JARRETT GOODMAN
Staff Writer
A Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) that was submitted to the Southeast Tennessee Development District (SETD) by the Whitwell City Board has been declined and is currently left on hold until further notice.
The grant was to be used for the funding of a planned project regarding the construction of a brand-new community center, which will be built where the former Hooper’s Drug Store is located on East Spring Street. City Manager Lonnie Cleek gave further details when asked about the grant, stating that the drug store is to be torn down in order to make room for the new community center. And the project itself is estimated to be within the millions in total costs for its construction.
“We were gonna tear it down and put a community center there. And that project was close to a million dollars,” explained Cleek. SETD is a development agency stationed in Chattanooga, who provides fund-based services to local communities throughout southeastern Tennessee. One of their services they provide is grants for the construction of infrastructure within a given community, which their granting program offers a variety of different grants, like a CDBG grant that helps in funding for projects within more rural towns in the region. While the current grant was declined, Cleek stated that the city board will put their bid on hold for the time being and reapply again in hopes of having the proper funds to construct a brand-new community center for the residents of Whitwell itself.
