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Creating Regional Solutions Since 1971
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Local Municipalities Receive over $11 Million in Grant/Loan Awards with help of Upper Coastal Plain Council of Governments
Governor Roy Cooper announced this past Wednesday $166 million in loans and grants to help pay for 88 critical drinking water and wastewater projects across the state.
The Upper Coastal Plain Council of Governments assisted seven (7) of the region’s Towns with the application preparation and submittal process and is expected to provide grant administration services and technical assistance related to the projects.
“We are very happy our member governments will receive over $11 million in new grants and loans from this last round of awards” said Planning and Development Services Department Director, Ron Townley. “This brings the regional total we have assisted with to over $40 million since 2014. These awards are critical to assisting our small towns with needed maintenance and improvements so they can provide quality water and sewer service to their residents and businesses.
The Town of Bailey received a combination State Grant and Clean Water State Revolving Fund Principal Forgiveness Award for $1,841,500 to rehabilitate/replace the gravity sewer line.
A Clean Water State Revolving Fund Principal Forgiveness Award for $1,199,080 was also given to Enfield to rehabilitate the wastewater treatment plant and gravity sewer line.
The Towns of Lucama, Sharpsburg, and Whitakers were all awarded Clean Water State Revolving Fund Grant/Loans. Lucama will use their award of $1,467,500 to rehabilitate their gravity sewer line and Pump Station #3. Sharpsburg will rehabilitate seven (7) pump stations and install two (2) generators with their awarded $1,451,234.
The $3,115,600 granted to Whitakers will be used to replace the gravity sewer line and rehabilitate four (4) pump stations.
Also awarded were three (3) Community Development Block Grants for the Instructure Program for the Towns of Enfield, Hobgood, and Woodland. Enfield will use their award of $888,725 for water line related work and 14 new fire hydrants. Hobgood’s $488,990 will be used for the rehabilitation of sewer collection lines on three streets. With their award of $983,500, Woodland will be replacing a pump at Lift Station 1 and other related work.
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Sewer grant could help Bailey grow
By Lindell J. Kay
lkay@wilsontimes.com | 252-265-8117
BAILEY — The state has awarded $1.4 million in grants for sewer improvements in the town of Bailey.
“This is a big step toward the town being removed from the moratorium,” said Joe Dooley of the Upper Coastal Plain Council of Government. He announced the grant awards Monday at the town board’s monthly meeting.
Bailey has been under a N.C. Department of Environmental Quality sewer capacity moratorium since 2003, the second-longest such sewer ban in the state.
Dooley said he would look at procuring engineering services once the town officially accepts the funding.
“At the next meeting I will have a series of resolutions and documents for you,” Dooley told the board.
Follow link below to Read entirety:
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“PDS Kicks Off Healthy Food Access Mapping Project”
Rocky Mount City Council Member, Rev. Richard Joyner, helped create the Conetoe Family Life Center that received national attention on CNN for work with youth and food emphasized, “The process will address healthy food access for under-resourced, minority, disadvantaged, low-income, and other equity challenged communities to improve health outcomes including obesity reduction, heart disease, and more.
This project will improve the collective power of these residents, create new community wealth, and allow everyone to better understand racial disparities in the food system. One of the most important achievements will be the greater engagement and stronger connectivity among the diverse groups involved in this effort.”
When completed, the online regional food system map will be hosted and maintained by UCPCOG staff and available for public use at no charge. The website will be capable of hosting relevant local videos, stories, social media links, resource provider information, and other content as appropriate.
UCPCOG Board Chairman, Doug Hughes, from Northampton County expressed, “This project is consistent with UCPCOG’s 2022 Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS).
The CEDS was developed by public and private stakeholders within the UCPCOG region and Goal 3, ‘
To Create Revitalized, Healthy, & Resilient Communities’
includes identifying resources to support the establishment of local foods as a small business opportunity, creating an inventory of farmers, land, product, and market opportunities, and developing a greater understanding of existing food value chain gaps and opportunities.”
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Eastern North Carolina communities look to map their way out of hunger
On his family farm in Edgecombe County, Kendrick Ransome grows good food.
With winter not yet over, Ransome, a fourth-generation farmer, cultivates hardy vegetables on roughly 10 acres: collards, mustard greens, turnips and cabbage. In spring and summer, Ransome branches out to other organic crops such as squash, cucumbers, watermelon and cantaloupe.
Situated in Pinetops, a rural town with two traffic lights and roughly 1,200 people, Ransome’s farm is an island of food in a county where, according to 2017 statistics from Feeding America,
nearly one in four people experienced hunger
, the highest rate of food insecurity in the state.
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USDA released notification of funds prioritizing applications for projects in their suite of programs that align with regional planning documents.
The
UCPCOG CEDS 2020
can serve as one of the regional planning documents that are utilized by communities for the purposes of qualifying for their funds.
This Strategic Economic and Community Development (SECD) authority allows USDA to give priority points to applicants for certain rural development programs who demonstrate how the proposed projects advance implementation of their regional plans (like CEDS). More details on how this SECD prioritization works and where its available are available on page 11947 of the Feb. 28, 2020 FederalRegister:
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Knowing Safe Internet Practices Are A Key to Prevention
When we look at the internet as a playground for predators, we will likely become disillusioned, overwhelmed and frustrated in an attempt to protect our loved ones from those who wish to harm or exploit them.
It is important to understand that though the internet has created a wealth of problems, it is also an avenue for people to learn, connect and grow.
Like we are taught to drive a car safely, it is imperative that we teach young people how to use the internet safely.
It would be foolish to believe that young people aren't on multiple social media sites and nearsighted of adults to assume that social media isn't one of the main forms of communication by youth.
With that being said, it has become increasingly important for parents to become savvy and internet guardians for their children.
This newsletter will introduce you to the intersection of human trafficking and the internet, popular apps and how they work, tips on how to teach your children safe internet practices and tips for you to use to ensure that your children are safe on the internet.
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Key Takeaways: Planning and Development Regulation 160D Training
Chapter 160D of the North Carolina General Statutes
consolidates current enabling legislation for planning regulation and represents the first major recodification and modernization of the city and county development regulations since 1905. Five years in the making,
this legislation will become effective on January 1, 2021
.
Last month, the UNC School of Government provided training on these significant changes that will impact municipal and county governments statewide. If you are an elected official, manager, planner, or other local government staff working in the development arena, here are the key points that you need to know.
· This legislation impacts you. Every jurisdiction in North Carolina will need to update their unified development ordinances, including zoning, subdivision, and other development regulation ordinances, by
January 1, 2021
.
· Comprehensive plans are mandatory. Communities that want to regulate development through zoning must “adopt” and reasonably maintain a comprehensive plan that sets forth goals, policies, and programs intended to guide the present and future physical, social, and economic development of the jurisdiction.” The comprehensive plan must be in place by
July 1, 2022
.
No plan equals no authority
to regulate land with zoning. “Reasonably maintained” generally refers to a plan that is
updated every 5-10 years
. Fast-growing communities should err on the side of updating their plan more regularly than every 10 years.
· Organization and record-keeping are critical. Systems will need to be in place to track, document, and display maps and code amendments and conditions. Current and past zoning maps must be available for public inspection. In addition, with broadened permit choice, it is critical that jurisdictions can document the regulations (and maps) that were in place at any given point in time. The statutes also reiterate that changes to the zoning map that are inconsistent with the land use map, automatically change the land use map and all conditions developed during a hearing are not effective until the applicant agrees in writing. These are just a few of the components that require tracking.
·
“Public hearing” announcements are no longer enough
. It is advisable that legal advertisements for hearings now specify the type of hearing that will occur (legislative versus evidentiary) to improve communication to all parties involved and to forecast the type of inputs, communications, and decisions allowed by law.
·
160D is not a model ordinance
. These updates and clarifications should be incorporated into your local codes, but because each ordinance is unique, the sections of your codes that will be impacted will likely be different than your neighboring jurisdiction.
·
Plan now for implementation
. It is important to develop a framework and timeline for how your community will comply with the statutory changes, keeping in mind the time needed to educate your advisory and governing boards and send the amendments through the revision process.
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OVC Resources for Human Trafficking
Every January, our nation commemorates National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month. During this month, OVC highlights its commitment to improve services available to victims of human trafficking throughout the nation.
OVC encourages victim service providers and allied professionals to use the following resources this month and throughout the year to enhance their response to human trafficking:
Faces of Human Trafficking Resource Guide:
includes nine videos, a discussion guide, four fact sheets, and four customizable posters. The guide can be viewed online or ordered through the OVC Resource Center (shipping and handling fees will be applied.)
Human Trafficking Weblet:
recently updated, this site contains resources and information for victims/survivors and anti-trafficking professionals.
Human Trafficking
: find training and technical assistance to help build the capacity of your organization to respond to victims of human trafficking.
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Welcome to the Connecting North Carolina: State Broadband Plan
State and local government leaders can impact the broadband ecosystem by encouraging competition and empowering communities to act. By updating laws and policies, and designing policies to incentivize adoption in sectors the government heavily influences, lawmakers can foster both the supply-side and the demand-side.
The plan recognizes:
- Increased competition drives innovation, affordability, and the deployment of future-proof infrastructure.
- In areas where competition is lacking, empowered and engaged communities form more equitable partnerships with private sector internet service providers (ISPs). Communities can lower deployment costs by better leveraging existing infrastructure, easing access to right-of-ways and poles to facilitate path creation, and investments in next-generation infrastructure.
- Community-based adoption and utilization programs help drive demand.
- Federal, state and private loans and grants offer untapped funding for infrastructure, planning, and adoption initiatives, including subsidies for low-income households.
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USDA
Department of Agriculture
Utilities Programs
Rural Community Development Initiative
Synopsis 1
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EDA Launches Redesign of the Regional Innovation Strategies Program
Last week, the Economic Development Administration launched a redesign of its Regional Innovation Strategies (RIS) program, now called Build to Scale (B2S), which builds regional economies through scalable startups. With a 40 percent budget increase and recent reauthorization, the redesign of the RIS program modernizes the branding and language of RIS to better reflect the spirit of the entrepreneurial communities that the program serves; increases exposure of the program and encourages applications from underserved communities; and creates a more “customer-friendly” Notice of Funding Opportunity that will lead to better stakeholder engagement.
To date, this program has awarded $100 million in grants across the country that have been matched by more than $115 million in community funding for 224 projects. To apply for 2020 funding, click
here
.
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USDOT Announces Complete Trip ITS4US Deployment Program
The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) has announced the
Complete Trip ITS4US Deployment Program
, a program that aims to solve mobility challenges. This program is a multimodal effort led by the Intelligent Transportation Systems Joint Program Office (ITSJPO) with support from the Office of the Secretary of Transportation, Federal Transit Administration, and Federal Highway Administration. Up to $40 million is available to enable communities to showcase innovative business partnerships, technologies, and practices that promote independent mobility for all.
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SBA
Small Business Administration
MICRO-2020-02
Synopsis 3
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DHS Preparedness Grant Programs
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has released the FY 2020 Notices of Funding Opportunity for eight DHS preparedness grant programs totaling nearly
$1.8 billion
. The grant programs provide funding to state, local, tribal, and territorial governments, as well as transportation authorities, nonprofit organizations, and the private sector, to improve the nation's readiness in preventing, protecting against, responding to, recovering from, and mitigating terrorist attacks, major disasters, and other emergencies.
The grants focus on funding for programs that address the nation's immediate security needs and ensure public safety in our communities. Funding opportunities are available for the :
Emergency Management Performance Grant
(EMPG),
Homeland Security Grant Program
(HSGP),
Tribal Homeland Security Grant Program
(THSGP),
Nonprofit Security Grant Program
(NSGP),
Intercity Passenger Rail- Amtrak
(IPR)
Program
,
Port Security Grant Program
(PSGP),
Transit Security Grant Program
(TSGP), and
Intercity Bus Security Grant Program
(IBSGP).
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The application period for the 2020 AARP Community Challenge is open!
The AARP Community Challenge provides small grants to fund "quick-action" projects that can help communities become more livable for people of all ages. Applications are being accepted for projects to improve housing, transportation, public space, technology ("smart cities"), civic engagement and more.
Important Dates
- April 1, 2020: Applications are due by 11:59 pm (ET)
- May 26, 2020: Applicants will be notified of their status this week
- July 15, 2020: The selected grantees will be announced to the public — and the project work can begin — on or around this date
- November 9, 2020: All funded projects must be completed
- December 11, 2020: Deadline for after-action reports
Eligibility
The program is open to the following types of programs:
- 501(C)(3), 501(C)(4) and 501(c)(6) nonprofits
- Government entities
- Other types of organizations will be considered on a case-by-case basis
The following projects are
NOT
eligible for funding:
- Partisan, political or election-related activities
- Planning activities and assessments and surveys of communities
- Studies with no follow-up action
- Publication of books or reports
- Acquisition of land and/or buildings
- Sponsorships of other organizations’ events or activities
- Research and development for a nonprofit endeavor
- Research and development for a for-profit endeavor
- The promotion of a for-profit entity and/or its products and services
Community Criteria
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Funding Opportunity: Rural Communities Opioid Response Program-Implementation
Applications must be submitted by April 24, 2020.
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Department of the Interior
Bureau of Land Management
FY2020 BLM WO Recreation and Visitor Services Funding Opportunity Announcement Synopsis 1
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Turning Point Workforce Development Board among the group of partners discussing a very important topic: substance abuse and the opioid crisis as it relates to the workforce. Glad to be with the Coalition today for ideas to support our workforce affected by this disease. Thank you to such a dedicated group of professionals.
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The world’s largest manufacturer of polymer concrete structures, Armorock Polymer Concrete is calling Rocky Mount NC home today investing $6.6 million and creating 55 new jobs!
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ITSJPO is offering a webinar series to help potential applicants prepare for the deployment program solicitation. Recordings and materials from previous webinars are available online, along with a list of additional webinar topics and details happening in March.
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Strategic Economic and Community Development (SECD) Webinar
Thu, Mar 12, 2020 3:00 PM EDT
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2020 Caregiver Conference
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Upper Coastal Plain Area Agency on Aging Hosts another great caregiver conference today in Wilson! It was our 17th annual conference at Barton. Thanks to everyone who participated.
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121 W. Nash St. Wilson, NC 27893
252-234-5952
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