Governor Northam Announces Over $4.9 Million in Appalachian Regional Commission Grants

~ Funding to expand health care, spur economic development, improve infrastructure, and create jobs for the Appalachian Region ~ RICHMOND—Governor Ralph Northam today announced he is recommending more than $4.9 million in Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) grants for 20 projects in the Appalachian Region of Virginia, which encompasses 25 counties and eight independent cities in Southwest Virginia. ARC will finalize approval of these project awards later this year. “Appalachian Regional Commission grants are a vital resource for communities in this important region of our Commonwealth,” said Governor Northam. “This funding will support projects that aim to build on the momentum of other state and local initiatives to train our workforce, improve critical infrastructure, and create jobs and opportunity throughout Appalachia.” Established in 1965, the general goal of the ARC program is to assist the region in achieving economic prosperity that more completely reflects the nation’s overall prosperity. ARC funds are broadly aimed at providing economic development in the Appalachian Region by funding projects that support the goal of building a strong and sustainable asset-based economy by bringing jobs and prosperity to Appalachian communities while preserving their character. The Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) works with localities and stakeholders in the region to assist in developing strategic projects that are evaluated by DHCD and the Governor. “These proposed projects will strategically invest in Virginia’s Appalachian communities,” said Secretary of Commerce and Trade Brian Ball. “ARC grants are targeted to enhance community development initiatives and to be combined with other local, state, and federal resources to improve economic opportunity for Appalachian residents.” The following projects are recommended for funding to the Appalachian Regional Commission:  

Applicant	Project Name	Award
Buchanan County	Paw Paw Waterline Extension	$500,000
City of Covington	Alleghany Highlands Drone Zone	$217,625
City of Radford	Downtown City of Radford Planning Grant	$35,000
Craig County	Craig County Resource Center	$250,000
Friends of Southwest Virginia	Trail Development, Sustainability and Connectivity in the Mount Rogers Anchor Area	$100,000
Town of Haysi	Haysi Trails Center	$500,000
Henry County	Fieldale Recreation Center Improvements	$50,000
Lee County	Giles Hollow Waterline Extension	$500,000
Lee County	Western Lee Sewer Infrastructure Project	$500,000
LENOWISCO PDC	Community Foundation Development Project for SWVA	$47,551
Patrick County	Healthy Patrick County	$45,000
Town of Pulaski	Pulaski Works: Planning for a Training Center and Makerspace	$44,142
Town of Pulaski	Sanitary Sewer Improvements: James Hardie Facility	$500,000
Town of St. Paul	Lyric Theater	$200,000
Southwest Regional Recreation Authority (Spearhead Trails)	Catalyst for Growth in Developing the Tourism Economy of the Coalfields	$300,000
Virginia Coalfield Regional Tourism Development Authority	Clinch-Powell-Big Sandy Biodiversity and Conservation Destination Center	$209,590
Virginia’s First Regional Industrial Facility Authority	NRV Commerce Park Grading	$364,000
Wise County	Banner Sewer Project	$500,000
Wise County IDA	Expanding Life Saving Healthcare Networks with UAS Technology and Training for Remote Medical Facilities in SWVA Feasibility Study	$50,000
Wise County IDA	Feasibility of Economic Diversification Through Commercial Graphene Applications	$50,000
TOTAL RECOMMENDED		$4,962,908