Appalachian Regional Commission Story Archives - Page 2 of 8

ARC: 'Billions' Coming To Coal Communities From Feds

Massive economic opportunities are available for rural energy communities according to Gayle Manchin, the co-chair of the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC).

Manchin was in Wheeling Wednesday at Northern Community College and met with state and federal leaders representing a variety of government agencies. She and other panelists outlined approximately $200 billion of what was called a “once-in-a-generation investment” targeted at coal-impacted communities.

Increases in funding are anticipated for everything from water and sewage projects, brownfield cleanup, and mineland reclamation, to small business support and regionally collaborative economic development.

“What I find exciting about being here today is that it’s really all about how we can all work together and to see a very strong group from Ohio, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania,” Manchin said. She pointed out that the Appalachian region includes 26 million people and 423 counties — rivaling California and Texas.

Manchin said she applauded President Joe Biden’s efforts to infuse Appalachia with financial assistance to help the region transition from coal-dependent to a more diversified economy. Manchin was joined by Brian Anderson, executive director of the Interagency Working Group (IWG) on Coal and Power Plant Communities and Economic Revitalization.

“All of the federal agencies are here to make sure we’re working hand-in-hand with local communities,” Anderson said. He added that the goal is to make sure communities that have been relied upon for national energy independence and security are not left behind as energy trends shift to renewable sources.

Anderson also directs the Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory. He expects this funding to be allocated through competitive grant programs over the next five years.

Some of the grant opportunities discussed include those provided through:

Nine W.Va. Community Groups Get Addiction Recovery Grants

The ARC grants total $12 million for 33 community organizations in 11 states. West Virginia will receive nine of those awards.

The Appalachian Regional Commission has awarded millions of dollars in grants to support addiction recovery.

The ARC grants total $12 million for 33 community organizations in 11 states. West Virginia will receive nine of those awards.

God’s Way Home in Rainelle got $500,000. Mountain Health Network in Huntington also got $500,000.

Aspire Service Center in Morgantown and Semper Liberi Incorporated in Martinsburg each got more than $400,000.

The Community Education Group in Lost City, the Rural Appalachian Development League in Mullens and the Randolph County Housing Authority in Elkins also got more than $400,000.

Other awardees include Libera in Morgantown and New Vision Renewable Energy in Phillipi.

Virginia and Maryland received one award each. Pennsylvania and Ohio received three awards. Kentucky got six.

Appalachian States Should Work As A Team, Gayle Manchin Says

The Appalachian Regional Commission is launching a new program that encourages states to apply for grants together to bolster the region’s economy.

It’s called ARISE: Appalachian Regional Initiative for Stronger Economies.

It comes with $73 million from President Joe Biden’s signature Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021. And it’s intended for states to work with each other instead of going it alone.

Gayle Manchin, the federal co-chair of the Appalachian Regional Commission, said when she first started the job, she noticed that the 13 states in the region were writing grant proposals individually.

In an interview, Manchin said the region has a population of 25 million. If Appalachia were a state, she said, it would be the third largest in the country behind California and Texas.

“So if you think about it that way, about what an impact we could have if we were truly united as an Appalachian region, there’s a lot we could accomplish,” Manchin said. “There’s power in that number.”

For example, six states – Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee, North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia – have already started a regional partnership for recreational equipment manufacturing. Think kayaks or mountain bikes.

Southeastern Ohio, north-central West Virginia and western Pennsylvania could form an energy partnership, Manchin said. Or, other states could work together to improve broadband access.

“At the end of the day, what we’d like to accomplish is we don’t want to see communities merely survive,” she said. “We want to bring our region into where it is actually competitive. With not only the states around it, outside the Appalachian region, but globally.”

The effort could get an additional boost from the Inflation Reduction Act, an energy, climate and health care package Biden just signed. It, too, has provisions that could benefit economically distressed communities in Appalachia.

With that level of support from the White House, Manchin added, the region needs to seize an opportunity that may not come again.

New ARC Grants Could Mean $40 Million For State

If approved by the Appalachian Regional Commission, 14 grant projects could bring more than $40 million into West Virginia.

Gov. Jim Justice recommended the projects to the ARC through the state development office. The recommendations alone total more than $18 million. The additional money comes from matching funds that accompany the grants.

The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) is an economic development partnership agency of the federal government and 13 state governments across the Appalachian region. ARC’s mission is to innovate, partner, and invest to build community capacity and strengthen economic growth in Appalachia.

West Virginia’s ARC grant program, which is managed by the State Development Office, provides financial and technical assistance for economic development and infrastructure projects through a partnership of federal, state, and local participants.

The ARC grants, totaling $18,134,694, will leverage an additional $22,230,299 from other funding sources, bringing the total amount of funding supporting these projects to $40,364,993.

Grants are awarded in two categories: Area Development, where funding can be spent in any county, and Distressed Counties, where funding can only be spent in areas officially designed as “distressed” by ARC – census tracts in at-risk and transitional counties that have a median family income no greater than 67 percent of the U.S. average and a poverty rate 150 percent of the U.S. average or greater.

The governor’s recommendations will now be sent to ARC for final approval.

Recommended projects listed below:

STATEWIDE

Partner Community Capital

$2,700,000

West Virginia Recreational Economies Initiative

Project will provide technical assistance services to tourism and recreation-based businesses across the state. Assistance will include business consulting, raising capital, financial packaging and management, real estate consulting, legal issues, and branding, design, and marketing strategies. Project partners include WV Department of Tourism, Woodlands Community Lenders, and the Hatfield-McCoy Trails Regional Recreation Authority. The project will create an estimated 585 jobs and leverage over $18 million in private investment into the state’s tourism and recreation-based economy.

West Virginia Department of Economic Development

$250,000

Competitive Improvement Program

The project will provide training and consultation services to small and medium-sized firms in West Virginia to increase their competitiveness. The project will address a unique need for which no other funding sources are available. The results of these services will be a greater number of companies that are increasing the range of their market and market share, and a commensurate increase in the number of jobs retained or created.

West Virginia Department of Economic Development

$220,000

Consolidated Technical Assistance

The West Virginia Development Office, with ARC funding assistance, will continue the Consolidated Technical Assistance program. The grant allows the West Virginia Development Office to employ staff for providing technical assistance to ARC applicants and grantees, monitoring and administering ongoing projects, drafting and implementing the West Virginia Development Plan, and operating the West Virginia Main Street and ON TRAC programs.

West Virginia Rural Water Association

$211,692

Infrastructure Circuit Rider Project

The project will provide funding for a drinking water and wastewater circuit rider to provide technical assistance to water and wastewater systems throughout the state. The circuit rider will provide assistance and consultation to local utilities in areas such as leak detection work, preventing inflow and infiltration, utility finance and management, water and wastewater system operations, and loan servicing. The project will enable local utilities to address critical issues without having to hire additional staff and promote more efficient operation and management of existing systems.

MULTI-COUNTY

Region 7 Planning and Development Council

$100,000

Corridor H Site Analysis Plan

Region 7 Planning and Development Council, in collaboration with the Corridor H Authority, will conduct a site analysis study to identify developable sites for industrial and commercial development along Corridor H. The study will evaluate identified sites based upon factors such as access, topography, infrastructure, environmental constraints, and surrounding land uses. Additional activities include completion of environmental assessments, site plans, and construction estimates at prioritized sites. The project area includes Barbour, Grant, Hardy, Lewis, Randolph, Tucker, and Upshur counties.

FAYETTE COUNTY

City of Oak Hill

$1,250,000

Oak Hill Collection System Rehabilitation Project

The project will rehabilitate portions of the collection system and pump stations for the City of Oak Hill’s wastewater system. The system has excess levels of inflow and infiltration and requires high levels of operation and maintenance expenses. The project will benefit approximately 4,048 customers and is in an ARC-designated at-risk county.

DISTRESSED COUNTIES

The EdVenture Group

$53,055

Simulated Workplace Leadership Series Project

The Simulated Workplace Leadership Series (SWLS) is a leadership development program designed to serve career and technical education (CTE) students within the West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE)’s Simulated Workplace (SW) initiative. The project includes professional development for CTE instructors and training for CTE students in leadership skills and project management. Leadership and management skills will bolster the technical education students receive in CTE and better prepare them for post-secondary employment. The project will benefit approximately 270 CTE students in the ARC-designated distressed counties of Calhoun, Gilmer, Mingo, Nicholas, Roane, and Wyoming.

Marshall University Research Corporation

$569,617

Building Removal and Renovation Initiative

The project will address abandoned, unused, and dilapidated buildings and properties in the 17 ARC-designated distressed counties in the state. Project activities will include identifying dilapidated properties in each county, evaluating the properties according to environmental conditions, remediation costs, and redevelopment potential, and ranking structures based upon the evaluation results. The project will create 17 county level assessments and provide a roadmap for demolition or revitalization activities in each county.

CALHOUN COUNTY

Minnie Hamilton Health Care Center

$2,500,000

Minnie Hamilton Sewer/Water Line Replacement

The project will replace the water and sewer lines at the Minnie Hamilton Health Care Center in Grantsville. The current water and sewer lines at the facility are deteriorating and beyond their useful life. The facility has suffered repeated failures due to obsolete water and sewer lines, resulting in closure of parts of the facility, hampering critical care services to the local public. Minnie Hamilton is the only critical access hospital and community health center serving Calhoun and Gilmer counties.

CALHOUN COUNTY

Pleasant Hill PSD

$2,500,000

Norman Ridge/Bull River Water Extension

The project will provide new water service to approximately 77 customers in the areas of Norman Ridge, Big Root Run Road, and Bull River Road in Calhoun County. Customers currently rely upon private wells or cisterns that provide poor quality or insufficient quantity of water. The project is in an ARC-designated distressed county. The USDA grant funds are fully committed to the project.

CLAY COUNTY

Clay County Commission

$2,964,995

Big Otter/Nebo/Walker Road Waterline Extension

The project will provide potable water to over 80 residences, businesses and churches along Route 16 the northern part of Clay County, including Big Otter, Nebo, and Walker Road. This project will provide increased fire service pressure to the Big Otter Elementary School, who currently provides their own fire suppression tank. The extension will also serve Walker Creek Farms, a resort with cabins, restaurant, and other amenities. Project complements tourism development from the Elk River Trail and is in an ARC-designated distressed county.

MCDOWELL COUNTY

Reconnecting McDowell

$65,335

Renaissance Village Equipment Installation Project

The project will provide funding to purchase and install kitchen equipment for a restaurant to be located on the first floor of Renaissance Village, a multi-use facility located in downtown Welch. The project will aid in revitalizing Welch and facilitate tourism development from the nearby Hatfield-McCoy Trail. Matching funds are being provided by the ARC Federal Co-Chair. The project is in an ARC-designated distressed county.

NICHOLAS COUNTY

City of Richwood

$2,750,000

Sanitary Sewer System Improvements Project

The project will replace existing sanitary infrastructure and wastewater treatment equipment in the City of Richwood, reducing inflow and infiltration and create a more reliable sanitary sewer system. This will serve the existing 841 customers and the reconnection of 621 sanitary sewer customers. This will also improve the water quality of the Cherry River. Project is in an ARC-designated distressed county.

WYOMING COUNTY

Town of Oceana

$2,000,000

Oceana Water System Upgrade, Phase II

The project will repair and replace Oceana’s water delivery system to reduce water loss and waste. Project will also include upgrades to the existing water treatment plant. Most of the town’s water system was installed over 70 years ago and has deteriorated and is at the end of its useful life. The project will reduce a very high level of water loss, benefiting approximately 1,172 customers, and is in an ARC-designated distressed county.

Appalachian Regional Commission Launches Multistate Project In New River Gorge

A new multistate grant is designed to help develop Appalachia’s outdoor tourism industry.

The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) awarded the New River Gorge Regional Development Authority in Beckley $250,000 Tuesday to launch a multistate economic endeavor.

Starting with the New River Gorge, the Planning For Outdoor Recreation Industry, Vibrant Economies, & Regional Strategy (RIVERS) project will help support the growing outdoor industry sector in Appalachian communities.

ARC co-chair Gayle Manchin said the new collaborative project will bring together six states: West Virginia, North Carolina, Kentucky, Ohio, Virginia, and Tennessee to develop a replicable plan to leverage tourism and spur economic development across Central Appalachia.

“Now more than ever, it is time for us to collaborate, to take advantage of the growing interest in Appalachia is culture and outdoor recreation, and the commonalities that we all share,” Manchin said.

According to the ARC, tourism employs more than 500,000 Appalachians and generates more than $4.5 billion dollars per year in local tax revenue.

Gayle Manchin Tours Old Huntington Factory Turned Community Hub

Gayle Manchin, Appalachian Regional Commission Federal Co-chair, toured a defunct factory last Wednesday that’s been turned into a community space in Huntington.

The West Edge factory was once a clothing factory that shut down in 2002. It was purchased by the nonprofit Coalfield Development in 2014 and has since become a space for community events, artist studios, and a work space for developing enterprises.

In partnership with Solar Holler, The West Edge is also home to the largest solar installation for a non-profit in West Virginia.

Jacob Hannah, Coalfield Development’s Director of Conversation, Presenting Solar Energy Produced

While on a tour of the building, Gayle Manchin noted the importance of the old building to the local community. She said, “it was their grandmother’s that worked in this building. I think it helps build pride in families, that the generations later see the rebirth of something else in a place that they were familiar with.”

The West Edge is home to Coalfield Development’s revitalization enterprise groups. These enterprise groups include Mountain Mindful, Refresh Appalachia, and Revitalize Appalachia.

Mountain Mindful produces self care products and uses upcycled materials to build furnishings, Refresh Appalachia is a distributor of fresh food and produce, and Revitalize Appalachia works to construct homes for unemployed and underemployed people in Wayne, Mingo, and Lincoln counties. Each enterprise offers job training.

Marilyn Wrenn, Coalfield’s Chief Development Officer, said their training program offers mentorship and certification opportunities to sometimes struggling students. She added that the training can be applied as credit hours toward an Associates degree at Bridge Valley, Mountwest, and Southern West Virginia community colleges.

Wrenn noted that, “about a third are in recovery for substance use disorder. Another third, and there’s a lot of overlap but not completely, are justice [system] involved.” She added that, “everyone that we’ve hired has been unemployed.”

“It’s inspired me to hopefully start my own business someday,” said Amanda Whitlock, a member of the woodshop crew. She said she came to the training program after graduating from recovery treatment. Whitlock is a full time student and a mother of a 2-year-old son.

Whitlock says she’s grateful for the opportunity to build a career for herself. Whitlock told Manchin that she feels, “like I’m just really off on the right foot as far as going to school and working full time. And this place has just really fostered a lot of growth for me.”

Gayle Manchin, Appalachian Regional Commission Federal Co-chair, meets the Workshop crew

Jacob Hannah, Coalfield Development’s Director of Conversation, presented to Manchin ways that Coalfield Development is utilizing Appalachian Regional Commission grants to expand their recycling and upcycling programs.

By collaborating with local organizations such as Marshall University and the Wayne County Economic Development Authority, recycled and upcycled materials are used to fill niche needs. For example, sawdust and scrap fabrics can be reused as farming materials.

“The idea is like, how can we sort of look at those low hanging fruits and tie them all together, and so it’s sort of been growing and growing throughout these different counties, to where we identify partners and communities and organizations that could be a part of this conversation,” said Hannah.

To expand on the recycling and upcycling programs, Coalfield purchased the Black Diamond property next door. Just like the West Edge factory, the Black Diamond building has had a long industrial history and the area and has long sat vacant.

Brandon Dennison, Coalfield Development’s CEO, and Coalfield Jacob Hannah, Development’s Director of Conversation, present to Gayle Manchin the Black Diamond project.

Brandon Dennison, Coalfield Development’s CEO, said that instead of thinking of economic development as attracting outside companies to locate in the region, the non-profit is taking a different approach. He said, “I think the more we work with who we have here already, and what we have here already, and start where we are, even if it’s an empty building, it’s got great bones, it’s got soul and character, and I think the more we do that from the bottom up, that will naturally organically attract.”

“The thing that I want each and every one of you to realize is that ARC does not go around handing out money. That’s not what we do. It’s not who we are,” said Manchin at the end of the tour. “What we are, is that federal agency that is there waiting for the local communities to realize their challenges, come up with solutions, working together with the community, with your elected officials, with your educational leaders.”

Manchin added, “we can help communities start to thrive. But the ultimate goal is we want our communities to be able to compete. I look to people like Brandon and others across the state that truly is going to bring to the surface ideas and proposals that can transform this region.”

Gale Manchin and Coalfield Development Team

Coalfield Development is one of the 60 finalists in the first stage of the Build Back Better Regional Challenge from the United States Economic Development Administration. The final stage of the Build Back Better Regional Challenge 25 million to 100 million dollars in funding.