City of Jackson, Ohio
The City of Jackson, Ohio, received a $2.4 million EDA grant to make upgrades to its water and wastewater infrastructure through EDA’s $300 million Coal Communities Commitment program under the American Rescue Plan.
In the past two decades, Jackson has struggled to retain both businesses and workers as a result of the weakened coal industry. In the last five years alone, two nearby coal mines officially closed – mines which, at one point, collectively employed over 500 local workers. These closures coincided with the closure of a uranium enrichment facility and the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“For several years, now, we’ve had an unemployment rate significantly higher than the national average,” explained David Swackhammer, the city’s Service Director. Jackson’s peak unemployment rate during the pandemic was 15% and is now 7.47%, which is still significantly higher than the national rate at 3.7%.
As a result of Jackson’s weakened economy over the last two decades, most investments in the city’s infrastructure had to be put on hold. “When the new mayor and I came into office in 2020, we both realized that there was a big need for infrastructure investment,” Swackhammer said.
The two brainstormed a long list of possible projects, but according to Swackhammer the “water and sewer issue was always at the top of the list.” The problem is even more acute because the city’s largest current employers focus on food and beverage production – industries which rely on clean, uninterrupted water and wastewater service.
With EDA’s investment, the City of Jackson will repair and replace the city’s 123-year-old main water trunk line, update 53 gate valves, reconnect several service lines, replace 15 fire hydrants, and line 5,000 feet of sewer pipes. Given the infrastructure project was estimated to cost well over $3 million, Swackhammer noted, “we knew we would need to obtain outside funding – our city just doesn’t have that kind of money in our general fund. That’s where the EDA funding comes in.”
 Photo of Jackson’s Main Street and iconic Apple Water Tower, provided by the City of Jackson.
Jackson sits at the intersection of two interstates, providing the city with transportation routes in every direction. The city also boasts great access to rail lines, too – but as Swackhammer pointed out, “none of these highways or rail lines means anything to an investor if you can’t prove you have stable water, sewer, and electric.”
Traci Plants, Executive Assistant and Project Coordinator for the Mayor’s Office, added, “We need to be competitive and attract jobs and businesses to our area for the people who want to stay and work and live here. We don’t want them to have to drive an hour away to find jobs, or to leave the area entirely.” Plants continued, “For us to be a vibrant community, we have to have something here which keeps our residents here. That’s why this investment is important.”
Moving forward, the city plans to continue strengthening its aging infrastructure, and both Swackhammer and Plant view this project as just the first step.
“We believe this EDA investment will help to give our current employers and future employers the confidence to expand and to further invest in their businesses,” said Plant.
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