Tri-Cities Airport Authority Receives Site Development Grant

TRI Admin on March 22, 2018

Blountville, TN – The Tri-Cities Airport Authority (TCAA) was pleased to be among the 25 communicities receiving Site Development Grants as announced today by Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam and Economic and Community Development Commissioner (TNECD) Bob Rolfe.

TCAA will receive a $500,000 grant to prepare a pad-ready site in Aerospace Park.

The regional collaboration of the three cities and two counties in Northeast Tennessee in developing a funding partnership for Aerospace Park was instrumental in positioning the project for the Site Development Grant. The regional partners include Bristol, TN, Kingsport, Johnson City, and Sullivan and Washington Counties. TCAA and NETWORKS Sullivan Partnership jointly presented the mertis of the project to the TNECD advisory committee.

“The Airport Authority is excited the project and the local city and county collaboration resulted in this grant,” said Patrick Wilson, TCAA executive director. “We appreciate the support of our Northeast Tennessee delegation of State senators and represenatives during this grant process. We are also thankful to TNECD for the development of this grant program and their participation on this project.”

The Site Development Grant is another step forward in the economic and job creation efforts of the TCAA in Aerospace Park.

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Tri-Cities Airport (TRI) is a full-service commercial airport serving Northeast Tennessee, Southwest Virginia, Western North Carolina, and Eastern Kentucky. TRI offers non-stop flights to four hubs (Atlanta, Charlotte, Orland/Sanford, and St. Pete/Clearwater/Tampa) on Allegiant, American, and Delta. For more information about Tri-Cities Airport, visit triflight.com.

Aerospace Park is a direct-airfield development at Tri-Cities Airport in Northeast Tennessee. The site offers 21 acres certified for immediate development and an additional 140 acres are currently under development.

NOTE: The following is a News Release from TNECD. 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
CONTACT: Carly Schroer, TNECD
Wednesday, March 21, 2018
PHONE: (615) 490-2995
EMAIL: carly.schroer@tn.gov

GOVERNOR HASLAM, COMMISSIONER ROLFE ANNOUNCE 25 COMMUNITIES TO RECEIVE SITE DEVELOPMENT GRANTS
More than $9.6 million in grants for industrial site preparation

NASHVILLE – Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam and Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bob Rolfe announced today that 25 communities will receive more than $9.6 million in Site Development Grants.

The Site Development Grant program is part of the larger Rural Economic Opportunity Act passed in 2016 and updated in 2017.

“By making our rural communities ready for investment and economic success, we help them attract jobs and more opportunities for citizens,” Haslam said. “I congratulate the Site Development Grant program recipients and look forward to watching as they thrive and bring new businesses to our state.”

The grants are intended to help rural communities overcome barriers to site certification and prepare them to receive an economic development project that creates jobs in their community. These funds assist communities in finalizing infrastructure and engineering improvements for project-ready certified sites.

“We want to help these rural communities up their game and increase their close rate by making our rural county site inventory among the most attractive and project-ready in the world,” Rolfe said. “We are proud to see these 25 communities taking the initiative to invest in themselves and look forward to seeing their future success.”

“Each of the recipients is taking a major step to enhance their community and with the assistance of the site development grants, they are given the opportunity to compete for jobs and business,” TNECD Assistant Commissioner for Community and Rural Development Amy New said. “The Site Development program shows great return on investment, and I am thankful that the investment from the Rural Economic Opportunity Act will continue to help many more communities in the years to come.”

The Site Development Grant program works in cooperation with the department’s Select Tennessee Site Certification program.

“Through its Site Development Grant program, TNECD has awarded $21.6 million over three

years to communities throughout Tennessee,” TNECD Site Development Director Leanne Cox said. “These grants are a valuable resource for local economic development projects, demonstrating Tennessee’s proactive approach to industrial development and support for further growth and job creation.”

Applications were reviewed by an advisory committee made up of the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development, Austin Consulting, Tennessee Valley Authority, Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, Tennessee Department of Transportation and the United States Department of Agriculture Rural Development.

The grants awarded include:

  • Adamsville-McNairy County Industrial Development Board:
    • Adamsville Industrial Park – $368,600– Clear wooded area and extend Copeland Drive into the Industrial Site
  • City of Bolivar:
    • Bolivar Industrial Park – $299,056– Construct detention pond and landscaped berm
  • City of Brownsville:
    • 1-40 Advantage Industrial Park – $465,511– Extend electric power utilities
  • City of Chattanooga:
    • Tubman Site – $100,000– Conduct due diligence studies
  • City of Covington:
    • Rialto Industrial Park – $261,250– Extend water line
  • City of Henderson:
    • Henderson Industrial Park – $68,850– Conduct due diligence studies
  • City of Humboldt:
    • Gibson County Industrial Park South Site – $500,000– Extend sewer service by constructing a new force main, sewage pumping station, and gravity sewer line
  • City of Lexington:
    • Reeves Industrial Property – $58,500– Conduct due diligence studies
  • City of Pulaski:
    • Pulaski Industrial Park South, Lot 5 – $500,000– Extend roadway, water line and sewer line
  • City of Ripley:
    • Walker East Industrial Park – $317,281– Fill wet weather conveyance channel, construct a detention basin, and install site signage
  • City of Tiptonville:
    • Port of Cates Landing Regional lntermodal Industrial Park– $308,748 – Construct fire protection and water supply capacity improvements, including municipal well and Cedar Street Pump Station improvements
  • City of Union City:
    • Northwest Tennessee Regional Industrial Park – $500,000– Extend Greenfield Drive and construct bridge
  • Dickson County:
    • Dickson County South Site – $41,770– Conduct due diligence studies and prepare master plan
  • Franklin County Industrial Development Board:
    • Franklin County Industrial Park #9 – $350,000– Grade and excavate a pad on which to place a 100,000 square foot building
  • Grundy County:
    • Pelham Industrial Park – $35,977– Conduct due diligence studies, including resistivity
  • Huntingdon Industrial Development Board:
    • Huntingdon Industrial Park South – $257,462– Clear trees, establish a permanent entrance way and marketing road, and install site signage
  • McMinn County Economic Development Authority:
    • North Etowah Industrial Park – $879,675– Complete engineering design of a new industrial access road
  • Monroe County:
    • Niles Ferry Industrial Park – $500,000– Complete site grading
  • Smith County:
    • Baker Property – $1,000,000– Complete site grading
  • Sullivan County Economic Development Partnership, Inc.:
    • Partnership Park II – $1,000,000– Complete site grading improvements to create rail access and a pad site
  • The Industrial Development Board of Crockett County:
    • Bivens Industrial Site – $38,290– Conduct due diligence studies
  • The Industrial Development Board of Perry County:
    • 1-40 Industrial Park – $760,000– Extend forced main sewer line
  • Town of Erwin:
    • 2nd Street Industrial Site – $500,000– Grade a pad-ready site for a single, large industrial user and conduct investigative studies
  • Tri-Cities Airport Authority:
    • Aerospace Park – $500,000– Prepare a pad-ready site for an aircraft maintenance hangar, as well as landside parking access
  • Van Buren County:
    • BDS Industrial Site – $17,670 – Conduct due diligence studies

Each application was supported by the community’s senator and representatives in the Tennessee General Assembly.

About the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development

The Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development’s mission is to develop strategies that help make Tennessee the No. 1 location in the Southeast for high quality jobs. To grow and strengthen Team Tennessee, the department seeks to attract new corporate investment in Tennessee and works with Tennessee companies to facilitate expansion and economic growth. Find us on the web: tnecd.com. Follow us on Twitter: @tnecd. Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/tnecd.

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