State representative announces $39,999 grant for Cleburne Public Library; updates PFAS testing efforts

State Representative Helen Kerwin updated Johnson County commissioners on local grants and ongoing work on PFAS contamination during public participation on Dec. 22.

Kerwin said the Texas State Library and Archives Commission awarded the Cleburne Public Library a $39,999 grant to digitize the Cleburne Times-Review archives from 1970 through 1990, making historic local newspapers accessible through the Portal to Texas History. “This project will preserve an important piece of our local history and make decades of hometown stories, records, and memories accessible online,” Kerwin said, and presented a certificate of recognition to library staff.

Kerwin also gave a status update on PFAS, saying her office has pursued a coordinated, science-based approach and reached out to the USDA and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality for testing partnerships; she said Tarleton State University chemists had offered local support and that the Texas Public Policy Foundation and the Texas Chemical Council were engaged in legislative and stakeholder outreach. “We have reached out and we are trying to establish a partnership in testing,” she said, noting that the effort has grown from a few states to dozens addressing PFAS.

Library staff noted the library already has earlier years digitized through the University of North Texas Portal to Texas History and thanked the court for recognizing the award. Kerwin encouraged commissioners and residents to visit the library and praised staff for their work securing the competitive grant.

Why it matters: The grant expands public access to local historical records; the PFAS update indicates ongoing multi-agency coordination on contamination testing and potential state-level legislation that could affect local agriculture and water supplies.