Community & Economic Development

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GRADD News

Economic Development

The GRADD CED Department administers several grant and loan programs to help create and foster economic development within Daviess, Hancock, Henderson, McLean, Ohio, Union, and Webster Counties. Among these are Community Development Block Grants, the Revolving Loan Fund, and the Infrastructure Revolving Loan Fund. CED staff also works closely with the boards of the Green River Economic Development Corporation and the district’s two regional industrial parks, Bluegrass Crossings Business Centre (serving Ohio, Daviess, McLean, Hancock, and Muhlenberg Counties) and 4 Star Industrial Park (serving Henderson, Webster, McLean, and Union Counties). GRADD also assists with the Agricultural Diversification Programs within several counties.

Public Administration

GRADD offers public administration services to communities within our region. We are an extension of the staffs of local city and county governments and are available for a wide variety of technical assistance. GRADD can help your community with questions on state statute compliance, administrative issues, available funding sources, and legislative tracking. We assist with the Area Development Fund, Land and Water Conservation Fund, and Recreational Trails grant programs, as well as numerous other grants for public protection, historic preservation, and resource conservation and development. GRADD also works with the Renaissance Kentucky program, an initiative to revitalize the downtown areas of the Commonwealth.

Community Development

GRADD is helping to build strong communities through projects that have social, as well as economic benefits. Numerous Community Development Block Grants and other federal and state grants have helped to fund everything from improved drinking water to senior citizens centers. Community Emergency Relief Fund grants help our cities and counties to recover following severe storms and other environmental disasters.

Regional Planning

GRADD offers assistance in many types of infrastructure development. We work with community water and wastewater departments in water and stormwater management and solid waste planning, also providing support to the Green River Water Management Council. Additional services include planning/zoning and comprehensive plan assistance.

Housing

GRADD helps to administer several programs to improve housing within our district. We offer support to the Green River Housing Corporation, which funds several programs to help low-to-moderate income individuals. GRADD also coordinates Repair Affairs, which are one-day repair blitzes where volunteers make repairs for low-income, elderly, and disabled homeowners.

GIS/GPS

The GRADD GIS/GPS team offers the most cutting-edge mapping technologies in the region. From Global Positioning System data collection to the most up-to-date Geographic Information Systems maps, GRADD is literally putting our local communities “on the map.”

Hazard Mitigation

GRADD has received a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency working with all seven local counties to develop a comprehensive regional disaster plan. The plan will identify all potential natural hazards (e.g. tornadoes, flooding, earthquakes, etc.) and develop strategies to mitigate these events should they occur.