The Utah Coal Country Strike Team this week awarded two $75,000 grants to Price City and Castle Dale City as part of its economic redevelopment initiative. The new funds support the Strike Team’s primary initiatives to assist with regional economic diversification and renew existing residential and commercial assets with programs such as downtown beautification, tourism infrastructure, and other development priorities.

“We continue to be immensely grateful for the efforts of the Utah Coal Country Strike Team,” said Danny Van Wagoner, Mayor of Castle Dale City. “With these new funds, we will keep doing the necessary work of building up Castle Dale City and creating a bright future for our citizens.”

Supporting research gathered by the Strike Team shows that economic diversity with a tourism focus has been successful in other coal communities, including revitalizing downtown districts and development of the arts. The lack of infrastructure, inadequate marketing, and inadequate workforce training are barriers to tourism development in rural communities, which this new funding will be used to rectify.

“On behalf of Price City, I wish to express our sincere gratitude to the Utah Coal Country Strike Team for their continued support,” said Mike Kourianos, Mayor of Price City. “We greatly value this investment and will ensure its use in helping our community prosper.”

ABOUT THE UTAH COAL COUNTRY STRIKE TEAM

The Utah Coal Country Strike Team serves the coal communities of Carbon and Emery counties by raising incomes and diversifying the economy. The strike team includes a multi-disciplinary team of experts who, with the support of the Utah Legislature and national funder Schmidt Futures, assist with public policies and invest in workforce training, tourism infrastructure, housing revitalization and economic development incentives. For more information, visit https://coalcountrystriketeam.com/