WASHINGTON- Senator Chuck Grassley today announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Rural Development has awarded a grant of $99,000 to Parkersburg through the Rural Business Enterprise Grant Program.
The funds will be used to create a technical assistance program to assist small, emerging, and re-emerging businesses in Parkersburg, specifically focusing on the Highway 57 Corridor that was significantly destroyed by the EF5 tornado. This planning is needed to properly redevelop the business corridor in areas including planning, zoning, and design review to restart the Highway 57 Corridor as a dynamic, aesthetic and workable business corridor.
“Parkersburg saw a lot of damage and hurt when the tornado came through,” Grassley said. “These funds will help create jobs in Parkersburg and help plan and rebuild the Highway 57 Corridor.”
The Rural Business Enterprise Grant Program provides grants to public agencies, private non-profit corporations or Indian groups for needed infrastructure, to fund technical assistance needs and to establish or fund revolving loan programs for small and emerging private enterprises that have less that $1 million in revenues and fewer than 50 employees. The project must be located in an area of less than 50,000 in population.
