Community Strong: A Vision for Southwest Virginia's Future
Community Strong
A Vision for Southwest Virginia's Future
Dedicated to the Memory of Mayor Debra Horne of Dungannon, Virginia
Our team is forever indebted to the work of Mayor Debra Horne, who was instrumental in helping to shape the Community Strong initiative from its inception. We were lucky to work closely with Mayor Horne and witness her love for the people of her community.
She was a dedicated public servant, a powerful advocate and a truly kind and compassionate person, modeling what it means to devote time and energy to the town she loved.
We will miss her greatly and we dedicate our continuing efforts to her memory.
The Community Strong Project
For generations, Southwest Virginia has been a key producer in America's coal industry, which shaped the region’s economy and identity. But as the industry declines, coal communities across the region are forging new paths forward. At Appalachian Voices, we believe that the people who call these communities home should be at the forefront of shaping their future.
Community Strong is led by our New Economy team, which works alongside local residents to identify community priorities, facilitate planning and provide technical assistance for project development. Our work focuses on five communities—Clinchco, Dante, Dungannon, Pennington Gap and Pound—to create locally driven initiatives that strengthen economies, address environmental challenges and improve quality of life.
Our work is made possible through collaboration with local leaders, funding partners and community members. This page provides updates on listening sessions, project developments and opportunities to get involved.
IMPORTANT UPDATE:
On June 25, 2025, Appalachian Voices joined our partners and attorneys in a class-action lawsuit against the EPA for unlawfully terminating its Environmental and Climate Justice Block Grant Program.
Dedicated to the Memory of Mayor Debra Horne of Dungannon, Virginia
Our team is forever indebted to the work of Mayor Debra Horne, who was instrumental in helping to shape the Community Strong initiative from its inception. We were lucky to work closely with Mayor Horne and witness her love for the people of her community.
She was a dedicated public servant, a powerful advocate and a truly kind and compassionate person, modeling what it means to devote time and energy to the town she loved.
We will miss her greatly and we dedicate our continuing efforts to her memory.
What’s happened so far?
At the first meeting for each locality, community members brainstormed common themes, issues and hopes for their communities, collectively forming a long-term vision. These initial ideas were narrowed down into the top three most common themes for each locality. At the second session, attendees chose which theme to pursue for their chosen project in an anonymous vote. A few months later, folks came back together to collaboratively design their chosen projects and to put the finishing touches on plans to move forward with pursuing funding. Overall, we welcomed nearly 300 local residents across 15 community meetings.
What's happening now
Funding from a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem Solving grant supported the launch of the Community Strong initiative in early 2024 and funded critical, community-driven work until the EPA terminated the grant on Feb. 22, 2025. The loss of the grant impacted continued project development, such as hiring contractors to remove a dilapidated building that is impeding floodplain improvements. Appalachian Voices is appealing the agency’s decision to terminate this grant.
On June 25, 2025, Appalachian Voices joined a group of nonprofits, local governments and Tribes from across the country in filing a class-action lawsuit against the EPA for unlawfully terminating its congressionally mandated Environmental and Climate Justice Block Grant Program.
“We are proud to be standing up for the communities and environment where we work—and, very importantly, for the rule of law and the U.S. Constitution,” said Appalachian Voices Executive Director Tom Cormons.
Despite the loss of the EPA EJCPS grant, Appalachian Voices is hard at work to advance these initiatives and find opportunities to support project development at each of the sites prioritized by the community.
In Pound, a new report from the West Virginia University B.A.D. Buildings program, in partnership with the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, lays out plans for remediating local abandoned and dilapidated buildings, several of which increase the severity of local flooding. Clinchco was awarded a Department of Energy Virginia Energy Reliability Study grant that will allow the town to receive a customized case study and design for a resilience hub.
In both Pound and Pennington Gap, Residents Advisory Councils have formed to ensure that project control and benefits are directly in the hands of local folks, and Dungannon residents voted to officially form the Dungannon Community Association.
Here’s where things currently stand in each locality:
Pound: The old People’s Bank building downtown recently underwent demolition. In its place, community members and leaders are planning a monument to labor and a pocket park. You helped design a stage for community use and talked about splash pads, a farmer’s market and a place for town events. The stage and park are slated to be unveiled next spring. A design firm has also completed new plans for a flood-mitigating riverwalk to bring a new recreational opportunity to the area.
Pennington Gap: The town received a completed flood-mitigation greenscaping project report and is preparing to apply for project implementation funding. The town is applying for state funding to demolish the Cas Walker building and build a recreational area in its place. New energy-efficient LED lighting is being installed along the greenbelt, made possible by federal funding from the Department of Energy’s SOLVE-IT prize.
Dungannon: We are working with the community to purchase land to create a flood-mitigating wetland education area and recreation space near the historic Dungannon Depot, which currently serves as a community center. In partnership with Appalachian Voices, the town used federal Buildings Up funding to install energy efficiency upgrades and heat pumps at the Dungannon Depot, and the town is also conducting a feasibility study with American Microgrid Solutions for using the depot as the site for a future resilience hub.
Dante: The community is working on revitalization of the Dante Depot to be used as a central hub for community resilience. Russell County received a Community Development Planning Grant for Dante to inventory residential properties to compile a plan for building revitalization. Appalachian Voices has also worked with Dante to complete a solar and battery storage feasibility study for the depot building.
Clinchco: We are working with the community to build resilience against flooding while working on plans to repurpose unused town-owned property. The town also received a Department of Energy Virginia Energy Resilience Study grant to fund a resilience and energy efficiency study in the community and develop plans for a community resilience hub.
Investing in Community-Led Solutions
Our New Economy team helps communities design and implement projects that support long-term revitalization and resilience. We provide technical assistance, grant support and planning expertise in four key areas:
- Disaster Preparedness – Strengthening infrastructure to mitigate flood risks and other hazards.
- Energy Deployment – Supporting clean energy solutions that reduce costs and improve resilience.
- Environmental Reclamation & Cleanup – Revitalizing land impacted by industrial activity.
- Green Space & Outdoor Recreation – Creating parks, trails and other outdoor assets that attract visitors and businesses while enhancing public spaces and improving quality of life.
Through these efforts, we aim to strengthen communities by increasing access to funding opportunities for long-term community success.
Read more on our blog
- The need for disaster preparedness in one rural community
- Community improvement projects proceed in Pound as some funding remains uncertain
- Connecting the future to the past through five special places
- Revitalizing Pennington Gap: Clean energy and economic investment in Southwest Virginia
- Building collaborative communities in Southwest Virginia
- Homecoming: Why rural community economic development matters
- Communities identify priorities during first listening sessions of multi-year project
- Building energy-resilient communities in far Southwest Virginia
- Investing in what matters: Federal funding to kick off community-led resiliency projects
Contact Us
For more information about the Community Strong project, fill out the form below and we will be in touch!
Some of the initiatives described on this page were funded by a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem Solving grant until Feb. 22, 2025. EPA funding for these activities ceased on that date.