MONTGOMERY— Gov. Kay Ivey has announced a $50,000 Appalachian Regional Commission grant to assist in the renovation of an industrial building in the city of Vernon.
The city will use grant funds to renovate the 80,000-square-foot building to be used as a multi-tenant facility. The project will include roof replacement, an addition to the building and renovations to the front office.
“When a community has the facilities necessary to grow new businesses, it can offer a much clearer path forward to enable businesses to locate or expand, providing jobs for residents,” Gov. Ivey said. “This Appalachian Regional Commission grant will assist Vernon in its efforts to grow local businesses and attract others to the area.”
The ARC grant comes in addition to a Community Development Block Grant previously awarded by Gov. Ivey to the city that is also being used to fund these renovations. The project is estimated to create 100 new jobs.
The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs administers the ARC program in Alabama along with a wide range of other programs that support law enforcement, economic development, recreation, energy conservation and water resource management. Thirty-seven counties in Alabama are part of the ARC region and eligible for funds.
“ADECA is pleased to join Gov. Ivey in her efforts to continue to attract economic development and jobs to Alabama,” ADECA Director Kenneth Boswell said. “ADECA’s partnership with ARC has helped many municipalities like Vernon over the years and we hope to continue it for many years to come.”
The ARC is an economic development agency of the federal government and 13 state governments. The agency’s mission is to innovate, partner, and invest to build community capacity and strengthen economic growth in Appalachia to help the region achieve socioeconomic parity with the nation.
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Contact: Russell Sellers, Mike Presley