U.S. Department of Commerce Invests $2 Million in CARES Act Recovery Assistance to Support Manufacturing Growth in Huron, Ohio

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo announced that the Department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding a $2 million CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to the city of Huron, Ohio, to reconstruct Sawmill Parkway, a critical roadway that serves Erie County’s largest industrial park. This EDA grant, to be matched with $1.3 million in local funds, is expected to create 321 jobs, retain 41 jobs and generate $403 million in private investment.

“President Biden is committed to ensuring our nation not only recovers from this pandemic but builds back stronger,” said Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo. “This EDA investment in the city of Huron will provide improvements to Sawmill Parkway in support of a local industrial park, which will attract and retain business while helping the area recover from the economic disruption of the pandemic and become more resilient to future disasters.”

“The Economic Development Administration plays an important role in supporting community-led economic development strategies designed to boost coronavirus recovery and response efforts,” said Dennis Alvord, Acting Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development. “The EDA-funded road project in Huron will provide for the addition of a 12-inch watermain, storm sewers, traffic markings and other road improvements in support of the local manufacturing sector, which will help diversify the region’s economy and provide good-paying jobs.”

“These funds will provide the city of Huron with additional tools and resources to address the economic fallout from COVID-19,” said Senator Sherrod Brown. “By investing in local, critical infrastructure, this funding will help create good-paying jobs and boost the economy in Huron.”

“This is exciting news for the city of Huron and Erie County,” said Senator Rob Portman. “I’m pleased to see this $2 million federal grant go towards helping to develop the city of Huron’s industrial park. This grant, provided through the CARES Act, will help create jobs while spurring millions in additional private investment. I was proud to support the bipartisan CARES Act last year, and I am glad to see that it continues to help local communities in our state return to normalcy as we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic.”

“As a strong supporter of the Economic Development Administration’s job-creating investments, let me congratulate the City of Huron for its excellent work to secure this funding,” said Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (OH-09). “A top priority of Congress and President Biden has been to partner with local communities in order to fund shovel ready infrastructure projects like the Sawmill Parkway. I look forward to seeing the new growth and opportunity the revitalization of this important corridor will bring.”

This project is funded under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act (Public Law 116-136 PDF), which provided EDA with $1.5 billion for economic assistance programs to help communities prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus. EDA CARES Act Recovery Assistance, which is being administered under the authority of the bureau’s flexible Economic Adjustment Assistance (EAA) (PDF) program, provides a wide-range of financial assistance to eligible communities and regions as they respond to and recover from the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.

About the U.S. Economic Development Administration (www.eda.gov)
The mission of the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) is to lead the federal economic development agenda by promoting competitiveness and preparing the nation's regions for growth and success in the worldwide economy. An agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce, EDA invests in communities and supports regional collaboration in order to create jobs for U.S. workers, promote American innovation, and accelerate long-term sustainable economic growth.