CASSAPOLIS, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — A substantial financial boost is on it’s way to Cass County. The boost is set to promote high-tech business growth which will in turn bring with it jobs and more than 10 million dollars in private investment to the region.
Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced on Thursday, September 30 that the U.S. Secretary of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration is awarding a $6 million dollar grant to the Midwest Energy Cooperative in Cassopolis.
“We are grateful to our federal partners for investing in Michigan by supporting the Southwest Michigan Advanced Research and Technology Park,” said Governor Whitmer. “This grant will help us continue to usher in a new era of prosperity by creating 248 jobs and generating $14 million in private investment, making a lasting positive impact on our communities.”
The EDA grant will be used to construct the needed road, sewer, and water infrastructure to support the 234-acre Southwest Michigan Advanced Research and Technology Park or (SMART Park) in Cass County. The grant itself is set to be matched with $6 million in local funds.
This project is being funded under EDA’s Assistance to Nuclear Closure Communities program. Closures of nuclear power plants throughout the United States have had a significant impact on the economic foundations of surrounding communities through sudden job losses and a reduction to the local tax base. EDA has a history of success working with communities facing structural economic adjustments to diversify and strengthen their economies for the future, including those impacted by nuclear power plant closures.
