State Representative Geanie Morrison; Seadrift Mayor Elmer DeForest; US Congressman Michael Cloud
-Photo by Kenneth Reese

Last month Seadrift had some very special guests. Everyone met in the Seadrift Council Chambers and later were given a tour of the harbor and the bay front. This all happened on February 22! The reason for the celebration was the awarding of a $3.4 million dollar grant to refurbish the harbor. The grant was awarded through the Economic Development Administration. The money will be used to dredge, shore up parts of the harbor, and for bulk-heading.

The guests who came to celebrate were U.S. Congressman Michael Cloud, State Representative Geanie Morrison, County Judge Richard Meyer, Commissioner Gary Reese and wife Sandy, and grant representatives Robert Peche, Michael Ada, and Hannah Crone.
Our Seadrift representatives present were Mayor Elmer DeForest, City Secretary Gabriella Torres, Councilman Ranier Brigham, and Councilman Kenneth Reese and wife Barbara along with a group of local citizens who made the celebration complete!

Mayor Elmer DeForest was awarded a Texas flag for his part in Harvey recovery. Also, our hats off to all the others who worked to get the grant: City Secretary Gabriella Torres, Councilman Kenneth Reese, Harbor Master Ricky Carter, and Hannah Crone and Michael Ada with the Golden Crescent Regional Planning Commission. Also contributing to the event were Justice of the Peace Wesley Hunt, Seadrift Police, and the Seadrift City Crew.

From Congressman Cloud: “In May of last year, I proudly wrote a letter of support for Seadrift’s grant application. It’s an honor for my office to assist local projects in this way. In September, the EDA announced Seadrift would be awarded the grant. It will be matched with $862,500 in local funds and is expected to help create 40 jobs and retain 90 jobs! The harbor at Seadrift is a hub for businesses in the area as it generates private investment and attracts new investments as well.”