COMBES — Several new projects and renovations are underway at the start of the year.
Among the city’s ongoing projects, the Dollar General, which began construction a year and a half ago, is set to open late this month or early February, according to Town Secretary Aida Gutierrez.
The store will be located on Business 77, a half-mile south of downtown.
“The town owned a piece of property where we would house our public works department and equipment, but being that they needed a better facility to do work, we put it on the market and transferred the property to the EDC,” Gutierrez said.
“At the same time, Dollar General was approaching us for that location. However, we weren’t sure if it was going to happen,” she said.
The building permit was issued in 2019, and according to Gutierrez, construction is about 90 percent done.
Plumbing and electricity have already been approved.
“I foresee it opening in early February or late January. It is very important for the store to come because all our citizens have to travel to Harlingen to get their most necessities, and now it is easier for the community to walk to the store. I believe it will benefit all our Combes citizens,” she said.
Rehabilitation of Park
Renovations to the Combes Community Park are also in the works.
The children’s playground and the exercise equipment will be replaced. A few benches will also be replaced and barbecue pits will be added.
“Some part of the park is going to be inclusive for children with disabilities, and we are working on a butterfly park next door,” she said.
According to Gutierrez, the Combes Vegetable Garden will be turned into a butterfly garden.
“We are going to be planting different type of flowers to attract the butterflies to create it,” she said.
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department provided the city with a grant. It came with a 50/50 match coming from the city’s Municipal Development District fund.
According to Gutierrez, it needs to be a 100 percent completed by July 2020. However, she said they hope to complete by mid-March.
“I am just waiting to have our sign as to where the funds are coming from to be approved,” she said.
Home Renovations
Gutierrez said she also applied for a grant to rehabilitate older homes.
“We want to help homeowners who are in dire need of reconstruction of their home,” she said.
After administrative consultants are selected, people can begin to apply.
“Our goal is to do at least 30 to 40 homes,” she said.
“Those three are our main goals at the moment. We are looking forward to this year,” Gutierrez said about the city’s many projects.
