FROSTBURG, Md. — Thirty organizations across Kentucky, Virginia and West Virginia are among 52 receiving grants in the latest round of POWER Grants from the Appalachian Regional Commission.
POWER, which stands for “Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization,” seeks to develop projects aimed at economic diversification in communities that have been affected by the loss of jobs in coal and related industries.
Projects awarded funding in the latest round run the gamut, from providing job training in agriculture and technology sectors, to upgrading trail facilities and access to dental care.
Kentucky, Virginia and West Virginia projects funded in the latest round of grants include:
KENTUCKY
Project Title: Rowdy Trailhead and Campground Project
Grantee: Perry County Fiscal Court
Award Amount: $1,500,000
Project Summary: ARC grant of $1,500,000 to the Perry County Fiscal Court (PCFC) in Hazard, Kentucky, for the Rowdy Trailhead and Campground Project. Located off Highway 476 in the Rowdy community of Perry County, the project will support outdoor recreation and tourism by constructing 30 RV campground sites with full hookups for water, sewer, electric, and cable television, as well as communal facilities (bath house, laundry, and ATV wash bay) and on-site infrastructure (sewage treatment, dumping station, waterlines, and security). The campground will serve as the trailhead for Perry County’s ATV trails, which connect to a 75-mile loop passing through Breathitt, Knott, Floyd, and Magoffin counties. In addition to county fiscal courts within the ATV trail network, PCFC will also partner with USDA Rural Development and the Kentucky Mountain Regional Recreational Authority. The project will create 38 jobs within its first 15 months and lead to an estimated 24,960 overnight stays in the first year. Additional funding is provided by the Abandoned Mine Land Economic Revitalization Program and the Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky.
Project Title: TEK Center Skilled Trades Training
Grantee: TEK Center, Inc.
Award Amount: $1,500,000
Project Summary: ARC grant of $1,500,000 to TEK Center, Inc. in Inez, Kentucky, for the TEK Center Skilled Trades Training project. The project will develop a Skilled Trades Training Center to support low-income individuals, individuals in addiction recovery programs, and dislocated workers such as former coal miners, all of whom are greatly impacted by the decline in coal production and the substance use disorder crisis. To encourage participation from these groups, this training center will offer short-term, industry-driven training programs of one year or less that streamline these individuals into well-paying, high demand jobs. Project partners include the East Kentucky Concentrated Employment Program, Martin County Economic Development Agency, Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky, Shaping Our Appalachian Region (SOAR), Johnson County Schools, and Floyd County Board of Education. The project will serve six businesses, 125 high school students, and 395 workers/trainees.
Project Title: UPIKE Ag-Tech Innovation Center of Excellence
Grantee: University of Pikeville, Inc.
Award Amount: $1,500,000
Project Summary: ARC grant of $1,500,000 to the University of Pikeville in Pikeville, Kentucky, for the UPIKE Ag-Tech Innovation Center of Excellence project. Located off U.S. Highway 23 in the Kentucky Enterprise Industrial Park, the project will develop an agricultural research facility in partnership with the City of Pikeville and will serve seven counties in Eastern Kentucky. The facility will aid the region’s growing sustainable agricultural sector via research activity conducted on behalf of private industry partners, space for ag-tech workforce programming and development, and entrepreneurial supports. The Center will focus on seed development, environmental conservation practices, and controlled-environment farming. Over the next three years, the project will help create 250 jobs and three new businesses. An additional $4.4 million in funding is provided by the U.S. Economic Development Administration.
Project Title: Growing Eastern KY’s Controlled Environment Production Ecosystem
Grantee: Kentucky Horticulture Council
Award Amount: $1,458,212
Project Summary: ARC grant of $1,458,212 to Kentucky Horticulture Council in Lexington, Kentucky, for the Growing Eastern KY’s Controlled Environment Production Ecosystem project. The Kentucky Horticulture Council will partner with the University of Kentucky, Community Farm Alliance, and Kentucky Center for Agriculture & Rural Development to help prospective and established producers establish and grow controlled environment agriculture (CEA) operations that enable year-round growing. This project will not only advance entrepreneurial support for new and existing Kentucky farmers but also develop a competitive, career-ready workforce to support the expansion of CEA jobs in communities with unemployed and underemployed residents. The project will serve 484 businesses and 137 workers/trainees, improve 247 businesses and 110 workers/trainees, create 12 businesses, generate $185,000 in non-export revenue, and leverage $185,000 in additional private investment.
Project Title: Agricultural Apple Sorting & Packing Facility
Grantee: Big Sandy Area Development District
Award Amount: $1,200,000
Project Summary: ARC grant of $1,200,000 to Big Sandy Area Development District in Prestonsburg, Kentucky, for the Agricultural Apple Sorting & Packing Facility project. The project will conduct sitework at the East Kentucky Business Park to prepare for a new building addition that will serve as a regional apple sorting and packing hub across nine counties in Eastern Kentucky and Southern West Virginia, as well as provide business technical assistance to engaged entrepreneurs. This facility will enable Appalachian farmers to access domestic and international markets by supporting a vertically integrated chain from the orchard to the end user. With upwards of a thousand acres of former mine lands in the region being converted to apple orchards, this ARC POWER grant will support the development of a new industry cluster. The project’s activities will be supported by partnerships with the University of Kentucky, Shaping Our Appalachian Region (SOAR), Operation UNITE, and Morehead State University. The project is expected to be completed within 10 months and will serve 300 businesses, support the creation of 260 jobs, and leverage up to $30 million in additional private investment.
Project Title: Preparing the Future of American Agriculture: AgTech Apprenticeship
Grantee: Kentucky Community & Technical College System
Award Amount: $1,137,500
Project Summary: ARC grant of $1,137,500 to Kentucky Community & Technical College System in Versailles, Kentucky for the Preparing the Future of American Agriculture: AgTech Apprenticeship project. The project will implement a hands-on training program for entry level workers and build a workforce pipeline for high-yield, year-round controlled environment agriculture, or agricultural technology (agtech), in Appalachia. Agtech’s fast-paced, technology-enhanced, crop-producing environment requires a specific educational foundation, precise skills, and real-time decision making. Through partnerships with AppHarvest, Edgewater Recovery, Kentucky FFA Association, Elliott County, Addiction Recovery Care, Rowan County Drug Court, Rowan County Agriculture Advisory Board, East Kentucky Concentrated Employment Program, Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences (MANRRS), and University of Kentucky, this project will place recruitment emphasis on workers recovering from substance use disorder and traditionally underrepresented workers in the agtech industry. The program will improve 350 workers/trainees through wage increases and career progression, improve one large-scale business through increased revenue from worker productivity and reduced product waste.
Project Title: Appalachia Access to Capital–Phase II–Capital and Technical Assistance
Grantee: Community Ventures Corporation
Award Amount: $1,500,000
Project Summary: ARC grant of $1,500,000 to the Community Ventures Corporation (CV) in Lexington, Kentucky, for the Appalachia Access to Capital—Phase II—Capital and Technical Assistance project. The project will capitalize a revolving loan fund (RLF) to increase New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) investments in Kentucky, Tennessee, and West Virginia. Central Appalachia’s coalfields do not lack NMTC-worthy projects; however, many communities do not understand how the program works, how to structure financing, and how to present to investors. CV will align and leverage complementary sources of capital for catalytic, large-scale projects that deliver new jobs or provide critical community infrastructure such as healthcare, education, and social services. The ARC funding will support second-phase technical assistance to Appalachian businesses and New Market Tax Credits allocatees seeking investments. Partners include Appalachian Community Capital, Fahe, Fairmont Community Redevelopment, the Mountain Association, Kentucky African American Chamber of Commerce (NOIR), and the Middletown Valley Bank. The project will improve 15 businesses and 10 communities, create 150 jobs and 15 businesses, and leverage $10.5 million in additional private investment over six years. This project builds on Community Ventures Corporation’s 2021 ARC POWER grant for the Appalachia Access to Capital Initiative.
Project Title: The EKY Community Accelerator Project
Grantee: Mountain Association
Award Amount: $50,000
Project Summary: ARC grant of $50,000 to the Mountain Association in Berea, Kentucky, for the EKY Community Accelerator Project. Communities often face concentrated decision-making with little input from residents. The Eastern Kentucky Community Accelerator will help communities organize, build strong local networks to develop solutions, and seize opportunities that create jobs and economic resiliency. The Mountain Association will act as the accelerator’s fiscal sponsor, and What’s Next EKY?! (WNEKY)—a robust network of community groups and regional partners—will serve as the leading organization. Additional partners include Grayson Gallery (Carter County), Letcher County Culture Hub, Jackson County Tourism, Brushy Fork Leadership Institute, and Vision Granted. Their roles include leading the “Learning Partner Community,” being coaches, and coordinating the community accelerator. During the one-year grant, the region will have a tested model of how best to help communities move toward resilient economies. The project will serve three communities and produce a regional report outlining a new toolkit.
Project Title: Eastern Kentucky Equine Community Center Planning
Grantee: Kentucky Equine Education Project (KEEP) Foundation
Award Amount: $50,000
Project Summary: ARC grant of $50,000 to the KEEP Foundation in Lexington, Kentucky, for the Eastern Kentucky Equine Community Center Planning project. The project will assess the feasibility of, and provide a business plan for, the potential Eastern Kentucky Equine Center. The center would offer space for businesses related to the equine industry and outdoor recreation, as well as sector-specific workforce training to meet businesses’ employment needs. Workforce training would focus on formerly incarcerated populations and individuals in recovery, and help develop a job and business pipeline for equine and mental health sectors. Furthermore, the center will help Southeast Kentucky leverage the state’s strong equine industry and wild horse population as economic assets. The project will result in a feasibility study and business plan over the course of one year.
Project Title: Southeast Kentucky Regional Experience Package Planning Project
Grantee: Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky
Award Amount: $48,422
Project Summary: ARC grant of $48,422 to Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky (FAKY) in Hazard, Kentucky, for the Southeast Kentucky Regional Experience Package Planning Project. The project, fiscally sponsored by FAKY and led by Leslie County Betterment (LCB), will coordinate tourism initiatives in Southeast Kentucky to build and market regional experience packages. These packages will align and market similar and complementary initiatives so visitors may enjoy the wealth of experiences that Southeast Kentucky offers. The project’s final output will be a pitch to investors and funders that demonstrates the need for and potential impact of clustering products and developing regional experience packages. The project will serve five counties over the course of a year.
Project Title: Southeast Kentucky Regional Trails Planning Project
Grantee: Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky
Award Amount: $46,838
Project Summary: ARC grant of $46,838 to Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky in Hazard, Kentucky, for the Southeast Kentucky Regional Trails Planning Project. The project will create a comprehensive outdoor adventure development, marketing, and maintenance plan for Southeast Kentucky that capitalizes on the potential community economic and health impacts of outdoor recreation. The plan will include an assessment of existing outdoor recreation assets, infrastructure, and initiatives; a detailed vision of the future of the region, informed by community stakeholder input; and project-specific, modular, multi-phased workplans to guide progress toward that vision. The project will serve eight counties over the course of a year.
VIRGINIA
Project Title: Food Sector Workforce Expansion in Central Appalachia
Grantee: Appalachian Sustainable Development
Award Amount: $1,500,000
Project Summary: ARC grant of $1,500,000 to Appalachian Sustainable Development in Duffield, Virginia, for the Food Sector Workforce Expansion in Central Appalachia project. Appalachian Sustainable Development in partnership with ACEnet, Coalfield Development, Sprouting Farms, Rural Action, and the Appalachian Resource Conservation & Development Council will build on previous ARC and USDA investments to address new opportunities and challenges facing agricultural producers and food processors as they scale operations to reach wholesale markets. The project will implement three objectives to create an integrated workforce approach: 1) expand and replicate ASD, ACEnet, Sprouting Farms, and Coalfield Development workforce models to address employment gaps within the food sector; 2) coordinate demand channels from schools and food banks to increase the viability of distribution logistics to retailers in remote areas; and 3) connect emergent food hubs in Wheeling, Welch, Morgantown, and Charleston, West Virginia to workforce development models and hub management practices to foster wider regional food distribution. This project seeks to create a transformative workforce ecosystem, overlaid on a strong food sector value chain, to create economic and social benefits in rural communities in Southwest Virginia, Northeast Tennessee, West Virginia, and Southeast Ohio. This project is expected to serve 125 businesses; improve 88 businesses; create 40 businesses, 53 jobs and one plan; serve 310 workers/trainees; improve 35 workers/trainees; and leverage $965,000 of private investment.
Project Title: New River Water Trail Expansion Project
Grantee: New River Valley Regional Commission
Award Amount: $1,500,000
Project Summary: ARC grant of $1,500,000 to the New River Valley Regional Commission in Fairlawn, Virginia, for the New River Water Trail Expansion Project. The project will construct or improve four public launches along the New River Water Trail, the regional anchor for outdoor recreation comprising a 37-mile-stretch of river access points. The project also includes a corresponding expansion of the New River Trail website, which guides residents and visitors to plan trips that connect the water trail to existing activities and businesses, including outfitters, dining, lodging, and camping services. In partnership with Pulaski County, City of Radford, Montgomery County, Giles County, the National Park Service, and the Friends of the New River, the project will mobilize a substantial volunteer effort to host regular New River Watershed Roundtable meetings; develop a signage plan, website, and marketing and outreach materials; and conduct ongoing river stewardship efforts that will maintain the river access points into the future. This project will serve the 15 communities along the New River that maintain boat launches and offer important visibility and connection between the New River Water Trail and the recreation and tourism businesses that support it by attracting 1,500 new visitors each year.
Project Title: Dick & Willie Passage Trail 6A Completion
Grantee: Henry County, Virginia
Award Amount: $665,000
Project Summary: ARC grant of $665,000 to Henry County in Henry County, Virginia, for Phase 6A of the Dick & Willie Passage (D&W) Trail Completion project. The project will complete the last mile of an existing 2.96-mile gap in the D&W Trail, Virginia’s longest public trail, connecting neighborhoods to opportunities for shopping, dining, entertainment, the Smith River Sports Complex, and the new Riverview Park. The project also includes improvements to the “Bike Barn,” a low-cost bike loan program that allows tourists and visitors to affordably bike the entire length of the D&W Trail. The expansion of the D&W Trail has been a longstanding regional goal for outdoor recreation; it complements efforts in Patrick County to extend the D&W Trail north and wider efforts to connect with the Beaches-to Bluegrass Virginia State Trail. Through a partnership with the City of Martinsville, the Martinsville-Henry County Family YMCA, and the Virginia Tourism Corporation (VTC), Henry County will complete the gap in the trail, maintain the trail and Bike Barn, and continue to promote the Dick & Willie Passage as an asset in Virginia’s regional trail system.
Project Title: Expansion of Dental Services for Central Appalachia
Grantee: The Health Wagon
Award Amount: $500,000
Project Summary: ARC grant of $500,000 to St. Mary’s Health Wagon in Clintwood, Virginia, for the Expansion of Dental Services for Central Appalachia project. This project, covering the counties of Buchanan, Dickenson, Lee, Russell, Scott, and Wise, will facilitate education and training of new dental professionals, as well as provide comprehensive oral health care services for individuals referred from the Health Wagon’s mobile services and stationary clinics. Because the area is significantly impacted by job losses in coal mining, coal power plant operations, and coal-related supply chain industries, the project plans to support individuals impacted by the loss of coal jobs and lack of dental insurance and others who have dental health issues that prevent them from interviews and subsequent hiring. Workforce training will also provide clinical opportunities for students by providing them with the experience of working in rural communities. Students will also have the option to remove dental school debt through the Bureau of Health Professions Loan Repayment Program to establish or work in dental health professional shortage areas. Through partnerships with LENOWISCO Planning District, Virginia Dental Association Foundation, and Virginia Department of Health, this project will improve two organizations, create four jobs (a dentist, dental hygienist, dental assistant, and a dental case manager), improve 2,000 patients through the provision of oral health services, and improve six trainees through clinical workforce training over the course of one year.
WEST VIRGINIA
Project Title: Summers County Broadband Expansion Project
Grantee: Summers County Commission
Award Amount: $2,400,000
Project Summary: ARC grant of $2,400,000 to the Summers County Commission in Hinton, West Virginia, for the Summers County Broadband Expansion Project. The project will build 28 miles of fiber optic network infrastructure to connect 489 homes and 179 businesses to reliable and affordable broadband services, enabling the economic growth and diversification necessary to overcome the downturn of the coal industry. This project directly impacts the currently unserved businesses and homes in the project footprint. The grantee will competitively select an internet service provider partner to maintain and operate the network and ensure that those connected have access to this enabling set of services.
Project Title: Rock Creek Development Park Broadband Project
Grantee: Boone County Community & Economic Development Corporation
Award Amount: $1,692,507
Project Summary: ARC grant of $1,692,507 to the Boone County Community & Economic Development Corporation in Madison, West Virginia, for the Rock Creek Development Park Broadband Project. The project will build 8.2 miles of fiber optic infrastructure and one wireless tower, which will facilitate the deployment of the wireless broadband services necessary to attract investment. The grantee will competitively select an internet service provider partner to deploy, maintain, and operate the network and ensure that wireless services are available throughout the project footprint. The project will act as a catalyst for the redevelopment of a larger former surface coal mine with businesses that rely on fixed and mobile broadband, including a planned 3,000-acre solar field and other diversified industries.
Project Title: Creating WV’s Largest Maple Syrup, Mushroom, Field, and Floriculture Production Systems
Grantee: Region 4 Planning & Development Council
Award Amount: $1,500,000
Project Summary: ARC grant of $1,500,000 to the Region 4 Planning & Development Council in Summersville, West Virginia, for the Creating WV’s Largest Maple Syrup, Mushroom, Field, and Floriculture Production Systems project. The Region 4 Planning and Development Council, serving as fiscal sponsor, will work with Fruits of Labor, Seed Sower, God’s Way Home, Workforce WV Region 1 Jobs, and Hope WV to create opioid recovery-to-work training opportunities in agriculture. The project will launch a host of agricultural production systems, including floriculture, high tunnel, tap maple syrup, greenhouse, field, commercial mushrooms, and honey. Goods produced will be sold to retail and wholesale markets. Fruits of Labor will also develop nine programs to provide training to participants (businesses, nonprofits, entrepreneurs) across the state on how to start, expand, and/or scale existing operations in maple syrup, mushrooms, and/or floriculture. Unemployment rates in the area have been driven by the loss of coal and timber jobs. Creating the opportunity to enter the agricultural job market via floral design, groundskeeping, and value-added maple syrup and mushroom products offers a pathway for those in recovery to transition into productive members of society. This project is expected to serve 10 organizations, 10 businesses, 15 workers/trainees, 20 participants, and 10 students; improve eight organizations, eight businesses, 15 workers/trainees, 16 participants, and eight students; repurpose 200 acres of land for agricultural production; create 10 jobs; implement nine programs; generate $250,000 in nonexport revenues; and leverage $150,000 in private investment.
Project Title: Wheeling Food Ventures: Small Farm and Food Business Acceleration in the Ohio Valley
Grantee: Grow Ohio Valley, Inc.
Award Amount: $1,500,000
Project Summary: ARC grant of $1,500,000 to Grow Ohio Valley, Inc. (GOV) in Wheeling, West Virginia, for the Wheeling Food Hub Operations Project. The project will provide business development support services to the small farm and food business sector in the upper Ohio Valley in furtherance of the POWER priority of “fostering entrepreneurial activities.” The overarching mission of Grow Ohio Valley (GOV) is to strengthen and expand revenues for farmers and food entrepreneurs selling fresh and value-added products. To do this, GOV works at every level of its local food system, from farms to markets. The Wheeling Food Hub Operations Project will involve Grow Ohio Valley leveraging its renovated warehouse property to provide local food entrepreneurs with the tools, guidance, and business development support services to scale up their production of packaged shelf-stable products to be distributed in larger markets. The project is expected to serve 35 businesses, improve 17 businesses, create five new businesses and nine jobs, and leverage $525,000 in private investment.
Project Title: Turning Coal to Gold: Boosting the Outdoor Economy through the Snowshoe Highlands Ride Center
Grantee: Region 4 Planning & Development Council
Award Amount: $1,500,000
Project Summary: ARC grant of $1,500,000 to the Region 4 Planning & Development Council in Summersville, West Virginia, for the Turning Coal to Gold: Boosting the Outdoor Economy through the Snowshoe Highlands Ride Center project. The project will construct 27 miles of singletrack trail optimized for mountain biking and other ride center improvements to boost the area’s tourism industry, which will help offset the decline in coal-related employment and revenues. Through a partnership with the U.S. Forest Service, Snowshoe Mountain Resort, Pocahontas County Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, Poca Trails, and the Mon Forest Towns Partnership, this project will help the ride center attain a gold- level certification and become one of the top seven mountain bike destinations in the world. Additional funding is provided by the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation.
Project Title: West Virginia Grant Resource Centers
Grantee: Marshall University Research Corporation
Award Amount: $1,500,000
Project Summary: ARC grant of $1,500,000 to the Marshall University Research Corporation in Huntington, West Virginia, for the West Virginia Grant Resource Centers project. The project will help communities and others identify appropriate funding sources, write grants, and develop competitive and thorough grant applications. The Centers are forecast to be housed at both Marshall University and its partner, West Virginia University. The centers will serve the entire state, with a particular focus on the most distressed communities and counties. The centers will support communities through direct assistance, workshops, data production for applications, relationship building with funders, and grant writing certification. The partnership between the two universities will leverage their assets related to grant applications for the benefit of the most distressed parts of the state in a time of unprecedented availability of federal grant monies. Over the course of three years, the project will improve 50 communities and 156 participants and create 15 jobs.
Project Title: Seeing West Virginia’s Future Through a Different Lens
Grantee: Mountain State Educational Services Cooperative
Award Amount: $1,499,998
Project Summary: ARC grant of $1,499,998 to the Mountain State Educational Services Cooperative in Parkersburg, West Virginia, for the Seeing West Virginia’s Future Through a Different Lens project. This project is a new, innovative, and holistic workforce development program to develop and revitalize the workforce in West Virginia’s Mid-Ohio Valley region by infusing virtual reality (VR) career exploration and job training simulations in targeted industries with the expertise of existing wraparound service providers. This initiative is designed to provide multigenerational service beginning with eighth-grade youth and will expand to encompass unemployed, underemployed, or non-participating adults in need of inspiration, direction, and job training across nine coal-impacted and economically distressed, at-risk, and transitional counties. Together, the project partners will aim to increase the region’s labor force participation rate, currently only 50.87%, and develop a qualified workforce pipeline to bolster economic development efforts and decrease the number of citizens living in poverty in the region. By the end of the 3- year grant period, the project is expected to benefit 2,850 adult workers/trainees and 2,970 students with career exploration simulations and virtual reality job skills training that will help identify talents and career interests and raise awareness of opportunities in in-demand occupation and enable them to earn a professional credential or certification.
Project Title: Data Cabling & Fiber Optic Installation Training Program
Grantee: Connec Train Corp
Award Amount: $1,370,039
Project Summary: ARC grant of $1,370,039 to Connec Train Corp in Charleston, West Virginia, for the Data Cabling & Fiber Optic Installation Training Program project. This project will support Connec Train Corp’s (CTC) efforts to establish the first entrylevel fiber optic and data cabling training program in West Virginia. The Data Cabling and Fiber Optic Installation Training program will provide a viable career pathway for residents of Cabell, Wayne, and surrounding counties who have lost employment due to reductions in the region’s coal and mining industries, as well as COVID-19. In addition to coal-impacted job losses, West Virginia’s telecommunication industry is facing severe workforce shortages and experiencing a dire need for local, skilled technicians to successfully carry out the massive broadband infrastructure projects planned in the state. Key partners include Unlimited Future Inc, which will provide classroom space and promotion of the program; Partnership of African American Churches, which will refer graduates from the Infinite Pathways Recovery Program and provide free transportation to the training site at Unlimited Future; and Coalfield Development Corporation, which will provide tuition stipends and on-the-job training wages for trainees. The 1.5-year project aims to enroll 80 workers/trainees and anticipates a 90% pass rate for the Electrician Technician Association exam, which will be administered at the end of the program and will qualify graduates for entry-level positions in broadband installation, maintenance, and repair.
Project Title: Career Opportunities for Appalachian Legacy (C.O.A.L.)
Grantee: Marshall University Research Corporation
Award Amount: $1,118,814
Project Summary: ARC grant of $1,118,814 to the Marshall University Research Corporation in Huntington, West Virginia, for the Career Opportunities for Appalachian Legacy (C.O.A.L.) project. This project is an innovative multigenerational approach to workforce and economic development established in response to West Virginia’s economic challenges as a state severely impacted by the decline of the coal and manufacturing industries. This project will establish a regional, strategic, and transformational process that will build a competitive workforce; foster entrepreneurial activities; and invest in community leaders through a variety of activities and programs focused on workforce readiness and job placement for individuals and direct engagement with local businesses to match workers with employment opportunities. It will also support entrepreneurship and social enterprise with partnerships that provide an apprenticeship model to prepare individuals for the workforce through on-the-job training while earning a competitive wage. In developing and supporting business cultivation, the project will establish partnerships across the 15-county service area; facilitate business education and training in partnership with the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce; facilitate 12 virtual entrepreneurship and social enterprise forums; sponsor mentorship for businesses and individuals for the development of enterprise; and support local and regional business development incubators. By the end of the 3-year grant period, the project is expected to improve 400 workers/trainees, 160 families, and 80 local businesses.
Project Title: BEDA Food Truck Incubator Project
Grantee: Bluefield Economic Development Authority
Award Amount: $400,000
Project Summary: ARC grant of $400,000 for the Bluefield WV Economic Development Authority (BEDA) in Bluefield, West Virginia, for BEDA Food Truck Incubator Project. The Bluefield WV Economic Development Authority has joined forces with the City of Bluefield, the WV Small Business Development Center, Lemon Grass Kitchen, Sprouting Farms, Fruits of Labor, and others to address the need for new and diverse industries in 10 counties in Regions I and IV of Southern West Virginia. BEDA seeks to enhance business development opportunities for the target communities by offering a Food Truck Incubator Program. This program will provide aspiring food truck entrepreneurs support, advisors, business planning, and online and in-person entrepreneurial training. Once coursework is complete, entrepreneurs will have access to a food truck for 10 events or 60 days to hone their skills and operations. The project is expected to serve 36 businesses and 36 participants; improve 26 businesses and 26 participants; and create 36 businesses and 72 jobs.
Project Title: EAST Trail Master Plan
Grantee: City of Elkins, West Virginia
Award Amount: $50,000
Project Summary: ARC grant of $50,000 to the City of Elkins in Elkins, West Virginia, for the EAST Trail Master Plan project. The project will develop a plan and blueprint for bike-optimized trails on five properties throughout Randolph County. It will also survey up to 10 miles of trail and conduct preliminary site planning for a community bike skills area to build the region’s outdoor tourism economy. The master plan will help the collaborative known as Elkins Area Shared Trails (EAST) to create a network of multi-purpose trails to capitalize on the strong cycling and outdoor recreation culture of the nearby Mon National Forest. The project will also serve as a pilot project and shared learning opportunity for the 11 other communities that are part of the Mon Forest Towns Partnership, many of whom are seeking to replicate similar trail planning processes in other parts of the forest. The City of Elkins, in partnership with the West Virginia University Brad & Alys Smith Outdoor Economic Development Collaborative, Davis & Elkins College, Davis Health System, and others, will create a master trail plan for the Randolph County area and complete an outreach tour of the Mon Forest Partnership communities. The partnership plans to share its experience with the wider community by August 2023.
Project Title: Fahe West Virginia Workforce Alliance
Grantee: Fahe, Inc.
Award Amount: $50,000
Project Summary: ARC grant of $50,000 to the Federation of Appalachian Housing Enterprises, Inc. (Fahe) in Berea, Kentucky, for Fahe West Virginia Workforce Alliance planning project. The project will convene stakeholders, collect data, and build on Fahe’s current membership community to develop its plan for building “the Alliance” and inform its goals for serving as a connector for skilled workers, employers, and communities. This project will work to fill knowledge gaps in job placement and workforce opportunities so that stakeholders in West Virginia can form a more supported pathway to employment, leading to a future implementation project. Partners include Almost Heaven Habitat for Humanity, Coalfield Development Corp., Homeownership Center, Southern Appalachian Labor School, and many others.
Project Title: Workforce Development Roadmap: Re-Training for Electric Utility and Other Energy Sector Jobs, Pre-Apprenticeship to Job Placement
Grantee: West Virginia University Research Corporation
Award Amount: $50,000
Project Summary: ARC grant of $50,000 to WVU Research Corporation in Morgantown, West Virginia, for the Workforce Development Roadmap: Re-Training for Electric Utility and Other Energy Sector Jobs project. This planning project will aim to examine and address future workforce needs from pre-apprenticeship to job placement in the electric utility and other energy sectors in West Virginia. Leveraging partnerships with West Virginia University, the Center for Adult Experiential Learning (CAEL), Innosys, Pierpont Community and Technical College, Workforce WV, West Virginia Community and Technical College System, WV Economic Development, and the United Mine Workers of America Career Centers Inc., the project will create an “Energy Transition Jobs Road Map” over the course of the year-long planning project.
Project Title: Workforce & Education Development for Applied Behavior Analysis
Grantee: Augusta Levy Learning Center (ALLC)
Award Amount: $50,000
Project Summary: ARC grant of $50,000 to Augusta Levy Learning Center (ALLC) in Wheeling, West Virginia, for the Workforce and Education Development for Applied Behavior Analysis (WE Develop ABA) project. The project will enable a collaborative—including nonprofit, higher education, and state level partners led by ALLC and the Mountaineer Autism Project (MAP)—to conduct an analysis of gaps in access to quality Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) services for adolescents diagnosed with autism in West Virginia. Due to a shortage of providers, fewer than four percent of children diagnosed with autism are receiving evidence-based services in West Virginia. The project will develop a comprehensive statewide strategic plan to grow a workforce with training in ABA services. Appropriate training includes high-school diplomas, vocational accreditation, and/or master’s degrees. The plan will include additional support for developing an ABA-trained workforce in high-need areas in West Virginia. The strategic plan will be developed over the course of a year-long grant period and submitted by ALLC at the conclusion of the planning project.
Project Title: West Virginia Historic Preservation Training Center
Grantee: Arthurdale Heritage, Inc.
Award Amount: $35,580
Project Summary: ARC grant of $35,580 to Arthurdale Heritage, Inc., in Arthurdale, West Virginia, for the West Virginia Historic Preservation Training Center project. The project includes the hiring of a consultant to conduct a comprehensive survey of historic preservation training opportunities in the West Virginia region and develop an operating plan for the proposed training center. Investing in historic preservation trades and workforce development will directly benefit West Virginia’s cultural and historic resources, which require specialized care. Preserving historic resources improves quality of life and reinvigorates community spirit, making way for additional progress. Project partner Preservation Alliance of West Virginia will collect research and materials on trade schools and historic preservation programs. The project will culminate in a final report that will outline key information necessary to create the West Virginia Historic Preservation Training Center.