YEDC approves $10K matching funds grant

The Yoakum Economic Development Corporation (YEDC) on Monday, Dec. 18, approved a community improvement small project matching funds grant totaling $10,000 to assist a local student council with what they’ve dubbed the Bulldog Beautification Project.

Yoakum High School’s student council announced their plans for the project in late October, making presentations to members of the city council, school board and the YEDC.

According to numbers the students shared in their presentations, it will cost an estimated $80,000 to accomplish all the improvements they have in mind, so the grant is certainly a step in the right direction.

More than that, the project the students described also touched on several items specifically addressed in the YEDC’s strategic plan, said executive director Genora Young.

“The student council actually read the board’s strategic plan, and they hit on several of the top priorities for this board,” Young said. “They’ve learned how to budget and negotiate. They are all learning business principles. They’re also improving community aesthetics, which is also in our strategic plan. These students impressed me tremendously.”

“We need to herald projects like this,” she added. “That’s my take on it. I want to see these students back in the community working, and I’d love it if one of them applied for my job when I retire. I’m more moved by these young people than I am any other project I’ve worked on for 30 years.”

Some of the specifics addressed in the student plan involve repairs and general clean-up of the high school’s circle drive and building façade at the Poth Street entrance, reinvigorating the Bulldog courtyard, and sprucing up the campus multipurpose area.

Committees were drawn from within the student council to focus on individual components of the overall project to divvy up the labor and ensure each of those meets similar quality standards.

“Our committees will help maintain this project for years to come,” Yoakum ISD Student Council President Abbie Galvan said. “For example, our energy environment committee will help maintain the plants and make sure they’re healthy. Our pride and patriotism committee will update our marquee and our outreach committee will go out to businesses that would like to promote their businesses. We can put those in the marquee as well.”

This project may also qualify for funding from Yoakum ISD’s budget using dollars from the recent school bond projects that specifically target campus beautification projects.

“We pass our budget in August of each year, so what (trustees) will do is propose a budget to us in our school board,” Yoakum ISD Superintendent Tom Kelley said. “What I request from (the students) is a proposal each year that we will put in our maintenance department, and we’ll have a line item for beautification. From their projection, we’ll budget that amount depending on what that amount may be. The support from this community has been great. We take care of each other in Yoakum, and you’ll be surprised how much people will come together to support this project.”

In other business:

• Some final details on the $75,000 grant for the purchase of a new building by the Grand Theater were wrapped up at the Dec. 18 meeting. It is located directly across the street from the Grand, and it will include arcade games, pizza and a salad bar for patrons.

• The updated strategic plan was discussed, with one of major components the YEDC wants to work on involving the recently acquired Industrial Park II project.

• The next joint city council/YEDC meeting takes place Monday, Feb. 19, 2024.

• A job fair is planned Thursday, Jan. 11, 2024, at the Cuero Municipal Park Clubhouse.