Grant

June 14 - 21, 2018

  • $1,658,560 in three Public Works projects as follows:
    • $738,425 to the City of Fremont, Michigan, to fund the construction of a road extension that will provide an alternative truck route for the City of Fremont’s Industrial Park. Once completed, the project will reduce traffic congestion in downtown Fremont, alleviate truck traffic from residential streets, and fill vacant parcels in the City, which will boost new commercial and industrial development, and create opportunities for job creation in the region. The grantee estimates that this investment will help create 29 jobs, save 75 jobs, and leverage 4.4 million in private investment.
    • $720,135 to the City of Chickamauga, Georgia, to fund water improvements needed for fire protection that will serve a major national manufacturer of carpet and flooring in Walker county, Georgia. The project will enable the company to expand and compete in global markets, especially investments that expand U.S. exports, encourage foreign direct investment, promote the repatriation of U.S. jobs and position firms to become leaders in global industries. It will also increase the region’s ability to retain and attract additional targeted sustainable industry. The grantee estimates that this investment will help create 1,000 jobs and leverage $100 million in private investment.
    • $200,000 to the Bemidji Regional Airport Authority, Bemidji, Minnesota, to provide additional support to the Bemidji Regional Airport Authority Infrastructure and Hangar Development Project, which includes the construction of multiple improvements to support the growth of existing businesses. The Airports existing hangars are at capacity which led to the need for additional hangar space. Once completed, the extra improvements will increase general aviation activity and improve the connectivity of the region, which will lead to sustainable economic growth and foster collaboration, innovation and job creation throughout the region. The grantee estimates that this investment will help create 10 jobs and leverage $2 million in private investment.
  • $2,232,232 in seven Economic Adjustment Assistance projects as follows:
    • $875,048 to Dixie State University, St. George, Utah, to support the launch of Innovation Plaza at Dixie State University by providing funds to purchase equipment for laboratories in the biotech, medical, and environmental testing, and entrepreneurial makerspace to create a hub for innovation and skills training. Completion of the project will enable business enterprises in the area to operate more efficiently and expand their economic capacity, which will foster conditions that support the creation of more, higher paying employment opportunities for the region’s workforce. The grantee estimates that this investment will help create 260 jobs.
    • $500,000 to the Technology Entrepreneur Center, Inc., St. Louis, Missouri, to support the Technology Entrepreneur Center, Inc. (T-REX) in establishing a regional Locational Intelligence Resource Center (LIRC) which will provide resources, training and services for existing and start-up Advanced Information and Intelligence Technologies (AIIT) companies and organizations in St. Louis, Missouri. This project will help spur new, skilled positions and bolster the AIIT business cluster in the area, which will boost economic growth and global competitiveness in the region. The grantee estimates that this investment will help create 475 jobs.
    • $277,184 to the Keetoowah Economic Development Authority, Tahlequah, Oklahoma, to fund a comprehensive economic feasibility study to support economic development capacity-building for the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Tribe in Oklahoma. Once completed, the analysis and data from this study will provide the Tribe with reliable information to create a strategy to help improve the quality of life for members, which will lead to economic stability, diversification and the retention and creation of jobs for the local economy.
    • $240,000 to the Gulf Coast Economic Development District, Houston, Texas, to fund the hiring of a Disaster Recovery Manager to identify potential resiliency, mitigation, and recovery projects in the declared disaster areas throughout the Gulf Coast Region, which includes the counties of Austin, Brazoria, Chambers, Colorado, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Liberty, Matagorda, Montgomery, Walker, Waller, and Wharton. This contractor will aid the local governments and economic development organizations in creating the Gulf Coast Regional Disaster Recovery and Resiliency Program, which will assess the impacts on the local communities. This investment will help bring together the region’s public and private sectors in the creation of a roadmap that supports recovery, reconstruction, redevelopment, workforce training, and long-term planning.
    • $180,000 to the South East Texas Economic Development District, Beaumont, Texas, to support the development and implementation of the South East Texas Regional Disaster Recovery and Resiliency Program, which will serve the declared disaster areas comprised of Hardin, Jefferson, and Orange Counties. The program will include hiring a regional disaster recovery manager to identify potential resiliency, mitigation, and economic recovery projects, as well as having the manager work with the federal and state disaster teams to develop economic recovery plans for the area. Once completed, this program will provide a roadmap and tool to assist policymakers and communities across the region with disaster mitigation and resiliency allowing for faster damage assessments and proactive measures after a natural disaster.
    • $100,000 to the Alamo Area Council of Governments, San Antonio, Texas, to fund the hiring of a regional disaster recovery manager to identify potential resiliency, mitigation, and economic recovery projects in the disaster-impacted areas of Comal, Guadalupe, and Karnes Counties, Texas. Through the aid of the regional disaster coordinator other assistance will include emergency preparedness training, development of crisis communication plans, and business analysis impact studies. The recovery manager will help to create a stable economic climate for business attraction and retention, as well as improving the well-being of the region’s citizens when faced with potential devastating disasters.
    • $60,000 to the Perry County Fiscal Court, Hazard, Kentucky, to support planning for the implementation of the Drone Port of Kentucky project. The investment will help to provide the necessary resources to initiate a study and implement a long-term, job-creation, aerospace, advanced manufacture testing and educational center in southeastern Kentucky. Completion of the project will bring together the public and private sectors to create an economic development roadmap to strengthen the regional economy, create jobs and support private capital investment. The grantee estimates that this investment will help create 200 jobs, save 155 jobs, and leverage $12.5 million in private investment.
  • $2,326,911 in 33 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.
  • $278,000 in two Technical Assistance University Center projects to support the third year of a five-year University Center (UC) 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.