State commerce officials plan to visit Brunswick County on Wednesday to describe the economic development tools available to North Carolina communities.
Part of the NC Competes for Jobs Tour, state officials scheduled to attend include state secretary of commerce John E. Skvarla III; environmental quality secretary Donald van der Vaart; assistant secretary for rural economic development Patricia Mitchell; and assistant secretary of workforce solutions Will Collins.
A main purpose of the tour is to bring information to municipal government staff leaders and members, elected officials, small business owners and anyone else who could benefit from rural economic development, said Kim Genardo, director of strategic and economic development communications at the N.C. Department of Commerce (NC Commerce).
On Tuesday, Mitchell said she would present information on how grants and programs can set the stage for economic development, such as the building demolition program, a relatively new program that's only been available for about seven months.
Citing an example, Mitchell said, "We helped Lumberton take down an old industrial site that had no life left in it, but it’s a good site to try and recruit and bring a private sector business to construct there."
The project, which involved two buildings that had been constructed in 1928 and 1946, was made possible by nearly $500,000 in federal funds, according to an
NC Commerce newsletter article. The buildings needed lead-based paint and asbestos abatement before demolition. Lumberton officials plan to market the cleared properties for use as light industrial and warehouse operations.
Genardo said demolition program requirements are vetted through NC Commerce and recommended to the Rural Infrastructure Authority to approve or deny grants. To qualify, the building must be considered dilapidated with no economic use; post-demolition use can not be retail, parking, housing or recreation; and a 25 percent local match must be made unless it is in one of the state's 25 most economically distressed counties, according to NC Commerce.
Wednesday's meeting on tools like the demolition program will be held 1-3 p.m. in the Virginia Williamson Event Center inside Odell Williamson Auditorium at Brunswick Community College, 150 College Road NE, Bolivia.
Marketing materials for Wednesday’s session said that the NC Competes legislation “refreshed the state’s economic development tools and our tour aims to update communities about the available tools to help them better compete for business in today’s global economy.”
The meeting is expected to offer information on:
- Economic development grants and loans
- Opportunities to receive assistance and/or planning for infrastructure, water and sewer
- Leveraging the state’s improved workforce development system, NCWorks, at the local level
- Regulatory reforms and improvements to the state’s business climate
- Changes in the state’s tax rates
- NC Commerce team and how to find the right people who can help
According to an announcement from Gov. Pat McCrory’s office in September, the NC Competes Jobs Plan includes $20 million in annual job creation reimbursements “that will give North Carolina economic development officials more flexibility and more fire power to attract new jobs to the state. That reimbursement fund will increase by $15 million annually should North Carolina land a major manufacturer which invests at least $500 million in facilities and creates a minimum of 1,750 jobs.”
