Golden LEAF announces $8 million in funding at December meeting
ROCKY MOUNT, N.C., (December 1, 2022) – Today, the Golden LEAF Board of Directors awarded $5.8 million in funding to support projects through the SITE Program and $700,000 in funding to support projects through the Open Grants Program. The Golden LEAF Board also awarded $1,336,550 in funding for projects through the Flood Mitigation Program and $113,806 in increased Disaster Recovery Grant Program funding.
“This year, the Golden LEAF Board awarded over $100 million in funding to support job creation and economic investment, agriculture, workforce preparedness, and flood mitigation,” said Don Flow, Golden LEAF Board Chair. “These projects will help create thousands of jobs, train hundreds of workers, and support dozens of new industrial sites, as well as support communities in being more resilient to flooding. As we reflect on this year’s economic wins, our commitment is to continue to support long-term economic success.”
The SITE Program offers resources to help communities identify potential sites for economic development, provides funding to complete due diligence on publicly controlled sites, and provides funding to extend public utilities to publicly controlled sites or to conduct clearing and rough grading of publicly owned sites. The three phases of the SITE Program are Identification, Due Diligence, and Development.
The Golden LEAF Foundation Board of Directors awarded $5.8 million in funding for 10 projects through the Golden LEAF SITE Program in Caldwell, Duplin, Forsyth, Nash, Randolph, Rockingham, Sampson, Stanly, and Warren counties.
SITE Program – Identification provides assistance to a community from a firm contracted by Golden LEAF to help identify potential industrial sites in the community. Warren County was selected to receive assistance through this phase.
In the SITE Program – Due Diligence phase, the Golden LEAF Board awarded $25,500 in funding to the Greater Winston-Salem Development Corp. for the Tanglewood Business Park and $50,000 in funding to Caldwell County for the Evergreene Industrial Park. These projects will use funding to complete eligible due diligence activities such as environmental assessments, archaeological analyses, and mapping.
For the SITE Program – Development, the Golden LEAF Board awarded $5,775,802 in funding for seven projects that will provide public infrastructure and, for publicly owned sites, clearing and rough grading, to benefit sites that have completed the due diligence necessary to demonstrate that the site is suitable for development. Organizations receiving SITE Program – Development support include:
● $763,100 to the City of Albemarle for funds to support clearing and grading of a site within the 282-acre Albemarle Business Center.
● $999,150 to Duplin County for funds to construct a new water supply well at the WestPark Business and Industrial Park, the county’s only industrial park with rail access and natural gas.
● $1,000,000 to Randolph County to extend sewer to facilitate the development of the proposed I-74 Industrial Center, a 160-acre site located near Sophia, NC adjacent to I-74.
● $1,000,000 to Rockingham County to grub and rough grade a 15-acre site at New Street Industrial Site in Eden, in an area that is one of the county’s most attractive to prospective industries.
● $1,500,000 to the City of Rocky Mount to extend water and sewer along Thomas Betts Parkway and Peele Road to serve the city-owned Peele Road site.
● $265,112.38 to Sampson County to clear and grade an approximately 10-acre lot within an existing 120- acre industrial park.
● $248,440 to Stanly County to clear and grade eight acres of the 34-acre Riverstone Industrial Park, one of two publicly owned sites and the only county-owned industrial site in Stanly County.
“Today the Board awarded funding for workforce preparedness, agriculture, industrial site preparation, and flood mitigation,” said Scott T. Hamilton, Golden LEAF President, Chief Executive Officer. “These projects are part of larger strategies that will improve the economic opportunities across our state. The Foundation is excited about the positive impacts these projects will have on their communities.”
Additionally, the Golden LEAF Board awarded two projects totaling $700,000 in Open Grants Program funding. These projects will support agriculture and workforce preparedness in Ashe and Catawba counties.
● $500,000 to Ashe County to support construction costs for a multi-purpose agricultural center that will provide a space for area cattle farmers to aggregate and market their livestock locally in a manner that would attract large buyers and increase opportunities to gain premium pricing.
● $200,000 to Catawba Valley Community College for two years of start-up funding to partially fund four of seven new positions for the Manufacturing Solutions Center II an economic development and job creation initiative focused on best practices in fabric development, new textile personal protective equipment, and expanded testing and prototyping.
The State of North Carolina appropriated the Golden LEAF Foundation $25 million for a Flood Mitigation Program. The Flood Mitigation Program will award funding up to $250,000 per project. Funds may only be awarded to units of local government.
The Golden LEAF Board awarded $1,336,550 in funding to seven projects through the Flood Mitigation Program in Bladen, Currituck, Duplin, Haywood, Iredell, and Wake counties.
● $250,000 to the Town of Canton to replace and improve stormwater infrastructure on Rhoda Street damaged as a result of Tropical Storm Fred.
● $160,400 to the Town of Canton to replace and improve stormwater infrastructure on Skyline Drive damaged as a result of Tropical Storm Fred.
● $250,000 to Currituck County to support installation of a stormwater pump and associated infrastructure to alleviate flooding on Bonito Street.
● $250,000 to the Town of Morrisville to upsize the existing culvert and improve existing channel berms to accommodate backflows and mitigate flooding in areas near the Wolfsnare Lane intersection immediately off the Crabtree Crossing Parkway in Morrisville.
● $168,650 to the City of Statesville to replace and improve the existing and damaged stormwater infrastructure to mitigate flooding and overtopping on the roadway along Lucille Street.
● $175,000 to the Town of Wallace to map existing stormwater systems throughout the town to create an asset inventory list that will include an assessment of the current condition of all assets.
● $82,500 to the Town of White Lake to develop a stormwater management plan for the town to address localized flooding it experiences during heavy rain events.
The Golden LEAF Board approved $113,806 in additional Disaster Recovery Grant Program funding to existing projects in Johnston and Pamlico counties. The Disaster Recovery Grant Program is funded through appropriations by the State of North Carolina to the Golden LEAF Foundation to award funds to governmental entities and 501(c)(3) nonprofits to repair or replace infrastructure and equipment damaged or destroyed by Hurricanes Matthew, Florence, Michael, and Dorian.
The Golden LEAF Board approved an increase of $36,528.25 to the Town of Princeton in Johnston County for higher than expected costs to implement stormwater improvements in the Princeton Business Improvement District.
In Pamlico County, the Golden LEAF Board approved an increase of $77,278 to the Triangle Volunteer Fire Department for higher than expected costs for driveway paving at the newly constructed replacement fire station.
Since 1999, Golden LEAF has funded 2,058 projects totaling $1.2 billion supporting the mission of advancing economic opportunity in North Carolina’s rural, tobacco-dependent, and economically distressed communities.
In Pamlico County, the Golden LEAF Board approved an increase of $77,278 to the Triangle Volunteer Fire Department for higher than expected costs for driveway paving at the newly constructed replacement fire station.
Since 1999, Golden LEAF has funded 2,058 projects totaling $1.2 billion supporting the mission of advancing economic opportunity in North Carolina’s rural, tobacco-dependent, and economically distressed communities.
About Golden LEAF
The Golden LEAF Foundation is a nonprofit organization established in 1999 to receive a portion of North Carolina’s funding from the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement with cigarette manufacturers. For more than 20 years, Golden LEAF has worked to increase economic opportunity in North Carolina’s rural and tobacco- dependent communities through leadership in grantmaking, collaboration, innovation, and stewardship as an independent and perpetual foundation.
The Foundation has provided lasting impact to tobacco-dependent, economically distressed, and rural areas of the state by helping create 67,000 jobs, more than $720 million in new payrolls, and more than 95,000 workers trained or retrained for higher wages. For more information about Golden LEAF and our programs, please visit our website at www.goldenleaf.org.
The Golden LEAF Foundation is a nonprofit organization established in 1999 to receive a portion of North Carolina’s funding from the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement with cigarette manufacturers. For more than 20 years, Golden LEAF has worked to increase economic opportunity in North Carolina’s rural and tobacco- dependent communities through leadership in grantmaking, collaboration, innovation, and stewardship as an independent and perpetual foundation.
The Foundation has provided lasting impact to tobacco-dependent, economically distressed, and rural areas of the state by helping create 67,000 jobs, more than $720 million in new payrolls, and more than 95,000 workers trained or retrained for higher wages. For more information about Golden LEAF and our programs, please visit our website at www.goldenleaf.org.
###
City of Statesville
227 S. Center St., Statesville
Statesville, NC 28677
(704) 878-3583
www.statesvillenc.net
Proudly Associated With
