CCED sends greetings in this crazy time

by Christina St Germaine, Director, Clearwater County Economic Development

Greetings from Clearwater County Economic Development,

What a crazy COVID-19 affected month we just experienced, I'm thankful that so far, we are all staying healthy and well; and I hope you are finding ways to care for your mental wellbeing.

In April we worked - as many of you know from the volumes of email - to get the CARES Act info out. To-date, we are aware of just over $4.5 million in funding going to our businesses! Additionally, in April we were part of the Innovia Covid-19 grant fund and sent $4,500 to each of our Senior Centers (Orofino & Weippe) and $3,500 to our behavioral health partners First Step 4 Life. These funds were granted to support the delivery of services to vulnerable citizens to get food, personal protective equipment and access to resources.

Outside of COVID-19, yes other work went on, we partnered with the City of Orofino and USDA Rural Development to secure funds to help with the flood plain work supporting redevelopment of the former Konkolville Mill site. In Elk River we worked with the City and the Steele Reece Foundation to secure funds for completing the fire station. In Pierce/Weippe we are working with the Blue Cross Foundation on a rural healthcare project. The community was selected out of six others across Idaho; and, we are very excited to have been selected and look forward to project development and strategizing to enhance healthcare access in the hilltop community.

Don't hesitate to ask questions or send comments our way; we strive to work on smart economic growth and community sustainability across Clearwater County.