EDA provides grants to eligible communities for improvements to infrastructure and other projects related to improving the area’s economy. Eligibility is based on an area’s (typically county-level) unemployment rate, an area’s per capita income, and/or other events that have negatively impacted an area’s economy (such as the loss of a major employer). Typical EDA projects include water and sewer improvements, street improvements, industrial parks, and incubators – but EDA will consider a wide range of projects if there are opportunities to improve a community’s economic well-being.

Within the past couple of months EDA has approved two grants totaling nearly $3 million in our planning region. Both grants are 50 percent grants, with each community coming up with the matching requirements using different resources.  Both grants are for improvements to wastewater treatment facilities.

EDA has approved a grant to the City of Reed City, in Osceola County for the amount of $1,630,000 to expand the City’s wastewater treatment capacity. Expanded capacity is necessary because of the planned expansion of local businesses, including Yoplait Yogurt, which is located in the City’s downtown. The expansion is a team effort between the City, Reed City’s Downtown Development Authority, EDA, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), General Mills (Yoplait), and others.

EDA has also approved a grant to the Village of Howard City, in Montcalm County for the amount of $1,315,000 to expand the Village’s wastewater treatment capacity. Expanded capacity is necessary because the Village’s treatment facilities are at capacity, and this limits the ability of businesses to expand, or for new businesses to locate in the area’s Renaissance Zone/Industrial Park. The improvements are a team effort between the Village, EDA, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, and others.

The WMRPC assisted in both applications by describing Reed City’s and Howard City’s needs to EDA, explaining the benefits of the projects to EDA, and by getting EDA to the table in both communities in order to develop projects that address both communities’ goals and EDA’s Investment Criteria.

Both of these projects began with the communities submitting the one-page submission form for inclusion in the CEDS to the WMRPC. This simple process alerts the WMRPC and EDA that a potential project exists. Both projects moved forward because the communities were interested in pursuing funding opportunities, so each sat down with the WMRPC and created a description of each project to submit to EDA. Once EDA was satisfied that the projects met their investment criteria, the EDA invited each of the communities to begin the application process. Both projects involved communicating the goals of each organization (communities and EDA) and working towards the common goal of improving our economy.

The WMRPC is currently working with several other communities to develop potential projects to submit to EDA. If your community is interested in seeking a grant from EDA, contact the WMRPC to begin the process. The WMRPC will work with any of our member communities to begin the process. Members currently include all communities in the counties of Allegan, Ionia, Mecosta, Montcalm, Osceola, and Ottawa. While Kent County, as a whole, is not a member of the WMRPC, the cities of Cedar Springs, Grand Rapids, and Wyoming are individual members of the WMRPC.

The WMRPC currently has the capacity to work with a few communities to develop recreation plans. Recreation plans are required for any community seeking funds from the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund for the acquisition of land or the development of recreation facilities. Recreation Plans are five-year plans and include a variety of information describing the community, and a list of actions the community would like to undertake to address its recreation needs. Plans written by the WMRPC have assisted communities in acquiring grants for land acquisition, park improvements, an accessible fishing pier, and many other improvements to parks maintained by counties, cities, villages, and townships. Contact the WMRPC if your community is interested in performing or updating a recreation plan.