11 grants awarded to organizations in coal-impacted Kentucky communities

FRANKFORT, Ky. (WTVQ) — The Appalachian Regional Commission awarded 11 grants to organizations in coal-impacted counties in Kentucky Monday.

The $47 million grants went to 52 total projects in 181 counties across the United States as part of its Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization Initiative, which directs federal resources to projects in Appalachian communities affected by job losses in coal mining, coal power plant operations and coal-related supply chain industries.

The 11 Kentucky awards are as follows:

Rowdy Trailhead and Campground Project
$1,500,000
Perry County Fiscal Court in Hazard will receive the money for the trailhead and campground project. It will be located off Highway 476 in the Rowdy community and will support outdoor recreation and tourism by constructing 30 RV campground sites with full hookups for water, sewer, electric and cable TV as well as communal facilities (bath house, laundry and ATV wash bay) and on-site infrastructure (sewage treatment, dumping station, waterlines and security). The campground will serve as a trailhead for Perry County’s ATV trails, which connect to a 75-mile loop passing through Breathitt, Knott, Floyd and Magoffin counties. The project will create 38 jobs in the first 15 months.

TEK Center Skilled Trades Training
$1,500,000
This project will develop a Skilled Trades Training Center to support low-income individuals, individuals in addiction recovery programs and dislocated workers such as former coal miners. The training center will offer short-term training programs of one year. Project partners include the East Kentucky Concentrated Employment Program, Martin County Economic Development Agency, Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky, Shaping Our Appalachian Region (SOAR), Johnson County Schools and Floyd County Board of Education. The project will serve six businesses, 125 high school students and 395 workers/trainees.

UPIKE Ag-Tech Innovation Center of Excellence
$1,500,000
The University of Pikeville will receive the money for the UPIKE Ag-Tech Innovation Center of Excellence project. Located off U.S. Highway 23 in the Kentucky Enterprise Industrial Park, the project will develop an agricultural research facility with the City of Pikeville and will serve seven counties in Eastern Kentucky. The center will focus on seed development, environmental conservation practices and controlled-environment farming. Over the next three years, the project will help create 250 jobs and three new businesses.

Growing Eastern KY’s Controlled Environment Production Ecosystem
$1,458,212
The Kentucky Horticulture Council in Lexington will receive the money for the Growing Eastern KY’s Controlled Environment Production Ecosystem project. The Kentucky Horticulture Council will partner with the University of Kentucky, Community Farm Alliance and Kentucky Center for Agriculture & Rural Development to help prospective and established producers establish and grow controlled environment agriculture operations for year-round growing. The project will serve 484 businesses and 137 workers/trainees, improve 247 businesses and 110 workers/trainees, create 12 businesses, generate $185,000 in non-export revenue and leverage $185,000 in additional private investment.

Agricultural Apple Sorting & Packing Facility
$1,200,000
The Big Sandy Area Development District in Prestonsburg will receive the money for the Agricultural Apple Sorting & Packing Facility project. The project will conduct site work at the East Kentucky Business Park to prepare for a new building addition that will serve as a regional apple sorting and packing hub across nine counties in Eastern Kentucky and Southern West Virginia, as well as provide business technical assistance to engaged entrepreneurs. The project is expected to be completed within 10 months and will serve 300 businesses and create 260 jobs.

Preparing the Future of American Agriculture: AgTech Apprenticeship
$1,137,500
Kentucky Community & Technical College System in Versailles will receive the money for for the Preparing the Future of American Agriculture: AgTech Apprenticeship project. The project will implement a hands-on training program for entry-level workers and build a workforce pipeline for high-yield, year-round controlled environment agriculture or agricultural technology (agtech), in Appalachia. Through partnerships with AppHarvest, Edgewater Recovery, Kentucky FFA Association, Elliott County, Addiction Recovery Care, Rowan County Drug Court, Rowan County Agriculture Advisory Board, East Kentucky Concentrated Employment Program, Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences (MANRRS) and the University of Kentucky, this project will place recruitment emphasis on workers recovering from substance use disorder and traditionally underrepresented workers in the agtech industry. The program will improve 350 workers/trainees through wage increases and career progression, improve one large-scale business through increased revenue from worker productivity and reduce product waste.

Appalachia Access to Capital–Phase II–Capital and Technical Assistance
$1,500,000
The Community Ventures Corporation in Lexington will receive money for the Appalachia Access to Capital—Phase II—Capital and Technical Assistance project. The project will capitalize a revolving loan fund to increase New Markets Tax Credit investments in Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia. The project will improve 15 businesses and 10 communities, and create 150 jobs and 15 businesses.

The EKY Community Accelerator Project
$50,000
The Mountain Association in Berea will receive money for the EKY Community Accelerator Project. The Eastern Kentucky Community Accelerator will help communities organize, build local networks to develop solutions and seize opportunities that create jobs and economic resiliency. The project will serve three communities and produce a regional report outlining a new toolkit.

Eastern Kentucky Equine Community Center Planning
$50,000
The KEEP Foundation in Lexington will receive the money for the Eastern Kentucky Equine Community Center Planning project. The project will assess the feasibility of, and provide a business plan for, the potential Eastern Kentucky Equine Center. The center would offer space for businesses related to the equine industry and outdoor recreation, as well as sector-specific workforce training to meet businesses’ employment needs. Workforce training would focus on formerly incarcerated people and those in recovery, and help develop a job and business pipeline for equine and mental health sectors. The project will result in a feasibility study and business plan over the course of one year.

Southeast Kentucky Regional Experience Package Planning Project
$48,422
The Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky in Hazard will receive the money for the Southeast Kentucky Regional Experience Package Planning Project. The project, fiscally sponsored by FAKY and led by Leslie County Betterment, will coordinate tourism initiatives in Southeast Kentucky to build and market regional experience packages. The project will serve five counties over the course of a year.

Southeast Kentucky Regional Trails Planning Project
$46,838
The Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky in Hazard will receive the money for the Southeast Kentucky Regional Trails Planning Project. The project will create an outdoor adventure development, marketing and maintenance plan for Southeast Kentucky for potential community economic and health impacts of outdoor recreation. The plan will include an assessment of existing outdoor recreation assets, infrastructure and initiatives. The project will serve eight counties over the course of a year.

“Our coal-impacted communities are a vital part of Appalachia’s 13 states and 423 counties — when our coal communities thrive, our entire region is uplifted,” said ARC Federal Co-Chair Gayle Manchin. “This latest round of POWER grant funding will not only help struggling coal communities to once again compete in a global marketplace, but also expand support for the creation of new jobs through growing Appalachia’s food economy.”