Richmond Leader

Washington, D.C. – On April 20, Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan (VA-04) announced the Community Project Funding requests she submitted to the House Appropriations Committee for consideration in the Fiscal Year 2024 (FY2024) Appropriations process.

“The Community Project Funding program is an incredible opportunity for Virginia’s Fourth, and I am excited to announce the fifteen projects I have submitted to the House Appropriations Committee for funding consideration,” said Congresswoman McClellan. “The fifteen selected projects span localities across our district and would make a meaningful and impactful change in the lives of residents. These projects would spur economic development, create good-paying jobs, and modernize our infrastructure systems. While there is no guarantee that all fifteen projects will be funded, I will be engaging with the committee throughout the process and advocating for funding to support these crucial local priorities.”

Congresswoman McClellan submitted these fifteen projects:

The Greater Richmond Area:

• Henrico County Universal Broadband Deployment to extend broadband access to all unserved locations within Henrico County. The project will connect 412 serviceable units in Henrico County, including 376 residential homes, 35 businesses, 3 community anchors, and 11 non-residential sites.
• YWCA Richmond’s Transforming Lives to provide residential housing with programming and services for survivors of domestic violence and for youth aging out of foster care in the Richmond area. The project will build at least 40 new residential units and provide 24/7 innovative programming and services under one roof.
• City of Richmond Combined Sewer Overflow Wastewater Treatment Pumping Station to make upgrades to the plant’s main pumping station. The upgrades would ensure it could reliably pump 140 million gallons per day to reduce combined sewer overflow. Specific upgrades to the station include new pumps, motors, electronic controls, and monitoring equipment to improve pumping capacity.
• City of Richmond Route 1 High-Injury Street Network Improvements to support the development of a new intersection at Richmond Highway (U.S. Route 1) and the offset intersections of Harwood Street and Hopkins Road, which is on the City’s High-Injury Street Network.
• Virginia Biotechnology Research Partnership Authority’s Life Sciences Innovation Center and Laboratory Equipment to support the new Life Sciences Innovation Center and Laboratory with new lab and technology equipment. The project will support the growth of a regional pharmaceutical manufacturing cluster, which will help accelerate efforts to secure the nation’s supply of quality affordable essential medicines.
• Richmond International Airport Aircraft Apron to allow for the construction of a new aircraft apron, East Side Apron 5, to meet current and future requirements. The project will allow RIC to relocate two areas of current general aviation operations in the northwest and southwest corners of the airfield to one consolidated, state-of-the-art area on the east side of the airfield. Relocation will also enable the expansion of cargo operations and the construction of a second parallel runway.
• An Achievable Dream Enrichment and Discipline Reduction Program to provide critical mental health support to at-risk students by trauma-informed specialists and staff engaged in student support. The project will support An Achievable Dream’s overall goal to deliver educational opportunities and counseling services to prevent the onset of delinquent or disruptive behavior.

The Tri-Cities:

• City of Chesterfield Ettrick Passenger Rail Station Improvements to start the process of designing and constructing a new passenger rail station that will replace the obsolete and structurally deficient Ettrick station. The project will support the increase in passengers expected from the doubling of service through Ettrick that will result from the development of the Richmond to Raleigh corridor segment, as well as plan for a new third track and platform that will serve Amtrak trains.
• Investments in Advanced Manufacturing Development to accelerate research of state-of-the-art manufacturing demonstration solutions. The project will ensure the Commonwealth Center for Advanced Manufacturing (CCAM) has the advanced manufacturing tools and equipment required to research and standardize Industry 4.0 readiness of the region’s industrial base.
• Colonial Heights Waterline Replacement Project to address and modernize aging water infrastructure to improve water quality, capacity, and pressure for many residents within the city. The project will also update part of the city’s water distribution infrastructure.
• City of Petersburg Poor Creek Force Main Capacity Improvements to replace an existing wastewater system to ensure the public’s access to a reliable wastewater service. The project will replace and relocate an existing, outdated wastewater force main to a more accessible route.
• Prince George County Water Transmission Main Appomattox River Crossing to construct approximately 2,200 feet of drinking water transmission line and replace an existing waterline. This project will provide a more reliable means of transmitting drinking water to the central water system customers.

Southside & Eastern Virginia:

• Surry County Public Schools Water System Upgrade to replace and upgrade water wells and water infrastructure at the Surry County School Complex, where the county’s three schools are located. The project will allow the county to connect the public-school water system to the neighboring industrial park water system.
• Southside Community College’s In-Demand Technical Training Learning Project to support the purchase of equipment and technical training tools to enhance the quality of instruction, increase capacity, and boost enrollment in precision machining, electricity and HVAC, welding, and information technology programs.
• Brunswick County Industrial Site Development to provide road and utility improvements to the Stonewall Industrial Site. This project will construct turning lanes and crossover improvements on U.S. Highway 58, including 500 feet of on-site access roadway, and help complete the construction of water and sewer lines and the extension of gas and electrical lines to serve the park.

Under guidelines issued by the Appropriations Committee, each Representative may request funding for up to fifteen projects in their district for FY2024 – although only a handful may be chosen for funding. Projects are restricted to a limited number of federal funding streams, and only state and local governments and eligible non-profit entities are eligible to receive funding.

In compliance with House rules and committee requirements, Congresswoman McClellan has certified that she and her immediate family have no financial interest in any of the projects she has submitted.

Read quotes from the project requesters here. More information on Rep. McClellan’s CPF process is available here.

Original source can be found here