Press Conference

September 17, 2001 For More Information Contact:

For immediate release Alice Stanford (361)664-1492 (x3021)

or (361)592-1615 (x2200)

Press Conference: September 19, 2001, 3 p.m. at The Alice Center of Coastal Bend College, 704 Coyote Trail, Alice, Texas.

A press conference has been scheduled for Wednesday, September 19 th , to announce the receipt of a Community Network Grant. The Alice Center of Coastal Bend College has received a $525,000 grant from the Texas Telecommunications Infrastructure Fund (TIF). The grant will fund a Community Network for Alice and Jim Wells County .

The objectives of the Community Network are to expand public access to the Internet, establish a community website, and provide computer training for residents. The grant application was submitted on behalf of 21 local organizations.

The Alice Center of Coastal Bend College will administer the grant. It will work with a planning committee composed of public officials, including County Judge Arnold Saenz and Alice Mayor Rito Silva , Jr. , as well as representatives of various local organizations and businesses. Collaborative partners in the project also include: Alice Public Library, Alice Independent School District and Christus Spohn Hospital .

The grant includes $25,000 for planning and $500,000 for implementation of the network itself. The network will have five months to develop the plan and two years to implement the program. The grant also requires a 10% local funding match. The matching funds for the planning phase have been secured. Southwestern Bell has awarded a $2,500 Economic Excellence Grant to the Alice & Jim Wells Economic Development Council. (Contact: Jeff Jung ) The Council has pledged another $2,500 for the planning phase match requirement.

Senator Carlos Truan and Representatives Ignacio Salinas and Judy Hawley have been invited to the ceremony. The Senator and Representatives assisted the grant application planning effort.

Alice Stanford of Coastal Bend College and Dave Cich of the Alice/Jim Wells County EDC organized the effort. Olivarri & Associates, Inc. of Corpus Christi prepared the application.

The state of Texas established the Telecommunications Infrastructure Fund from proceeds of taxes collected from mobile phone users. The funds are used for a variety of different types of grants to educational and health institutions. The Community Network grant program emphasizes building telecommunications resources for the general public and connecting the public to existing or new resources. In 1999-2000, the TIF agency approved the first round of grants under this program. This is the second round. While educational institutions and libraries have received funding through other TIF programs, the Jim Wells Community Network is the first one funded by the agency in the Coastal Bend. Over 400 communities competed for this round of Community Network funding.