From the Denver Business Journal (Cathy Proctor):
Colorado’s rural communities have received $545,000 in federal grants from the U.S. Commerce Department’s Economic Development Administration.
The money is going to:
Estes Park, to help the community recover from the devastating September 2013 floods; and Region 10 League for Economic Assistance and Planning (LEAP) of Montrose, to help the agency figure out the best way to assist the economic recovery of Delta and Gunnison counties after the closure of the Oxbow Elk Creek coal mine in December 2013. Estes Park received a $300,000 grant to develop a strategy to diversify the regional economy and keep jobs after the 2013 floods. One key component of this grant will be developing a specific plan to make use of Estes Park’s existing fiber optic ring to deliver improved broadband services to the Town and region, according to the commerce department…
The other grant, for $245,000, will help the Region 10 LEAP develop an in-depth, data-driven analysis to help set priorities to create a more diverse economy, the commerce department said.