Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Bredesen Recommends ARC Grants
Governor Phil Bredesen today announced the recommendation of 17 Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) grants to assist state and local agencies, governmental entities, local governing boards or nonprofit organizations with infrastructure improvements.
“I am pleased to recommend these 17 communities for grants from the Appalachian Regional Commission, and I am confident these funds will contribute to a foundation for long-term economic growth in the region,” Governor Bredesen said. “Tennessee’s Appalachian communities benefit greatly from the support of the ARC, and I want to thank the organization for its generous investment in our state.”
The following lists each recommendation and the project it will finance.
Beersheba Springs Fire Hall Expansion Project: $106,880
• The project will benefit all 553 residents of Beersheba Springs as well as portions of Altamont and Warren Counties, more than 2,000 people in all, by providing additional space for fire and rescue equipment and providing training for the Fire Department and Rescue Squad. Funding for the $151,825 project will include $44,945 in other funds.
Celina Sewer System Rehabilitation Project: $500,000
• The project will benefit all 1,379 residents of Celina by addressing the infiltration and inflow problems of the city’s sewer system. Funding for the $625,000 project will include $125,000 in other funds.
Crossville Downtown Economic Development Project: $317,383
• The project will benefit all residents of Crossville and Cumberland County by addressing deterioration of the public infrastructure in Crossville’s downtown area. The funding will provide storm drainage, street paving and handicap accessibility with the goal of creating a vital and attractive area for job creation and commercial development. Projections estimate that, in addition to 256 new jobs, 602 jobs will be retained. Five existing commercial properties will be renovated and five new properties will be developed. Funding for the $1,325,250 project will include $1,007,867 in other funds.
Fentress County Children’s Center Health Care for Abused Children Project: $200,000
• The project will benefit all residents of Fentress County by allowing the Fentress County Children’s Health Care Center to provide services to assist 450 child abuse victims and 500 non-offending parents and to offer prevention education to 75 teachers and 3,500 school students. The funding will be used for direct services including, but not limited to, counseling and advocacy services for the child abuse victim, prevention education and counseling support services for non-offending parents. Funding for the $250,000 project will include $50,000 in other funds.
Huntsville Sewer System Improvement Project: $206,952
• The project will benefit 640 customers of the Huntsville Sewer System, as well as assure adequate sewer services to all residents, businesses and industries within Huntsville, by addressing inflow and infiltration deficiencies in the city’s existing sewer collection system. Funding for the $258,690 project will include $51,738 in other funds.
International Storytelling Center Storytelling Pavilion and Park Project: $270,000
• The project will benefit the area with 116 jobs, as well as benefit 40,000 visitors annually, by constructing an outdoor pavilion that will accommodate 300 people for hosting entertainment and educational activities. Funding for the $540,000 project will include $270,000 in other funds.
Johnson City/Cold Springs Utility District Water System Improvement Project: $500,000
• The project will benefit 32 new customers of the Cold Springs Utility Districts living on Rocky Knob Road, Berry Branch Road and Wilcox Road by extending water lines to these un-served areas in Johnson County, as well as making improvements to the county’s current water system. Funding for the $625,000 project will include $125,000 in other funds.
Jonesborough Wastewater Treatment Plant Improvement Project: $500,000
• The project will address health and safety concerns, as well as benefit residential, commercial and industrial customers, by correcting design capacity and discharge standard failures of the town’s waste water treatment plant. Funding for the $2,500,000 project will include $2,000,000 in other funds.
Marion County Regional Technical and Community College Construction Project Phase I: $500,000
• The project will benefit all residents of Marion County and the Sequatchie Valley Region by allowing the first phase of construction of a regional community and technical college. The $3.1 million dollar college will provide training in high-growth, high-demand manufacturing and technical jobs and will assist in strengthening educational, employment and economic opportunities in the region. Funding for the $3,100,000 project will include $2,600,000 in other funds.
Morristown Lowland Wastewater Treatment Plant Improvement Project: $500,000
• The project will benefit 24,965 residents of the City of Morristown by improving the Lowland waste water treatment plant, and will indirectly benefit nearly 246,339 residents in the nearby counties of Jefferson, Hamblen, Greene, Grainger, Hawkins and Hancock County. The project will also serve Lowland Environmental Services, which could create 75-100 jobs in the area. Funding for the $1,000,000 project will include $500,000 in other funds.
Mosheim Water System Improvement Project: $487,742
• The project will benefit all residents of Mosheim, as well as Appalachian Forest Products, by correcting deficiencies in the Mosheim water system and addressing capacity issues that currently hamper the development and sustainability of commercial business in the community. Funding for the $975,484 project will include $487,742 in other funds.
Newport Utilities Parrottsville Area Waterline Extension Project: $428,874
• The project will benefit 33 homes within two un-served areas within Parrotsville by allowing Newport Utilities to provide potable water. The source for the area is currently private wells, which draw water from an underground aquifer that has proven in some cases to be contaminated. Funding for the $536,093 project will include $107, 219 in other funds.
Pikeville Dura Building Rehabilitation Project: $497,000
• The project will repair and replace a portion of the roof on the former Dura automotive plant building. Pikeville has acquired the building and needs to make the necessary repairs to allow immediate occupancy. The rehabilitation will include 36,000 square feet of roof, expansion joints, piping, curbs and drains. Funding for the $997,000 project will include $500,000 in other funds.
Sneedville Wastewater System Rehabilitation Project Phase III: $500,000
• The project will benefit 468 residential, commercial and industrial customers by addressing inflow and infiltration deficiencies of Sneedville’s waste water system. Phase III will replace lines, manholes and laterals along a tributary of Creasy Creek to reduce the infiltration and inflow flow rate to the waste water treatment plant. Funding for the $862,588 project will include $362,588 in other funds.
Spring City Water Treatment Plant Expansion Project: $500,000
• The project will benefit all residents of Bledsoe County and will create 400 full-time jobs and 350 construction jobs at the Bledsoe County Corrections Facility by constructing a water treatment plant expansion that will serve the facility, a major Bledsoe County employer. Funding for the $4,490,290 project will include $3,990,290 in other funds.
St. Joseph Water Rehabilitation Project: $400,000
• The project will benefit more than 2,000 residents in St. Joseph and the Iron City Utility District, as well as provide emergency water back up to the cities of Loretto and Green Hill, Alabama, by addressing deficiencies in the St. Joseph’s municipal water system that include broken water lines, nonfunctioning flushing hydrants and inoperable water valves. Funding for the $500,000 project will include $100,000 in other funds.
Tennessee Tech University Center for Rural Regional Development Creation Project: $500,000
• The project proposes to create a virtual center for rural regional development, which will focus on fostering partnerships to promote regional efforts in economic development.
The Center will utilize internal and external partnerships to focus on the critical issues with the ultimate goal of enhancing regional competitiveness.
The Center will address the challenges faces by rural communities in Clay, Fentress, Pickett, Jackson, Overton, Van Buren, Warren and White. Funding for the $635,000 project will include $135,000 in other funds.
“Sustainable economic development is always built on strategic community development, and programs like the ARC grants help to make that community development possible,” ECD Commissioner Matt Kisber said. “I want to thank the Appalachian Regional Commission for their investment in this region of our state and congratulate the communities on this well-deserved assistance.”
Allocation of ARC funds is based on priorities set at local levels where community needs are best known. The recommended projects will now be forwarded to Washington for review and approval.
The Department of Economic and Community Development administers the ARC program in Tennessee. The program provides resources to help leverage community development and economic growth opportunities in Tennessee’s Appalachian communities.
The Appalachian Regional Commission is a federal-state partnership that works with the people of Appalachia to create opportunities for self-sustaining economic development and improved quality of life.
The commission is a unique partnership composed of the governors of the 13 Appalachian states and a presidential appointee representing the federal government. For more information, visit www.arc.gov.
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