Millions of American Rescue Plan funds were approved by the Greenbrier County Commission during their Tuesday, April 26, meeting.
Funding from the American Rescue Plan will be going towards a long-running water infrastructure expansion in the county.
“[Of $6.8 million that the county received, we will be committing $2.5 million to the water project,” explained Commissioner Tammy Shifflett-Tincher. “We are still continuing to get the total amount of funding because the total project is over $16 million, but we have funding from several other sources. With this commitment, it will add to the amount we already have and then … Greenbrier PSD Number 2 will be able to take the totals to the bond company for determination of financing.”
The project is an extension of Commission President Lowell Rose’s efforts to install utilities in communities where they have not been available. The project has had successes over the years, such as in 2019, when Rose announced “for all practical purposes, we have water to Sam Black at this point. The water tank is completed and full.”
Since then, the project has continued – on Tuesday, Rose further explained “we completed the part [running between] Quinwood to Sam Black. The section from Charmco to Rainelle is being added in this time. Also, [we could cover] from Sam Black out to Clintonville, out to Asbury, and hopefully up Muddy Creek Mountain using this new plan.”
In February, the commission applied for a Community Development Block Grant for the project. Donna Norman of the Region IV Planning and Development Office explained the grant application for Sam Black Church, Asbury, Smoot, and Clintonville.
“We’re asking for $2 million, which is the cap for the CDBG grants,” said Norman. “If that was granted, that would take the place of one that the loans that commission would have to enter into for that project. This year for CDBG, there’s $14.6 million in that pot. That is statewide; it’ll be pretty competitive this year.”
With the American Rescue Plan funds, the project can continue moving forward. The funds were committed with a unanimous vote from the commissioners.
