Tax dollars at work for Atlanta

Submitted by Casscounty1 on

Grant funds clearly benefit Atlanta as area receives heavy rain

 
By Lee Ellen Benjamin
 
In 2010, the Texas Department of Rural Affairs (TDRA) awarded $350,000 each to Atlanta, Avinger and Hughes Springs to repair damage incurred to infrastructure due the floods in the spring of 2009. 
The City of Atlanta repaired roads and drainage culverts on East Third Street, Shadybrook Lane and Shady Wood Lane. 
The TDRA’s Disaster Relief grants are funded by the Texas Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, the largest CDBG in the nation. 
Rural cities with a population of less than 50,000 and non-metropolitan counties with a population under 200,000 are eligible for TDRA and Texas CDBG programs. 
Proof that Atlanta residents’ tax dollars are working came last week when the torrential rains hit Atlanta. 
The city received more than 12 inches of rain, according to Atlanta Fire Chief Robin Betts and NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), and yet none of the areas, which had been overwhelmed with water damage in the past, had any problem with drainage.
Starting at Shadybrook Lane, the runoff from the Red Bluff subdivision emptied as expected and carried the water under North Louise toward the railroad tracks. 
Prior to the grant, as the water reached downtown via Haw Creek, Price Hardware, The First Baptist Church, the old Fire Station, Simmons Law Office and Brookshire’s would be inundated with the heavy flow of water. 
However, thanks to the TDRA grant, none of these businesses were afflicted with water damage. In fact, few businesses in town suffered from the floods. 
So the next time Atlanta citizens wonder where tax dollars are going, just take a look at the streets and drainage in Atlanta and know those dollars working for Atlanta.
 
See the full story in the March 16 edition of the Citizens Journal. 
 
PHOTO: As the water reaches North Louise Street, the enhanced culvert is able to handle the massive amount of water and keep the flow moving. Grant funds provided for Atlanta to make massive improvements to its drainage systems that handle water displacement in and around the downtown area. These improvements have made many of the city's drainage issues a thing of the past. 
 
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