By Steven Allen Adams, The Parkersburg News and Sentinel
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — An agency that awarded a $5 million grant to an out-of-state Catholic vocational school for expansion efforts in West Virginia said their only focus was creating additional workforce training opportunities and that their agreement prevents the creation of a conservative think tank as originally proposed.
The West Virginia Water Development Authority met Thursday to consider 17 requests for Economic Enhancement Grant Fund (EEGF) awards for various water and wastewater infrastructure projects and economic development projects across the state.
During that meeting, WDA Executive Director Marie Prezioso said her agency awarded EEGF funding to 161 projects across West Virginia in 2024, including 72 sewer projects, 61 water infrastructure projects, and 28 economic development projects in 51 counties. Those projects were funded in part through the federal American Rescue Plan Act – more than $432 million in projects that pulled down approximately $1.8 billion in private investment.
“I think that everybody can attest we’ve probably not done as many projects for water and sewer in any other year as we have this year,” Prezioso said. “That put a lot of projects into local communities.”