Carroll County has received a $150,000 grant to go toward the Exit 1 Water and Sewer Improvement project off Interstate 77 in Lambsburg.

On behalf of the Southwest Virginia Regional Water/Wastewater Construction Fund, Mount Rogers Planning District Commission Executive Director Mike Barrett presented the check to the Carroll County Board of Supervisors during a March 10 ceremony.

The Carroll County PSA authorized obtaining an option on a piece of land in Lambsburg to drill a well to develop the system a couple of months ago.

“This is a fun time to be in Carroll County, because I brought something nice” Barrett said. “This year you have two great projects in Carroll County. We didn’t get them both, but we got this one in. We want to offer you our grant money and we look forward to working with you on the implement of this project.”

Barrett said the $150,000 check to the Carroll County PSA would take care of a small portion of the plan to bring public water and sewer services to the project area in Lambsburg. Carroll County’s total contribution to the Lambsburg project has been estimated at over $700,000.

Board Chairman Sam Dickson thanked Barrett, adding he looks forward to the betterment of the county.

“We certainly appreciate your work and this check for $150,000,” Dickson said. “We very much appreciate it and very much need it.”

Barrett said the county should let the Mount Rogers Planning Commission know if it has ideas for projects in need of assistance.

“If you would just let us know, we will put you into our program and try to put some staff on it to assist you in any way that we can,” Barrett said.

Barrett said six counties and two cities contribute funds to the Mount Rogers Planning District Commission. Along with Carroll, other participating jurisdictions are the counties of Smyth, Washington, Bland, Grayson and Wythe, as well as the cities of Galax and Bristol. The commission serves 190,000 residents in those areas with a total budget of about $2,340,000. Barrett said Mount Rogers asks each locality to contribute less than seven percent of that figure, or about $140,000 each.

“We add some other money to it, about $90,000 annually, and about a $213,000 local match,” Barrett said. “Of that local match, we are able to use that to probably leverage about $650,000 annually for our local operating expenses.”

Barrett said Mount Rogers has two programs, along with its local operating expenses, which pay for the office, the operating facilities, a staff of 13 people, supplies and travel.

In addition to the regular services it offers, members of Mount Rogers staff are also professional grant writers. The group writes many grants and prefers to use revolving community block grants in Virginia, Barrett said. Mount Rogers also participates in the Appalachian Regional Commission and the Economic Development Administration, although the latter hasn’t funded a project in this region in six or seven years.

Another program that assists localities with projects in the region is called the Incentive Fund Technical Assistance Program. Barrett said the program helped Mount Rogers supplement the Carroll PSA with a $50,000 grant two years ago. He said funds from the program have been cut severely, however.

“We appreciate you very much and thank you for sending Carroll County any kind of assistance,” Dickson told Barrett. “If we can be eligible for any kind of funds, I know you have a slight impasse, but we appreciate it.”