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RICHMOND, Ind. More than 1,500 Wayne County households shared information about their home internet service and usage during a countywide March survey.
The results show the county needs improved broadband service, from better coverage to faster speeds, and the Wayne County Broadband Taskforce is taking steps to make that possible.
According to the Purdue Center for Regional Development, which partnered with the county group, 1,536 households, more than 5% of the county s households, participated in the survey. Of those, 1,327 allowed their locations to be mapped. The responses came from throughout the county.
“We’re really pleased with the response, said Acacia St. John, the program coordinator for Forward Wayne County. From what we understand from all the surveys that have been done like that around the state of Indiana, we were told we had the second-highest sample. So that’s great.
So far, I m very pleased with the response we ve received and the interest from our county businesses, Shaffer said.
There also is $80,000 remaining from previous local programs, most recently a restaurant subsidy program, that also can be utilized.
Commissioner Jeff Plasterer said there are eight members of a selection committee that will be divided into two-person teams, with each team reviewing a quarter of the applications. The entire group will come together June 1 to make the final awards.
The county would then distribute the money and apply to OCRA for reimbursement.
EDC of Wayne County
Shaffer also told commissioners the EDC is reviewing parameters for EDIT grants.
Wayne County receives $250K grant to help small businesses retain jobs
RICHMOND, Ind. Wayne County has received a $250,000 grant to assist small businesses impacted by COVID-19.
Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch and the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs on Monday announced Wayne County among 80 recipients of $18.6 million in federal grant funding through OCRA s COVID-19 Response Grant Program. This is the third distribution by OCRA from Indiana s Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act allocation. We re excited about it, said Wayne County Commissioner Jeff Plasterer, who was very involved in the extensive grant application process.
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Wayne County plans to award grants of up to $10,000 to small businesses throughout the county to help retain low- to moderate-income jobs. That could be through reopening, continuing operations, expanding payroll, restocking inventory or paying for remote work technology, according to the grant announcement
RICHMOND, Ind. Seventeen Wayne County restaurants received assistance from the Richmond/Wayne County COVID-19 Restaurant Subsidy Program.
The program offered up to $1,000 per month for three months to Wayne County restaurants hit hardest by the coronavirus pandemic to help them with rent, mortgage or utility payments. Payments were made directly to the landlords, mortgage holders or utility companies.
The 17 restaurants received $50,180 total from the program, which was a cooperative effort of the city of Richmond, Economic Growth Group, Economic Development Corporation of Wayne County and Wayne County government, according to a news release. The funding came from $130,372 that remained after two rounds of zero percent interest loans were made available to Wayne County small businesses negatively impacted by COVID-19.
ITD Engineering expands to support new customer
RICHMOND, Ind. An expanding Richmond company will receive $20,150 in assistance from an EDIT grant.
The Wayne County commissioners unanimously approved the Economic Development Income Tax grant Wednesday for ITD Engineering LLC. It will be provided by the Economic Development Corporation of Wayne County.
ITD Engineering is in the process of a two-year expansion project that will involve a $1.65 million investment in machinery and equipment and the addition of six full-time jobs.
Valerie Shaffer, president of the EDC, told commissioners that ITD obtained a new customer and is investing in the equipment necessary to support the customer during a long-term contract. ITD is a custom machining center at 5626 New Paris Pike that contract manufactures components for other companies.