OLYMPIA, Wash. - Terminal 4 improvements at the Port of Grays Harbor are among 18 projects statewide named to share $10.9 million in grants. Executive Director Gary Nelson said the grant will cost the port, and their tenant; the Pasha Automotive Group. "They call it a conditional grant because to get the million dollars, the port is committing to spend $2-million over the next two years, and Pasha has comitted to spend $3-million. The idea was to leverage as much public and private investment as possible." The port of Willapa Harbor was awarded $500-thousand for Marina Redevelopment. CERB received $12 million in funding through two new temporary grant programs approved by the 2012 Legislature. The Board conducted a two-phase competitive process resulting in grant awards to projects that will support growth of local economies and improve community vitality. Over the summer application period, CERB received a total of $48.3 million in requests from 100 jurisdictions seeking the new grants. “Strategic infrastructure funding is the foundation of economic growth,” said Mark Urdahl, CERB Chair. “Local jurisdictions need these public services to attract and support businesses and jobs.”
Economic Development Grants support business recruitment and retention projects connected to the creation of direct family-wage jobs. Community Revitalization Grants target projects which revitalize downtown business districts and increase local economic activity. Grants from both of these programs must be used for infrastructure construction. In September 2012, CERB also awarded nine Community Revitalization Micro-grants totaling $154,745. Micro grants are less than $20,000 each and required no local matching funds, creating a unique opportunity for small communities to implement meaningful local projects. “As our broader economy continues to rebound, state investments in these local infrastructure projects are essential for communities to pursue their goals for business development and job growth,” said Department of Commerce Director Rogers Weed.
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