CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Patricia Reyes has lived in Fiesta Ranch, a colonia, for over 30 years.
She says although along the years she has seen some improvements in this area, she feels like they are forgotten as a community and there is still a lot more that needs to be done in this area.
“When it rains out here, it tends to flood even with all the improvements of the streets and stuff like that. We have a ditch over there that hasn't been cleaned out,” Reyes said.
The military is out in the community, helping by taking surveys, collecting demographic data, and working to help Nueces County improve living conditions for those living in Colonias.
Dan Champo, Civil Affairs Officer in the United States Marines, says this help is crucial for the Colonias.
“There is a real need out there for the people in the Colonias. They are not incorporated into the city, so there are a lot of utilities and amenities that we take for granted,” Champo said.
These surveys are very important because they help Nueces County come up with a comprehensive plan on what grants to apply for. Those grants will help the county build and maintain infrastructure in the Colonias.
"If there is gravel or caliche roads, we are going to work on those to get funding to get them paved. A lot of these houses do not necessarily have city water or city sewage, connections or running. Or electrical lines all this funding down the road can help to pay for all that," Major Coston Smauley said, Civil Affairs Officer.
“There is definitely more improvements needed, and you know we are taxpayers, so we will welcome all the help,” Reyes said.
Major Smauley says the end goal is to be able to improve these colonias with the grant funding.
“All this funding can help down the road. Help to pay for all of that, improving the quality of life across the entire county for generations,” Smauley said.
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