Laurens, S.C. has been awarded $5.4 million to upgrade its water and sewer systems in a move to bolster economic development in the area.
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo made the announcement June 28, the DOC reported at the time. The grant was awarded by the agency's Economic Development Administration to the Laurens County Water and Sewer Commission to build a new water tank, water line and ancillary infrastructure, according to the report. The grant is funded by the American Rescue Plan and EDA’s $300 million "Coal Communities Commitment," the DOC reports.
“This EDA investment will provide the water infrastructure needed to support existing and future businesses," Raimondo said in the announcement, "creating a stronger, more robust regional economy.”
The water-systems improvements will serve Laurens County industrial corridors, allowing for business expansion in the wake of the closing of two regional coal-fired power plants, the DOC states. The EDA financing is to be matched by $1.4 million in local funding and is predicted to create 240 jobs and bring more than $47 million in private investments, according to the report.
Alejandra Castillo, assistant secretary of Commerce for Economic Development, said the EDA project will bring needed infrastructure improvements that will support and attract business development, the DOC reports. Castillo said the EDA is "dedicated to working with communities" as they develop strategies to strengthen their local economies.
Raimondo said ARP funds allow the EDA “to make once-in-a-generation investments to dramatically transform America’s communities in a critical moment as our country continues to recover from the coronavirus pandemic.”
