Image: Tennessee’s certified sites and ready-sites that have established infrastructure. Image Credit: TNECD
The Center Square [By Jon Styf] –
Tennessee will be sending $5.9 million across 10 grants to different communities in the state to prepare sites for new businesses.
The grants are designed to be used for both infrastructure and engineering work at sites to put them on the state’s Select Tennessee list that it promotes to companies looking to move to the state. The site grant program began in 2016.
“We’re committed to providing rural communities with the resources needed to support continued investment and create quality jobs for Tennesseans,” Tennessee Gov Bill Lee said of the grants. “I thank the General Assembly for partnering with us to fund these 10 additional industrial sites and look forward to the economic growth and opportunity that will result from these projects.”
Five grants worth $1 million apiece were awarded to Beech Bluff Industrial Park in Halls for water, sewer and gas infrastructure, Sullivan County for grading at Partnership Park II, Robertson County for access road construction to the Adamsville North Industrial Park, Henderson County for the property purchase, property grading and access road construction for a Highway 22 connector property and to Brownsville for access road construction and sewer infrastructure at the I-40 Advantage Industrial Park.
“The latest round of the Site Development program will bring 10 Tennessee communities one step closer to achieving Select Tennessee Site Certification,” said Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Stuart McWhorter. “Shovel-ready sites are in high demand, and through this program, we are working with local leadership across the state to bring this needed infrastructure to every community.”
Tennessee also granted $500,000 to Savannah for a property purchase.
Four $100,000 grants were awarded for due diligence studies at Adamsville North Industrial Park in Adamsville-McNairy County, the AgriCenter Innovation District in Memphis, the Clarkrange Business Park in Fentress County and the Innovation Campus Site in Maury County.
An advisory committee reviewed the applications, which were supported by senators and representatives in those districts. The review committee includes members of the TNECD, Austin Consulting, the Tennessee Valley Authority, Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation and Tennessee Department of Transportation.
About the Author: Jon Styf, The Center Square Staff Reporter – Jon Styf is an award-winning editor and reporter who has worked in Illinois, Texas, Wisconsin, Florida and Michigan in local newsrooms over the past 20 years, working for Shaw Media, Hearst and several other companies. Follow Jon on Twitter @JonStyf.
