ELIZABETHTOWN — State Rep. William Brisson’s office announced Thursday the town of Elizabethtown will receive a grant in the amount of $417,103 from the N.C. Rural Infrastructure Authority.

Town Manager Eddie Madden said the town originally applied to the Golden LEAF Community Based Grantsmaking Initiative for $675,000 in grant funding for improvements to be made at the Elizabethtown Industrial Park and the Elizabethtown Airport. The Golden LEAF foundation board only awarded the town $197,000 for the water and sewer improvements to be made at the industrial park, said Madden.

He said the grant from the RIA along with a grant in the amount $700,000 secured from the N.C. Division on Aviation will allow the proposed project to move forward.

“This is to extend the taxiway to the property the airport commission purchased in 2014 in anticipation of industrial development that would need access to the runway,” said Madden.

He added there are no plans for a runway extension at this time.

The total project, once completed, will cost about $1.3 million and will include a taxiway extension, a master plan for the industrial park, a water/sewer improvement project, a service entrance improvement, and a road extension project, according to Madden.

According to Brisson’s release: “The Utility Account of the Industrial Development Fund provides grants to units of local government of the 80 most distressed counties in the state to assist in job creation. The funds may be used for publicly-owned infrastructure and should be used for projects that are reasonably expected to result in the creation of jobs.”

Erin Smith can be reached by calling 910-862-4163.