Tennessee Governor Bill Lee and Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development (TNECD) Commissioner Stuart McWhorter announced Thursday that approximately $5.9 million in Site Development Grant funds have been awarded to 10 community entities across the state.
Nearly $6M will be awarded through the Site Development Grant program, bringing 10 communities closer to achieving Select TN site certification.
This program has awarded 150+ grants across the state, which have generated 6,400 jobs for Tennesseans. https://t.co/vEICKMnXn9 pic.twitter.com/X23Iqrbt6X
— TNECD (@TNECD) June 29, 2023
The grant funds are intended to support Select Tennessee-certified sites and prepare other sites to achieve certification across the state.
Specifically, according to TNECD, the funds will help communities invest in infrastructure and engineering improvements to land economic development projects and achieve Select Tennessee site certification.
Grant funds range from $100,000 to $1 million, TNECD notes. Applications for grant funding are accepted on a bi-yearly basis. Projects submitted for funding assistance are scored on four categories: Public Benefit/Impact, Performance Measures, Leveraged Resources, and Implementation.
This round of funding was distributed to the following governmental entities across the state:
- Adamsville-McNairy County Industrial Development Board ($100,000)
- AgriCenter International ($100,000)
- City of Brownsville ($1,000,000)
- Industrial Development Board of Fentress County ($100,000)
- Henderson County ($1,000,000)
- Industrial Development Board of Maury County, Tennessee ($100,000)
- Industrial Development Board of Robertson County ($1,000,000)
- Savannah Industrial Development Board of the City of Savannah, Tennessee ($500,000)
- Sullivan County Economic Development ($1,000,000)
- Town of Halls ($1,000,000)
“The latest round of the Site Development program will bring 10 Tennessee communities one step closer to achieving Select Tennessee Site Certification,” TNECD’s McWhorter said in a statement. “Shovel-ready sites are in high demand, and through this program, we are working with local leadership across the state to bring this needed infrastructure to every community.”
Lee added, “We’re committed to providing rural communities with the resources needed to support continued investment and create quality jobs for Tennesseans.”
Since 2016, 153 Site Development Grants have been awarded across the state, totaling more than $60 million in assistance to local communities and generating approximately 6,400 new jobs for Tennesseans, according to TNECD.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network.
Photo “Site Grant Development Program” by TNECD.
Socialism at its finest.