- Alice city leaders are working on Project C.L.E.A.R. to help demolish old and abandoned structures.
- Alice Code Enforcement Department is seeking a $1.5 million grant from Housing and Urban Development.
- Project C.L.E.A.R. has been in the works for a year. The Code Enforcement Department is working with property owners.
Alice City leaders are pushing to knock down what they consider eyesores in the neighborhoods. ‘Project C.L.E.A.R.,’ which they say is designed to help reduce some crime and hazards.
The Code Enforcement Department is seeking a $1.5 million grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development to use in Project C.L.E.A.R.
C.L.E.A.R. stands for Collaborative Large-scale Effort for Alice’s Revitalization.
Patrick Thomas is the city’s director of code enforcement. He said the City of Alice has been working on several projects to clean up and make the town safer. Project C.L.E.A.R. has been in the work for a year starting. Thomas said they’ve been working with property owners on the different structures, especially those that can be secured or revitalized.
“Different levels of dilapidation, so we are trying to identify which ones are the worst and prioritize them. We’re at the point right now where we’re ready to start the process of working with the property owners to get these buildings cleaned up – either demolished or secured,” Thomas said.
The city is hoping that they can secure the federal grant to make effective progress.
Alice businesses and residents along Business Highway 281 said this project has been on their wish list for a long time.
Blanca Benavides lives near a motel on Business Highway 281 that has been vacant and falling apart for many, many years. She said she's glad that the city is finally taking care of a big problem in her neighborhood.
“I’ve been asking myself and wondering why they hadn’t done it. It’s an old place that’s no good, you know. I hope – hoping that they that the place that need to be demolished to do it. And I hope that they rebuild something that benefits for the city,” Benavides said.
She’s been living in Alice since the 70s and has had to deal with not only criminal activity and homelessness but also wildlife creatures like possums.
Patrick Thomas said ‘Project C.L.E.A.R.’ should help relieve some concerns for people who live in and around Alice.
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