ICYMI: At Ciscomani’s Request, Graham County Secures $3.3 Million

GRAHAM COUNTY, AZ – U.S. Congressman Juan Ciscomani (AZ-06), a member of the House Appropriations Committee, successfully included $3.3 million for Graham County in the recently passed FY24 appropriations package. 

“Whether it’s funding for our first responders or recreational improvements, I prioritized projects of all sizes and in a variety of industries through our appropriations requests,” said Ciscomani. “I wanted to ensure the voices and issues in Graham County were heard loud and clear by our federal government, and I believe we fulfilled that through this funding.” 

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Ciscomani tours the Town of Pima Fire Department. 

This money will benefit two projects in the county, one in the town of Pima and the other stretching between Safford and Thatcher. The town of Pima will receive $2 million for a new fire station. The volunteer fire department currently operates out of a rundown 50-year-old building that cannot accommodate normal sized firetrucks. Because of this, the town is forced to procure custom fire trucks to meet the building’s entrance/exit space. In addition to that issue, the building is in need of major rehab, repair, and maintenance.  

Graham County will be awarded $1.3 million for upgrades to the Gila River Linear Park and Trail. This funding will allow the county to break ground on the project, which will be a flagship park and trail recreational amenity to Safford, Thatcher, and Graham County as a whole. 

Stakeholders of both projects applauded Ciscomani for successfully advocating for these funds. 

“Congressman Ciscomani has been instrumental in ensuring that the Pima Fire Department funding was included in the FY2024 appropriations bill,” said Terry Earp, Chief of the Town of Pima Fire Department. “This will enable the town of Pima to build a critically needed fire station for a small rural fire department serving a large and expanding rural area that otherwise would not have the fire and emergency medical services our rural population relies on. Congressman Ciscomani's concern and support for Arizona's often overlooked rural communities is appreciated, as we could not have achieved this without him.” 

“Trust for Public Land is grateful to Representative Juan Ciscomani for his leadership in securing federal funding for the Gila River Trail,” said Michael Patrick, Senior Project Manager for Trust for Public Land. “The Gila River is an incredibly important natural resource for Graham County and the communities of Safford and Thatcher. Creating public access to the river through the Gila River Trail will bring many economic, ecological, and outdoor recreation benefits to local residents. Recently, thanks to the support from Rep. Ciscomani, Graham County secured a Transportation Alternatives grant from ADOT for the project. Together with this federal funding, the County and project partners are excited to start the construction of the river trail.”  

In total, Ciscomani secured $26 million for 13 projects in every county of Arizona’s 6^th Congressional District. He is the only member of the Arizona delegation to sit on the House Appropriations Committee.