City Approves Resolution Executing an Advance Funding Agreement (AFA) with TxDOT for the Ag Lab at the Pharr International Bridge
The Pharr City Commission approved a Resolution executing an Advance Funding Agreement (AFA) with the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) for the Ag Lab at the Pharr International Bridge. The AFA requires the City to pay a total estimated amount of $287,200 to TxDOT for review and oversight services. In addition, the City is responsible for 100% of cost overruns. "The AFA will allow for funding of a much needed regional ag training center and laboratory at the Pharr International Bridge," said Bridge Director, Luis Bazan. "This will be the first-of-its-kind in the region and is part of our Donations Acceptance Program (DAP) projects," he continued. "We are crossing about 70% of all the nation's produce through Pharr, and we need the personnel, equipment, and the brick and mortar facilities to be able to identify the bugs and insects that can sometimes travel in the produce and potentially contaminate our environment," said Bazan. Through the program, the City of Pharr plans to partner with a university and local school district to help augment training, research, and provide internship experience to students at the university level and agricultural experience to high school students interested in entomology. This multi-partner program will also include working closely with the federal government CBP Agriculture and USDA. "We have been working on this project for years and are proud to see it come to fruition," said Mayor Hernandez. "This will also help expedite the process of trucks crossings and wait times on the bridge," added City Commissioner Ricardo Medina.