The City of Tifton is one of 58 communities in the state of Georgia that has been awarded a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG).  The grant, which is federally funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Development through Georgia’s Department of Community Affairs, will go toward the construction of a Youth Center in the Matt Wilson neighborhood of Tifton. The total project cost is $911, 207 with $750,000 being awarded through the grant.

Tifton City Manager Pete Pyrzenski announced the news at Tuesday night’s City Council Workshop saying, “This is the catalyst that we were waiting for to set a new standard for this community. This is a definite win for Tifton and we are really proud.”

Mayor Julie Smith said, “The Urban Redevelopment area is high on our priority list for this Council. It’s a long time coming and it’s an affirmation that we are moving in the right direction. It’s the first step of a lot of good things to come for this area. The success of one neighborhood is the success of our entire town.”

An emotional Councilman Johnny Terrell added, “This is my district and I am so excited to make this come true. We’ve been looking at the same thing (in the area) for the past sixty years and now all of a sudden you can feel the excitement that there is something new to look at and use for our community.”

The City of Tifton will be awarded the funding in October with a tentative timeline for the build released thereafter.