Grant

April 13 - 17, 2020

  • EDA announced eight investments from April 13-17, totaling $9,202,500, which is matched by $3,519,657 in local investments. These investments include the following: (1) $9,070,000 in five Economic Adjustment Assistance projects to help communities design and implement strategies to adjust or bring about change to their economy in response to structural damage to their underlying economic base, which includes three investments totaling $7,860,000 that will help create 134 jobs, save 340 jobs, and leverage $7,500,000 in private investments; (2) $25,000 in one Local Technical Assistance project to strengthen the capacity of local or state organizations and institutions to undertake and promote effective economic development programs; and (3) $107,500 in two Partnership Planning projects to support the development and implementation of the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy process.
    • $9,070,000 in five Economic Adjustment Assistance projects, matched by $3,457,157 in local investments, as follows:
      • $4,500,000 in 2018 Disaster Supplemental funding, matched by $1,250,000 in local investment, to the Local Development Authority, San Juan/San Juan County, Puerto Rico, to fund the rehabilitation of the former Naval Station Roosevelt Roads Port Control Building, for reuse as a publicly owned multi-tenant commercial space that will support early stage businesses in San Juan County. The project will reconstruct infrastructure damaged by Hurricane Maria and make site improvements of streets and sidewalks on the main roadway intersection, which will allow pedestrians access from the Ferry Terminal to commercial facilities. Once completed, the project will leverage the regional scale of the maritime-surface and multi-modal transportation system by redeveloping the waterfront to entice tourism, which will promote economic resiliency and job creation throughout the region. The grantee estimates that this investment will help create 134 jobs and leverage $1,500,00 in private investment.
      • $3,000,000 in 2018 Disaster Supplemental funding, matched by $1,037,157 in local investment, to the Town of Damariscotta, Damariscotta/Lincoln County, Maine, to support the Town of Damariscotta with constructing a waterfront flood infrastructure to protect the town’s business continuity and public safety in Lincoln County. The project will help the region recover from a natural disaster by installing a retaining wall and improving the storm drainage system, which will allow efficient public access to the town’s commercial district and promote tourism. Once completed, the project will save jobs, bolster economic resiliency, and strengthen the regional economy. The grantee estimates that this investment will help save 340 jobs.
      • $1,050,000 in 2019 Disaster Supplemental funding, matched by $1,050,000 in local investment, to Barnstable County (acting through the Cape Cod Commission), Barnstable/Barnstable County, Massachusetts, to support the development and implementation of the Cape Cod Economic Development District’s multi-pronged initiative to address the region’s environmental and economic resiliency challenges in Barnstable County, Massachusetts. The project will assess impacts from the coastal storms and flooding that devasted the region in 2018 and develop a framework for action to improve decision-making tools used in disaster response efforts. Once completed, the project will help produce a regional geographic data set that will support economic resiliency throughout the region.
      • $360,000 in 2019 Disaster Supplemental funding, matched by $90,000 in local investment, to the Western Arkansas Intermodal Authority, Fort Smith/Sebastian County, Arkansas, to support the Western Arkansas Intermodal Authority with conducting an environmental review for a port and multimodal facility, to help mitigate the effects of recent natural disasters in Crawford County, Arkansas. The project will consist of initiating and completing all permitting for the site, conducting an engineering study to estimate costs and utility needs, and formulating a preliminary design for expanding the facility, which will help promote the export industry, increase the port’s competitiveness, and strengthen the regional economy. The grantee estimates that this investment will help leverage $6,000,000 in private investment.
      • $160,000 in 2019 Disaster Supplemental funding, matched by $30,000 in local investment, to the Southern Maine Regional Planning Commission, Saco/York County, Maine, to support the Southern Maine Regional Planning Commission with developing an economic resiliency strategy to mitigate the effects of recent natural disasters in York County, Maine. The project will quantify tourism data from six hard-hit communities, assess at-risk infrastructure, and identify continuity mechanisms to develop a blueprint for prioritizing future investment and inter-municipal cooperation. Once completed, the project will foster tourism, promote resiliency, and strengthen the regional economy.
    • $25,000 in one Local Technical Assistance project, matched by $25,000 in local investment, to the Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council, Bend/Deschutes County, Oregon, to support the Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council with hiring a consultant to prepare a business development feasibility study for the city of Madras located in Central Oregon. Once completed, the study will provide a plan for future implementation to generate more economic opportunities for the region and diversify the local economy.
    • $107,500 in two Partnership Planning projects, matched by $37,500 in local investments, to support the development and implementation of the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) process. The CEDS process is designed to bring together the public and private sectors in the creation of an economic development roadmap to diversify and strengthen the regional economy.