By Kristen Lynch
Special to The SUN
Colorado U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet has announced that the Region 9 Economic Development District of Southwestern Colorado received a $54,900 competitive Partnership Planning Grant from the Economic Development Administration (EDA) to fund planning and technical assistance to implement their economic development strategy.
The Region 9 Economic Development District’s comprehensive strategy brings public and private sectors together to help communities throughout the region build their economies and meet development goals.
“The Region 9 board of directors has worked hard to build and diversify local economies in southwestern Colorado,” Bennet said. ”This investment in this region will help these communities move forward with innovative projects as they craft a strategy to support job creation.”
The Region 9 Economic Development District of Southwest Colorado includes Archuleta, Dolores, La Plata, Montezuma and San Juan counties and is a non-profit, public-private partnership that promotes and coordinates economic development efforts throughout the southwestern region of the state. It is one of 14 Economic Development Districts in the state.
The EDA is a program of the U.S. Department of Commerce that works to promote economic development nationwide by promoting innovation and regional collaboration. This project will be matched with funds from local governments.