Staff Report
Published June 22, 2009

Twelve South Carolina communities will receive Community Development Block Grant funds to create or retain 465 jobs, the S.C. Department of Commerce announced today.

The grant awards are pending approval from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.    

The Community Development Block Grant program, administered by HUD, was appropriated $1 billion nationwide to carry out community development activities that are consistent with the purposes of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. 

South Carolina’s CDBG program, administered on by the Commerce Department, was allocated $5.9 million. 

The 12 projects set to receive the funding are:

· City of Abbeville, water treatment plant upgrade

· Beaufort County, public facility energy efficiency

· City of Bennettsville, sewer line and pump station upgrade Phase II

· City of Camden, York Street sewer line upgrade

· City of Darlington, water line upgrade Phase IV

· City of Georgetown, drainage project

· Town of Kingstree, sewer upgrade Phase II – Lexington Avenue

· City of Lancaster, South Main Street revitalization

· City of Newberry, Oakland Mill water and sewer Upgrade

· Orangeburg County, Edisto sewer extension Phase II

· City of Pickens, public facilities energy efficiency

· Town of Turbeville, Village Square street improvements

Commerce required that all project applicants sign a certification that projects submitted by municipalities would be under construction by Nov. 30. HUD is expected to approve the requested funds by Aug. 14.