DeKalb county is one of communities that Gov. Bill Lee and Department of Economic and Community Development (TNECD) Commissioner Bob Rolfe announced Tuesday to collectively receive more than $1.3 million in Site Development Grant funding.
Smithville Industrial Park East, $235,080 – Marketing road and brush removal.
The grants are designed to help communities achieve Select Tennessee site certification and prepare industrial sites for economic development projects. The funding helps communities invest in infrastructure and engineering improvements on project-ready sites.
The DeKalb County grant will allow the Smithville Industrial Development Board to remove existing brush and to create a road providing access to the available industrial property at the end of Moog Boulevard, behind Tenneco and Foutch Industries, to be used for marketing purposes.
“For communities looking to attract new industry, having shovel-ready sites is crucial,” Rolfe said. “TNECD is excited about the newest round of Site Development Grant recipients. Five of the new grantees are in rural counties that have not fully benefitted from Tennessee’s broader economic gains. Attracting industry to these communities remains one of TNECD’s utmost priorities, and I’m confident these grants will help position them to attract quality, family wage jobs.”
The Site Development Grant program works in tandem with TNECD’s Select Tennessee Site Certification program. Since 2016, TNECD has awarded 80 Site Development Grants across the state, totaling nearly $28 million in assistance to local communities.
