MORGANTOWN — Economic development enterprises in Monongalia, Preston and Marion counties received more than $2.1 million in Appalachian Regional Commission POWER grants, Sen. Joe Manchin announced on Friday.
POWER stands for Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization; the grants are discretionary grants awarded on competitive basis from ARC. Manchin explained. The POWER Program is a congressionally funded initiative that targets federal resources to help communities and regions that have been affected by job losses in coal mining, coal power plant operations, and coal-related supply chain industries due to the changing economics of America’s energy production.
The local grants were among $10.8 million in POWER grants awarded state wide.
The local grants:
N $717,166 to the EdVentrue Group in Morgantown. Its Simulated Workplace Entrepreneurship Education Pathway (SWEEP) program provides Career and Technical Education students with the skills needed to find success within their own communities in six economically distressed counties — Calhoun, Fayette, Gilmer, Lincoln, Mingo, and Wyoming. It will expose 1,000 students and 75 instructors to entrepreneurship education through project-based learning, and develop 50 business plans.
N $500,000 to the Regional Research Institute at WVU. The institute is assessing the evolving impact of the downturn in the coal economy in Appalachia. It provides quarterly updates on Appalachian-based coal employment and production data and forecasts, shift-share analysis of Appalachian counties, and updates to data on power plant retirements and repowerings to reflect recent changes in the industry.
It also provides identification and analysis of existing industrial clusters and causal impacts of coal employment on local education funding, as well as a scan of state treatment and recovery responses to substance abuse epidemic and an examination of entrepreneurship ecosystem conditions for coal-impacted communities.
N $50,000 to Friends of the Cheat in Kingwood. This grant will further development of the Mountaineer Trail Network via a Preston County Pilot Trail Plan. The project will produce the first comprehensive trail plan within the newly formed Mountaineer Trail Network, a 10-county bike trail system in north-central West Virginia. It will map all existing trail resources, highlight existing connection gaps, and identify trail routes that would link existing amenities to other key trails and recreation hubs.
The project will serve as a model to be replicated in the network’s other nine counties. Aditional funding is coming from the federal Abandoned Mine Lands pilot program.
N $837,970 to the West Virginia High Technology Consortium Foundation for its 3 Steps to Start Up program. The program builds awareness and provides education to develop a pipeline of entrepreneurs; provides access to a network of mentors and professional services for early stage businesses; and makes available $1.2 million in investment capital from West Virginia Job Investment Trust for entrepreneurs seeking to launch or expand businesses.
The project is projected to serve 85 businesses and create 124 new jobs and 15 new businesses, with funding from the Benedum Foundation.
The grant announcement came in conjunction with Manchin, D-W.Va., hosting ARC Co-Chair Tim Thomas in Kanawha and Raleigh counties. They were joined by business and community leaders at the Toyota Advanced Tech Center and the N3 office in South Charleston, the Elk City District in Charleston, and the 48th job fair in Beckley.
“Today I hosted Co-Chair Thomas in Charleston and Beckley and showed him the economic impact the ARC’s investment in West Virginia has produced,” Manchin said. “I have always said that West Virginia’s workforce is one of the most talented and hard-working groups of people, they just need a chance to show it, which is exactly what the ARC has done.”
ARC was established in 1965 and is a regional economic development agency that represents a partnership of federal, state, and local government, Manchin said. It covers 13 States and 420 counties. West Virginia remains is the only state fully within ARC’s footprint.
Since 2015, he said, West Virginia has received nearly $83 million from ARC. That includes $46.4 million in POWER grants and $36 million in state allocations that the state awards.
Thomas commented, “ARC investments in West Virginia continue to show results, and that is why I am so proud to be here with Sen. Joe Manchin to see some of our latest investments in action, particularly those helping coal-impacted communities.”
Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., also played a role in securing ARC funds. She hosted Thomas for a series of site visits in August.
She said on Friday, ““The ARC plays such an important role in our state—particularly when it comes to diversifying and strengthening West Virginia’s economy. Back in August, I hosted ARC co-chair Tim Thomas in West Virginia for several visits that gave us the opportunity to see and hear about the ARC’s good work and highlighted just how beneficial the ARC has been and will continue to be for communities. I appreciate the ARC’s hard work and partnership with our office to address our current needs and maximize what can be done in communities here in West Virginia.”
Thomas said during his August visit, “I was pleased to meet so many West Virginians who are leveraging ARC investments to create opportunities for their state and their communities during today’s site visits. … I look forward to our continued cooperation to help West Virginia invest in its resources, infrastructure, and people to build strong, resilient communities.”
