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St. Clair County leaders report federal outreach, seek ARC capacity grant
Summary
Economic development staff and commissioners described a recent Washington, D.C., trip that produced multiple congressional project requests and advanced an Appalachian Regional Commission capacity-building grant; the commission approved signing an MOU to pursue the ARC grant.
Candice Hill, Saint Clair County’s economic development council grant coordinator, told the commission she and county officials traveled to Washington, D.C., last week to press for federal funding for local infrastructure and public-safety equipment. The delegation met with offices of Sen. Tommy Tuberville, Rep. Mike Rogers and Sen. Katie Britt, Hill said, and submitted roughly $20.5 million in requests that could be entered in congressional spending bills next year.
The requests Hill described included Coosa Valley water system funding (she said the county’s campaign for that program totals about $60 million), police radios for several municipalities (she said Asheville and Ragland were each slated for about $250,000), storm shelters for four locations countywide, water-tank improvements in Asheville, a juvenile detention facility request (about $5 million), infrastructure for the Springville Rail & Technology Park (about $2.8 million), and a Kelly Creek bridge project listed for approximately $20.1 million. Hill said the County also re-submitted the Riverside Bridge project and suggested airport hangar work to increase aviation capacity and related personal-property tax revenue.
Commissioners voted unanimously to approve a memorandum of understanding with the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) to apply for a $100,000 ARC “capacity building” grant that would be matched with $100,000 in local funds or in-kind services. Hill said the ARC grant — called Grants to Go — would pay for a five-year economic development strategic plan (described to the commission as a “comp plan without zoning”), newly elected municipal-official training, grant-writing and grant-compliance training for municipal and county administrators, and grant-writing for the county’s two highest-priority infrastructure projects at the end of the 18-month project cycle. The commission authorized the MOU signature so staff could meet the ARC application deadline.
Why it matters: county staff described the trip as relationship-building that advances multiple long-range infrastructure projects. Commissioners said ARC training and a county strategic plan would help improve grant-readiness and reduce risk when federal earmarks or other federal dollars are awarded.
Commissioners asked staff to keep the commission apprised when federal offices request site visits. Commissioner Stevens said congressional staff plan to visit the county next week to gather more project details.
Ending: The commission approved the ARC MOU and asked staff to return with application materials. Hill said some of the county’s federal requests would appear in next year’s congressional spending process as congressionally directed appropriations and that, if passed, the awards would become federal grants to the county.
