The iconic Commonwealth Crossing water tank is pictured here.
Martinsville, Va. — Commonwealth Crossing Business Centre (CCBC) was awarded a $1.5 million grant by the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) to build out full utilities at the business park.
Funding for today’s award was made via the Appalachian Regional Commission’s (ARC) POWER (Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization) Initiative to help communities and regions affected by job losses in coal mining, coal power plant operations, and coal-related supply chain industries due to the changing economics of America’s energy production.
“Harvest understood the community’s vision to create a world-class business park that would bring advancements in manufacturing and living wage jobs to Martinsville-Henry County,” said Harvest Foundation President Kate Keller. “The new opportunity we have with ARC funding will allow full utilities at Commonwealth Crossing, which is something we all knew needed to happen in order to realize the business park’s full potential. Harvest was more than happy to step up and facilitate bringing the right partners to the table that allowed us to receive the $1.5 million ARC grant. We are so pleased to be a part of our community’s success, and we look forward to future growth in MHC.”
To date, ARC has invested over $238 million in 293 projects, touching 353 counties across Appalachia since 2015. More information about ARC’s POWER Initiative is available at www.arc.gov/power. “I congratulate Commonwealth Crossing for their POWER award, and commend them on the leadership they have shown in their community,” said ARC Federal Co-Chairman Tim Thomas. “POWER grants are playing a critical role in supporting coal-impacted communities in the Appalachian Region as they recover from COVID-19 by building and expanding critical infrastructure and creating new economic opportunities through innovative and transformative approaches. Projects like this are getting Appalachia back to work.”
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About the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC)
The Appalachian Regional Commission (www.arc.gov) is an economic development partnership agency of the federal government and 13 state governments focusing on 420 counties across the Appalachian Region. ARC’s mission is to innovate, partner, and invest to build community capacity and strengthen economic growth in Appalachia.
Project Title: Site Improvements at Commonwealth Crossing Business Centre (CCBC)
Grantee: Henry County
Award Amount: $1,500,000
Announcement Date: October 2020
ARC grant of $1,500,000 to Henry County in Collinsville, VA for the Site Improvements at Commonwealth Crossing Business Centre (CCBC) project. This project will complete a steel natural gas pipeline from the Patriot Line to the Commonwealth Crossing Business Centre (CCBC) and associated facilities.
Lack of a direct natural gas line has been cited as a significant recruitment and job-creation weakness for the CCBC. The CCBC is a key component of the county’s transition from a mineral-extraction-based economy to a manufacturing economy that seeks to incorporate aviation, automotive, food processing, and advanced film production as sectors in a more diversified local economy.
By installing a pipeline that can deliver a maximum natural gas volume of four million standard cubic feet per hour, this infrastructure improvement will expand the area’s opportunities for large, transformational projects. The project will serve a facility that has already created over 200 jobs and will enable more companies to move jobs into CBCC and the surrounding area. Key partners include the Harvest Foundation and Southwest Virginia Gas Company.
