Grant

August 30 - September 3, 2021

EDA announced 34 investments from August 30-September 3, 2021, totaling $54,506,702, which is matched by $22,837,573 in local investments.  These investments include the following: (1) $8,029,296 in six Economic Adjustment Assistance-COVID-19 Recovery and Resiliency Projects to help alleviate sudden and severe economic dislocation caused by the coronavirus pandemic, which includes four projects for $4,269,174 that will help create 536 jobs and save 3,034 jobs; (2) $34,702,321 in eight 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, which includes five projects for $32,761,961 that will help create 2,403 jobs, save 1,062 jobs, and leverage $192,150,000 in private investments; (3) $9,684,985 in five Public Works projects to help communities revitalize, expand, and upgrade their physical infrastructure that will help create 634 jobs, save 1,393 jobs, and leverage $618,500,000 in private investments; (4) $52,500 in two Local Technical Assistance projects to strengthen the capacity of local or state organizations and institutions to undertake and promote effective economic development programs; (5) $1,097,000 in eight Technical Assistance University Center projects to make the varied and vast resources of universities available to the economic development practitioner community; and (6) $940,600 in five Partnership Planning projects to support the development and implementation of the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy process.

  • $8,029,296 in six Economic Adjustment Assistance-COVID-19 Recovery and Resiliency Projects, matched by $2,103,007 in local investments, as follows:
    • $2,500,000, matched by $551,187 in local investment, to the Panhandle Regional Planning Commission (PRPC), Amarillo/Potter County, Texas, to support the purchase and rehabilitation of a workforce development center in Amarillo, Texas, a designated Opportunity Zone.  The project will allow the PRPC to serve unemployed or underemployed residents in job searches, including providing education allowances, job placements, and training necessary to support work readiness.  Once completed, the project will assist the region with recovery efforts from the COVID-19 pandemic by supporting workforce development and training services, which will help diversify and strengthen the regional economy.
    • $1,500,000, matched by $375,000 in local investment, to the City of Anthony, Anthony/ Dona Ana County, New Mexico, to support the construction of an Urgent Care medical facility, in Dona Ana County, New Mexico.  The urgent care facility will provide convenient and affordable health care to residents in the region including the communities of La Union, Berino, Chaparral, Vado, the southern portion of Mesquite, Santa Teresa, and Sunland Park.  Once completed the project will help the region with recovery efforts from the COVID-19 pandemic, create jobs in the telehealth and healthcare industry, spur private investment, and advance economic resiliency throughout the region.  The grantee estimates that this investment will help create 35 jobs.
    • $1,260,122, matched by $319,418 in local investment, to the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture, Millheim/Centre County, Pennsylvania, to support the development of the Foodshed Mapping and Digital Infrastructure Project to help stabilize the agricultural supply chain in the Western Pennsylvania region and beyond.  The digital supply chain was severed due to digital literacy and/or connectivity barriers.  This project will combine existing databases driving the development of a singular database and e-commerce marketplace to comprehensively connect and stabilize the regional foodshed supply chain, which directly responds to and prepares for future economic injury and emergencies like the COVID-19 pandemic.  This clearinghouse of supply chain opportunities will empower autonomous decision-making and increase the ability of those across the agriculture continuum to pivot within the market; preparing for and responding to economic injury while increasing mid-tier value chains to strengthen the regional economy.
    • $1,200,000, matched by $300,000 in local investment, to Temple University, Philadelphia/Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, to support the implementation of a digital transformation program to provide strategic and operational no-cost consulting to small manufacturing, service, and retail business owners throughout the Commonwealth who have been most significantly impacted by the COVID19 pandemic.  The majority of the PA Digital Transformation and Ecommerce Program (PADTEP) programming will be delivered online.  As social distancing regulations ease, additional programming will be delivered through the 16 Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) located across the state.  Once implemented, small businesses will be provided with Digital Literacy skills, understanding Web site design, social media, Ecommerce, and cyber security training to assist with updating their marketing strategies, which will help advance economic resiliency, create new job opportunities, and attract private investment in designated Opportunity Zones across the state of Pennsylvania.  The grantee estimates that this investment will help save 2,000 jobs.
    • $1,052,814, matched by $263,212 in local investment, to the Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester/Monroe County, New York, to support the Center for Integrated Manufacturing Studies (CIMS) at the Golisano Institute for Sustainability at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) with implementing an Industry 4.0 Transition Program.  This program assists the Finger Lakes and Central New York regions in their recovery from the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic through technical assistance provided to affected businesses.  Once completed, the project will advance economic resiliency, create new job opportunities, and attract private investment in designated Opportunity Zones.  The grantee estimates that this investment will help create 156 jobs and save 264 jobs.
    • $516,360, matched by $294,190 in local investment, to the Blue Ridge Community and Technical College, Martinsburg/Berkeley County, West Virginia, to support the expansion of their plastics training program to meet the local industry workforce needs in Morgan, Jefferson, and Berkeley Counties for highly skilled technicians, and to respond to COVID-19 layoffs in the region.  The Plastics Technology Lab (PTL) provides space, equipment, and expert staff to create opportunities for high school students and working adults to earn college credit while gaining specialized technical skills for employment.  The PTL also serves as an innovative production facility for manufacturing research and development, supporting West Virginia in the production of plastic components utilized in medical personal protective equipment (PPE), and providing manufacturers with an array of comprehensive customized training for the incumbent workforce.  Once completed, the project will advance economic resiliency, create new job opportunities, and attract private investment in a designated Opportunity Zone. in CARES Act Recovery Assistance to Expand Plastics Workforce Training Program in West Virginia.  The grantee estimates that this investment will help create 345 jobs and save 770 jobs.
  • $34,702,321 in eight Economic Adjustment Assistance projects, matched by $5,172,851 in local investments, as follows:
    • $19,630,360 in 2019 Disaster Supplemental funding, with no local match, to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Saipan/Saipan County, Mariana Islands, to support the construction of a typhoon-resilient Department of Finance Economic Business Center and acquisition of a Financial Management Information System (FMIS) on the island of Saipan, a designated Opportunity Zone.   The CNMI Economic Resiliency Center will serve as a hub for all critical finance operations, which will increase efficiency and real time response.  The FMIS will allow the CNMI to be better prepared to withstand an economic paralysis and make operational adjustments to recover from the impacts of future natural disasters.  Once completed, the project will help with recovery efforts from the Super Typhoon Yutu, bolster job creation, and advance economic resiliency throughout the region.  The grantee estimates that this investment will help create 1,500 jobs.
    • $3,751,000 in Assistance to Nuclear Closure Communities, matched by $937,750 in local investment, to the Susquehanna Area Regional Airport Authority, Middleton/Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, to support the reconstruction of the intersection of Olmstead Drive, Airport Drive, Third Street, and the cargo tug road to provide a new roadway surface to separate cargo container trains from highway traffic in Middletown, Pennsylvania.  The project will help address the significant and sudden loss of jobs and tax revenue caused by the closure of the Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Plant (TMI) by expanding access for the Harrisburg International Airport Air Cargo terminal.  These adjustments will allow the Airport to accommodate the expansion of global air cargo carriers thus creating new local jobs, increasing the local supply of air-carried goods, and generating new real estate tax revenue for the local communities.  Once completed, the project will enhance job creation and retention, spur private investment, and advance economic resiliency to an area hit hard by the closure of a nuclear power plant.  The grantee estimates that this investment will help create 354 jobs, save 458 jobs, and leverage $8,300,000 in private investment.
    • $3,380,401 in Assistance to Coal Communities, matched by $845,101 in local investment, to the Economic Development Alliance of Saint Clair County, Port Huron/Saint Clair County, Michigan, to support the construction of a new two-story 11,000 square foot incubator space for ongoing entrepreneurship assistance and collaboration in Saint Clair County, Michigan.  The project will be a permanent home for small business incubator operations that will support emerging and second-stage businesses in the region with dedicated private and co-working spaces, including advanced manufacturing equipment.  Once completed the project will help the region diversify its local economy, increase entrepreneurship, create 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 125 jobs and leverage $2,000,000 in private investment.
    • $3,000,200 in Assistance to Coal Communities, matched by $750,000 in local investment, to the City of Somerset, Somerset/Pulaski County, Kentucky, to support the construction and installation of equipment at two wastewater treatment plant sites to help the city meet future customer needs in Pulaski County, Kentucky.  Once completed, project will support economic resiliency by ensuring infrastructure is adequate to support economic growth, which will help bolster job creation, and attract private investment to an area significantly impacted by decline in the coal industry.  The grantee estimates that this investment will help create 379 jobs, save 580 jobs, and leverage $178,600,000 in private investment.
    • $3,000,000, matched by $1,300,000 in local investment, to the Economic Development Authority of Amherst County, Amherst/Amherst County, Virginia, to support the construction of a multi-tenant building to address the pressing need for job opportunities following the recent closure of the County’s largest employer.  The new facility will help accelerate high-quality job growth, create additional economic opportunities, and diversify the economy by supporting the next generation of technology-based industries and innovative supply chains.  The grantee estimates that this investment will help create 45 jobs, save 24 jobs, and leverage $3,250,000 in private investment.
    • $960,000, matched by $540,000 in local investment, to the City of Vallejo/Vallejo Flood and Wastewater District, Vallejo/Solano County, California, to conduct an infrastructure study of developed and undeveloped portions of Mare Island in California, a designated Opportunity Zone.  The study will determine the impacts that future development will have on City’s roads, stormwater, water, and sewer infrastructure.  In addition, the study will determine the capacity of roads to support projected traffic from redevelopment and determine the extent to which roads will need to be reconstructed based on their current conditions.  Once completed, the study will help the region with recovery efforts from the COVID-19 pandemic, support job creation, attract private investment, and advance economic resiliency throughout the region.
    • $500,000, matched by $500,000 in local investment, to the Business and Industrial Corporation of Denison, Inc., Denison/Grayson County, Texas, to support the development of a master plan for the Texas Gateway Logistics Park, a 400-acre site encompassing an Opportunity Zone in Grayson County, Texas.  The master plan will assess the suitability of existing infrastructure, determine the best use for the property, and consider transportation and engineering needs.  Once completed, the project will allow the region to diversify its economy by creating jobs in growing industries that will improve economic opportunities for the regional workforce and advance long term economic vitality and sustainability, which will strengthen the regional economy.
    • $450,000 in Assistance to Nuclear Closure Communities, matched by $300,000 in local investment, to the Hourglass Project, San Luis Obispo/San Luis Obispo County, California, to support the creation of an economic mitigation plan to help key industries (AgriTech, Clean Tech and Renewable Energy, Aerospace, Defense and Precision Manufacturing, and Technology) in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties recover economically from the closure of a Nuclear Power Plant.  In addition to the plan, the project will create an asset map, help establish industry working groups, and develop a Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy to help the region navigate the economic impacts of the power plant closure and create a more resilient economy for the future.  Once completed, the plan will be a roadmap for economic recovery and diversification, which will help strengthen the regional economy.
  • $9,684,985 in five Public Works projects, matched by $14,411,815 in local investments, as follows:
    • $3,000,000, matched by $8,300,000 in local investment, to the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority, Philadelphia/Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, to support the acquisition and installation of two new Electric Rubber-Tired Gantry cranes at the existing Packer Avenue Marine Terminal (PAMT) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  The new infrastructure will help address the continued economic distress of the neighborhoods bordering the Philadelphia Port at Packer Avenue.  The PAMT is located along the Delaware River at the foot of the Walt Whitman Bridge and adjacent to the Port is a designated Federal Opportunity Zone.  These cranes, they are uniquely designed to have the capability of reaching the far side of a shipping vessel to offload cargo, rather than the vessel having to turn around in port to greatly reduce loading and offloading time of containerized cargo.  Once completed, the new infrastructure will help bolster job creation, spur private investment, and strengthen economic growth throughout the region.  The grantee estimates that this investment will help create 100 jobs and leverage $9,000,000 in private investment.
    • $2,620,485, matched by $3,097,315 in local investment, to the Chibardun Telephone Cooperative dba Mosaic Technology, Cameron/Barron County, Wisconsin, to support the installation of more than 70 miles of broadband fiber-optic cable in Wisconsin’s Barron and Washburn counties.  The new broadband line will be the backbone of future expansions, bringing broadband access to more users and enhancing the economic conditions and attractiveness of the two counties to businesses.  In addition, the line will provide fiber redundancy to improve the system’s reliability and resilience in the face of future natural disasters and other disruptions.  Once completed, the project will create and retain jobs, spur private investment, and advance economic resiliency throughout the region.  The grantee estimates that this investment will help create 54 jobs, save 616 jobs, and leverage $1,500,000 in private investment.
    • $1,587,000, matched by $1,587,000 in local investment, to Davie County, Mocksville/Davie County, North Carolina, to support industry and business development in Davie County through the rehabilitation of transmission lines connected to the Cooleemee Water Treatment Plant in Mocksville, North Carolina, a designated Opportunity Zone.  Once completed, the project will expand workforce opportunities and economic mobility, which will retain and create jobs, attract private investment, and advance economic resiliency throughout the region.  The grantee estimates that this investment will help create 300 jobs, save 747 jobs, and leverage $50,000,000 in private investment.
    • $1,575,000, matched by $525,000 in local investment, to Pender County, Burgaw/Pender County, North Carolina, to support the construction of a permanent natural gas fueled generator at its water treatment plant and establishing a berm around the adjoining County’s wastewater treatment plant to mitigate the impact of significant flooding on the operation of both facilities.  The project will reduce the likelihood of potential power losses in normal and extreme flooding events and reduce the risk of flooding of the wastewater treatment plant site that could result in both damage and cessation of plant operations.  Once completed, the project will create and retain jobs, spur private investment, and advance economic resiliency near Opportunity Zones and throughout the region.  The grantee estimates that this investment will help create 50 jobs, save 30 jobs, and leverage $8,000,000 in private investment.
    • $902,500, matched by $902,500 in local investment, to the City of Hartwell, Hartwell/Hart County, Georgia, to support critical upgrades to the City of Hartwell's Wastewater Treatment Plant that are necessary to support a new distribution center at the Hart County Industrial Park in Georgia.  Once completed, the project will ensure business continuity by protecting the City's residents and businesses from possible sewer accidents where COVID-19 or other viruses might be present, which will help bolster job creation, attract private investment, and advance economic resiliency throughout the region.  The grantee estimates that this investment will help create 130 jobs and leverage $550,000,000 in private investment.
  • $52,500 in two Local Technical Assistance projects, matched by $52,900 in local investments, as follows:
    • $30,000, matched by $30,000 in local investment, to the Native American Development Center, Bismarck/Burleigh County, North Dakota, to support the completion of a feasibility study for the concept of creating a business incubator designed to primarily serve the Native American population in the Bismarck, ND, Metropolitan Area.   A prior study identified a business incubator as a potential solution to address community needs for business technical assistance and entrepreneurship support, especially within and in support of the area's Native American population.   This study will determine the feasibility of creating an incubator within the Native American Development Center and will determine potential costs, facilities, equipment, and programmatic requirements, analyze local markets for relevant opportunities to target, and determine appropriate measurements for potential impacts and results.  Once completed, the project will provide economic stability, create jobs, and strengthen the local economy.
    • $22,500, matched by $22,900 in local investment, to the Town of Amesbury, Amesbury/ Essex County, Massachusetts, to fund the Reimagining a Resilient Downtown Amesbury project to assist in the development of a resiliency strategy for the City of Amesbury.  The plan will provide guidance in the development of institutional capacity to bounce forward in the face of economic shock events, which will help the City maintain a strong manufacturing sector, attract innovative businesses, and assist existing businesses with adjusting, expanding, and thriving during future economic disruptions.  Once completed, the project will provide economic stability, create jobs, and strengthen the local economy
  • $1,097,000 in eight Technical Assistance University Center projects, matched by $1,097,000 in local investments, 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.
  • $940,600 in five Partnership Planning projects, with no local match, 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.