Austin, TX – Today, the Texas Transportation Commission announced an $8 million grant to the Rural Economic Assistance League, Inc. (R.E.A.L. Inc.) for the construction of a maintenance facility in Alice. This funding, which is part of the Federal Transit Administration program includes state resources to support public transportation needs in rural areas of Texas.

Among those present at the Texas Transportation Commission meeting were R.E.A.L. Chairman and Jim Wells County Clerk J.C. Perez, III; R.E.A.L. Executive Director Gloria Ramos, R.E.A.L. Director of Transportation Management Martin Ornelas-Mata, and Jim Wells County Judge Pete Trevino.

State Senator Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa expressed his support for this funding, stating, “I commend the leadership of R.E.A.L.’s board of directors, their staff, and our local public officials for their tireless efforts to secure funding from TxDOT. It is important for the Coastal Bend region to have safe and reliable transportation options and the necessary facilities to meet the needs of our communities. I have consistently supported the funding from TxDOT to make R.E.A.L.’s projects a reality. I am grateful to the staff at TxDOT and the Texas Transportation Commission for their investment.”

To date, TxDOT has contributed nearly $2 million for R.E.A.L.'s planning and design phases, $12 million for the construction of a multi-modal and administration/operations facility, and now an additional $8 million for the maintenance facility. In total, this amounts to nearly $22 million in funding for R.E.A.L.

(L to R) R.E.A.L. Chairman and Jim Wells County Clerk JC Perez, R.E.A.L. Executive Director Gloria Ramos, TxDOT Public Transportation Division Director Eric Gleason, R.E.A.L. Director of Transportation Management Martin Ornelas-Mata, and Jim Wells County Judge Pete Trevino.

(L to R) Jim Wells County Judge Pete Trevino, R.E.A.L. Director of Transportation Management Martin Ornelas-Mata, Senator Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa, R.E.A.L. Executive Director Gloria Ramos, R.E.A.L. Chairman and Jim Wells County Clerk JC Perez.

###