25 Communities To Receive Site Development Grants, Including $100,000 For Chattanooga

  • Wednesday, March 21, 2018

Twenty-five communities across the state will receive more than $9.6 million in Site Development Grants, it was announced Wednesday.  Chattanooga will receive $100,000 for due diligencestudies at the Tubman Site.

The Site Development Grant program is part of the larger Rural Economic Opportunity Act passed in 2016 and updated in 2017. 

“By making our rural communities ready for investment and economic success, we help them attract jobs and more opportunities for citizens," Governor Bill Haslam said. “I congratulate the Site Development Grant program recipients and look forward to watching as they thrive and bring new businesses to our state." 

The grants are intended to help rural communities overcome barriers to site certification and prepare them to receive an economic development project that creates jobs in their community. These funds assist communities in finalizing infrastructure and engineering improvements for project-ready certified sites. 

“We want to help these rural communities up their game and increase their close rate by making our rural county site inventory among the most attractive and project-ready in the world,” Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bob Rolfe said. “We are proud to see these 25 communities taking the initiative to invest in themselves and look forward to seeing their future success.”  

"Each of the recipients is taking a major step to enhance their community and with the assistance of the site development grants, they are given the opportunity to compete for jobs and business,” TNECD Assistant Commissioner for Community and Rural Development Amy New said. “The Site Development program shows great return on investment, and I am thankful that the investment from the Rural Economic Opportunity Act will continue to help many more communities in the years to come.” 

The Site Development Grant program works in cooperation with the department’s Select Tennessee Site Certification program.

“Through its Site Development Grant program, TNECD has awarded $21.6 million over three years to communities throughout Tennessee,” TNECD Site Development Director Leanne Cox said. “These grants are a valuable resource for local economic development projects, demonstrating Tennessee’s proactive approach to industrial development and support for further growth and job creation.” 

Applications were reviewed by an advisory committee made up of the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development, Austin Consulting, Tennessee Valley Authority, Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, Tennessee Department of Transportation and the United States Department of Agriculture Rural Development. 

The grants awarded include: 

Adamsville-McNairy County Industrial Development Board:
Adamsville Industrial Park - $368,600 – Clear wooded area and extend Copeland Drive into the Industrial Site

City of Bolivar:
Bolivar Industrial Park - $299,056 – Construct detention pond and landscaped berm

City of Brownsville:
1-40 Advantage Industrial Park - $465,511 – Extend electric power utilities

City of Chattanooga:
Tubman Site - $100,000 – Conduct due diligence studies 

City of Covington:
Rialto Industrial Park - $261,250 – Extend water line 

City of Henderson:
Henderson Industrial Park - $68,850 - Conduct due diligence studies 

City of Humboldt:
Gibson County Industrial Park South Site - $500,000 - Extend sewer service by constructing a new force main, sewage pumping station, and gravity sewer line

City of Lexington:
Reeves Industrial Property - $58,500 - Conduct due diligence studies 

City of Pulaski:
Pulaski Industrial Park South, Lot 5 - $500,000 - Extend roadway, water line and sewer line

City of Ripley:
Walker East Industrial Park - $317,281 - Fill wet weather conveyance channel, construct a detention basin, and install site signage 

City of Tiptonville:
Port of Cates Landing Regional lntermodal Industrial Park - $308,748 - Construct fire protection and water supply capacity improvements, including municipal well and Cedar Street Pump Station improvements 

City of Union City:
Northwest Tennessee Regional Industrial Park - $500,000 - Extend Greenfield Drive and construct bridge 

Dickson County:
Dickson County South Site - $41,770 - Conduct due diligence studies and prepare master plan

Franklin County Industrial Development Board:
Franklin County Industrial Park #9 - $350,000 - Grade and excavate a pad on which to place a 100,000 square foot building 

Grundy County:
Pelham Industrial Park - $35,977 - Conduct due diligence studies, including resistivity 

Huntingdon Industrial Development Board:
Huntingdon Industrial Park South - $257,462 - Clear trees, establish a permanent entrance way and marketing road, and install site signage 

McMinn County Economic Development Authority:
North Etowah Industrial Park - $879,675 – Complete engineering design of a new industrial access road

Monroe County:
Niles Ferry Industrial Park - $500,000 – Complete site grading

Smith County:
Baker Property - $1,000,000 – Complete site grading

Sullivan County Economic Development Partnership, Inc.:
Partnership Park II - $1,000,000 – Complete site grading improvements to create rail access and a pad site

The Industrial Development Board of Crockett County:
Bivens Industrial Site - $38,290 - Conduct due diligence studies

The Industrial Development Board of Perry County:
1-40 Industrial Park - $760,000 - Extend forced main sewer line

Town of Erwin:
2nd Street Industrial Site - $500,000 - Grade a pad-ready site for a single, large industrial user and conduct investigative studies

Tri-Cities Airport Authority:
Aerospace Park - $500,000 - Prepare a pad-ready site for an aircraft maintenance hangar, as well as landside parking access

Van Buren County:
BDS Industrial Site - $17,670 - Conduct due diligence studies 

Each application was supported by the community’s senator and representatives in the Tennessee General Assembly. 

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