Grant
June 16 - 20, 2022
EDA announced 32 investments from June 16-22, 2022, totaling $25,816,208, which is matched by $8,482,014 in local investments. These investments include the following: (1) $20,683,708.34 in 10 American Rescue Plan Economic Adjustment Assistance projects to assist communities nationwide in their efforts to respond to and recover from the devastating impacts to the economy caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, which includes eight projects for $17,721,203 that will help create 4,843 jobs, save 610 jobs, and leverage $58,210,000 in private investments; (2) $1,300,000 in one Public Works project to help communities revitalize, expand, and upgrade their physical infrastructure that will help create 125 jobs, save 25 jobs, and leverage $14,800,000 in private investments; and (3) $3,832,500 in 21 Partnership Planning projects to support the development and implementation of the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy process.
- $20,683,708,34 in 10 American Rescue Plan projects, matched by $5,394,722,35 in local investments, as follows:
- Three Economic Adjustment Assistance Projects for $2,904,410, matched by $1,621,000 in local investments, to help communities nationwide plan, build, innovate, and put people back to work through infrastructure, technical assistance, planning, and revolving loan programs designed to meet their local needs.
- $1,584,000, matched by $396,000 in local investment, to the Maryland Department of Commerce, Baltimore/Baltimore City, Maryland, to capitalize a Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) to lend to borrowers throughout the state of Maryland. The Maryland Department of Commerce will be a source of loans to assist with working capital or other eligible uses to help targeted businesses survive and/or recover from business disruption caused by the COVID crisis. Small and underserved businesses that are unable to qualify for financing from traditional lending sources are the targets of the RLF. Once implemented, the RLF will promote job creation and retention, attract private investment, and bolster economic resiliency throughout the region. The grantee estimates that this investment will help create 250 jobs, save 110 jobs, and leverage $210,000 in private investment.
- $1,220,410, matched by $1,200,000 in local investment, to Guam Community College, Barrigada/Guam County, Guam, to support the renovation of a workforce development training facility in Barrigada, Guam. Guam 's economic conditions have weakened due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the improvements will allow the Community College to expand workforce development programs to boost employment opportunities in the area, save jobs, spur private investment, and strengthen the regional economy. The grantee estimates that this investment will help create 1,800 jobs, save 200 jobs, and leverage $4,000,000 in private investment.
- $100,000, matched by $25,000 in local investment, to the North County Council, Littleton/Grafton County, New Hampshire, to support the North Country Council with providing technical assistance to assist with the development of a collective impact program. The project will help facilitate the implementation of the strategies developed in this regional economic recovery and resiliency planning process and build capacity within the Council and the region to support long-term collaboration and economic innovation. Once implemented, the program will broaden the scope of economic and community resiliency through climate mitigation, adaptation efforts, and new environmentally sustainable business development as a foundation to build a regenerative economy for the North Country, which will help spur private investment, create jobs, and advance resiliency throughout the region. The grantee estimates that this investment will help create 1,431 jobs, and leverage $5,000,000 in private investment.
- Five Coal Communities Commitment Projects for $14,560,907.34, matched by $3,747,548.35 in local investments, to support coal-reliant communities’ expansion into new industry sectors and recovery from the pandemic.
- $4,934,400, matched by $1,233,600 in local investment, to Rend Lake College, Ina/Jefferson County (Project: Mount Vernon/Jefferson County), Illinois, to support the creation of the new Southern Illinois Manufacturing Academy program in Jefferson County, Illinois. The new program will focus on the next generation of workers, providing the skills necessary for today’s advanced manufacturing equipment and facilities. Once completed, the project will help expand advanced manufacturing workforce training opportunities throughout the region, which will boost emerging business opportunities in the area, advance economic resiliency, attract private investment, and further economic diversification in an area that has been impacted by the decline in the coal industry. The grantee estimates that this investment will help create 750 jobs and leverage $5,000,000 in private investment.
- $3,733,743, matched by $1,244,581 in local investment, to the City of Reedsburg, Reedsburg/Sauk County, Wisconsin, to support the construction of road, sewer and stormwater infrastructure needed to expand the Reedsburg Business Park in Sauk County, Wisconsin. The project work includes grading, streets, sanitary sewer, water main, storm sewer, stormwater management, and connection to existing utilities. The improvements will help businesses to locate, relocate, or expand, which will help enhance job creation and retention, and spur private investments in an area that has been impacted by the decline in the coal industry. The grantee estimates that this investment will help create 300 jobs, save 100 jobs, and leverage $22,000,000 in private investment.
- $3,015,750, matched by $1,005,250 in local investment, to the Patoka Lake Regional Water and Sewer District, Dubois/Dubois County (Project: Paoli/Orange County), Indiana, to support the construction of a new elevated water storage tank to assist Orange County, Indiana, with recovery efforts from the COVID-19 pandemic, which further devastated the region and caused severe economic distress. The one-million-gallon water tank will complement the existing water storage units and will ensure that existing employers have access to adequate water pressure to expand. Once completed, the project will help attract new employers to the region, which will help diversify the economic base and increase the region’s resilience when future economic shocks occur. In addition, the project will create and save jobs, spur private investment, and provide a reliable water source to an area that has been impacted by the decline in the coal industry. The grantee estimates that this investment will help create 240 jobs, save 200 jobs, and leverage $20,000,000 in private investment.
- $2,577,014.34, matched by $164,117.35 in local investment, to the National Association of Counties Research Foundation (NACoRF), Washington, District of Columbia, to support the implementation of the Building Resilient Economies in Coal Communities (BRECC) Community of Practice Initiative. This Community of Practice (CoP) award to the NACoRF and its sub-awards Just Transition Fund, West Virginia Community Development Hub, and Community Builders, seeks to support coal communities across the country. This three-year initiative will create and facilitate a national peer-learning, capacity building, and resource-sharing network of coal-reliant communities seeking to diversify and grow their local and regional economies. This CoP will also provide intensive training for local and regional leaders and support diversification and implementation planning.
- $300,000, matched by $100,000 in local investment, to the Connecticut Metropolitan Council of Governments, Bridgeport/Fairfield County, Connecticut, to support the development of the Connecticut Metropolitan Council of Government’s Bridgeport Harbor Station Unit 3 Site Reuse and Planning Study, to help drive economic recovery, growth, and diversification within the city of Bridgeport and offset the COVID-19 pandemic impacts and lessen the additional residential economic burden that has occurred due to the decommissioning of a local coal-fired plant. The study is the first step in tackling the environmental impacts caused by the Bridgeport Harbor Station Unit 3 – poor air quality and physical barriers caused by the scale of the infrastructure. Once completed, the project will assist a region highly impacted by recent negative impacts from downturns in the coal economy and help boost emerging business opportunities in the area.
- One Indigenous Communities Project for $3,132,900, with no local match, to support the needs of Tribal Governments and Indigenous communities.
- $3,132,900, with no local match, to the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, Onamia/Mille Lacs County, Minnesota, to support the rehabilitation of three existing commercial buildings owned by Mille Lacs Corporate Ventures on the Reservation for use as incubator spaces for its Tribal Economy Business Incubator (TEBI) program. The TEBI program will provide technical assistance and support to start-ups and existing tribal businesses, which will help create new employment opportunities with improved wages, spur private investments, and boost the socioeconomic factors on the Reservation. The grantee estimates that this investment will help create 72 jobs and leverage $2,000,000 in private investment.
- One Travel, Tourism, and Outdoor Recreation Project for $85,491, matched by $26,174 in local investment, to help accelerate the recovery of the travel, tourism and outdoor recreation industry and build back the communities that depend on the industry.
- $85,491, matched by $26,174 in local investment, to the Homer Society of Natural History, Homer/Kenai Peninsula, Alaska, to fund a Campus Enhancement Plan for the Homer Society of Natural History dba. Pratt Museum, to guide investment in and development of the Pratt Museum’s 10-acre parcel and fund the design for an ADA-accessible, covered outdoor amphitheater and pavilion. The museum is located in the City of Homer, Alaska, which serves remote communities accessible only by rugged road, boat, or plane, including Alaska Native villages located on remote coastline and secluded Russian Old Believer communities. Homer is the economic, education, health care, and cultural hub in the area, and it is one of the most important maritime harbors in the state. Once completed, the project is expected to encourage a dynamic downtown center to help assist in the region's recovery from the coronavirus pandemic and make it more resilient to fluctuations in tourism, which will help increase employment opportunities, save jobs, spur private investment, and advance economic resiliency throughout the region.
- Three Economic Adjustment Assistance Projects for $2,904,410, matched by $1,621,000 in local investments, to help communities nationwide plan, build, innovate, and put people back to work through infrastructure, technical assistance, planning, and revolving loan programs designed to meet their local needs.
- $1,300,000 in one Public Works project, matched by $370,000 in local investment, as follows:
- $1,300,00, matched by $370,000 in local investment, to Union County, El Dorado/Union County, Arkansas, to support the construction of railroad infrastructure and a cross-docking facility to serve the El Dorado Industrial Park in Arkansas. The project will support manufacturing businesses in the area and would aid efforts to diversify the economy by providing infrastructure to support the regional expansion of the manufacturing industry. In addition, the project will help industrial businesses grow, which will strengthen the regional economy and provide long-term sustainable economic growth. The grantee estimates that this investment will help create 125 jobs, save 25 jobs, and leverage $14,800,000 in private investment.
- $3,832,500 in 21 Partnership Planning projects, matched by $2,717,292 in local investments, to support the development and implementation of a comprehensive economic development strategy (CEDS). 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.