West Virginia Executive Spring 2018 | Page 24

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Appalachian Regional Commission

CATHY BONNSTETTER
Investing in West Virginia Communities
With a cost of doing business that is one of the lowest in the country , tax burdens that have been lightened by more than $ 850 million and the elimination of the business franchise tax , businesses can find a comfortable home in the Mountain State . Many , such as Toyota and Procter & Gamble , already have , and the state is ripe with opportunities for additional growth and development .
Much of this opportunity is thanks to the investment of the Appalachian Regional Commission ( ARC ). A federal-state partnership established in 1965 , ARC ’ s mission is to innovate , partner and invest to build community capacity and fuel economic growth across the Appalachian region . The commission ’ s funding is provided by Congress and dispersed to state and local agencies and other government entities in an effort to help meet the following goals : seizing economic opportunities , preparing a ready workforce , addressing critical infrastructure , strengthening natural and cultural assets and building leadership and community capacity .
“ When the Appalachian Regional Commission first came into being , there were some significant and dire infrastructure needs in the region ,” says ARC spokesperson Wendy Wasserman . “ We helped plot , finance and develop the Appalachian highway system . We also did a lot of brick and mortar for health clinics .”
As economic development needs changed both at the state and federal levels , ARC evolved to make itself nimble enough to address the changing priorities . As a result , today ARC funding also focuses on 21st century necessities such as education , training , e-commerce and technology sector job creation , and ARC matching grants help host a gamut of programs such as downtown revitalization with Main Street West Virginia .
Due to a strong need for entrepreneurs , the Consortium for Entrepreneurship Education ( EntreEd ) began in West Virginia with a three-county pilot study and has grown , in large part , thanks to ARC ’ s Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization ( POWER ) initiative . POWER focuses on helping coal-impacted communities diversify and grow , and in West Virginia , POWER funds are at work helping provide entrepreneurial education in McDowell , Mingo , Webster and Clay counties .
“ We have an elementary school where each class creates a product and then sells it on parents ’ night ,” says Gene Coulson , executive director of EntreEd . “ At another school , we have students growing crops in their high tunnel . With the POWER grant , we have partnered with eight community colleges , and now they are our local anchors . “
The largest POWER award in the state , at $ 1.5 million , is dedicated to bringing municipal water to the Bluewell Public Service District in Bluefield , WV , for the Mercer County Regional Airport Development and Diversification Initiative . This ARC grant has been coupled with a $ 1 million U . S . Environmental Development Administration grant .
“ It ’ s hard to imagine , but the airport , which was built in 1953 , has never had city water ,” says Clint Ranson , manager of the Mercer County Regional Airport . “ We have sewer , we have broadband — just not water . The ARC is a big part of the funding for this three-year project . We will have water on or before the end of 2019 .”
ARC ’ s municipal water project , along with the completion of the King Coal Highway project , will open up 200 acres for economic development in four Southern West Virginia counties and southwestern Virginia .
“ The King Coal Highway will run right through the middle of the airport once it is complete ,” says Ranson . “ We are looking forward to becoming a great location . In fact , as far as an industrial park location goes , we are considering it a gold mine .”
ARC ’ s impact on West Virginia alone has been astounding , and 2017 did not see a shortage in support by any means . Last year , ARC ’ s West Virginia projects totaled nearly $ 19 million with the largest portion —$ 7.3 million — going toward economic opportunities . The next largest amount , $ 5.3 million , was invested in workforce education ; $ 5.1 million was invested in critical infrastructure ; and $ 1.3 million was invested in cultivating leadership and community capacity throughout the state . These funds helped create more than 1,000 jobs and train and educate more than 1,320 students and workers . •
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WEST VIRGINIA EXECUTIVE