MAY 2020 NEWSLETTER
CURRENT EVENTS

  • Executive Committee Meeting will be Tuesday, May 26th @ 3PM
  • Region K CAC Meeting will be Tuesday, May 26th immediately following Executive Committee Meeting
  • COG Board meeting will be Thursday, May 28th @ 6PM
  • TAC/TCC Meeting will be Thursday, May 28th @ 3PM
All meetings will be via Zoom

A few volunteers from the Sister and Brotherhood MC in Person County are doing a fabulous job helping out Person County Seniors (taking off trash and recyclables, helping with a few things around the house, store runs, etc.). Person County Senior Center has personally received 12 calls from clients thanking them and raving about the great the volunteers!
For information and resources about North Carolina’s response to COVID-19, please refer to the following: https://www.nc.gov/covid19.

For individuals and families needing assistance during this time, please reference the following helpful numbers:
North Carolina Immediate Employment Opportunities


For a list of immediate job opportunities throughout the State of North Carolina, please see the following listing courtesy of EDPNC.
COVID-19 Federal Rural Resource Guide
The USDA and its Federal partners have programs that can be used to provide immediate and long-term assistance to rural communities affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. These programs can support recovery efforts for rural residents, businesses and communities through:

• technical, training, and management assistance;
• financial assistance; and
• state and local assistance

A resource matrix organizing funding opportunities identified in the CARES Act and other federal resources that can help support rural America may be found here . The funding opportunities are categorized by customer and assistance type. For more information on the immediate actions USDA is taking to respond to COVID-19, please reference http://www.usda.gov/coronavirus
Economic Development Administration CARES Act Appropriation
With the recent passage of the CARES Act last month, Congress allowed states and communities to apply for funding through the Economic Development Administration to plan and implement economic recovery strategies in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The legislation includes $1.5 billion for EDA to administer grants through its established Economic Adjustment Assistance (EAA) Program . More information on the appropriation, including eligible projects may be accessed here . The Council of Governments fully intends to work with EDA once more information becomes available.
FEMA’s Public Assistance Program for Local Governments
In federally-declared disasters, FEMA can provide funding and technical help to state and local governments. Local governments are now eligible for FEMA disaster funding to cover unanticipated costs; otherwise known as emergency protective measures associated with COVID-19. The Kerr-Tar Regional Council of Governments encourages affected member governments to apply. If interested in applying for funding, please contact the COG directly. The counties and municipalities in the Kerr-Tar region are located in NCEM Area 6 .
North Carolina Seeking Contact Tracers
Join the team working to protect North Carolinians from COVID-19 while safely reopening North Carolina! The Community Care of North Carolina, in partnership with North Carolina’s Area Health Education Centers (NC AHEC), has been engaged by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services   to hire and train staff to support existing efforts of local health departments to track the transmission of COVID-19 in North Carolina. Contact tracing is a key element in testing, tracing and tracking trends  aimed at gradually easing stay-at-home-restrictions and supporting a safe economic recovery. Contact tracers will be beneficial in assisting local health departments and the State of North Carolina. Interested applicants may apply at the following: https://www.communitycarenc.org/carolina-community-tracing-collaborative
PLANNING & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
2020 Tentative TCC/TAC Meeting Dates
All meetings are open to the public and held from 3:00 – 5:00 pm at the Kerr-Tar Regional Council of Governments’ located at 1724 Graham Ave. in Henderson.

  • January 30, 2020
  • February 27, 2020
  • March 26, 2020
  • April 23, 2020
  • May 28, 2020
  • June 25, 2020
  • July 2020 - No Meeting Scheduled
  • August 27, 2020
  • September - No Meeting Scheduled
  • October 22, 2020
  • November 2020 - No Meeting Scheduled
  • December 2020 - No Meeting Scheduled
*Meeting dates are subject to change in order to accommodate NCDOT deadlines. If a meeting date changes, members of the TAC and TCC will be notified
The KTRPO TAC/TCC meeting for May will be held on Thursday, May 28 from 3:00-5:00 p.m. Due to COVID-19, the meeting will be held via Zoom. Meeting materials will be sent to members as the meeting date approaches and posted onto our website. The Zoom meeting link will also be posted onto our website.
SPOT P6.0 Update
The NCDOT Division of Planning and Programming has modified the schedule of Prioritization 6.0. The beginning and ending dates of all activities leading up to the release of the Draft STIP in 2022 will be delayed three months.
 
The project submittal deadline for all region-wide P6.0 projects will be Friday, July 31, 2020 . The resulting scores from Prioritization 6.0 will guide the development of the future draft 2023-2032 STIP which now has a planned release date of May 2022. The date for the adoption of the final STIP will likely be in the Fall 2022.
Applications Open for State Bicycle and Pedestrian Planning Grants
The North Carolina Department of Transportation continues to accept applications from communities for the 2020 Bicycle and Pedestrian Planning Grant Initiative . The program provides funding for municipalities across the state to develop comprehensive bicycle or pedestrian plans. All North Carolina municipalities are eligible to apply for a standard bike or pedestrian plan.
The deadline for applications to be submitted electronically has been extended to 5:00 pm Tuesday, June 30, 2020 . The Department funds plans addressing facilities, programs, policies and design guidelines that encourage safe walking and bicycling. Please contact a member of the KTRPO if interested in applying. 
Great State Trails Plan
The NCDOT held the Division 5 Stakeholder Meeting on April 16. In attendance were several representatives from communities within the Kerr-Tar Region who provided valuable feedback for the area. Additional meetings are planned for the remainder of 2020. Learn more about the Great Trails State Plan here .

Don’t forget to share your thoughts by taking an Interactive Map Survey or a 10-Question Survey on how trails can serve transportation purposes and provide connections centered around where people live, work and play. Participants are encouraged to take both surveys beginning now through September 30.
Litter Sweep Cancelled
Unfortunately, the Spring 2020 Litter Sweep scheduled for April 11 – 25 was cancelled. This bi-annual statewide clean-up effort, participated routinely among our member governments and community groups is critical to enhancing our region’s scenic interstates and roadways.
As a result, the North Carolina Department of Transportation is continuously receiving reports about trash of all kinds, including masks and gloves, along North Carolina’s roadways and parking lots. NCDOT crews are using caution when removing this debris, but urge motorists, as always; not to litter. It is important to note, masks and latex gloves are deemed biomedical waste and are not biodegradable.
AGING
WORKFORCE
Virtual Workshops for Customers in NCWorks
NCWorks has been offering live, virtual workshops for jobseekers since early April 2020, in order to continue to provide excellent service to our customers while our physical offices are closed due to Covid-19. The workshops are held twice daily on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays, and on Thursday afternoons. The workshops cover a variety of topics which are relevant to jobseekers, including Interview Skills, Resume Development, Online Job Applications and Applicant Tracking Systems, as well as Effective Networking Using LinkedIn. Workshops on managing stress and mental health are also presented. The content has been updated to reflect the changing realities of job seeking under Stay-at-Home orders, and Social Distancing guidelines.

The workshops are currently hosted on Zoom, which allows participants to see the presenters in real time, and to see the presenters’ screens, for instance, when showing how to edit a resume, or what a good LinkedIn profile picture looks like. Participants may type in a question, or, ask aloud during the Q&A at the end of each session.

All of the workshops are posted in NCWorks’ Calendar of Events and are available to customers statewide. A link is included in each event, so the customer can click, or copy and paste the link to attend. Each event is promoted through NCWorks message system, using a text notification to alert customers. Events are also promoted through Kerr Tar’s Facebook page. Contact information for staff is provided, so customers may call or write for additional assistance.

Our workshops are being well attended and have received good feedback form attendees. We plan to continue to improve the content, adding trainings on how to use Zoom, Go To Meeting, and other virtual platforms effectively, online etiquette, and more. These will become more essential as Social Distancing is expected to remain in effect for the foreseeable future. NCWorks is committed to adapting to this new environment, and continuing to provide excellent service to our job seeking community.
Success Story
Randolph Tuck, or Scott as he likes to be called became a participant of the Kerr Tar NextGen Program in March 2018. He initially displayed low self-confidence in his ability to select a career pathway and maintain employment. A recent high school graduate with no work experience, program staff determined that a Work Experience would be the next step in Scott’s career pathway. Scott completed a WEX assignment at the Granville Co. Library where he worked as a Library Assistant. During his WEX assignment, he assisted visitors in the computer lab and maintained electronic and technology resources. 

After numerous discussions with the Program Manager and completing a second assessment, Scott selected IT as his career pathway. He attended IT Boot camp at Vance-Granville Community College during the summer of 2019. After successfully completing IT Boot camp, Scott became certified in CISCO CompTIA ITF+. 

His next step was to attend Talent Connect at the Oxford NCWorks Career Center for job search assistance.

“He accepted constructive criticism very well. He paid attention and adjusted accordingly. He really improved himself,” said Lonnda Brothers, Business Services Representative.

Today, Scott is working full-time at Variety Wholesalers as a Help Desk Specialist. Some of his daily tasks include: setting up desk phones and emails for employees, troubleshooting user problems and requests, and pc hardware and software support.

VGCC new Buy One, Get One Free summer course offerings
Vance-Granville Community College has a new Buy One, Get One Free summer enrollment initiative for in-state credit and non-credit students who want to take summer classes online. This incentivized enrollment is limited to one additional course per credit or non-credit student and covers tuition and fees. Those who are interested must take the course during the Summer of 2020. Summer is just underway at VGCC and it is not too late to register. Come grow with us!! You may visit www.vgcc.edu to find course offerings for this summer. The summer credit term begins on Tuesday, May 26, 2020 and the non-credit registration is ongoing. For additional information on the summer initiative, here's the link to the news announcement: 


Are you having a hard time landing a job and feel defeated or frustrated? NCWorks Career Centers have staff and programs that can assist you. To find your local NCWorks Career Center and see the upcoming events click  here.
Looking for a job - look at www.NCWORKS.gov  
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



Executive Director
Diane Cox

Planning & Development
Michael Kelly

Workforce Development
Vincent Gilreath

Area Agency on Aging
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.