COVINGTON, Ga. — Federal funds from the recently approved federal omnibus appropriations bill will be combined with local sales tax proceeds to provide enough money for a Westside Youth Facility in Newton County.
The federal funding totaling $4 million was a grant the county matched with $4.2 million from the voter-approved 2017 Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax to provide enough money to buy the land and build a facility, said District 3 County Commissioner Alana Sanders.
The local funding included $495,000 voters approved in the 2017 SPLOST — which is a 1% sales tax which must be used for new or upgraded facilities and equipment and debt service. An additional $3.7 million came from funds collected above the amount originally budgeted from 2017 SPLOST collections.
No location or details about the facility have been publicly disclosed.
Sanders said she applied for the funding — which is in the form of a grant — because of the county lacks a grant writer, she said.
"There has been an extreme need in the most-dense area in Newton County and receiving this grant is a blessing to the community. I am thankful for Congressman Johnson listening to the needs of the community for residents also took part and was involved in securing this grant,” Sanders said.
“There have been many funds that the county could have received which were sent down from the federal government," she said. "Due to not having a grant writer, funds have been left on the table to help our community and offset the cost that could have been a burden on the residents in the county," she said.
A recreation consultant in 2022 included the need for a community center or other facilities targeting youth, and seniors in west Newton.
Sanders said she believed it will "help with the issue of crime in our area by providing a location that is designed by our youth including the programs they desire.”
She said she visited the schools in her District 3 and surrounding areas to get feedback on desire services.
“The worst thing is to force programming on our youth that they do not want and to spend millions on a building that they will not utilize," she said.
"They have stated on numerous occasions the programs they felt were not effective and the fact that we are not listening to them. Too often adults are telling the youth what they want based on their experiences and political reasoning, but it is not helping the children in our area.
"As a mother of a child who just graduated from the school system in Newton County, it is sad to hear many of the graduates state that will not return because there is nothing for them to do. We must listen and leave politics out of making decisions for our children."
The new money was part of the Omnibus Appropriations Spending Bill that included money for Community Project Funding projects nationwide. About $15 million was for projects in Georgia's 4th Congressional District. The district includes western Newton, all of Rockdale and parts of DeKalb and Gwinnett counties.
“It is my job to fight for our district in Congress, and I am proud to secure funding for these critical projects from Clarkston to Conyers, Covington to Tucker and everywhere in between," Rep. Johnson said. "I will continue to fight for our district to ensure that we get the federal funding we need to make our community stronger.”
In addition to the Youth Facility, other Community Project Funding projects for the 4th Congressional District include clean energy projects for local governments; early childhood workforce development ; Wellroot Family Services in Tucker for housing and services and supplies; Georgia State University for programs to expand access to postsecondary education, including English language proficiency support; the Michelle Obama Trail in DeKalb County; the Stonecrest Transit Hub for MARTA; an affordable housing development in Decatur; housing for domestic violence survivors in DeKalb County; a Memorial Drive Gateways Project in Stone Mountain; and Atlanta Legal Aid Society.
