Pattison City Council discussed seeking multiple grants to help the city prepare for upcoming growth during its April meeting. Council also moved forward with an agreement with Pattison Water Supply, the public agency that provides water services to city residents. The two issues may pair nicely, city officials said.

“Basically, we’d work with the Pattison Water Supply in submitting a block grant application,” said Mayor Joe Garcia. “One of the things that we’ve looked at, as far as this (Community Development Block Grant) project goes, is to try and improve the availability of our public water supply within our community.”

The agreement, which will also need to be approved by the Pattison Water Supply Board of Directors this week, would set up a partnership between the city that could involve some cost sharing on any matching funds required under the CDBG program, Garcia said. Additionally, the agreement could lead to increased water pressure for city residents as smaller pipes in parts of the city are replaced with larger pipes to allow more water to flow. The added water pressure could assist with the addition of fire hydrants on Durkin Road, which would improve public safety, Garcia said.

Councilmember Jeff McGowan, who is also a member of the Pattison Water Supply Board of Directors, supported the measure for multiple reasons, including the possibility of increasing fire protection in the city.

“(I) love the lines put in years ago, but they’re quite small, so we can’t do anything about fire protection until we get a six-inch line in,” McGowan said.

Some lines in the city may only be an inch to an inch and a half in diameter, Garcia said.

Councilmember Seth Stokes was the only member of council to vote against the measure. Stokes said he felt Pattison Water Supply, as a separate entity, was responsible for improvements to the city’s water infrastructure and he felt the agreement left the city responsible for all matching funds with no guaranty the organization would assist with overages for projects the city might pursue with CDBG funds.

“I get that they service the people that we represent,” Stokes said. “So, they’re asking us to help them with (what is) their role.”

If the city were to receive a full $350,000 CDBG award, matching funds would be 5% of the awarded grant, Garcia said. That comes out to $17,500.

The city is also considering applying to the Texas Department of Emergency Management for the state agency’s Hazard Mitigation Assistance Grant Program. The program aids small municipalities such as Pattison in addressing damage caused by past events which may cause dangers for residents or further damage to other property. Improvements to the city’s emergency resources are also an option for the program.

Garcia said he knew of at least one building that could serve as an emergency shelter for the city if it were improved.

Council voted unanimously to allow GrantWorks, the city’s grants consultant, to move forward in cooperation with Garcia in pursuing funding through the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program.

Councilmembers also discussed restoring Pattison City Park, located near Seventh Street, just northwest of Avenue J. The park’s playground equipment had been removed due to unsafe conditions at some point and council discussed the possibility of installing donated equipment with volunteer assistance, as well as applying for grants through the Texas Department of Parks and Wildlife to make improvements there.