Lawrence Co. gets $18,000 from Ky. Power for Teleworks equipment
ASHLAND, Ky., May 30 2017 – Twelve eastern Kentucky projects have been selected to share $400,700 in economic development grants from Kentucky Power. The awards are part of the Kentucky Power Economic Development Growth Grants (K-PEGG) and the Kentucky Power Economic Advancement Program (KEAP). Most recipients received their awards on Tuesday.
“At Kentucky Power we believe it is important for us to take a leading role in economic development efforts to attract new businesses and industries that will provide jobs in the communities we serve in eastern Kentucky,” said Kentucky Power President Matt Satterwhite. “When our communities grow, we all benefit. These grants are one way we can work with our local and regional organizations to promote stronger economies and economic growth for all.”
The K-PEGG is funded through the Kentucky Economic Development Surcharge approved by the Kentucky Public Service Commission in 2015. For every 15 cents collected monthly from customers, company stockholders match the customer contributions dollar for dollar to generate more than $600,000 annually for investment at the local and regional levels. The program is available in all 20 counties served by Kentucky Power.
The KEAP program, created in 2014, will provide $1 million in economic development assistance to customers over five years. KEAP is specific to seven counties in Kentucky Power’s service area – Boyd, Carter, Elliott, Lawrence, Johnson, Martin and Morgan. The grants must be used for programs and projects, such as job retention; expansion surveys; wage and benefit surveys; retaining and attracting new industries; and conducting special studies.
New K-PEGG recipients are:
1. One East Kentucky, a nine-county regional economic development organization — $50,000. The grant is the third installment in a 5-year, $250,000 commitment to bring jobs to Floyd, Knott, Johnson, Lawrence, Letcher, Magoffin, Martin, Perry and Pike counties.
2. SOAR: Shaping Our Appalachian Region — $25,000. The grant is the second in a 3-year commitment to support SOAR’s efforts to build the economy of Appalachia Kentucky.
3. The Hazard-Perry County Economic Development Alliance — $25,000 to help the organization work to bring new industry and jobs to the Coal Fields Regional Industrial Park serving five counties – Perry, Harlan, Breathitt, Knott and Leslie counties.
4. Southeast Kentucky Economic Development Corp. — $60,000 to assist four companies in the region in gaining quality control certification necessary to become a major military and government contractor.
5. Pike County Fiscal Court — $18,700 to market job training, placement services and other activities available at the Pike County Teleworks Hub.
KEAP 2017 recipients are:
1. Eastern Kentucky Advanced Manufacturing Institute (eKYAMI) — $50,000 to refurbish its Paintsville facility into an education center. The institute will focus on re-training out-of-work coal miners in skills needed for advanced manufacturing.
2. Ashland Alliance — $17,500 for a project to seek build-ready certification at the East Park Industrial Site in the greater Ashland area.
3. One East Kentucky — $88,200 to fund Thoroughbred Aviation Maintenance’s plan to develop a helicopter painting facility at the Big Sandy Regional Airport in Martin County.
4. Ashland Community and Technical College — $25,000 to purchase equipment for its fiber optics training program.
5. Paintsville-Johnson County Chamber of Commerce — $20,000 to support American Metal Works in obtaining ISO 9001 and AS9100 certifications. The designations will allow the company to better compete for military and aerospace industry contracts.
6. Gateway Area Development District, Big Sandy Area Development District and FIVCO Area Development District — $3,300. The grant funds economic development training.
7. Lawrence County Fiscal Court — $18,000 to purchase equipment for a new Teleworks hub in the county.
All grant applications were reviewed by a six-member committee comprised of four Kentucky Power employees and two outside, economic development professionals from the Kentucky Association of Economic Development and Kentucky Economic Development Cabinet.
Additional information on both grants is posted on the Kentucky Power website at https://kentuckypower.com/info/community/economic/.
“It is always difficult for the committee to finalize and make its recommendations, but in the end, the recipients are the ones judged to have the best, or perhaps most immediate, impact on area development,” said Brad Hall, external affairs manager for Kentucky Power. “We encourage those with promising economic development projects to submit applications for consideration.”
Also Tuesday, Kentucky Power awarded an additional $33,000 in grants to both Ashland Community and Technical College and Big Sandy Community and Technical College to enhance job training efforts. Each school received $16,500 grants as part of Kentucky Power’s commitment to help expand job opportunities to those living in Boyd, Carter, Elliott, Lawrence, Johnson, Martin and Morgan counties. The grants were created as part of a 2014 agreement with the Kentucky Public Service Commission and others.
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Kentucky Power, with headquarters in Ashland, Ky., provides service to about 168,000 customers in all or part of 20 eastern Kentucky counties. It is an operating company in the AEP system, one of the largest electric utilities in the United States, delivering electricity and custom energy solutions to nearly 5.4 million customers in 11 states. AEP also owns the nation’s largest electricity transmission system. AEP’s headquarters are in Columbus, Ohio.
