Next COG Board meeting with be Thursday, August 23, 2018 at the COG Office.
Save the Date: Annual Banquet will be Thursday, September 27, 2018
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NC Rural Center Announces New Lending Opportunity for NC Small Businesses
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The NC Rural Center recently launched a new small businesses lending organization for North Carolina.Thread Capital is a nonprofit organization focused on ensuring that all residents of North Carolina have access to the resources they need to start and grow businesses. Thread Capital provides access to capital, coaching, and connections in the belief that with these tools entrepreneurs will create jobs and promote more equitable economic mobility in all of North Carolina’s 100 counties.
Thread Capital operates as a subsidiary of the NC Rural Center. For more information, click
HERE
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This NCDOT HMIP map has been expanded and now covers 5 years. Click
here
for the 2019-2023 NCDOT Highway Maintenance Improvement Plan (HMIP). This is a GIS based site where you can see if/when maintenance is being done on state roads in your community. Please note: The HMIP is subject to change, especially in the later years.
If you would like the NCDOT Division 5 newsletter delivered to your Inbox once per month, click
here
.
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Recently, the COG Executive Committee approved a $ 260,000.00 E.D.A. Revolving Loan for Lake Gaston Jet Ski, LLC to acquire property and building at 417 Lizard Creek Road in Littleton, N.C. This property was previously abandoned and in bank foreclosure. This loan will provide a new business for Warren County and new jobs for the community.
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PLANNING & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
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Upcoming 2018 KTRPO Meeting Schedule:
(Meetings are held from 3-5pm in the Kerr-Tar COG Offices, 1724 Graham Avenue, Henderson, NC 27536)
Tuesday February 13, 2018
Thursday March 8, 2018
MEETING CANCELED
Thursday May 24, 2018
Thursday June 28, 2018
Thursday October 25, 2018
(Please note that additional meetings may need to be scheduled to accommodate NCDOT deadlines)
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Division of Water Infrastructure Announces Fall 2018
Application Training
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The Division of Water Infrastructure in the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality announces training for the Fall 2018. Funding offered will be announced shortly after July 18. All applications must be received by the Division no later than close of business on Sept. 28, 2018.
- State Reserve Program: This program funds both wastewater and drinking water projects as well as the Asset Inventory and Assessment Grants and Merger/Regionalization Feasibility Grants. Funding limits for water and wastewater projects as well as the grant programs are as follows:
- Project Loans and Grants for Water and Wastewater Infrastructure. Funding is available to all Local Government Units (LGUs) and non-profit water corporations and has grant limits of $3M per applicant per project type (water/sewer) over a period of three consecutive fiscal years. Loans with a targeted interest rate have a limit of $3M per applicant per project type over a period of three consecutive fiscal years. Loans at market interest rate have loan limits up to $3M per applicant per project type per year. Grant percentages of project costs are based upon affordability criteria.
- Asset Inventory and Assessment Grants. This program funds both wastewater and drinking water projects. It is available to LGUs and non-profit water corporations and has a limit of $150,000 per applicant per project type (water/sewer) over three consecutive fiscal years. Funds related to this grant are available to inventory the existing water and/or sewer system and document the condition of the inventoried infrastructure.
- Merger / Regionalization Feasibility Grants. This program funds both wastewater and drinking water projects. It is available to LGUs and non-profit water corporations and has a limit of $50,000 per applicant per project type over three consecutive fiscal years. Funds related to this grant are available to determine the feasibility of consolidating the management of multiple utilities into a single utility operation or to provide regional treatment and the best way of carrying out the consolidation or regionalization.
- Clean Water State Revolving Fund - This program funds wastewater and green projects. It is available to all LGUs and non-profit water corporations and offers low-interest loans up to $30M per applicant.
- Drinking Water State Revolving Fund - This program funds drinking water projects. It is available to all LGUs, non-profit water corporations, and for-profit water corporations and offers low-interest loans up to $20M per applicant.
- Community Development Block Grant – Infrastructure - This program funds wastewater and drinking water projects. It is available to counties and municipalities and offers grants up to $2M per applicant every three years.
If you are considering applying for funding related to any of the available programs listed above, the Division of Water Infrastructure encourages you to attend a training session. If you cannot attend training, Division staff will be available to meet on an individual basis. Application training will be held during the weeks of July 30 and August 6, 2018. Training begins at 10 a.m. and ends at 4:00 p.m. Application materials will be available on the division website before training begins at:
http://portal.ncdenr.org/web/wi//application-forms
.
Space is limited at each location. Please RSVP to Jennifer Haynie at
jennifer.haynie@ncdenr.gov
(919.707.9173) at least a week prior to the training event you plan to attend. Please provide your name, organization, e-mail, phone number, and the location you plan to attend.
Thursday, Aug. 2, 2018, Research Triangle Park (30 seats available)
Triangle J Council of Governments
4307 Emperor Boulevard, Suite 110
Durham, NC 27703
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2018 Sustainable Fleet Technology Conference and Expo (SFT2018)
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Registration is now open for the 2018 Sustainable Fleet Technology Conference and Expo (SFT2018). This year’s event will be held August 22-23 at the Durham Convention Center. Attendees will learn techniques to reduce fleet emissions and operating costs and discover the latest in sustainable fleet technology, operations, and implementation. For more information on SFT 2018, please visit the following:
https://www.sustainablefleetexpo.com/
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Three Person County bridges are set to receive some much-needed makeovers. With an increase in daily traffic expected, the improvements are coming at an important time.
About 7.5 miles west of Roxboro, the John Brewer Road Bridges extending over South Hyco Creek and Richland Creek will be the first to receive updates. Contractors will begin work on the 57-year-old bridges as soon as July 16 and are expected to open for traffic by May 17, 2019.
The third bridge to receive improvements is the section of Flat River Church Road passing over North Flat River. Built in 1976, the bridge is about 5 miles south of Roxboro. Contractors will begin work on July 25 and are expected to open the roadway for traffic by November 30.
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The North Carolina Department of Commerce announced in June a $1.6 million grant for the 1,349-acre megasite located in Person County. The grant funds, administered through the Rural ReadySites program, will go towards extending water to the megasite
. Also announced, Vance County was approved a $2.45 million grant request which will use the money to expand infrastructure to a tract of land recently selected as an expansion to the Henderson-Vance Industrial Park
.
The Rural ReadySites Program, assist rural communities prepare prospective sites for industrial development. The program invest in public infrastructure
construction and improvements for sites that have a strong potential to attract prospective employers, aide in the creation of jobs, and strengthen the local, regional, and state economy. Eligibility for the Rural ReadySties Program includes:
- The applicant must be a government entity in a former Tier 1 or Tier 2 county
- The site must be publicly owned or controlled
- The site must be a minimum of 50 contiguous acres
- Funds must only be used to construct public infrastructure with priority given to water, sewer, and industrial access improvements.
- Additional consideration will be given to sites located in counties with the greatest economic distress.
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The Town of Louisburg is to be commended, the Town’s CMAQ Application for FY 18-19 was approved by the NCDOT for $559,291. The funds applied for will go towards the Town installing approximately 2,400 linear feet of sidewalk along West River Street to provide for a safer pedestrian route to Joyner Park. Prior to approval, the Town’s application received a favorable report from the KTRPO CMAQ Subcommittee and the full TAC/TCC.
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Thanks to a N.C. Department of Transportation contract, the Franklin County portion of U.S. 1 will soon see pavement improvements. Stretching from the Wake County line to the Vance County line at Tar River, the nearly 12-mile stretch of roadway will be resurfaced.
Contractors will begin work as soon as September 15 and are expected to finish the project by November 30, 2019.
Work on the roadway stretching from the Wake County line to N.C. 56 will be restricted to nights Monday through Saturday, but may occur at any time throughout the day on Sundays.
Resurfacing from N.C. 56 to the Vance County line will not occur during the morning and evening commuting hours Monday through Friday, 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., respectively.
Detour routes will be made available as the project progresses and a paving schedule is developed.
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Governor Roy Cooper in June signed into law the Build NC Bond Act of 2018, a new financing tool to help expedite critical highway projects.
“For families trying to get to work and school faster, for farmers and business owners seeking to get their goods to customers, and for CEOs looking to grow in North Carolina, transportation is essential,” Gov. Cooper said. "Build NC is a bipartisan effort that pulled Republicans and Democrats together to help deliver critical transportation projects to communities more quickly, helping North Carolina attract opportunities and stay competitive."
Under Gov. Cooper’s direction, the N.C. Department of Transportation has accelerated 350 highway projects and made room for an additional 144 projects in the current 2018-2027 transportation plan. NCDOT pushed for Build NC as an added tool to expedite more infrastructure projects for quicker delivery.
“Transportation is the backbone of our state’s economic competitiveness and our quality of life,” said Transportation Secretary Jim Trogdon. “Build NC is a tool that will allow us to continue strong project delivery.”
Build NC will only be used if NCDOT is able to maintain its strong project delivery pace, which increases expenditures and decreases its cash balance. If that balance reaches a certain level, the department can ask the state treasurer to issue up to $300 million in bonds annually over the next 10 years to maintain project delivery at current levels.
Build NC bonds will be applied to projects consistent with the Strategic Transportation Investments Law that requires projects be selected through a data-driven scoring process. These are projects in the regional and division tiers.
Repayment of any bonds sold will come from within the state Highway Trust Fund.
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Please join Dementia Alliance of North Carolina and the Kerr-Tar Area Agency on Aging, Tuesday, August 7th, at Vance-Granville Community College for a full day of education and networking.
Online registration is available at
#
.
Featured sessions include: Keeping the Peace: Is It Possible When Dementia Progresses? Aging and Memory: What’s Normal and What’s Not, a Family Caregiver sharing their story and more.
We will also have sponsors and exhibitors providing comprehensive resource material on site throughout the day.
If you have questions about the event, please contact Harvey Holmes, Family Caregiver Specialist, at hholmes@kerrtarcog.org or call
(252) 436-2040
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Caregiver Support Groups
Within our Region, caregiver support groups are offered monthly in the following counties: Warren, Granville, Person and Franklin. If you are a caregiver, or know someone who is, we highly recommend attending! Our caregiver support groups offer information, assistance, guidance, and support! The following times for the meeting are listed below:
Franklin County Caregiver Support Group
Louisburg Senior Center
2nd Monday @ 7:00 P.M
(919) 496-1131
Warren County Caregiver Support Group
Warren County Senior Center
2nd Tuesday @ 3:00 P.M
(252) 257-3111
Granville County Caregiver Support Group
Granville Primary Care Education Classroom
1st Wednesday @ 12:00 P.M
(919) 690-3273
Person County Caregiver Support Group
Person County Senior Center
4th Tuesday @ 6:00 P.M
(336) 599-7484
Person County Caregiver Support Group
Cambridge Hills
2nd Tuesday @ 6:30 P.M
(336) 599-7484
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The Road to Success: Kerr-Tar’s Robert Smith Paves the Way for Others
Robert Smith has been a customer of ours for some time. He started by coming in for job search assistance and then he attended a couple of job readiness workshops. A career advisor met Mr. Smith one day when she was assisting another customer in the Career Resource Center. Mr. Smith was interested in obtaining his CDL-A license. He had previously signed up for another trucking school, but was worried that he would not be able to complete the program due to distant commute. When I told him about Carolina Trucking Academy, he instantly brightened up. We discussed the requirements of WIOA Title I, and he completed the application for Carolina Trucking Academy.
The next day when he came back in for his appointment, the career advisor inquired about his interest in Heavy Equipment Operator Training. Mr. Smith was provided labor market information, they spoke about companies in the local area that would be working with the Career Center to hire customers upon completion, and discussed the potential for growth in the field. Mr. Smith was ecstatic!
The career advisor completed his enrollment into WIOA Title I services, and gave him a short orientation to the program. Mr. Smith started in the very next class, four days later. He had no previous experience in heavy equipment operation or construction before this course. The career advisor maintained contact with him throughout the course, and for the entire duration, he was enjoying every minute of it. Mr. Smith passed the course with flying colors, and the career advisor invited him to come in so he could be provided his certificate, and also to inquire about what he thought of the training. When Mr. Smith came in he disclosed that not only had he completed the course, but he was offered a job by the owner of the school to actually teach the class! Mr. Smith was floored. He is so excited for this opportunity.
**Names have been changed**
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Are you having a hard time landing a job and feel defeated or frustrated? NCWorks Career Centers have staff that can help assist you. If you need a little inspiration, read this success story and how an individual who was living in a shelter and trying to go to school has now gained employment. Click
here for the entire story.
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See below, August calendars for workshops offered at local career centers.
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Communities Served:
Franklin County
Granville County
Person County
Vance County
Warren County
Town of Bunn
Town of Butner
City of Creedmoor
Town of Franklinton
City of Henderson
Town of Kittrell
Town of Louisburg
Town of Macon
Town of Middleburg
Town of Norlina
City of Oxford
City of Roxboro
Town of Stem
Town of Stovall
Town of Warrenton
Town of Youngsville
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Executive Director
Diane Cox
Planning & Development
Michael Kelly
Workforce Development
Vincent Gilreath
Aging
Jillian Hardin
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MISSION STATEMENT
Kerr-Tar Regional Council of Governments aims to
promote regionalism that provides opportunities for
local governments to enhance and improve the quality
of life for our citizens through effective delivery of
services and programs.
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