Marion County Mayor John Graham.JASPER, Tenn. – Marion County leaders will pump $21,000 into its ailing farmers market in hopes of getting a total of $80,000 to spend on significant upgrades.
The Marion County Commission voted unanimously last week to add $21,000 to $19,000 in grant money it already has in place to use as matching funds for a larger grant opportunity.
That will give the county the chance to apply for $40,000 in additional grant money, which would give it a total of $80,000 to spend on a large-scale expansion of the dilapidated facility.
County Mayor John Graham said he spoke with the board’s finance committee two weeks ago about applying for the money.
“What I thought we should do was see if the county wanted to put in some additional funds to tap into that extra 50 percent match,” he said.