Dr. Ruiz Announces Nearly $3 Million Grant Award for Blythe Infrastructure

Palm Desert, CA – Today, Congressman Raul Ruiz, M.D. (CA-36) announced a nearly $3 million grant award from the Caltrans Clean California Grant Program to fund the Beautify Blythe project. The project, organized by the City of Blythe and Palo Verde Valley Transit Agency (PVVTA), will encourage outdoor engagement in the Blythe area; improve transit stops throughout the Palo Verde Valley; and increase access to local businesses, schools, and offices. Dr. Ruiz worked with the City and PVVTA to secure the funding, advocating on their behalf to the California Department of Transportation.

"As the Representative of California's 36th Congressional District, I understand the impact that improving access to outdoor areas and public transit would have on the lives of the individuals I serve and represent," Dr. Ruiz wrote in support of the funding. "By enhancing public transit stops through the addition of decorative walls and increased lighting, the project would promote sustainable travel through the Palo Verde Valley. Residents will be given increased access to local businesses, schools, and offices. PVVTA and the City of Blythe's collaboration on these redesigned spaces will simultaneously promote economic opportunity and community engagement."

"The City of Blythe and Palo Verde Valley Transit Agency are excited for the opportunity to fund several key City and Transit facility improvements with $2.9 million in Clean California Local Grant Program dollars. Improvements span three underserved census tracts and include upgrades to the City's Public Works Yard, Miller Park, outdoor public engagement spaces, improvements at the PVVTA operations facility, as well as Park n' Ride and ADA bus stop improvements across the Transit service territory. These projects will go a long way to beautify Blythe," said Blythe Mayor Dale Reynolds.

BACKGROUND

The City of Blythe in partnership with PVVTA is launching the Beautify Blythe project, which seeks to improve the existing conditions of several key city transit facilities and bus stops across three underserved census tracts.

The project includes a decorative wall, perimeter solar lighting, and public access restroom at the City of Blythe's Public Works Yard & CNG Station (Census Tract 0462.00); landscaping access, walking paths, retrofitted solar lighting fixtures at Miller Park (Census Tract 0462.00); an outdoor public space for community engagement, installing iron fencing, decorative security fencing, and solar lighting at the PVVTA Operations Facility and Main Street Park n' Ride facility (Census Tract 0461.02), and ADA accessible bus stop shelters with trash receptacles (Census Tracts 0462.00, 0461.02, and 0470.00). In addition, the project includes community engagement with mailers, clean-up events, social media, and ribbon-cutting events at the three project locations.

In January 2022, Dr. Ruiz supported the Beautify Blythe project's request for funding under the Clean California Local Grant Program. You can read his letter of support here.

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