The Meadows of Dan Revitalization Project cleared the next hurdle in the funding process this week by being awarded a planning grant of up to $35,000.
According to County Tourism Director Joseph Quesenberry, the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) stated in a June 16 letter: “We are pleased that your project has proceeded to this point (and) will make a total of up to $35,000 available to the county for developing solutions to identified needs.”
Quesenberry said this is the second of three phases for the revitalization project.
“Not only was our project approved, it was also given the maximum award possible for this second phase of the process,” he said. “We couldn’t be more pleased at this point in time.”
The second phase is known as the planning phase, when the conceptual ideas that emerge from meetings of the Meadows of Dan Community Association are given to a consulting firm to draft engineered plans for eventual construction.
“Once the county executes a contract with an engineering firm and plans are drafted and approved, DHCD will release an additional $700,000 for construction. This is what we are continuously marching towards,” Quesenberry said.
“With Meadows of Dan serving as an economic hub and tourism gateway for a large swatch of both Patrick County and the Blue Ridge Parkway, this grant is essential to the economic vitality of the region,” Quesenberry said.
He said the project has brought together a “strong group of leaders” with Meadows of Dan Community Association members, Patrick County Tourist Advisory Council (TAC) members, Blue Ridge District Supervisor Karl Weiss, County Administrator Tom Rose, Patrick County Chamber of Commerce Director Tim Collins, and West Piedmont Planning District officials—“all with one overarching goal: to make Meadows of Dan an even greater place to live, work and play.”
Trinity Goad, president of the Meadows of Dan Community Association, said the grant will “greatly enhance the quality of life in Meadows of Dan. We’ve been working together for several months on this project and we’re looking forward to seeing it come to fruition.”
The Downtown Revitalization Grant is a federally-funded grant facilitated by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development.
For more information, please contact jquesenberry@co.patrick.us, or attend any regularly scheduled Meadows of Dan Community Association meeting.
