Grant

September 14 - 20, 2018

  • $11,523,522 in eight Public Works projects as follows:
    • $3 million to the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians, Lac du Flambeau, Wisconsin, for construction of the Lac du Flambeau Workforce Training and Business Development Center to help broaden access to workforce training with special emphasis on the trade, entrepreneurship and innovation in Lac du Flambeau. This project will help business development opportunities in the area and stimulate the local economy by increasing national and global outreach, which will result in new higher paying jobs and additional employment throughout the region. The grantee estimates that this investment will help create 40 jobs, save 30 jobs, and leverage $6 million in private investment.
    • $2 million to the Wallace State Community College-Hanceville and the Alabama Community College System, Hanceville/Cullman County, Alabama, to fund a new technical education center to house the college’s welding program and business incubator in Cullman County. The welding program upgrades will support and expand a resilient pipeline of sustainable technical education for the area. The proposed business incubator space will support the convergence of various community partners and resources to generate, launch and sustain innovation and entrepreneurship in the region. The grantees estimate that this investment will help create 68 jobs and leverage $5,000 in private investment.
    • $1.8 million to the Brownsville Navigation District, Brownsville, Texas, to fund construction of a public assembly and erection pad to assist tenants in ship building industry and future companies with their construction and cargo operations’ needs in the Port of Brownsville. The investment will also improve and expand marine delivery and diversity of shipment, which will increase global competitiveness for Lower Rio Grande Valley Region of Texas. The grantee estimates that this investment will help create 700 jobs and leverage $3 million in private investment.
    • $1,743,558 to the Iowa State University Research Park and the City of Ames, Ames/Story County, Iowa, to fund roadway improvements and utilities to the Iowa State University Research Park in Ames. The expansion will help attract new companies to the area and address the regional need to recruit highly-skilled employees with an engineering and technical background, which will result in increased private investment and job creation for the local economy. The grantees estimate that this investment will help create 450 jobs and leverage $10 million in private investment.
    • $1.2 million to the Hidalgo Economic Development Corporation and the City of Hidalgo, Hidalgo/Hidalgo County, Texas, to support construction of new public infrastructure, including a water and sewer system and new road to enhance development opportunities in the City of Hidalgo’s commercial and industrial sectors. The improvements will ease the long-term economic distress in the area and support private investment and job creation throughout the region. The grantees estimate that this investment will help create 100 jobs, save 100 jobs, and leverage $20 million in private investment.
    • $869,964 to the City of North Little Rock, Arkansas, to fund the extension of a roadway and construction of two parking lots in North Little Rock, Arkansas to enhance the opportunities for downtown retail stores, restaurants, cultural centers, and other local merchants. The improvements will help the growth and expansion opportunities in the Argenta district community and serve as a catalyst for new commercial and business development and job creation in the region. The grantee estimates that this investment will help create 182 jobs, save 118 jobs, and leverage $12 million in private investment.
    • $660,000 to Cleveland County and the Cleveland County Rural Water Users Association, Rison, Cleveland County, Arkansas, to fund infrastructure improvements to the water system south of the City of Rison, to accommodate the expansion and relocation of several major employers in Cleveland County. Completion of the project will allow a local farm to double its operations, supply products to a well-known poultry processing company and retain jobs. These improvements will help bring together the public and private sectors to create economic development, strengthen the regional economy, support private capital investment, and create jobs throughout the region. The grantee estimates that this investment will help create 20 jobs, save 11 jobs, and leverage $5 million in private investment.
    • $250,000 to the Chinle Chapter Government, Chinle, Arizona, to support the architectural and engineering design of a facility to support small business enterprises in Chinle, Arizona, which is located on the Navajo Reservation. The Chinle Vendor Village Community Enterprise Development Planning Project will provide additional resources and amenities for small business enterprises, which will increase their economic capacity to help strengthen the regional economy and create employment opportunities for the region’s workforce in sustainable industries.
  • $6,922,341 in eight Economic Adjustment Assistance projects as follows:
    • $2 million in Assistance to Coal Communities to the McCreary County Heritage Foundation, Inc., and the McCreary County Fiscal Court, Sterns/McCreary County, Kentucky, to fund construction improvements to the Big South Fork Scenic Railway to revitalize downtown Stearns. The project will construct retaining walls, improve drainage, replace tie and track along with other infrastructure upgrades. The revitalization will serve as the catalyst for development and economic diversification in this region severely impacted by the decline in the coal industry.
    • $1.484 million in Assistance to Coal Communities to the City of Hazard and the Perry County Fiscal Court, Hazard/Perry County, Kentucky, to support construction of a natural gas line from a wellhead in central Perry County directly to the Coalfields Regional Industrial Park. Completion of the gas line will attract job providers to a community/region that has been adversely impacted by negative changes in the coal economy. The investment will promote regional economic growth and diversification and create jobs for displaced coal workers in the multi-county region. The grantees estimate that this investment will help create 1,500 jobs and leverage $100 million in private investment.
    • $1,000,300 to the Navajo Technical University, Crownpoint, New Mexico, to support the construction of a Metrology and Materials Testing Center (MMTC) at Navajo Technical University to support recently displaced workers in the energy sector. The center will offer training in the following areas: 3D metal printing, machining, robotics, and advanced manufacturing. Once completed, this project will help the Navajo Nation by diversifying its economy, attracting investment, and supporting long-term job creation. The grantee estimates that this investment will help leverage $15 million in private investment.
    • $844,941 in Assistance to Coal Communities to the Telluride Foundation and the West End Economic Development Corporation, Telluride/San Miguel County, Colorado, to support the Telluride Foundation and the West End Economic Development Corporation with implementing the Advance West End program to build upon the area’s existing strengths in the agriculture industry and outdoor recreation. The project will consist of a business incubator program that will kick-start regional tourism, launch an agriculture makerspace for food production and distribution through a commercial kitchen space, and support new partnerships with philanthropy to drive skills development to meet businesses’ workforce needs. Once completed, this project will create sustainable economic growth and diversification for the region. The grantees estimate that this investment will help create 17 jobs, save 6 jobs, and leverage $637,000 in private investment.
    • $738,100 to the Flagship Enterprise Center, Anderson, Indiana, to fund improvements to the Flagship Manufacturing Center at the Flagship east building in Anderson, Indiana, including the construction of a mezzanine manufacturing floor, steel stairs with railings, offices, conference room, co-working and engineering spaces, lounge, kitchenette and restrooms. The project will help with the continued expansion of entrepreneurship and businesses in the area, which will boost new commercial and industrial development, and create opportunities for job creation. The grantee estimates that this investment will help create 63 jobs, save 63 jobs, and leverage $5.67 million in private investment.
    • $600,000 in 2018 Disaster Supplemental funds to Hidden Star Resources, Austin, Texas, to support Hidden Star Resources with helping start-up and small businesses in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey recover and grow in Austin, Texas. The project will provide tools and resources that aids business planning, program outreach, technical assistance for entrepreneurs, and training opportunities for business retention. The investment will assist in the rebuilding of small businesses in hurricane affected areas and better prepare these businesses for future disasters, which will strengthen the region’s economic resiliency.
    • $159,000 in 2018 Disaster Supplemental funds to the South Central Planning and Development Commission, Houma, Louisiana, to fund the hiring of a local disaster recovery manager to serve as a liaison between parishes, municipalities, and agencies in the South Central Louisiana region. The recovery manager will facilitate the development and implementation of economic recovery strategies and projects, which will help improve resiliency for future natural disasters and create a stable economic climate for business attraction and retention.
    • $96,000 in 2018 Disaster Supplemental funds to the Ozark Foothills Regional Planning Commission, Popular Bluff, Missouri, to support the Ozark Foothills Regional Planning Commission with the hiring of a disaster recovery coordinator for Carter, Reynolds, Ripley and Wayne counties in Missouri to manage recovery projects responsive to damage caused by the regional flooding in 2017. The Coordinator is critical in helping to establish long-term recovery efforts for the region by functioning as the liaison for the community, which will lead to the development of strategies to mitigate job loss and create resiliency for future disasters. The grantee estimates that this investment will help create 10 jobs.
  • $333,326 in three Technical Assistance University Center projects to support a five-year University Center program, which is a competitively-based partnership between EDA and academic institutions that makes the varied and vast resources of universities available to the economic development practitioner community.
  • $1.755 million in nine Partnership Planning projects 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.