News Release
Office of U.S. Representative Tom O’Halleran (D-AZ)
On July 1, the House Appropriations Committee finished approval of the 12 bills that fund the federal government each year, preparing for Fiscal Year 2023. This year, the legislation included 13 O’Halleran Community Project Funding Requests.
“Funding the government on time through an appropriations package each year is one of the most important functions of this Congress. I was proud to see so many of my submissions included in this critical legislation and remain committed to passing these bills on time each year,” said O’Halleran. “With our new community project funding request system, members hear directly from cities, towns, and tribes in our districts about what is needed and what’s been overlooked — I know that the funding and resources I’ve secured in this package will make a real difference in rural and tribal Arizona. This is an important first step in the process and I look forward to advancing these projects when the House considers the Appropriations bills later this month.”
O’Halleran’s projects include:
- City of Casa Grande ($3,000,000): The funding will be used to complete Phase 3 of the Thornton Road Widening project, expanding the highway from two lanes to four lanes between Peters Road and Gila Bend Highway in Casa Grande.
- Coconino County ($1,375,000): The funding would be used to establish a new facility designed to provide consolidated Coconino County services, like job assistance, community meeting rooms, Vital Records, and the Sherriff Patrol Administrative Office to the tribal populations in Coconino County.
- City of Flagstaff ($1,482,900): The funding will be used to provide funding for flood mitigation stormwater structures and property acquisitions (drainage easements) related to flooding from the 2019 Museum Fire burn scar.
- Gila River Indian Community ($1,000,000): This project is a priority for both the Gila River Indian Community and the City of Coolidge, and would provide funding for a traffic signal, street lighting, and turning lanes at the intersection of State Route 87 and Skousen Road.
- City of Globe ($750,000): The funding would be used to construct a shared workspace project and Downtown Visitor’s Center to spur economic development in Globe, Miami, and Gila County, Arizona, particularly focusing on economically-disadvantaged communities.
- Hopi Tribe ($1,500,000): The funding would be used to complete a water transmission line from Pasture Canyon to Upper Moenkopi Village and Lower Moencopi Village
- Town of Kearny ($3,000,000): The funding would be used to replace the aging water pipeline infrastructure and enable the Town to provide safe and reliable water service to its residents.
- City of Maricopa ($2,000,000): The funding will be used to construct a pedestrian bridge to create a more convenient railroad crossing for pedestrians in the area, including the students attending Maricopa High School.
- Maricopa-Stanfield Irrigation District ($2,846,076): The funding would be used to decouple existing groundwater infrastructure from the Santa Rosa Canal to improve the quality of water delivered to the Ak-Chin Indian Community while still allowing groundwater resources to be delivered throughout the Maricopa-Stanfield Irrigation and Drainage District.
- Navajo Nation ($2,000,000): The funding would be used to construct a Domestic Violence Emergency Shelter in Tuba City, AZ. The shelter will consist of 24 beds, administering its Navajo Family Harmony Program on site to provide culturally holistic advocacy, support, prevention, and education services. All programmatic services will be provided by licensed clinicians in both English and Navajo.
- City of Page ($2,745,600): The funding would be used to complete the 100 percent design of the Raw Water Intake and Conveyance Project, replacing undersized and aging infrastructure to ensure that the City can reliably deliver water to its residents.
- Silver Creek Flood Control District (Taylor, AZ) ($2,224,350): The funding would be used to mitigate the failure of the dam and significantly improve the Swale through the construction of berms.
- Town of Springerville ($750,000): The funding would be used to replace the Wenima Bridge, as the past several inspections have identified the bridge as one that needs to be replaced.
SUPPORT FROM ARIZONA STAKEHOLDERS:
“I want to express my gratitude and heartfelt thanks to Congressman O’Halleran for his tireless efforts in securing $2.7 million in Community Project Funding for the Union Pacific Railroad Pedestrian bridge. This important project will undoubtedly save lives as students from the high school that is adjacent to the tracks are forced to cross over them daily, which presents an enormous public safety risk. Congressman O’Halleran has always fought to make our community safer and this is yet another example of his commitment to Maricopa and I commend him for his work on this critical infrastructure project.”
– City of Maricopa Mayor Christian Price
“Congressman O’Halleran has visited Globe on multiple occasions and has listened to our concerns. He continues to be a champion for our small city and has been resolute in his commitment to fund the $1 million Michaelson Business Incubator and Workforce Development Project, which is critical for the City’s growth and development. Because of his hard work on this project, we will now have the opportunity to expand our regions’ workforce and attract new businesses and workers to our City. We are thankful for Congressman O’Halleran’s strong support for our City projects and, in particular, this important workforce development project.”
– Globe Mayor Al Gameros
“We want to commend Congressman O’Halleran for his strong and steadfast support for the Coconino County Regional Tribal Nations Service Center. Because of this effort, this $1 million Community Funding Project will allow the County to build a facility that will house various County services such as job development services, vital records and administrative offices for the Sheriff’s Department that will better serve the tribal nations in the more remote parts of Coconino County. We are grateful for Congressman O’Halleran’s continued support for Coconino County and we look forward to funding this important project.”
– Coconino County Board Chair Patrice Horstman
“When I learned that the Appropriations Committee accepted the Wenima Bridge replacement project, I was extremely excited. Safety for the constituents of Springerville and Round Valley is imperative. I can’t thank Congressman Tom O’Halleran enough for helping the people of rural Arizona.”
– Springerville Mayor Phil Hanson
“The Hopi Tribe greatly appreciates Representative O’Halleran’s tireless efforts to include our Water Infrastructure Improvement Project in the bill. This project is critical to ensuring that that Upper Moenkopi Village and the Village of Moencopi (Lower) have a reliable source of water beyond 2025.”
– Hopi Chairman Tim Nuvangyaoma
“Implementation of the Project would allow for the desperately needed completion of a water transmission line from Pasture Canyon to those villages. This water will ensure that our villages can continue to thrive.”
– Hopi Water & Energy Committee Chairman Dale Sinquah
“Having Congressman O’Halleran’s support for Kearny’s Community Funding Project Request for its aging water infrastructure replacement would ease a financial burden and permit the town to continue to provide safe and reliable water service to our residents.”
– Town of Kearny’s Certified Operator for their Water System David Garcia
“I appreciate Congressman O’Halleran’s help making the needs of the Navajo Nation’s most vulnerable families a priority in this budget cycle by sponsoring a $2 million appropriation for a new domestic violence shelter in Tuba City. Domestic violence is a monster that plagues our communities. Its devastating consequences cross generations and last a lifetime, especially for our children. Tribal communities, including the Navajo Nation, face higher rates of domestic violence than elsewhere in the country, yet there’s currently no domestic violence shelter within the largest town of the Navajo Nation, which is the largest Indian reservation in the country. This $2 million Congressionally Directed Spending appropriation will enable the Navajo Nation to construct emergency shelter for domestic violence victims who otherwise have no place to go.”
– Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez
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