Jul 26, 2024
Local Issues
ICYMI: Spanberger Joins Local Leaders Across Seventh District, Celebrates More Than $6.4 Million in Secured Federal Funding for Virginia Community-Requested Projects
The Congresswoman Worked Directly with County Officials & Community Leaders to Deliver Funding for Key Central Virginia Projects Focused on Economic Growth, Public Safety, Substance Abuse Treatment, Public Works, Infrastructure, & Recreation
HENRICO, V.A. — U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger joined county officials and community leaders across the Seventh District to celebrate the federal funding successfully secured for local projects as part of a U.S. House and U.S. Senate-passed fiscal year (FY)2022 appropriations bill. The major investment in these community-requested projects totals more than $6.4 million that is now headed to Virginia’s Seventh District.
Spanberger worked directly with Central Virginia officials to solicit these requests, move these projects forward, and ensure they were included in the final package. These investments will help create new jobs, expand healthcare and treatment services, foster economic growth, address longstanding infrastructure needs, increase recreational opportunities, and improve public safety. All 10 of Spanberger’s project funding requests were signed into law.
“One of my highest priorities in Congress is bringing federal resources home to Virginia’s families, businesses, economy, and communities. It was great to visit the project sites across Central Virginia and see how these federal dollars will address the unique needs of each of our 10 counties,” said Spanberger. “As we rebuild from the pandemic, these smart, local investments can quickly help create new jobs, improve public safety, and keep Virginians safe. I was proud to work with local leaders over the last year to get this essential funding across the finish line, and I’m excited to see these investments make our communities even better, stronger, and more vibrant for generations to come.”
A summary of each event for the Seventh District’s 10 counties and links to additional information about each project are below.
**Click Here for More Photos from Representative Spanberger’s Event**
Spanberger secured $375,000 for a new office of the Clerk of the Circuit Court in Amelia County. The funding will be used to renovate a former bank building into the new Clerk’s Office, which is currently located in the Amelia County Courthouse. This renovation will allow the county to make necessary security improvements to both the County Courthouse and the Sheriff’s Office.
**Click Here for More Photos from Representative Spanberger’s Event**
Spanberger secured $200,000 for the roof replacement of the Carver Center — previously George Washington Carver Regional High School — in Culpeper County. The roof replacement will be integral for the continued development of the Carver Center into a rural community education campus. The funding for Culpeper County will support the addition of a food processing center within the campus that includes a commercial kitchen for educational use and small business operations, providing the support necessary to assist with the financial sustainability of small and medium-sized local farms and food businesses.
**Click Here for More Photos from Representative Spanberger’s Event**
Spanberger secured $15,000 for GoochlandCares — a local nonprofit organization and free clinic with a mission to provide healthcare to elderly, low-income, and disabled Goochland residents — to increase access to healthcare in Goochland County. The funding will be used by GoochlandCares to purchase a second van for its transportation program, increasing the program’s efficiency and the number of people that can be transported to healthcare appointments, the pharmacy, and additional healthcare-related destinations each day.
**Click Here for More Photos from Representative Spanberger’s Event**
Spanberger secured $1 million to build a 24-hour center to provide same-day inpatient detox services in Henrico County. The funding for the Henrico County Detox and Recovery Center will be used to address a critical gap that exists in the continuum of substance abuse treatment services available in the county.
**Click Here for More Photos from Representative Spanberger’s Event**
Spanberger secured $923,937 for the purchase of an aerial ladder fire truck for the Blackstone Volunteer Fire Department. The funding will address an existing gap in firefighting capabilities in the Town of Blackstone, Fort Pickett, and neighboring towns, which currently lack an aerial ladder fire truck.
**Click Here for More Photos from Representative Spanberger’s Event**
Spanberger secured $122,590 for the revitalization of Booster Park in Orange. The thousands of dollars in funding for improvements to Booster Park will be used for repairs to the field, practice facility, and concession stand. Spanberger worked directly with Orange County officials to get this funding request signed into law.
**Click Here for More Photos from Representative Spanberger’s Event**
Spanberger secured $150,173 for the construction of a new walking and running trail in Powhatan County. The funding for a new “Education Connection Trail” will support a new trail connecting Powhatan Middle School and Powhatan Elementary School with key points in Powhatan — including the public library, YMCA, Fighting Creek Park, and the County’s existing three-mile trail network. This new trail will provide walkable connections to important amenities, increase access and mobility for Powhatan residents, and create new opportunities for fitness and recreation.
**Click Here for More Photos from Representative Spanberger’s Event**
Spanberger secured $1,840,000 to expand the Motts Run Water Treatment Plant in Spotsylvania. This major funding for Spotsylvania County will be used to improve water service stability and reliability for the region. Specifically, the funding will be used for costs associated with the project’s National Environmental Policy Act Review that will help lead to construction.
BACKGROUND
For FY2022, the U.S. House of Representatives implemented a new effort as part of its annual appropriations process, which allowed for specific Community Project Funding requests. Spanberger worked directly with community leaders in all 10 counties of the Seventh District to gather community-focused requests for her submissions. Click here for the full list of her submissions.
The Community Project Funding process was created to ensure that Members of Congress — in concert with the communities they represent — may submit direct applications for federal funding to support locally planned projects as part of the yearly appropriations process.
To be eligible, projects must be sponsored by local or state government entities or non-profit organizations and must be projects that would otherwise meet the qualifications to apply for federal grant funding. The purpose of Community Project Funding is to ensure direct, local engagement as part of the federal appropriations process. In line with this goal, funding applications needed to demonstrate significant local support for the projects.
###