PUEBLO, CO — The City of Pueblo announced Friday that it will be the recipient of two criminal justice grants totaling more than $900,000.
“The City of Pueblo is proud to be awarded these two grants and we look forward to the impact for the community,” Pueblo Mayor Nick Gradisar said. He went on to explain that both grants will help the city focus on improving safety by focusing on projects such as better lighting in city parks and encouraging collaboration between the community and youth.
The first of two grants were awarded by the Department of Criminal Justice and is a Crime Prevention and Crisis Intervention Grant Program award of $131,660.
The grant money is going to focus on taking a multidisciplinary approach to prevent youth involvement in gangs. The grant would do this by engaging a number of Pueblo community programs, activities, organizations, and leaders to work with youth in the community and provide outlets for youth to engage in their community.
The city also received the Crime Prevention through Safer Streets Grant Program award of $774,000. This grant will focus on improving infrastructure around city public spaces to create safer environments.
One of the main things that the City of Pueblo will see is an increase in city lighting after dark. The grant will see three parks around the city get lighting fixtures for the first time and an upgrade to LED technology in certain already publicly lit places.
The three parks included in the grant award are Pueblo City Park, Mitchell Park, and Ray Aguilera Park. The city hopes that the new lighting installations this grant will not only act as a deterrent to crime but improve community cohesion and pride.
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