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Go Virginia Region 2 official urges Appomattox to submit proposals for regional grants
Summary
Paul Denham, vice chair of Go Virginia Region 2, briefed the board on the program’s purpose, recent activity and how Appomattox can participate in regionally funded economic development grants.
Paul Denham, vice chair of Go Virginia Region 2, told the Appomattox County Board of Supervisors that the state program allocates about $1,500,000 yearly to the region for projects that promote higher‑paying jobs across a cluster‑based strategy.
Denham said Appomattox is in Region 2 (the Greater Lynchburg area plus several planning districts) and that Region 2 has funded 53 projects drawing about $16.2 million in Go Virginia funds and $17.9 million in matching funds overall. He told the board that nine funded projects have been reported as affecting Appomattox County level‑wide, with $2.2 million in Go Virginia funds and 130 jobs “created or filled” associated with the region’s projects. Denham emphasized that many projects are multi‑jurisdictional and that the program does not track employee commutes to attribute job counts to individual counties.
Board members asked for more detail about the nine projects that reportedly affected Appomattox. Denham gave the welding lab build‑out at Central Virginia Community College (CVCC) as a direct example and said other projects were joint regional efforts that could have benefited Appomattox residents who work outside the county. He invited the board to submit proposals, to nominate representatives to the regional council and to attend a growth and diversification planning meeting scheduled May 22.
Why it matters: Go Virginia grants support workforce development, site readiness and implementation projects aimed at bringing higher‑paying jobs to the region. County supervisors questioned how to quantify local benefit when projects serve multiple jurisdictions.
Next steps: Denham offered a link and a short survey for feedback and said the council would welcome nominations from Appomattox if the county wants to be more engaged in regional grant decisions.
