Grijalva backs $3.2 million in Yuma County project funding requests

Just over $3.2 million in requests for four Yuma County projects are in the House fiscal 2027 appropriations bills, but the money is still not on the ground. The dollars cannot move until both chambers of Congress approve the bill and the president signs it.

The Yuma County list includes a downtown park and plaza in San Luis, a workforce training expansion at Arizona Western College in Wellton through the Future48 Workforce Accelerator, a bridge replacement on Somerton Avenue between West County 10th Street and West County 11th Street, and a new multi-use pathway along the West Main Canal between Avenue B and Avenue C in Yuma. The San Luis project is aimed at downtown revitalization and walkability, the Wellton project is tied to hands-on training in electrical technology, advanced manufacturing, broadband fiber optics and solar installation, the Somerton job would replace a bridge used by local drivers, and the canal path would give pedestrians and cyclists a safer route.

House members may submit up to 20 Community Project Funding requests each year. Grijalva’s office accepted FY27 applications from Feb. 25 through March 4 at 11:59 p.m. MST, and Grijalva’s June 10 announcement included 20 Southern Arizona requests in the House bills, totaling $15,016,664. One project, the Copper Queen Library in Bisbee, was left out of the final list.

The county’s Grants Division identifies grant opportunities, develops applications, and manages implementation, compliance and reporting. Community Project Funding can take 12 to 18 months from submission to disbursement after the bill becomes law.