Multiple Southern West Virginia projects awarded federal grants

Federal grants funding projects ranging from airport improvements and education programs to addressing child sexual abuse and university programs were announced Wednesday for the region.

U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced grants from various federal agencies for projects she helped secure funds for, including health care, education, research, environmental cleanup, infrastructure, economic development and drug use prevention projects.

Capito said she secured grants from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for academic research projects at Concord University as well as WVU and Marshall University.

Grants to Concord University in Mercer County included a $1 million NSF award for a project titled “Science Engagement and Active Mentoring to Build Science Identity among Students in Computer Science, Chemistry, and Geosciences.”

A second $429,750 NSF award to Concord University is for a project titled “Collaborative Research: Sustained Resources: Prototyping a Framework for FAIR Data Communities: The Tephra Information Portal (TIP).”

The third NFS award to Concord University, for $50,000, is funding a project titled “Conference: Teacher Workshop: Science and Technology Applied to Radio Signals (STARS).”

Another grant was a $1,327,481 grant in HHS Early Head Start Program funding to the Raleigh County Community Action Association, Inc. in Beckley.

Grant funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has been awarded to several airports in southern West Virginia.

These federal transportation grants include $6,507,704 in DOT funding to the Greenbrier County Airport Authority in Lewisburg for a project that rehabilitates 7,000 feet of Runway 4/22 to maintain the structural integrity of the pavement and to minimize foreign object debris. Another $1,008,338 in DOT funding is going to the Greenbrier County Airport Authority (Lewisburg, W.Va.) for a project that rehabilitates 7,000 feet of Runway 4/22 to maintain the structural integrity of the pavement and to minimize foreign object debris.

In Mercer County, $126,288 in FAA funding is going to the Mercer County Airport Authority in Bluefield for a project that conducts an aeronautical survey for an area navigation instrument approach for Runway 23.

U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) grant funding is going to a pair of West Virginia projects.

One grant for $1,460,000 in EDA funding is going to the Center for Applied Research and Technology, Inc. in Princeton to establish the WV CREATE Center, providing support to small businesses and entrepreneurs.

The second grant is for $848,800 in EDA funding to High Technology Foundation in Fairmont to support a statewide collaborative entrepreneurial assistance program.

Capito said she also secured two grants from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) for several projects. One $600,000 grant in DOJ funding will go to Child Protect of Mercer County, Inc. in Princeton to improve the response of the civil and criminal justice system to families with a history of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking, or in cases involving allegations of child sexual abuse.

Grant funding also was awarded from the U.S. National Parks Service (NPS) for three Land and Water Conservation (LWCF) projects as well as a historic building preservation grant. In Fayette County, a $200,000 grant in NPS LWCF funding for Oak Hill City Park Playground Improvements was awarded to support a project supporting the site preparation and grading for the construction of a new inclusive playground with poured in place rubber safety surface and new equipment.

Grants from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs (VA) will help the West Virginia Community Action Partnerships, Inc. in Charleston support homeless and at-risk veterans.

Grant funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) and Rural Development (RD)Program were awarded for a variety of projects including one in McDowell County. A grant with $833,000 in USDA RD funding was awarded to the McDowell County Commission in Welch to upgrade the city hall, including a roof replacement and HVAC upgrades.