to all of this. It's the best way to make things happen."

Stevenson said there are other areas in the city that do not have sewer services, but did not meet the criteria of the Texas Step grant.

He said he was appreciative for the citizens that took an interest in the project.

"I am very surprised and very, very pleased that we had a large outpouring of support," Stevenson said. "I had contacted Pastor Boyd because he represents the people where the project will be done. He is considered a sparkplug in the community because he has generated enthusiasm about the project."

The timeline for the sewer project from start to finish could take up to six months, although the actual construction would take no more than a month, city officials said.