Karen Fabiano of the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) office in Washington, D.C., recently visited the Cumberland Valley Area Development District (CVADD) to discuss funding opportunities, promoting economic development, and growth in areas such as infrastructure, tourism, job creation/retention, and more for CVADD’s eight-county area of Bell, Clay, Harlan, Jackson, Knox, Laurel, Rockcastle, and Whitley. 

During Karen’s stay, CVADD staff, mayors, judge/executives, and board members gave her a tour of downtown Corbin, Bell County, and Harlan County. Some stops along the tour included Cumberland Falls, Pineville Square, Boone’s Ridge, the Evarts Water Plant, and Portal 31, a museum located inside a former active underground mine in Lynch, Kentucky. 

ARC is a federal organization dedicated to improving Appalachian conditions, extending from western New York to northwestern Mississippi. CVADD is in the Central Appalachian Region. ARC works closely with local jurisdictions and organizations in CVADD’s area on a wide range of projects and provides millions in grant funding.