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Catawba County accepts $2.5M Site Readiness grant to build entrance road for Claremont International Rail Park
Summary
The Board accepted and appropriated a $2,496,641 SelectSite Readiness Program grant, authorized the county manager to execute the grant agreement and to enter a subrecipient agreement with the City of Claremont to administer construction of an entrance road for the 155-acre Claremont International Rail Park.
The Catawba County Board of Commissioners on Nov. 3 accepted and appropriated $2,496,641 in grant funds through the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina’s SelectSite Readiness Program to fund construction of an entrance road to the Claremont International Rail Park (CIRP).
County staff told the Board that CIRP — a 155-acre business park served by rail and with industrial-scale water and sewer either in place or in design — was selected in 2024 as one of 15 sites in the SelectSite Readiness Program. Earlier due-diligence funding of $477,800 from the program supported water/wastewater and road design, Phase I environmental assessment, wetlands determinations, surveys and geotechnical work. The new $2,496,641 award will fund construction of the entrance road. Because the Memorandum of Understanding names the City of Claremont as fiscal and administrative agent for the project and the road will be turned over to the city, staff recommended entering a subrecipient agreement with Claremont to administer the grant-funded project.
The Board voted to accept and appropriate the funds and authorized the County Manager to execute the grant agreement and to enter the subrecipient agreement with the City of Claremont.
Staff said the construction and subsequent turnover of the road are expected to support future industrial development at CIRP, improving the site's readiness to attract manufacturing projects.
