UCDD’s Executive Committee approved a resolution Monday to apply for a downtown revitalization grant for Sparta and Crossville.
Executive Director Mark Farley said a retail recruitment company recently started a downtown revitalization program using USDA Rural Development grants. Farley said the program has not been offered in Tennessee before but the company reached out asking if UCDD would apply as a test case.
“It’ll be no money out of our pocket, no money out of the community’s pocket,” Farley said. “Been talking with both (Crossville City Manager Valerie Hale) and (Sparta City Manager Tonya Tindle), the two city managers of both those entities, they’re both favorable for it. And it is a competitive application. We’ll be applying for it. There’s no guarantee.”
Farley said the grant would be used for a five-year downtown revitalization plan for each city. Farley said UCDD was chosen to handle the grant application to make financial reporting easier throughout the process.
“We would apply for the grant, we would handle all the reporting processes, basically take care of everything for the communities,” Farley said. “Like I said, it’s an opportunity to see how this process works and if it works good in these communities then we could offer it to other communities across the Upper Cumberland.”
Farley said the company is based in Birmingham, Alabama but has experience working in the Upper Cumberland. Farley said there was not any indication from the company why Sparta and Crossville were chosen.
“The main thing they asked is a couple communities that were side-by-side,” Farley said. “And then we’re looking also at communities that would score the best.”
In other business, the executive committee approved an updated USDA work plan. Farley said the plan is related to UCDD’s loan program as part of that funding comes from USDA. Farley said there were no major changes to the program, only minor adjustments since it had not been modernized since 2014.
