Jefferson City Awarded Facade Grant

Grants to Assist Communities with Infrastructure, Safety Needs and Downtown Improvements

Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam and Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bill Hagerty recently approved more than $28 million in Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) to assist Tennessee communities with infrastructure, health and safety projects, and downtown improvements.

“Community Development Block Grants play an important role in helping communities across Tennessee prepare for future economic development opportunities and continued growth,” Haslam said. “Working with our communities in making these improvements helps bring us one step closer toward our goal to making Tennessee the No. 1 location in the Southeast for high quality jobs.”

“Community development sets the stage for burgeoning economic development and when a community invests in itself, the private sector is more likely to invest in it as well,” Hagerty said. “I am pleased to see so many communities across the state eagerly taking steps not only to attract new business and encourage future growth, but also to create better living conditions for the families that reside there.”

Allocation of CDBG funds is based on priorities set at local levels where community needs are best known. The CDBG program is administered in Tennessee by the Department of Economic and Community Development.
CDBG funds were also used for commercial façade improvements in Main Street and Tennessee Downtown communities. Through a separate application process, communities could apply for $25,000 grants used for improvements including new awnings and signs, painting, building repair and other upgrades.

Below is a list of communities who were awarded CDBG commercial façade program grants:

• Celina
• Greenfield
• Jefferson City
• Martin
• Mount Pleasant
• Portland
• Ripley
• Smithville
• Sweetwater
• Waynesboro

TNECD will accept applications for the 2015 CDBG program in February.

About the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development
Tennessee was named “2013 State of the Year” for economic development by Business Facilities magazine. The Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development’s mission is to develop strategies which help make Tennessee the No. 1 location in the Southeast for high quality jobs. 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: tn.gov/ecd. Follow us on Twitter: @tnecd. Like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/tnecd