March 15, 2021
Contact: Steve Lockett, Interim Executive Director
828-351-2373
Upcoming Meetings and Events
Public Notice IPDC Full Board Meeting - March 18
A meeting of the IPDC Board of Directors will be held on Thursday, March 18, 2021, at 1:00 PM via an electronic meeting. IPDC, under North Carolina General Statue 143-318.13 will host an electronic meeting. To see the meeting agenda, click here.
For public participation in the IPDC Board of Directors meeting on March 18 at 1:00 PM, you may join the virtual meeting on GoToMeeting via telephone. To join, please dial +1 (571) 317-3112. The meeting access code is 391-377-957.
You will initially be placed on hold/mute if you plan on participating in either meeting. We will call upon you by the name registered or your phone number. Once called upon you will be unmuted and be able to participate in the public comment. If you have any questions before the meeting please contact Steve Lockett at slockett@regionc.org.
The meeting will be recorded and placed on the IPDC website at www.regionc.org
myFutureNC Local Educational Attainment Collaboratives
The ncIMPACT Initiative at the UNC School of Government (ncIMPACT) and myFutureNC, with support from the John M. Belk Endowment, are launching a two-year pilot program that supports 10 local educational attainment collaboratives across North Carolina that seek to significantly increase the number of students successfully completing post-secondary credentials of value in the workforce: a degree, credential, or certification.
This effort aligns with the state’s legislative goal of 2 million individuals between the ages of 25-44 who possess a high-quality credential or postsecondary degree by 2030. Click here to learn more.
Please contact Steve Lockett at slockett@regionc.org if you're interested in applying for this program
National Telecommunications and Information Administration Grant Programs in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021
Congress passed the year-end omnibus legislation that included several broadband and connectivity expansion bills. Join NTIA staff on March 17, 2021, at 2:00 PM for an overview of the new NTIA grant programs, including the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Grants, Broadband Infrastructure Deployment Grants, and the Connecting Minority Communities Pilot Program.
Please pre-register for the webinar using this registration link. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
Want to access past Practical Broadband Conversations webinars? Visit webinar archives for past presentations, transcripts, and audio recordings.
Regional News
Polk County Parks and Rec Needs Your Help!
Polk County has reopened its Parks and Rec survey to gather input from a greater portion of the community on recreational opportunities in the county.
Please click the link below to take their new survey and share your opinions. Information gathered in this survey will be used to help update the comprehensive plan for parks and recreation programs and facilities within Polk County.
Over the past year, a dedicated group of volunteers from the Isothermal region have worked with IPDC to discuss housing issues across the four-counties and make a plan on how local governments can work together to improve housing. The Isothermal Housing Task Force has met monthly over Zoom since March 2020 and has recently completed its regional plan.
The plan will be presented to the IPDC Board of Directors on Thursday, March 18, during their regular meeting on GoToMeeting. To join the meeting, please see the meeting notice above. Click here to view the Housing Task Force's plan.
Electric Vehicle Charging Station Coming to Spindale
Spindale has been awarded a $10,000 grant from the Department of Environmental Quality's (DEQ) Division of Air Quality. The money will be used to install an electric car charging station. The station will be adjacent to the Termal Belt Rail Trail, near parking spaces on Steward Street.
The money is provided by the North Carolina Volkswagen Mitigation Settlement Program. Because of violations relating to the federal Clean Air Act, Volkswagen was forced to pay billions of dollars into a federal environmental mitigation trust fund, which funds the state programs. The station should be in Spindale by the end of the summer. Great job, Spindale!
ncIMPACT Initiative Fall Survey 2020 – NC Local Government Responses to the Coronavirus Pandemic
The ncIMPACT Initiative offers insights from the results of two surveys of North Carolina’s elected and appointed local government leaders in response to COVID-19. While the spring survey came at a time when unemployment claims surged ahead of positive COVID-19 cases, by the fall, despite positive cases soaring to new records, the economy appeared to have settled significantly due to news about near-term vaccines. Their analysis points out notable changes between spring and fall. Click here to learn more.
Gourmet Popcorn Maker Opens New Shipping Facility in Old Fort
Poppy Hand-Crafted Popcorn, the Asheville-based gourmet popcorn maker specializing in natural, non-GMO popcorn in dozens of flavors, announced recently the addition of a new shipping and fulfillment facility in Old Fort.
The new facility, which began operations at the beginning of March, will allow Poppy to expand kitchen and production space at its existing Black Mountain facility by 2,500 square feet. As a result, the gourmet popcorn maker will boost production capacity by more than 25%, increasing the company’s ability to fulfill wholesale orders for retailers throughout North America, according to a news release. Click here to read more.
Excellent Training Opportunities for Local Elected Officials
UNC School of Government is offering several training opportunities for municipal and county elected officials and managers. These classes are being offered on-line through Zoom.
You’ll find race and ethnicity information along with social and economic characteristics. There is also data on health, workforce, grandparents raising grandchildren, and COVID-19.
Celebrate Senior Nutrition Month
Click the image above to find resources to help you support and engage the older adults in your life.
Economic & Workforce Development
Region C Workforce Development Board Has Open Position for Business Services Representative
The Fiscal Year 2022 Pre-Application form for Appalachian Regional Commission funding is now available online. Pre-apps are due by 5:00 p.m. on April 21, 2021.
On February 2, the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) held an application workshop to give potential applicants a greater understanding of the POWER Initiative and the qualities of a well-rounded application. This workshop was recorded and divided into a series of 8 videos based on the subject matter. The videos are available on the ARC YouTube channel.
The deadline to submit a Letter of Intent for the POWER Grant Program is March 5, 2021.
Funding Programs for Water Systems in NC
The Environmental Finance Center at UNC School of Government will host a free webinar on March 24 from 2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Funding program administrators will present information and answer questions on state and federal subsidized loans and grants available for water and wastewater infrastructure projects in North Carolina. Presentations will be made by USDA, the Division of Water Infrastructure (State Revolving Funds, CDBG, and state-administered grants), and the Economic Development Administration.
The webinar is free for anyone to attend: water and wastewater utilities – small water systems are especially encouraged to attend – consultants, technical assistance providers, or anyone who is helping water and wastewater systems in North Carolina apply for subsidized loans and grants. Register to attend. Space is limited. Click here to learn more and register.
IEI Announces 2021 BAND-NC Funding
BAND-NC will provide mini-grants to communities across the state who want to implement digital inclusion plans, begin a digital inclusion planning process, or are looking to meet immediate digital needs.
IEI and the Broadband Infrastructure Office will be hosting a BAND-NC informational webinar on Thursday, March 18 at 1 p.m. If you have questions about digital inclusion, BAND-NC, and/or the application criteria, we encourage you to attend. Click here to learn more.
The U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) invites applicants to submit applications under its Public Works program and Economic Adjustment Assistance (EAA) programs. Through these programs, EDA invites applications to request grant assistance for clearly defined construction or non-construction assistance projects that will advance job creation, job retention and private investment or enhance economic development decision-making, respectfully.
How to Access and Administer the Emergency Rental Assistance Program
The Consolidated Appropriations Act enacted at the end of December 2021, included $25 billion for an emergency rental assistance program (ERAP) to help forestall renter evictions and housing instability associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. In January, the Treasury Department allocated ERAP funds to eligible states and local governments. These funds are directly allocated to states, U.S. territories, local governments with more than 200,000 residents, the Department of Hawaiian Homelands, and Indian tribes.
LELA 201: Top 10 Primer on Transportation Planning in North Carolina
Friday, March 19
10:00 to 11:15AM ET
From potholes to bike lanes, our transportation networks affect the quality of life in all our communities. Have you ever wondered how and when the planning for our state’s highway network takes place? As a local elected official, do you know the best way to inject your community’s transportation needs into the statewide planning process?
To many local officials, the State’s planning processes for building our paved infrastructure can seem like a true enigma. The NC Department of Transportation provides opportunities for local input through a network of planning organizations across the state; these organizations provide local governments a way to provide input into comprehensive plans for our State-administered highway system.
In this Top 10 Primer, participants will learn about the Department of Transportation structure, funding, and planning processes. The roles of the Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) and Rural Transportation Planning Organizations (RTPOs) will be explained and anticipated future statewide transportation needs will be explored.
This quick-moving interactive free virtual workshop will provide our audience a basic understanding of the policies that affect statewide transportation priorities and the avenues for making your voices heard. Some of the questions that will be answered include:
What is the Comprehensive Transportation Plan (CTP)? the Metropolitan Transportation Improvement Plan (MTIP)? the State Transportation Improvement Plan (STIP)?
Where can I influence the decisions?
What is the NCDOT Complete Streets Policy?
What are “locally administered projects”?
How is NC planning for future needs and changes in vehicle design technology?
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d Rec survey to gather input from a greater portion of the community on recreational opportunities in the county.
classes are being offered on-line through Zoom.
