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By Zach Compton
Claiborne Progress

 

The town of Cumberland Gap has several grants in the works that would help improve tourism, restore historic buildings, and even relieve flooding in the area. Mayor Neal Pucciarelli says that the town is primarily looking forward to the results of three major grants that have been applied for: a Tourism Enhancement Grant, a Downtown Improvement Grant (D.I.G), and a grant through the Appalachian Regional Commission (A.R.C) which would allow the city to address some of the flooding problems it faces.
Within the last year the city took out a 12 year loan to acquire the Cumberland Gap Commons, also known as the Estep property, an acre and a half vacant lot that the city uses to host local events. One grant is already in place that will add bathrooms, parking, and handicap accessibility to the area. According to the mayor, the Guardians of the Gap have applied for a Tourism Enhancement Grant that would “take that project to the next step”, and may include plans to add showers or a new public park area. The city had been in negotiations with the Estep family who previously owned the property for some time, and is excited to further develop the space.
The second major grant that mayor Pucciarelli is excited about is the D.I.G, a state grant that would allow for the upkeep and preservation of some of the historic buildings in the town. Mayor Pucciarelli says, “The purpose of that is to try and save some of our older properties — houses, buildings, and structures like a bridge or something like that,” Pucciarelli said. “Basically it’s another grant we could use to possibly make cosmetic improvements to our buildings in the historic district. Most of them are over 100 years old and they need some care at this point.”

The mayor went on to explain that this grant would function as a pool of money that property owners could apply for to get access to funds for projects related to improving their properties. The grant functions as a “25% match”, which means that the grant funds would pay for 75% of the cost of any applicant’s submitted project. The mayor also clarified that a “small portion” of the grant would be reserved for upkeep and improvement of city property such as the park, but that it is still “a great opportunity for the property owners to make improvements to these older structures.”
The final major grant through A.R.C is an exciting proposition for every resident of Cumberland Gap; a grant that would allow the city to help control its flooding problem. Mayor Pucciarelli described the city as “at the bottom of a bowl”, so runoff from heavy rainfall creates flooding issues in the town from several different locations. When strong storms came through the area during the last week of August, the town suffered some significant flooding.

“It was quite a bit of water that ran through water that ran through town and there was quite a bit of flood damage that was done to people’s businesses and buildings,” Pucciarelli said. “So if we can get a grip on that it makes us a better place for our business owners and makes it more desirable for people who want to live here.”

The city has often faced problems with flash floods, and the mayor is hopeful that, if this grant goes through, the city can set up some much needed protections against this flooding.
Mayor Pucciarelli also said that the city is still hoping to obtain its own fire truck, and has currently completed 2 steps in the review process to get one. The city is also working on repairs to some sidewalks and the dog park, where some of the fences are in need of maintenance from general wear and tear.