Friday November 22nd, 2024 4:03AM

ARC grant will help White County develop economic plan

By Dean Dyer, WRWH
The White County Development Authority received word this week that the Appalachian Regional Commission has approved a $70,000 grant that will enable the agency to craft an Economic Development Strategic Plan for the county. 

John Sell, White County Economic Development Director, said the county will use the ARC funds along with $30,000 in local funding to create a planning document to help move the county toward the future.

The Development Authority will work with the Georgia Department of Community Affairs and ARC to find a consultant to assist with the overall project. 

"We will hire an agency to do the work,” said Sell. "They'll do some public meetings, they’ll do some engineering reviews, they’ll look at what we have here in the county and where would be the appropriate places for growth, especially from an economic and industrial standpoint, and they’ll put that into a plan. Then we’ll take that to the board of commissioners to work toward the future growth of this county.”   

White County's economy is driven primarily by tourism and agriculture, but Sell said the county needs to look at other economic factors for future growth. 

"We want to diversify that a little bit, bring in more potential employers for diversification of the job market," Sell said. 

The county has until the end of 2022 to complete the project. When finished, the plan will be incorporated into the recently-completed White County Comprehensive Plan.
  • Associated Categories: Homepage, Local/State News
  • Associated Tags: White County , economic development , grant funding , Appalachian Regional Commission , White County Development Authority
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