By State Senator Page Walley
Because of large amounts of ice and snow across the state last week, the legislature postponed our meetings, so we will be going full force on Capitol Hill this week.
Even with inclement weather, efforts never stop to advocate for and strengthen our communities. That is why I am excited to announce a new round of Site Development Grants coming to our district. I am very pleased our district is receiving three of the twelve new grants, which is about $2.84 million out of the $17.9 million awarded. The grants are being administered across the state by the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development (TNECD) and are designed to help communities invest in infrastructure and engineering improvements to land economic development projects and achieve Select Tennessee site certification.
The City of Bolivar Industrial Development Board will receive $98,314 for due diligence studies at the Watson Property. The City of Henderson will receive $740,490 for tree/property clearing at the Henderson Industrial Park. Haywood County will receive $2,000,000 for access road construction at the I-40 Advantage Industrial Park.
The Site Development Grant program is part of the Rural Economic Opportunity Act and works in tandem with TNECD’s Select Tennessee program. Since 2016, TNECD has awarded 174 Site Development Grants across the state, totaling nearly $85 million in assistance to local communities and generating 6,595 new jobs for Tennesseans.
I appreciate Governor Lee and TNECD Commissioner Stewart McWhorter for prioritizing economic development throughout our state, particularly in our rural areas. I was proud to support the successful applications for these grants from our local officials.
Visit the Capitol
Over the next few months while our General Assembly is in session, I hope you’ll look for an opportunity to come visit the Capitol. If you are interested in scheduling a tour and watching legislative proceedings, please reach out to me at 615-741-2368 or sen.page.walley@capitol.tn.gov, and my office will host you for the day as my guest. As always, thank you for allowing me to serve as our state senator.
