The WFEDD, in partnership with the US EDA, solicited applications from the WFRC/WFEDD region in 2020 for EDA CARES Act Recovery Assistance Grants to assist cities, counties, and metropolitan service districts, with the economic impacts related to COVID-19.
Copperton, Emigration, Kearns, Magna, White City – Digital Infrastructure Study
During the last year, many MSD member communities have been updating their General Plans and planning for their communities’ future. Outreach to residents indicated a need to improve the high-speed internet access. The global COVID-19 pandemic intensified the need for reliable, high-quality, and high-speed internet service in the area. The MSD member area requested funding to complete a digital infrastructure study by (1) identifying gaps in high-speed internet access and (2) exploring options and making recommendations to enhance the digital infrastructure.
Cottonwood Heights – Economic Resiliency Plan
Cottonwood Heights updated the city’s General Plan to include economic resiliency in response to challenges posed by COVID-19. The project acted as a complementary extension to the city’s General Plan and the WFEDD Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy by providing additional analysis and recommendations specific to economic resiliency, particularly as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The plan conducted an analysis to identify affected business types and those shown to have resiliency through the pandemic.
Salt Lake City – Social Impact Bond Study
Salt Lake City is pursuing a Social Impact Bond to gather information about West Salt Lake City, which historically has been underserved, redlined, and has experienced disinvestment. The COVID-19 impacts in this area are significantly different than other areas within Salt Lake City. This plan will assist in acquiring the necessary data to understand the issue of inequality better. The study will address imbalances in this targeted area, including transportation, housing, education, and healthcare services.
Salt Lake County – Business Recovery Assistance
Salt Lake County worked with other partners to develop and facilitate recovery training programs for the businesses that expressed the need for tools to stabilize and grow during the post-COVID-19 recovery period. Salt Lake County enabled these trainings to foster resiliency for both individual businesses and the larger business community.
Davis County – Economic Development Strategic Plan Update
The County’s Economic Development Strategic Plan was last updated in 2013. Since then, the County has experienced major changes and developments not reflected in the strategic plan. Thus, the County updated its Strategic Plan to create strategies to capitalize on the opportunities that these changes and developments, especially as it relates to the post-COVID-19 pandemic.
Tooele City – COVID-19 Related Business Training
Tooele City proposed using EDA CARES Act funding to host COVID-19 related workforce training in partnership with the Tooele Technical College and the Custom Fit Training Program. There have been various training options, including a course on leadership and web marketing. Training programs from the Tooele Technical College have proven to be successful thus far, and this funding helped build another round of training programs for local businesses.
Clinton City – Economic Development Plan
Clinton City sought funding to create a comprehensive economic development plan in a post-COVID-19 economy. This plan re-visioned and re-tooled Clinton City’s economic strategies, analyze economic impacts, including recent and emerging trends of capture and leakage, evaluating existing key business nodes, and recommending modifications to the economic strategy. In addition, the project includes a financial sustainability model.
Check back for additional project highlights in 2023!