Gainesville, Hall Co. getting $797k from ARC

UNDATED - Governor Sonny Perdue announced Friday that a number of north Georgia cities, counties and community groups - Gainesville and Hall County among them - will receive grant money from the Appalachian Regional Commission. These grants are awarded to cities, counties and community groups in the Appalachian Region who have met the community improvement requirements set by the ARC.

"This program creates new opportunities for Georgia residents by improving the quality of life in the northeastern region of our state," said Governor Perdue. "This 13-state ARC partnership helps local communities compete at the national and global level."

The Commission is a partnership of the governors of the 13 Appalachian States and a presidential appointee representing the federal government. The program encourages grassroots participation. Potential applicants are encouraged to work through the six Regional Development Centers in North Georgia to develop projects.

Recipients include communities from Habersham, Hall, Hart, Lumpkin, Jackson and Pickens counties.

There are four goal areas that potential projects should relate to including increased job opportunities and per capita income in the Appalachian region, strengthen the region’s capacity to compete in the global economy, develop and improve infrastructure to make the region economically competitive and build the Appalachian Development Highway System to reduce Appalachia's isolation.

Potential projects must be consistent with the priorities identified in the Governor's annual Strategy Statement and should contribute to an economic development strategy.

The program provides matching grants to the 37-county Appalachian region of Georgia. The matching requirements vary from each county depending upon its economic status. Final approval on all projects comes from the Appalachian Regional Commission in Washington, D.C.

A list of the grants is below:

City of Jefferson

- $24,690 for the Shields Ethridge Heritage Farm Wayside Exhibit project



City of Gainesville

- $35,000 for the Lake Sidney Lanier Economic Impact Analysis project

- $506,515 for the Calvary Church Road Local Access Road project



City of Cartersville

- $100,000 for the Bartow County Civic Center AV project



City of Braselton

- $300,000 for a City of Braselton Sewer System Expansion project



City of Chickamauga

- $25,000 for the Historic Gordon Lee Mansion Renovation project



City of Dahlonega

- $300,000 for a Sewer System Improvement project



City of Demorest

- $300,000 for a Water System Expansion project



Hall County

- $15,000 for the Regional Historic Buildings Survey project

- $200,000 for the Regional Geographic Information System project

- $40,000 for the Northeast Georgia History Center Museum Resource Center project



Hart County

- $493,485 for a Hart County Gateway II Industrial Park Local Access Road project

- $300,000 for a Hart County Southwest Water Expansion project



City of Jasper

- $300,000 for a Water Storage Tank project



City of Lookout Mountain

- $200,000 for the Sewer System Improvements project



North Georgia College and State University

- $59,000 for the Georgia Appalachian Studies Center

- $365,000 for the Georgia Appalachian Higher Education Center



City of Rockmart

- $300,000 for a Water Treatment System Improvement project



Gordon County

- $40,000 for the Gordon Ready for our Wake Up anti-substance abuse project







Link: Appalachian Regional Commission