McDowell middle school students to get laptops

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin handed out $4.3 million in Appalachian Regional Commission grants Thursday afternoon at the state capitol including more than $117,000 for a program to benefit a group of McDowell County students.

The ARC grant will be matched by Connect2Compete to provide laptop computers to all middle school students. The refurbished computers will be kept at the individual schools until the students and their families are trained, security chips are installed and the homes have wireless internet.

The laptop project is part of the ongoing Reconnecting McDowell partnership.

The other ARC projects awarded grants Thursday include:

MARSHALL COUNTY

Marshall County Sewerage District                                          

$1,500,000

Mozart (Fraziers Run) Sewer Project

The project will provide public wastewater service to 226 new residential and commercial customers in the Mozart (Fraziers Run) area of Marshall County. Currently, customers in the project area rely upon septic systems that are failing, resulting in sewage pooling on the ground that constitutes a critical public health hazard.

 

MCDOWELL COUNTY (Distressed county)  

McDowell County School Board                                                              

$117,750

McDowell County Connect to Compete

 

The project will provide refurbished laptop computers to students in grades 6-8 in McDowell County and provide them and their parents or family members with training on the computers. This project will benefit 785 students in a distressed county.

 

 

SUMMERS COUNTY (Distressed county)      

Summers County Commission                                                                

$1,578,112

Meadow Creek PSD Wastewater Treatment

Plant and Collection System Upgrade

 

The project will upgrade the existing wastewater treatment plant and allow for sewer line extensions to serve 84 new and existing residential and commercial customers in the Meadow Creek area of Summers County. Currently, the treatment plant is in a deteriorated condition, and new customers served by the project rely upon failing septic tanks. The project will provide new service and upgrades as well as increase the ability of businesses to locate and operate in the area.

 

 

MULTI-COUNTY          

Jobs for West Virginia Graduates, Inc.                                               

$130,000

Jobs for West Virginia Graduates

The project will provide at-risk high-school students with specialized instruction and guidance, including tutoring and mentoring services, career development training, and leadership development. The result will strengthen graduation rates and employability for at-risk students. The project will serve an estimated 120 students.

 

MULTI-COUNTY          

Central Appalachia Development Organization                             

$70,000

CADO FY13 Revolving Loan Fund

The project will provide start-up funding for a revolving loan fund that will serve the counties of Barbour, Braxton, Gilmer, Lewis, Randolph, Tucker, and Upshur. The revolving loan fund will increase business retention, creation, and expansion, providing timely and critical funding for start-up and existing businesses in the region. CADO will operate under the auspices of the Region 7 Planning and Development Council.

 

MULTI-COUNTY          

Marshall University Research Corporation                                     

$100,000

West Virginia Diabetes Coalitions Support Project

The project will assist in the creation of new community-based diabetes coalitions and strengthen existing coalitions already operating. Funds will be used to provide mini-grants and technical assistance to county-wide coalitions working on the prevention and control of diabetes in local communities. The project has a focus on ARC-designated distressed and at-risk counties in the state.

MULTI- COUNTY

West Virginia Division of Energy                                                           

$250,000

Identifying Redevelopment Opportunities

On Surface-Mined Lands

The project will encourage the value-added reuse of land modified by surface mining through the direct application of renewable energy such as solar and wind, growing crops useable by the energy industry, and assessing re-use options on former and existing surface-mined lands.   The project will increase the amount of renewable energy available in West Virginia, expand the use of our state’s environmental assets, and identify economic development opportunities for surface-mined properties.

 

MULTI-COUNTY

West Virginia Development Office                                                        

$100,000

West Virginia Flex-E-Grant Program

The West Virginia Development Office and the Appalachian Regional Commission, in partnership with the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation, have operated a mini-grant program that focuses on capacity-building projects in ARC-designated distressed counties, as well as serving non-distressed counties. These projects focus on developing local community leaders, engaging citizens in local initiatives, and strategically planning for the future. Through this funding, an estimated 250 local citizens, public officials, and non-profit staff and volunteers will receive training in leadership or become involved in a local community project.

 

STATEWIDE

West Virginia Development Office                                                        

$275,000

Consolidated Technical Assistance

The West Virginia Development Office, with ARC funding assistance, will continue the Consolidated Technical Assistance program. The grant allows the West Virginia Development Office to employ staff for the purpose of providing technical assistance to ARC applicants and grantees, monitoring and administering ongoing projects, updating the West Virginia Development Plan and maintaining a project information system.

STATEWIDE  

West Virginia Development Office                                                        

 $225,000

Competitive Improvement Program

 

The project will provide training and consultation services to small and medium-sized firms in West Virginia to increase their competitiveness. The project will address a unique need for which no other funding sources are available. The results of these services will be a greater number of companies that are increasing the range of their market and market share and a commensurate increase in the number of jobs retained or created.

 

 

 





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