September 21st, 2015 by WCBC Radio

U.S. Senators Barbara A. Mikulski and Ben Cardin together with Congressman John Delaney (all D-Md.) today announced that the Board of County Commissioners of Garrett County has been awarded nearly $1.3 million in federal grant funding to upgrade critical wastewater infrastructure serving businesses in Western Maryland and support continued job growth in the region. This federal funding is made available through the Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) grant program. EDA is funded through the Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies (CJS) Appropriations Subcommittee, of which Senator Mikulski is the Vice Chairwoman.

“This federal funding is great news for Western Maryland communities because it will support the creation of jobs today and jobs tomorrow,” said Senator Mikulski, Vice Chairwoman of the CJS Appropriations Subcommittee that funds the Commerce Department. “Maryland cities and towns need to upgrade their water and sewer infrastructure but they can't do it on their own. I went to bat for Garrett County to secure this federal grant funding to make needed upgrades and updates to critical water and sewer infrastructure. I will continue to fight for infrastructure upgrades for Western Maryland to support a long-term roadmap for jobs and economic development.”

“Investing in infrastructure is the right thing to do for our environment, public health and economy. For each public dollar we put into water infrastructure, for example, we see an increase in private long-term GDP output of more than six dollars,” said Senator Cardin, author of S. 741, The Water Infrastructure Resiliency and Sustainability Act. “The residents of Garrett County deserve proactive federal investments in their wastewater systems, making these EDA grants a wise investment in Western Maryland’s quality of life and economic growth.”

“This federal grant to Garrett County will create jobs, encourage more economic development and help upgrade local water management infrastructure; this is a triple-win for Garrett County,” said Congressman Delaney. “This Economic Development Administration Public Works Grant will bring good-paying jobs to Oakland and position the region for future growth. When the federal government partners with local government we get better outcomes and I’m proud to join Senator Mikulski and Senator Cardin in announcing this grant.”

The federal EDA grant funding will support the installation of a regional wastewater treatment plant system in Garrett County that provides critical water and sewer infrastructure improvements to multiple sites leased to Strata Worldwide within the Keyser’s Ridge Business Park, supporting jobs throughout Western Maryland and neighboring states. These assets are often lacking in parts of the country that need it most, yet they are a prerequisite for private industry to invest in job creation and economic growth activities in these areas.

According to Strata Worldwide, an international firm which specializes in the design and manufacture of safety equipment, water and sewer infrastructure upgrades will enable future expansion of businesses, creating jobs in manufacturing and distribution. In the long-term, the project is expected to lead to business expansion at the Business Park and the creation of as many as 500 jobs within the next nine years.