USDA grant Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

25 Projects Support Rural W.Va. Communities

Twenty-five communities in West Virginia will receive money from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development program to lower energy costs, improve basic infrastructure and strengthen resilience.

USDA Rural Development State Director Ryan Thorn said the program is investing more than $8.7 million in the state.

“Whether it’s helping a rural small business cut utility costs or helping a rural community provide clean and reliable drinking water, modern infrastructure creates good-paying jobs and supports opportunities for rural West Virginians to build brighter futures,” Thorn said. “Helping our rural communities and small businesses grow and prosper is what we’re all about at Rural Development, and the investments announced today are a testament to that commitment.”

The investments announced Thursday are made available through the USDA’s Rural Energy for America Program (REAP), Water and Waste Disposal Loan and Grant Program, and the Community Facilities Direct Loan and Grant Program.

In total, Rural Development is investing $8,753,907 in 25 projects across West Virginia. A few examples include:

River Riders, an adventure resort in Jefferson County, will use a $201,658 REAP grant to purchase and install an 84 kilowatt (kW) solar array. The project annually is expected to save the business $3,587 per year and will replace 97,022 kilowatt hours (kWh) per year, enough electricity to power eight homes.

In Mingo County, the City of Williamson will use a $4.9 million low-interest loan through the Water and Waste Disposal Program to upgrade its water treatment, storage, and distribution systems. This project will benefit approximately 3,191 rural West Virginians.

The Southern Appalachian Labor School, in Fayette County, will use a $24,720 Community Facilities Grant to repair the roofs for two of its community center facilities. The organization owns and operates two 911/Red Cross Emergency Shelters located at the historic Oak Hill School and Beards Fork School.

Funding for these programs is made possible, in part, by the Inflation Reduction Act and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

For more information about USDA Rural Development in West Virginia, visit www.rd.usda.gov/wv or contact your local Rural Development office.

USDA Grants Support Local Projects In Rural Counties

In West Virginia, the investments announced on Monday total $16.9 million to address immediate needs and foster long-term economic growth.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced Monday it is providing loans and grants to help people living in rural communities gain access to jobs, improved infrastructure, affordable housing and quality health care.

These grants are for communities in the federal government’s Rural Partners Network (RPN). Launched in April 2022 and expanded in November 2022, the RPN is now active in 10 states and Puerto Rico.

West Virginia has two community networks listed on the network’s website.

The first community network is “Southern West Virginia” and includes Mingo, Wayne, Lincoln, Boone, Logan, Wyoming, McDowell, Mercer, Monroe, Raleigh, Summers and Fayette counties. The Southern West Virginia Community Network is hosted by the WV Community Development Hub.

The second community network is “West Virginia Pioneer Community Network” and includes Braxton, Calhoun, Clay, Gilmer, Nicholas, Roane, Webster and Wirt counties. The Pioneer Community Network is hosted by Glenville State University.

According to the RPN, more than 448,150 people live within the twenty West Virginia counties included in the community networks.

Community networks receive support from full-time USDA staff who live and work locally, helping community leaders navigate federal programs and prepare successful applications for funding.

In West Virginia, the investments announced on Monday total $16.9 million to address immediate needs and foster long-term economic growth.

Ryan Thorn is the West Virginia State Director for the RPN. He said projects like the Boone Memorial Health clinic, announced Monday, are funding investments to build stronger communities.

“This project has been in the works for a number of years,” Thorn said. “Rural Development is proud to partner with them to bring this project to fruition. It is estimated that this project will help more than 32,000 patients on an annual basis.”

Boone Memorial Health received a $14.4 million loan to renovate a facility into a health and wellness clinic along with a direct grant.

Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., attended the announcement event and called the project “an amazing development,” noting the health care that will be available to current and former miners in the state.

“I was able to get a $3 million direct grant for this facility because it was a high area of high need,” Manchin said. “A lot of people in Boone County and all around surrounding counties that have done a lot for the quality of life that people all around the country providing the energy and the fuel they needed with the coal they mined here. And now to have the ability to live here and still have the quality of health care is even that much more important.”

In West Virginia, the investments total $16.9 million and will support five projects in RPN counties:

Boone Memorial Health will receive a $14.4 million loan to renovate a facility in Danville into a health and wellness clinic. The project will provide quality outpatient healthcare and wellness services to a service area of approximately 32,200 rural residents.
The town of Bradshaw will receive a $1 million grant to convert its current wastewater system into a traditional gravity system. This project will consolidate most of the existing customers onto centralized pumping stations for system efficiency and energy savings.
The Forrest Place Preservation Association will receive a $904,783 loan to assist in the transfer, assumption, and rehabilitation of Forrest Place Apartments, an existing multi-family housing complex in Kermit.
The Lavalette Public Service District will receive a $616,000 grant to upgrade the German Ridge and Dickson areas of the Northern Distribution System to better serve the system’s customers with fire flow, reduced water loss, and reduced operation and maintenance costs associated with leak repairs.
The City of Smithers will receive a $17,200 grant to purchase a commercial tractor for the city’s street department. The vehicle is needed to maintain the city’s green spaces and for moving and clearing rocks, mud and debris from public areas.

McDowell Residents Closer to Safe Water

Residents in several McDowell County communities are one step closer to safe, public water. The Elkhorn Regional Water Project will replace two water systems that date back about 70 or 80 years.

Work began in late June to replace the Elkhorn and Maybeurry water systems. These communities as well as Switchback are included in Phase One.

“There’s a crumbling decaying almost nonexistent water system in the area,” Elden Green Assistant Director of the McDowell County Public Service District said. “Not even all of our customers or households have a water system. Some have springs or well.”

Green says several of the systems were built, then left by coal companies.

The aging, leaky Elkhorn water tower that sits along Route 52 will soon go out of commission.

The Elkhorn Regional Water Project has been in the works for several years. It was further delayed when the federal government halted Abandoned Mine Land funding to review the applications.

Abandoned Mine Land money comes from a fund created by a tax on coal companies. The money is used to reclaim and fix damage left from previous mining activity.

Congressman Nick Rahall says he met with officials earlier this year about the funding. Rahall attended the groundbreaking ceremony in Kimball.

“So we’ve been able to break some of these projects loose and get clean water and replace old systems in many cases so our people can have what many in the big city take for granted,” Rahall said, “that’s clean drinkable accessible water.”

Phase One in Elkhorn is also funded by a grant and loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development.

The project continues down Route 52 with two more phases. It’s three of several plans to bring safe water to communities throughout the county.

Green says, six years ago the McDowell PSD had about 500 customers, now he’s proud to say there are more than 3-thousand and several other projects are in the works. The Big Sandy Roderfield Extension will bring clean water to his own home.

“Personally right now I have deep well and pump,” Green said,”the water’s not the greatest but we’re thankful for it.”

“I have a water treatment system personally that’s salt based, and they say over the long term that’s not good but we’re thankful for what we have.”

Phase one of the Elkhorn Regional Water Project will bring clean water to 200 homes. Green says the PSD plans to pay back the loan within 30 years meaning water bills could increase about $30 a month. Phase One is expected to be complete in Spring of 2015.

USDA Funds Sent to Logan PSD

Residents served by the Logan County Public Service District are expected to see improvements to water systems. Funds announced Wednesday are expected to help improve the water quality and quantity for areas in two counties.

According to a release, the United States Department of Agriculture has announced approval for more than $3.2 million dollars for projects in Logan and Lincoln Counties. The release says the loan will amount to over $2-million while about $1-million will come from a grant. The federal dollars come from the Rural Development Funds to help complete the Big Harts Phase II extension upgrades.

The funds are meant to help more than 150 households that have water with health or sanitary risks in Big Harts Creek, Smokehouse Fork, White Oak Branch and surrounding areas. . The money is to be given to the Logan Public Service District which monitors water services in areas of Logan, Lincoln and Wyoming Counties.

The release goes onto say that residents in the area have water that contains iron, corroded pipes and fixtures, and a strong sulfur odor and taste. Bacterial contamination is also a concern due to the number of unapproved sewage disposal systems in the area. Also, wells in the area are known to get low or go dry during certain times of the year.

No word on the expected completion dates for these projects or if the PSD intends on raising rates to repay the loan.

West Virginia Public Broadcasting receives grant to upgrade its Charleston television operation

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Charleston, W.Va. – January 30, 2014 – West Virginia Public Broadcasting has been awarded a $750,000 competitive grant to replace all the television equipment in its main Charleston studio. The upgrades will allow the organization to record and transmit locally produced programs in high definition.

“This grant will transform what we can do from our Charleston studio,” said Scott Finn, executive director of West Virginia Public Broadcasting. “Not only will we be able to replace our failing, 25-year-old equipment, we will be able to record and broadcast locally-produced shows such as The Legislature Today in HD.”

The grant application received bi-partisan support from Sen. Jay Rockefeller and Rep. Shelley Moore Capito.

“Public broadcasting provides excellent programming and information to West Virginians,” Senator Rockefeller said. “This grant will help West Virginia Public Broadcasting continue to bring the news and the arts to all corners of the state, which is a mission I am deeply proud to support.”

Capito said that as a regular PBS viewer, she was delighted to support West Virginia Public Broadcasting’s mission to provide high-quality educational and community programming to West Virginians and viewers in surrounding states.

“Grants such as this invest in the people of West Virginia, improve our local communities and help our economy grow,” she wrote.

USDA Rural Development awarded the grant through the Public Television Digital Transition Grant program.

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West Virginia Public Broadcasting Awarded $750,000 Grant

West Virginia Public Broadcasting has been awarded a $750,000 competitive grant to replace all equipment in its main Charleston studio and record and transmit local programs in high definition.

This grant was very competitive — we received about a quarter of all funding available this year! And it will transform what we can do from our Charleston studio in two ways:

1. We will finally be able to replace our failing, 25-year-old equipment.

It’s so old, our engineers have to go to hobbyists on e-bay to find parts.

Our current cameras date back to 1988. We know this because they were bought after a debate between then-Gov. Arch Moore and challenger Gaston Caperton. As the story goes, the color on one of the cameras was off, making the candidates appear green. Soon after, money was found to purchase the “new” cameras, which we still use to this day.

We’ve had some quality issues in the last two years with our broadcast of the Legislature Today. Occasionally, a red vertical line appears across the screen that we can’t get rid of. By this time next year, all those worries should be gone.

2. We will be able to record and broadcast locally-produced shows such as ‘The Legislature Today’ in HD.

…as well as our town hall specials, and election debates, and even the West Virginia Lottery drawing, which we produce daily from our Charleston studio.

The grant application received bi-partisan support from Sen. Jay Rockefeller and Rep. Shelley Moore Capito.

“Grants such as this invest in the people of West Virginia, improve our local communities and help our economy grow,” she wrote.

USDA Rural Development awarded the grant through the Public Television Digital Transition Grant program. For more information on the grant, visit http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/utp_dtv.html.