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Rio Grande City wins $250,000 library infrastructure grant and awards library expansion contract
Summary
City staff said Rio Grande City’s public library secured a $250,000 TSLAC infrastructure grant and the commission awarded the library expansion construction contract to the lowest responsive bidder.
Rio Grande City announced two library-related developments Aug. 28: staff said the city has been awarded a $250,000 Library Infrastructure Facility Improvement (LIFI) grant from the Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC), and commissioners approved a construction contract for the public library expansion.
The TSLAC award was reported by city staff as an approved subgrant for the Rio Grande City Public Library; staff said the grant directly supports library infrastructure and that TSLAC assigned a grant coach to work with the city on project implementation and federal-grant compliance.
Why it matters: The $250,000 grant will fund facility improvements and technology and will be administered under TSLAC reporting requirements. The library expansion and grant together aim to expand public services, collections and community programming capacity.
What was approved at the meeting
- TSLAC LIFI grant: Melinda Gomez, interim EDC director, and Norma Fultz, library director, told commissioners the library was notified of a $250,000 award for infrastructure improvements. Staff said the city is a subrecipient, TSLAC will provide implementation support and the grant will fund upgrades and equipment for the library.
- Library construction contract: Commissioners awarded the construction contract for the library expansion to the lowest responsive bidder, JS Solutions Corp., whose low bid totaled $133,980. The commission moved to approve the award and directed staff to proceed with contract execution and coordination of the construction timeline.
Staff comments and next steps
- Gomez and Fultz briefed commissioners that the TSLAC program provides a grant coach and in-kind support from the state office; the award is one of only a small number statewide and the library will be a TSLAC subrecipient, giving the city a compliance and reporting role.
- Construction procurement: Staff told the commission they received two bids and that JS Solutions submitted the lowest responsive bid. Commissioners approved awarding the contract and instructed staff to follow the usual steps to execute the agreement and schedule the work.
Ending: Library staff said they will convene implementation meetings with TSLAC and provide the commission with an execution and reporting plan as required for federal and state grant funding.
