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ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) — Six Georgia municipalities were recognized Monday as recipients of fiscal year 2026 Community Development Block Grant awards during a presentation at the Commodore Conyers College & Career Academy in Albany.

The FY2026 CDBG Award Presentation was held Oct. 19 at 3 p.m. at 1615 Newton Road. Georgia Department of Community Affairs Commissioner Christopher Nunn and Deputy Commissioner for Community Development Kim Carter led the ceremony.

U.S. Rep. Sanford Bishop joined Nunn and Carter for the presentation. State Rep. Gerald Greene was tentatively scheduled to attend.

Bishop said five of the six awardees are in Georgia’s 2nd Congressional District. The grants are funded through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to the state, which awards the funds for local projects.

“CDBGs are distributed through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to states, like Georgia, which – in turn – award the funds for projects at the local level,” Bishop said. “The program is based on the principle that the people closest to the problem know best how to solve it.”

Bishop, a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee, said he has opposed repeated proposals to eliminate the program.

Award recipients announced were:

City of Blakely — $1 million. Sewer improvements in the Howell Street area. Total project cost is $1.12 million with additional community investment. Expected to benefit 82 residents. Recognized: Mayor Travis Wimbush and Council Members Margaret Davis and Omar Williams.

City of Camilla — $1 million. A designated Plan First Community, the city will make water improvements in the Palmer Street area. Total cost is just over $1.1 million with matching community funds. Expected to benefit 434 residents. Recognized: Mayor Pro Tem Burley.

City of Donalsonville — $905,167. Water improvements, including fire hydrant replacements, along MLK Jr. Drive, Hollywood Boulevard, Dogwood Avenue and part of Eastgate Street. Expected to benefit 90 residents. Recognized: Mayor Twynette Reynolds, Mayor Pro Tem Ed Bond, Council Members Travis Brooks, Mitch Blanks, Robin Powell and Beverly Burke.

City of Statesboro — $1 million. Water, sewer, street and drainage improvements in the Roundtree-Church Street area. Total investment is slated to be $2.5 million with local and matching funds. Expected to benefit 56 residents. Recognized: Mayor Jonathan McCollar.

City of Thomasville — $1 million. Working with Halcyon Home, Incorporated, the city will support construction of a new domestic violence shelter for survivors, including administrative offices, secure, separate residential quarters and space for future expansion. Expected to serve approximately 3,137 survivors. Total investment of more than $3.6 million. Recognized: Mayor Pro Tem Lucinda Brown.

City of Vienna — $1 million. Street and drainage improvements in the Braxton subdivision through the grant and local matching funds. Expected to benefit 91 residents. Recognized: Mayor Eddie Daniels and Councilman Albert King.

Bishop said the projects include:

• Sewer and drainage improvements in Blakely, Statesboro and Vienna to prevent backups and flooding
• Clean water improvements on Palmer Street in Camilla
• Reliable water lines for fire hydrants in Donalsonville
• New domestic violence shelter in Thomasville

“These are big projects that would put a huge strain on these towns without federal assistance,” Bishop said.

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