ALDERSON, WV (WOAY) – The town of Alderson was awarded a rural development grant from the USDA during a special Council Meeting today.
$50,000 can go a long way in rural West Virginia. That amount was awarded for the purchase of two new police vehicles.
“This is going to pay for two all wheel drive police vehicles,” said USDA State Director Kris Warner. “They have about a $31,000 match. They have a need for these police vehicles. They say their others are worn out and this is exactly what we can do with the Community Facilities Grant Program.”
The money from this grant increases the amount that Alderson has received over the past half decade plus.
“This award makes $185,000,” said Alderson Mayor Travis Copenhaver. “While I’ve been Mayor since 2014, we’ve been able to secure those funds. Without those funds, there’s no way we could do what we’ve done to replace vehicles and do things that we’ve improved.”
This grant is one of 20 that the USDA is awarding across the state. The hope is that the USDA will find other means to offer assistance to Alderson.
“We found other rural development programs that I think the mayor is going to follow through,” Warner said. “[He’ll] work with our representative, Teresa Miller, right here to see if there are other needs that we might be able to help match up.”
Alderson is on the mend after a tough summer, and this grant should go a long way towards improving an essential department.
