Today, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo announced that the Department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding a $2.6 million CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to the town of Shelburn, Indiana, to construct new water infrastructure and provide an adequate water supply and fire suppression capacity at the town’s Sullivan County Community Hospital Business Park. This EDA grant, to be matched with $647,200 in local funds, is expected to retain 408 jobs.
“President Biden is committed to harnessing the full power of the federal government to ensure our nation not only recovers from this pandemic but builds back stronger,” said Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo. “This EDA investment in Shelburn will provide local healthcare service providers with improved water quality, water redundancy, and fire protection, supporting the town’s recovery from the coronavirus pandemic and resiliency from future economic disruptions.”
“The Economic Development Administration plays an important role in supporting community-led economic development strategies designed to boost coronavirus recovery and response efforts,” said Dennis Alvord, Acting Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development. “This EDA-funded water infrastructure project at the Sullivan County Community Hospital Business Park will install a sixteen-foot water transmission line and a permanent emergency generator for wells, providing adequate water infrastructure and fire suppression capacity.”
“While this grant is paying for much-needed infrastructure improvements in the town of Shelburn, it’s also doing so much more than that,” said Governor Eric J. Holcomb. “It’s providing local leaders with opportunities to attract more economic development projects and in turn bring more high-skilled jobs to the area. These infrastructure improvements will elevate Shelburn and set the community up for long-term success.”
“Ensuring Hoosiers have adequate water infrastructure is vital for the community to provide safe water supply and fire suppression capabilities,” said Congressman Larry Bucshon (IN-08). “I am proud to join the Economic Development Administration in announcing that the City of Shelburn has been awarded a $2.6 million CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to revitalize the city’s water infrastructure and keep it healthy for years to come.”
This project is funded under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act (Public Law 116-136 PDF), which provided EDA with $1.5 billion for economic assistance programs to help communities prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus. EDA CARES Act Recovery Assistance, which is being administered under the authority of the bureau’s flexible Economic Adjustment Assistance (EAA) (PDF) program, provides a wide-range of financial assistance to eligible communities and regions as they respond to and recover from the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.
About the U.S. Economic Development Administration (www.eda.gov)
The mission of the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) is to lead the federal economic development agenda by promoting competitiveness and preparing the nation’s regions for growth and success in the worldwide economy. An agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce, EDA invests in communities and supports regional collaboration in order to create jobs for U.S. workers, promote American innovation, and accelerate long-term sustainable economic growth.