Monticello — Wayne County Fiscal Court has been awarded $10,000 in federal funding from the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) to advance strategic planning efforts in the region as part of the latest round of grants presented by The Center for Rural Develop-ment.
U.S. Congressman Harold Rogers and Lonnie Lawson, president an CEO of The Center, announced the grant recipients and presented $54,800 in mini-grants to six southern and eastern Kentucky communities and organizations during a strategic planning and awards ceremony held Monday, February 8 at The Center in Somerset.
Funds can be used for either the successful creation of a strategic plan or the implementation of priority community development projects identified in existing strategic plans.
All projects must be completed within a six month period.
The Wayne County Fiscal Court intends to use its funding to develop a strategic plan for Wayne County, and hire a consultant to help with the plan development and advise on the implementation of parts of the strategic plan.
"Leaders across southern and eastern Kentucky are visibly active in creating new opportunities to improve our region, " stated Rogers. "The years of planning for downtown revitalization, tourism marketing and economic development projects are now coming to fruition in many of our communities. We're attracting jobs and tourists thanks to mini-grants in the past. "
"With additional funding in 2010, more of our rural communities can follow the same vision of providing more opportunities to our families, "
Rogers continued. "These grants give our leaders the ability to work their plans. "
The winners represent the first two rounds of ARC funding that will be awarded this year by The Center for Rural Development's Developing and Implement-ing Community Strategies Program, with the second coming this fall.
"This funding will assist these communities in developing or furthering plans and strategies that will help fuel positive and tangible economic and community development activity in our region for years to come, " Lawson said.