Colorado
| Program Category | # of Grants per state | Sum of EDA $ |
|---|---|---|
| Assistance to Coal Communities | 1 | $844,941 |
| Economic Adjustment Assistance | 1 | $51,300 |
| Planning | 7 | $471,000 |
| Trade Adjustment Assistance | 1 | $1,483,059 |
| Grand Total | 10 | $2,850,300 |
Just over an hour away from the high-end resort towns of Telluride and Gateway sits what is known locally as the “West End.” The towns that comprise the West End offer beautiful landscapes, slickrock canyonlands, broad fertile valleys, and snow-capped mountains like its more affluent neighbors, but do not enjoy the same prosperity. Mining and extraction have been central to the economy of these communities and current changes in those industries have created an economic crisis for West End communities. Further, the Nucla Tri-State Power Generation facility is set to close in 2022 and the New Horizons Coal Mine has shuttered, claiming hundreds of regional jobs.
Regional leaders recognize that the survival of these communities is dependent on fostering economic activity, diversifying the local economy, and creating and growing opportunities for family-supporting jobs. In FY 2018, EDA awarded $844,941 in Assistance to Coal Communities (ACC) funds to the Telluride Foundation and West End Economic Development Corporation to launch the Advance West End program, an aggressive diversification strategy for the region.
Advance West End will focus on starting, growing, and retaining businesses, kick starting tourism and place making, creating an agricultural makerspace for food production, and workforce development. The project is expected to create or retain 23 jobs and spur $637,000 in private investment.