Grant
March 10 - 18, 2022
EDA announced 15 investments from March 10-18, 2022, totaling $12,156,403, which is matched by $8,636,223 in local investments. These investments include the following: (1) $2,746,377 in one Economic Adjustment Assistance-COVID-19 Recovery and Resiliency Project to help alleviate sudden and severe economic dislocation caused by the coronavirus pandemic that will help create 270 jobs and leverage $5,000,000 in private investment; (2) $8,235,026 in nine 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 four projects for $7,146,034 that will help create 1,259 jobs, save 160 jobs, and leverage $397,000,000 in private investments; (3) $530,000 in two 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; and (4) $645,000 in three Partnership Planning projects to support the development and implementation of the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy process.
- $2,746,377 in one Economic Adjustment Assistance COVID-19 Recovery and Resilience Project, matched by $686,595 in local investment, as follows:
- $2,746,377, matched by $686,595 in local investment, to the Great Lakes Boat Building School, Cedarville/Mackinac County, Michigan, to support the construction of a new 10,000 square foot facility that will provide additional workshop and instructional space for marine service technician and other marine skills training programs. In addition, this investment funds new boat-docking infrastructure and additional marine electronics testing equipment to help enhance students’ learning experiences, and ensure they are equipped to serve the region’s marine workforce needs. Once completed, the project will help the area recover from the impact of COVID-19 and build assets that can lessen the impact of future economic shocks, which will bolster job creation, spur private investment, and advance economic resiliency throughout the region. The grantee estimates that this investment will help create 270 jobs and leverage $5,000,000 in private investment.
- $8,235,026 in nine American Rescue Plan projects, matched by $7,652,128 in local investments, as follows:
- Seven Economic Adjustment Assistance Projects 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.
- $2,000,000, matched by $4,982,000 in local investment, to the City of Springdale, Springdale/Washington County (Project: Springdale/Benton County), Arkansas, to support the City of Springdale with extending Dixieland Road to provide direct highway access for the City's growing economic corridor. The new infrastructure will create direct highway access for a proposed 700,000 square foot commercial distribution and warehouse industrial lease space, which will attract new businesses to the area. This street extension is designed to promote new business creations, which will generate jobs, attract private investment, and help strengthen and diversify the regional economy. The grantee estimates that this project will help create 1,000 jobs and leverage $42,000,000 in private investment.
- $1,508,850, matched by $1,483,552 in local investment, to the City of Tonganoxie, Tonganoxie/Leavenworth County, Kansas, to fund construction of an elevated 750,000-gallon water tower to increase water storage capacity in Tonganoxie, Kansas, which will aid in the expansion of a growing industrial park located nearby the project site. The City is addressing the local and regional need for essential Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and agricultural commodities that are in high demand as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic by helping with planned development within the City’s industrial park in a concrete paving stone manufacturing facility. Once completed, the project will advance the region’s manufacturing industry, bolster job creation, spur private investment, and strengthen the regional economy. The grantee estimates that this investment will help create 110 jobs and leverage $355,000,000 in private investment.
- $1,280,272, matched by $320,068 in local investment, to the City of Columbia/Columbia Farmers Market, Columbia/Boone County, Missouri, to support the further development and expansion of the City of Columbia’s Farmers Market, which serves an area within a 50-mile radius constituting a 22-county region. The project will create additional indoor space to accommodate double the number of vendor booths, growing opportunity for small businesses and entrepreneurs, providing more access to locally-grown food and creating further resiliency for the regional food economy. Once completed, the project will address the region’s needs and provide additional space and infrastructure for new and existing businesses to grow, which will create additional jobs and strengthen the regional economy. The grantees estimate that this investment will help create 88 jobs.
- $375,000, matched by $116,282 in local investment, to Lamar University, Beaumont/ Jefferson County, Texas, to support the establishment of a research project that will help to accelerate the recovery of Southeast Texas as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The project will help Lamar University find solutions to bring business activity back to pre-pandemic levels in the region and provide a roadmap to diversify toward a more innovation-based economy with more reliance on university resources and innovation.
- $320,000, matched by $80,000 in local investment, to the Rocky Mountain Wilson Regional Airport Authority, Elm City/Nash County, North Carolina, to support the Rocky Mount Wilson Regional Airport Authority with conducting a feasibility study and market assessment to address the needs of local governments, industry, workforce, and residents in Elm City, North Carolina. The project will help the region consider potential impacts of the joint aviation and landside industrial park to leverage potential economic opportunities from shifting supply chains and the new CSX Carolina Connector Intermodal facility north in Rocky Mount. Once completed, the study will provide information to cultivate economic opportunities for residents, many of whom were adversely impacted from the COVID-19 pandemic. The project will help stabilize and increase the working population and boost resiliency of the local economy.
- $243,992, matched by $60,998 in local investment, to the Piedmont Triad Regional Council, Kernersville/Forsyth County, North Carolina, to support the Piedmont Triad Regional Council with providing resources to develop a Regional Broadband Connectivity and Access Plan to help identify broadband gaps and needs at local and regional levels and determine strategies for deploying this critical asset in equitable ways to stimulate greater access to commerce, health, and education across the 12-county region. The plan will focus on bringing broadband access to more users and enhancing the economic conditions and attractiveness throughout the region. Once implemented, the project will create employment opportunities in sustainable industries for the region’s workforce and advance economic resiliency.
- $70,000, with no local match, to the City of Jellico, Jellico/Campbell County, Kentucky, to support the development of a City-wide economic development plan that will evaluate the City’s assets, deliver broad consensus on the City’s desired future, respond to economic challenges as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and generate a roadmap for expanding economic prosperity. The project will help establish best practices, strategies, and recommendations for the diversification of the region's industry sectors to improve regional economic competitiveness. Once implemented, the plan will enhance future economic sustainability, strengthen the regional economy, and bolster economic resiliency throughout the region.
- One Coal Communities Commitment Project to support coal-reliant communities’ expansion into new industry sectors and recovery from the pandemic.
- $2,356,912, matched by $589,228 in local investment, to the Pikeville Medical Center, Inc., Pikeville/Pike County, Kentucky, to support the purchase of a Linear Accelerator that will allow the Pikeville Medical Center to meet patient demand and critical regional health care needs. The equipment will allow the Pikeville Medical Center to continue to deliver high-quality cancer care in eastern Kentucky, which will help the region diversify its local economy, create and save jobs, and advance economic resiliency to an area that has been impacted by the decline in the coal industry. The grantee estimates that this investment will help create 61 jobs and save 160 jobs.
- One Travel, Tourism, and Outdoor Recreation Project to help accelerate the recovery of the travel, tourism and outdoor recreation industry and build back the communities that depend on the industry.
- $80,000, matched by $20,000 in local investment, to Cobb Travel and Tourism, Inc., Atlanta/Cobb County, Georgia, to support the development of a strategic plan that will create a framework to guide the marketing, sales, and administrative actions that will assist in the economic recovery of Cobb County’s tourism industry. The project will help address and discover the most effective ways to drive business back to the hospitality and tourism community, to enhance economic impact and reestablish tourism as the number one economic driver in the county. Once completed, the project will assist in the region's recovery 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.
- Seven Economic Adjustment Assistance Projects 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.
- $530,000 in two Economic Adjustment Assistance projects, matched by $20,000 in local investments, as follows:
- $450,000 in 2019 Disaster Supplemental funding, with no local match, to the American Samoa Government, Pago Pago/Eastern, American Samoa, to support the American Somoa Department of Commerce with its goal to boost tourism in the territory by re-developing a once popular SkyTram system to support the recovery, growth, and long-term development of the tourism industry. This project will study the feasibility of constructing a SkyTram and develop preliminary engineering designs and environmental requirements prior to construction. In 2018, the territory was struck by Cyclone Gita, which resulted in direct and indirect damages across the territory. In addition, the American Samoa’s economy has been in a precarious state over the past 10 years. The project will help American Samoa rebuild its tourism industry and build back better in response to natural disasters and the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Once completed, the project will boost job creation in the area, attract private investment, and enhance economic resiliency throughout the territory.
- $80,000 in Assistance to Coal Communities, matched by $20,000 in local investment, to the Snowshoe Resort Community District, Snowshoe/Pocahontas County, West Virginia, to support the development of a feasibility study to assess the employment market available to the Snowshoe Resort Community District (SRCD), the first quasi-judicial entity in the State, with a mission to further develop the area for sustainable growth in the future. The study will examine the SRCD’s ability to enhance business growth, explore the elements required to empower business development, attract new companies, and offer permanent employment opportunities. Once completed, the project will help support job retention, create new opportunities, and attract private investment to an area that has been impacted by the decline in the coal industry.
- $645,000 in three Partnership Planning projects, matched by $277,500 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.