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BY IVAN SANDERS
STAR STAFF
ivan.sanders@elizabethton.com
Carter County was recently awarded a $50,000 Three-Star Grant and according to Carter County Mayor Patty Woodby, the grant will be applied toward the CTE centralization project at the Workforce Development Center.

There was a total of $2.4 million in funding awarded to 54 communities through this round of the ThreeStar grant program.

In awarding the grants, Governor Bill Lee said, “I congratulate these 54 counties that are receiving ThreeStar grants and thank them for
strengthening the quality of life and enhancing workforce development in their communities. This will help local communities to make Tennessee an even better place to live.”

The grants were awarded by Governor Lee and Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bob Rolfe.

Mayor Woodby will be sharing with the Governor what the county’s plan is for the grant when she visits Nashville to share more on the CTE project.

“Carter County has been awarded grant funding of $50,000 under the ThreeStar program to assist with this project,” Mayor Woodby said. “This is the maximum amount awarded under the ThreeStar grant program.

“The budget for this grant funding was developed by looking at the overall total project cost. As this grant represents a fraction of the total project cost, we are dividing grant funds equally into two categories: $25,000 for facilities preparation upgrades and $25,000 for program upgrades.”

In regard to the facilities preparation upgrades, the funding will help complete needed upgrades to the facility for classroom and workshop space to house the programs.

Some of the upgrades that will be needed are:

-Electrical upgrades to the wiring and electrical components for the building to ensure proper safe electrical service is available based upon the needs of the room. For example, if a space is being turned into a welding workshop, the electrical upgrades will provide for the safe operation of the equipment while ensuring the system is capable of handling the required load.

-Air System upgrades to ensure proper ventilation, airflow, and air exchange based upon the use of the room.

-Internet access installation will provide appropriate internet access – wired or wireless depending on the need of the space – for all classrooms and workshop areas.

-Plumbing upgrades to meet any water flow needs of the program workshop or class area.

As for program upgrades, Mayor Woodby explained what that might entail.

“This portion of the funding will be used for replacing any equipment, safety apparatuses, software, or other curriculum needs,” Mayor Woodby stated. “As programs are evaluated and prioritized to be moved to the new centralized CTE Campus is an appropriate time to evaluate the equipment and other items used by the program to determine if it needs to be upgraded.

“This will help prevent equipment that is at or near the end of its use from being moved to a new program location only to have to be replaced soon thereafter.”

Other local counties receiving the ThreeStar grants were Sullivan County ($50,000), Johnson County ($50,000), and Washington County ($50,000).

The Washington County grant is a regional project which will also be impacting Carter and Unicoi Counties.