Turn This Town Around Awards Grants

“Turn This Town Around” is a project in which two West Virginia communities- Matewan and Grafton – have been selected to receive training, coaching, and technical assistance to help residents revitalize their communities.  Wednesday night members of Turn This Town Around Matewan found out which of their ideas will receive funding.

“Turn This Town Around” is an undertaking of West Virginia Focus, a partnership between West Virginia Public Broadcasting and the West Virginia Community Development Hub. 

Members of Turn This Town Around Matewan came up with seventeen different ideas that were awarded grant money. Ideas such as:

• Fixing floor of Mine Wars Museum
• Bike Friendly Matewan
• Public Library Awarenes
• Walking Brochures
• Geocaching Matewan
• New Logo and Branding
• Beautification Projects

Those are just some of the 17 projects that were awarded mini grants totaling as much as $2,500. Amanda Yager is Director of Community Strategies with the West Virginia Community Development Hub, sponsors of the Turn This Town Around project.
“There are some that have come out that we didn’t even think about, probably because we didn’t know what Matewan had to offer,” Yager said. “Some of those are like the mine wars museum, they needed new flooring to actually open up the museum to the public, that’s something that came out that we weren’t really expecting,”

In order for each group to get their money after last night they have to fill out payment request forms where they list an organization the money will go through. Then as long as members of the groups have met attendance requirements then the funds will be released. Then they have to fill out a reporting document to keep track of the progress which they’ll turn in at the December meeting.

Members of Matewan’s revitalization effort will continue to meet monthly.