County directors of community and economic development and tourism updated supervisors on a Smith County project funded through an in‑kind Thriving Communities grant that secures 14 months of professional grant‑writing assistance for no cost to taxpayers.

Kendra Hayden, director of community and economic development, and Amanda Livingston, the county tourism director, told the board the county applied for the in‑kind grant in fall 2023. The grant covers technical assistance rather than direct cash to the county; staff used the award to contract Catherine Vanoy of Mill Creek Creative to pursue federal and state funding for transportation, economic development and tourism projects. Hayden and Livingston said Vanoy has local project experience and will help the county pursue major outside funding sources.

The presentation included a list of priority projects staff plan to target with the grant writer’s help. Among county‑level priorities discussed were a better connection from a large on‑site well to the Pathway Park site to improve water service and resilience, standby generators for pump stations (an issue after Hurricane Helene), and the installation of supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems to remotely monitor tank levels and pumps across the water and sewer network to reduce daily drive‑around checks.

From the tourism perspective, staff highlighted two priorities: closing gaps in the Salt Trail in partnership with the Town of Saltville to make it a more continuous destination, and building organizational capacity for the county tourism association (the director noted she is currently the association’s only employee). Staff said EV‑charger projects are being targeted for downtown locations that are visible and walkable — for example, Hungry Mother State Park and downtown Marion — and that many charger providers list the location on national EV maps, which can increase visitation. Staff also noted existing charging infrastructure in the county at a Comfort Inn in Atkins and a charger in Saltville.

Board members asked technical questions: one supervisor asked for specifics about the Pathway Park well (staff said the well is large and could serve broader needs and had been retained by the county when property was transferred), another asked whether EV chargers would be visible on national mapping services (staff said most charging providers add locations to mapping services), and a supervisor asked what SCADA meant; staff explained SCADA monitors tanks and pumps and could centralize maintenance and monitoring.

Staff emphasized the grant is intended to build capacity and pursue larger grant opportunities; if successful, the external grants would cover project construction or equipment costs, with county staff using the contracted grant writer to prepare those applications. The board received the update and asked staff to return with concrete grant applications and project proposals as they are developed.