Using $1.3 million in recovery funds to help the Salvation Army and $150,000 from the same cash stash for the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina are part of Wilmington City Council's consent agenda Tuesday.

Typically, consent agenda items are approved by the council without discussion.

The city was allocated nearly $26 million in federal pandemic recovery funds (American Rescue Plan Act, or ARPA, money). If awarded, the money for the Salvation Army would help build a roadway leading to its new facility, the Center of Hope Shelter and Corps Community Center, which is under construction on 22 acres at 1220 N. 30th St.

"This facility is located within a Qualified Census Tract and will provide an array of needed services for the immediate area and community," city manager Tony Caudle wrote in a memo to the council. "The U.S. Treasury allows for Revenue Replacement of up to $10M of allocated ARPA funding to cover costs that may be spent on almost any expenditure authorized by state law."

State law allows the city "to open new streets and alleys, and to widen, extend, pave, clean, and otherwise improve existing streets, sidewalks, alleys, and bridges, and to acquire the necessary land therefor by dedication and acceptance, purchase or eminent domain."

Under its charter, the city can enter into contracts with developers or property owners to build streets and related public facilities with public money as part of a property's development.

"To expedite the completion of the road construction, the city and the Salvation Army would like to enter into a reimbursement agreement for the construction of the roadway connecting N. 30th Street to Kornegay Avenue," agenda documents state. "Once the roadway is constructed, it will be dedicated to the city, and upon acceptance by the city, reimbursement to the Salvation Army for costs up to $1,300,000 will be made."
 

Food bank funding

According to agenda documents, the $150,000 in food bank funding will assist the organization in its operation of providing food and education to families in need at its new facility under construction at 1000 Greenfield St. Wilmington-based banking software firm nCino donated $1 million toward the new facility, which is expected to be called the nCino Hunger Solutions Center.

"An eligible use of ARPA funding includes utilizing funds to address public health and negative economic impacts," the documents state. "This request from the Food Bank will aid the residents in this location to recover from harmful consequences of the economic disruptions resulting from or exacerbated by the COVID–19 public health emergency."

 

Cybersecurity

Another $147,000 in ARPA funds is expected to be used to boost the city's cybersecurity, covering the first year of a contract with Dell Technologies to buy security software from Varonis Cybersecurity.

After the first year, the city will be required to pick up the remaining three years of the contract with general fund revenues dependent upon annual appropriation, according to agenda documents.

"The Varonis software will prioritize data risks for the City of Wilmington so we can lock down the thousands of sensitive records identified as being open to all City employees," according to the documents. "Also, Varonis automates a response to ransomware and shuts out the infected accounts to mitigate business disruption, data loss and downtime."