MOUNT JEWETT — Appalachian Regional Commission Co-Chair Gayle Manchin joined the North Central Pennsylvania Regional Planning and Development Commission in touring projects that have received ARC funding.

Manchin started the day at Kinzua Bridge State Park, where she met with partners and collaborators who are supporting the growth of the outdoor recreation economy, sustainable infrastructure and business growth.

The group received an update from PA Wilds Center for Entrepreneurship Founder and CEO Ta Enos about the center’s continuing work.

“The PA Wilds you have up here, they have done great lead work,” Manchin, wife of West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, said.

Enos explained, since more than 90% of the products for the shop are sourced from regional artisans who live in the PA Wilds region, purchases have a ripple effect on the local economy.

The PA Wilds Center is nonprofit. Its mission is to work with others in the region to create jobs, diversify local economies, inspire stewardship and improve quality of life through outdoor recreation and tourism.

“Their work serves as a model for ways our entire region can collaborate to leverage outdoor recreation and tourism to drive economic development,” Manchin said.

Manchin and other ARC members explored the PA Wilds Conservation Shop and noted the artisans who had their work on display before being swept away, back to the tour to learn about Gen. Thomas Kane, the man who spearheaded building the Kinzua Bridge.

After touring the museum the group was guided to the bridge.

Guide Holly Dzemyan had been giving details and facts all along the way. At one point along the tour, Dzemyan mentioned the bridge did not have the guardrails that it does today, and the group was suddenly more relaxed, maybe knowing it could have been scarier.

An Era reporter sat down with Manchin to discuss what she envisions for the Appalachian Regional Initiative for Stronger Economies (ARISE) funding through the ARC.

ARISE, which came online only two weeks ago, aims to drive large-scale, regional economic transformation through multi-state collaborative projects across Appalachia. With the additional funding provided by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) of 2021 (also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law or BIL), ARC launched ARISE to strengthen Appalachian business and industry, and to grow and support the development of new opportunities across multiple states.

“I see this as a multi-state collaboration,” said Manchin. “Add the work your PA Wilds has started, there is also a VA Wilds and a KY Wilds. What if it was all one — Appalachia Wilds — and we all worked together with the same goals of promoting the beauty of the entire Appalachian region? That is what I envision.

“There is power in numbers, and we have the numbers,” she continued. “My observation, since coming on as a co-chair, is that we aren’t named the 13 states of Appalachia. We are the Appalachian Region and we should work together. Within the 243 counties and 13 states, there are 26 million people — that’s power.”

She said the only two entities with more people are the states of California and Texas.

“But we have to bring people together to do this. First it was getting the highways, we did that. Now we are working on Broadband, and that is key to keeping people in rural areas,” Manchin explained.

She added that many want to stay where they grew up but they don’t have the means to do so. Having reliable internet is like having a highway to get to where you need to go.

“We are at a great moment in time, this is the point of great opportunity for those in Appalachia to grab onto. I believe in this and know the $73.5 million available funding will inspire and encourage the collaboration of state-to-state partnerships that create something transformative.”

Information about ARISE is available on the arc.gov website, and Manchin reminds those interested they will need to collaborate with others in their industry from two or more states in the Appalachian region and the proposal will need to address at least one of ARC’s five strategic investment priorities: building businesses; building workforce ecosystems; building infrastructure; building regional culture and tourism; or building leaders and community capacity.

As she was on her way to the next stop, she said, “ARC has made it possible for those in Appalachia to survive and even thrive, but I think we should be able to compete at the national or even global level. We need to work together to do it.”

Following the tour at Kinzua Bridge State Park, Manchin continued her tour in the PA Wilds by visiting the new Penn Highlands Stern Center for Behavioral Health in DuBois. This part of Penn Highlands was made possible in part through a $500,000 ARC POWER grant, with an earlier access road grant for Penn Highlands. The funding helped make possible a stand-alone behavioral health hospital to serve children and adolescents as well as adults suffering from drug and alcohol addiction and behavioral health issues.

Manchin said, “I was moved by the dedication and passion of the medical team who brought this facility to life. It’s clear that they’re committed to supporting children and families who are battling behavioral health issues. The state-of-the-art facility was warm and welcoming, and we’re so gratified they’ll be able to expand access to critical behavioral healthcare for children and families. While ARC played a role in funding this facility, I’d be remiss not the laud the hardworking professionals who are expanding the services and care for Appalachian families.”