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ELKINS -- Federal funding will be coming to the area to aid businesses and nonprofits in Randolph, Barbour and Tucker counties.
A $51,005 grant will be received by Woodlands Community Lenders, Inc. The funding will support a Rural Microloan Revolving Fund to make microloans and provide technical assistance to rural microentrepreneurs and microenterprises in Randolph, Barbour and Tucker.
Woodlands Community Lenders, a financial institution based in Elkins, fosters entrepreneurship and community revitalization by providing access to capital and technical assistance to businesses and non-profit organizations located in the underserved communities of the three counties.
Woodlands' mission is "to work with borrowers who want to start or grow businesses and lack access to capital, funds or technical experience, for any reason," according to the Woodlands Development & Lending website.
The grant is one of eight in West Virginia announced by Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., as part of $5,820,758 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development program.
"Investing in our communities is essential for economic development and for creating good-paying jobs," said Manchin, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee. "I am pleased USDA is investing over $5.8 million in these eight projects across West Virginia, which include supporting rural entrepreneurs and enterprises in three different counties, renovations for the Wayne County Courthouse, the installation of solar panels, and several water and sewer upgrades.
"As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I will continue working to ensure our rural communities across the Mountain State have the resources they need to thrive."
The other individual awards include:
A total of $1,600,000 - a $1 million loan and a $600,000 grant -- for the Town of Triadelphia. This funding will be used to upgrade the town's sewer collection system.
A total of $1,100,000 -- a $624,000 Loan and a $476,000 Grant - for the Town of Wardensville. This funding will be used to make upgrades to the wastewater treatment plant and lift stations, conduct a study of system inflow and infiltration, and install a supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system for the wastewater collection and treatment system.
A $1,087,000 grant for the Wayne County Building Commission. This funding will support renovating the third-floor courtroom of the Wayne County Courthouse.
A $940,000 loan for the Claywood Park Public Service. This funding will be used to upgrade waterlines in the Dutch Ridge Road and Meadville Road areas of Wood County.
A $814,000 grant for the Mason County Public Service District. This funding will be used to improve the sewer system, providing a centralized sewer system collecting and transmitting from the project area to the district's Camp Conley wastewater treatment plant.
A $150,753 grant for Brunetti's Inc. This funding will support the purchase and installation of a 167-kilowatt array in Wayne County.
A $78,000 grant for Rural Action, Inc. This project will focus on encouraging the most efficient practices for waste management through recycling and composting in Cabell and Wood counties.