December 7, 2020
Contact: Scott Dadson, Executive Director
828-351-2365
Upcoming Meetings and Events
Isothermal Region Legislative Issues 2020 Agenda
Please Review
During the Mayors and Chairs Legislative Agenda Meeting on October 13, the region’s representatives gathered together, virtually, to discuss the region’s needs. With input from representatives, Mayor Carol Pritchett of Lake Lure and Mayor Scott Neisler of Kings Mountain drafted the following agenda. The agenda includes the following topics:
Please review the draft and submit any comments to Scott Dadson at sdadson@regionc.org. The agenda will be presented on December 15 during the IPDC Board of Directors meeting.
Attention IPDC Board of Director Members, Managers, Mayors and Chairs in the Isothermal Region!
We recently hired Formation PR + Brand to help us with new branding and later today you will be receiving an email survey from Formation. Please set aside a few minutes this week to complete this survey. Your input will assist us with the rebranding process and is greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Regional News
Foothills Health District Expanded COVID-19 Testing Hours
Foothills Health District is excited to share the new extended COVID-19 testing hours. The new schedule is as follows:
Mondays 9 am – 6 pm
Wednesdays 9 am – 6 pm
Saturdays 9 am – 3 pm
All testing is at the Health Department on Callahan Koon Road, Spindale. Testing is free and for all ages. The new hours are being provided thanks to a partnership with OptumServe. Pre-registration is not required, but if you would like to schedule an actual appointment time, you may click on this link https://lhi.care/covidtesting.
NC DHHS Holiday Recommendations
With the rising COVID-19 trends, NCDHHS strongly recommends avoiding holiday travel and limiting physical contact with people who do not live in your household. But if you choose to travel or gather with people who live outside your household, follow these recommendations.
Spindale Breaks Ground on New Streetscape Project
The Town of Spindale officially broke ground on November 19 on their newest streetscape project. The Phase 1 Streetscape project, which extends from Nebraska Street to Revely Street, is under construction and will be complete by the first quarter of 2021. With this project, Spindale will receive new features like widened sidewalks, street trees and lighting, and new crosswalks linking Main Street to the Rail Trail. For more information, click here.
Aging
NC DHHS Low Income Energy Assistance
The Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LIEAP) is a federally-funded program that provides for a one-time vendor payment to help eligible households pay their heating bills.
Households including a person aged 60 or older or disabled persons receiving services through the NC Division of Aging and Adult Services are eligible to sign up for assistance from Dec. 1 – 31. All other households may apply from Jan. 1 – March 31 or until funds are exhausted.
Households that meet the following criteria may be eligible:
Have at least one U.S. citizen or non-citizen who meets the eligibility criteria.
Meet an income test.
Have reserves at or below $2,250.
Be responsible for its heating costs.
Households including a person aged 60 or older or an individual receiving disability benefits and services through the NC Division of Aging and Adult Services are eligible to sign up for assistance from Dec. 1 – 31. All other households may apply from Jan. 1 – March 31, or until funds are exhausted. Contact your local Department of Social Services for the application dates and for additional information on LIEAP.
Isothermal Area Agency on Aging to host a class on "Holidays and Dementia”
The Isothermal Area Agency on Aging will host a training for caregivers via Zoom on December 10th, 2020 at 10:00 AM. Stephanie Ingle, MSW/LCSW, with Partners Behavioral Health will be presenting “Holidays and Dementia”. Caregiving During the Holidays can cause additional stress and create new challenges for someone with dementia. Stephanie, and the Geriatric Specialty Team with Partners, will provide education and helpful hints for professional and family caregivers.
For more information on this free training, please contact the Area Agency on Aging at 828-287-2281.
Community, Economic & Workforce Development
Department of Commerce Releases 2021 County Tier Designations
The North Carolina Department of Commerce annually ranks the state’s 100 counties based on economic well-being and assigns each a Tier designation. This Tier system is incorporated into various state programs to encourage economic activity in the less prosperous areas of the state.
The 40 most distressed counties are designated as Tier 1, the next 40 as Tier 2, and the 20 least distressed as Tier 3.
Join the NC Rural Center, myFutureNC, and Carolina Demography on Wednesday, December 9, 2020 from 1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. to learn more about their County Attainment Profiles and the customized data specific to your local county.
It is the hope that leaders can use these profiles to help facilitate conversations and decision-making on local priorities aimed at increasing education levels with a specific emphasis on the "opportunities for improvement" uniquely identified for each county. Click here to register for the webinar.
IPDC Housing Department HUD Public Housing Agency Plan Review Complete
As a Public Housing Authority (PHA), IPDC is required by HUD to complete a PHA Plan. The PHA Plan is a comprehensive guide to public housing agency policies, programs, operations, and strategies for meeting local housing needs and goals. IPDC is the Public Housing Agency for the Isothermal Region and administers the Housing Choice Voucher Program (HCV). For more information on this program, go to our website at https://regionc.org/housing-programs/
Section 511 of the Quality Housing and Work Responsibility Act of 1998 requires the Board of Directors of the Isothermal Planning and Development Commission to conduct a public hearing to discuss and invite public comment regarding the 2020-2025 PHA Five-Year and Annual Plan. The Board and Staff of IPDC conducted this hearing on Wednesday, November 18th, 2020.
The proposed Five-Year and Annual Plan will now move forward to the Full Board of Directors for action and then submittal to HUD at the Regularly scheduled meeting on December 15th. To review the plan online, please click here to view it, or at IPDC’s main office, 111 West Court Street, Rutherfordton, NC 28139 during normal business hours of 8:30 am to 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday.
Questions or comments should be directed to Pam Hall, Interim Director of Housing, (828) 287-2281, ext 266.
Rural Transportation
Did you know that IPDC Serves as the RPO Organization for Polk, Rutherford and McDowell Counties?
IPDC is the home to the Isothermal Rural Planning Organization. This organization is staffed by Karyl Fuller and has served to assist the region in Transportation Planning with the member governments in Polk, Rutherford, and McDowell Counties. To learn more, go to the Isothermal Planning Organization website at https://isothermalrpo.org/
According to GS 136-211 (b), an RPO must consist of at least three contiguous counties with a population of at least 50,000 people. Isothermal RPO consists of three counties in western North Carolina: McDowell, Polk and Rutherford counties with 132,845 in population.
An RPO consists of an administrative entity which provides the professional staff to the RPO, a Technical Coordinating Committee (TCC) consisting of local staff from member governments and agencies and a Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC) made up of elected and appointed officials.
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cape Project
