Washington, D.C. – Congressman Colin Allred (TX-32) announced he submitted 15 North Texas projects for consideration to the House Appropriations Committee for fiscal year 2025. This includes funding for public safety, law enforcement, first responders, educational services, parks, health systems and transportation and infrastructure at DFW Airport, Dallas Area Rapid Transit, the University of Texas at Dallas, the Dallas Police Department, the City of Dallas and more.
“Now more than ever, we must ensure North Texans have a voice in the federal budgeting process by working together to support these community projects,” said Allred. “That’s why I am proud of this committee and our project submissions that will create jobs, invest in critical infrastructure, and strengthen our economy. I look forward to working in a bipartisan way to get these projects signed into law.”
As he has done for fiscal years 2022, 2023 and 2024, Allred convened a nonpartisan group of North Texans to review and recommend projects based on criteria including job creation, economic development, community support and oversight. In fiscal year 2024 Allred secured $16.86 million for North Texas projects. Community Project Funding allows Members of Congress to support federal investment in community-based projects through the appropriations process.
"Creating jobs and growing the North Texas economy requires partnerships with the federal government to support our community. These project submissions represent a step forward in achieving that goal and will ensure our region continues to lead in public safety, transportation and infrastructure, and education,” said Michael Gallops, President and CEO of Metrocrest Chamber of Commerce.
32nd District Community Projects:
Dallas Police Department Weed & Seed Program: $2,000,000 to create a Weed & Seed program in Dallas modeled after the original federal program established by the U.S. Department of Justice in 1991. The program goal is to “weed out” violent crime, gang activity, drug use, and drug trafficking in targeted, high-crime neighborhoods while “seeding” the neighborhood with social and economic revitalization.
Children’s Health Systems of Texas - Expanding Access to Children’s Health’s Critical Child Abuse Services for Children Across North Texas: $833,600 to hire medical providers specially trained and certified in Child Abuse Pediatrics that serve at-risk youth in North Texas. The funding will also be used for supplies, equipment and other resources necessary to provide assistance to children who have been victims of abuse, neglect, and other crimes. These child abuse pediatricians work alongside the Dallas Police Department, the Dallas Children’s Advocacy Center, and others.
City of Balch Springs - Emergency Operations Center: $3,000,000 to establish a fully equipped and dedicated facility that coordinates emergency response efforts during disasters and city-wide emergencies, improving overall public safety and resilience.
City of Carrollton - North Broadway Street Reconstruction: $3,760,000 for the reconstruction of North Broadway Street in the City of Carrollton. This includes underground storm water drainage, materials, and dead-end water lines to allow for future development and prevent the need for flushing water lines.
City of Dallas - Dallas Greening Initiative: $1,000,000 to transform vacant lots into new community greenspaces featuring walking paths, picnic areas, native plant gardens, security lights, and other park amenities. The funding would be used to pay for design and engineering, construction, and long-term maintenance of new greenspaces.
City of Dallas - Dallas International District Library: $2,000,000 to install library resources including furniture, reading materials, supplies, and a state-of-the-art computer lab for the Dallas ISD International STEAM Academy. This project will increase access to information, educational services, job search resources, computers, and high-speed Wi-Fi. Read this Dallas Morning News Editorialon this project.
City of Dallas - Ferguson Road Corridor Safety Enhancements: $2,000,000 for reconstruction of the existing medians along the entire corridor, design and construction of new LED streetlights, and installation of sidewalks, traffic signals, and pedestrian hybrid beacons at various locations to improve pedestrian accessibility and safety, and ADA compliance.
City of Dallas - Safe Crossing over Beckley Ave: Pedestrian / Bike Land Bridge Phase 2: $3,150,000 to enhance the brick-and-mortar construction of a land bridge between the West Overlook and the western levee of the Trinity River. The land bridge will help safely reconnect historically divided communities and major employment centers.
Dallas Area Rapid Transit - DART Cityplace/Uptown Station Inclinator Replacement and Modernization Project: $3,000,000 to replace the entire inclinator system at the Cityplace/Uptown Station on the DART Light Rail System.
Dallas College - Dallas College Airframe and Powerplant: $1,500,000 for renovations and retrofitting of the instructional hangar to meet the requirements of the Federal Aviation Administration regulations. Dallas College is in the process of launching an Airframe and Powerplant (A&P) program housed at the Executive Airport and Workforce Center at Redbird to train a new wave of Aviation Maintenance Technicians (AMT’s) in response to industry demand.
DFW International Airport - Autonomous Mobile Robotics & Advanced X-ray Solutions: $1,100,000 to purchase x-rays and robots to assist bomb squad operators at DFW Airport. These tools will mitigate capability gaps both for DFW Airport, as well as the surrounding region.
Texas A&M University-Commerce - NASA Summer STEM Academy: $1,201,000 for a summer academy for Dallas ISD students, providing supplemental math and science education integrating telescope usage, planetarium shows, and biology and chemistry labs to engage students in space-themed curricula and strengthen their STEM knowledge.
University of Texas at Dallas Center for Critical Elements from Produced Waters: $2,000,000 to develop a Center for Critical Elements from Produced Waters. Challenges related to wastewater treatment, disposal, and beneficial reuse of these waters are of increasing concern to state and federal agencies.
University of Texas at Dallas Comparative Effectiveness of North Texas Workforce Development Programs for Semiconductors: $1,250,000 to conduct a comprehensive study characterizing the effectiveness of a range of current workforce development programs, spanning K-12, vocational, and community colleges, that support the semiconductor industry. The long-term economic impact that will result from this work will support the global leadership of North Texas in the semiconductor industry.
The University of Texas at Dallas - UT Dallas Open Radio Access Network (O-RAN) Test and Evaluation Center: $3,000,000 to develop and operate an O-RAN (open radio access network) test and evaluation center for telecommunications technology interoperability. This Center will provide unbiased, neutral evaluation of network components to ensure quality performance needed for mobile wireless network continuity.
32nd District Community Project Funding Committee members:
- Jesse Crawford - Director, Dallas County Office of Small Business Enterprise
- Michael Gallops - President & CEO, Metrocrest Chamber of Commerce
- Laurie Garvey - Executive Director, Richardson Symphony Orchestra
- Chad Houser - CEO, Cafe Momentum
- Olga Lopez - Board Chair, Greater Dallas Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
- John Muns - Mayor, City of Plano
- Dr. Sheron Patterson - Senior Pastor, Hamilton Park United Methodist Church
- Margo Posey - President & CEO, D/FW Minority Supplier Development Council
Learn more about the projects here.
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