PRESS RELEASE

County seeks and receives $176,000 Rural Development grant for video conferencing equipment and fiber optic connectivity for new franklin center

For Immediate Release

July 26, 2007

For Additional Information,

Contact Richard E. Huff, II, County Administrator

In keeping with the County’s efforts to aggressively seek grant assistance wherever feasible, County Administrator Richard Huff has announced that the United States Department of Agriculture Rural Development office has awarded the County a grant in the amount of $176,000 to connect the County’s new Workforce Development facility called The Franklin Center with the County’s Information Technology hubs at the Courthouse Complex and the proposed new Government Center on Route 40 West. Funding will also be used to assist in providing a high speed videoconferencing link and equipment at The Franklin Center which will be used to connect students at the local center with teachers or classrooms all over the world. The County is grateful for the assistance from the Rural Development office of the U. S. Department of Agriculture!