NILES — One part of the city soon will see some power upgrades for the sake of enterprise, thanks to a grant that was nearly six months in the works.

According to a news release from Mayor Steve Mientkiewicz, the city has been awarded $402,500 by the Appalachian Regional Commission to expand the electrical capacity of industrial areas on its west side.

The award was made available through ARC’s Partnerships for Opportunities and Workforce and Economic Revitalization Initiative, which offers federal grant funding for projects that help Appalachian coal communities expand economic opportunities by creating in-demand jobs in industries, attracting new sources of private investment, and providing workforce skills training, the release states.

In terms of the industrial areas affected, Mientkiewicz said it’s the area near BRT Extrusions, a Youngstown-Warren area-based company dealing in aluminum extrusion manufacturing.

Mientkiewicz said the upgrades had nothing to do with data centers, on which city council placed a 180-day moratorium at a May 20 meeting.

“This has zero affiliation with any data center; I know there were comments made that this electric capacity is prepping the city to allow a data center,” Mientkiewicz said. “The grant and the project is specific to the area of BRT Extrusions.”

Mientkiewicz said this particular grant will head to the final design and public bid steps, and construction will hopefully start at some point in the summer.

“The city’s responsibility is to provide that basic infrastructure to our residents and business community, and any time we are in a position to take grant dollars for funding for infrastructure, whether it be electric, water or sewer, the city takes an interest in applying for those grant funds,” he said.

Mientkiewicz noted the city has been “very successful” over the years in partnering with ARC to obtain funds for such upgrades.

The city has been positioning itself for future partnerships, too, including approving a resolution at an April meeting authorizing Mientkiewicz or Service Director Anthony Flarey to prepare and submit an application and enter into agreements with the Appalachian Regional Commission to become eligible for funding assistance for a waterline replacement.

“The more the merrier, and again, the more assistance that we can bring in, helps us offset our local budgets and move these projects forward,” Mientkiewicz said.