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Endowment Money, Bridge Toll Updates And More Among Event's Highlights

By Audrey Elsberry, posted Dec 14, 2023
Chris Coudriet, New Hanover County manager, presented updated Project Grace plans at the Greater Wilmington Business Journal's Power Breakfast. (Photo by Alecia Hall)

A potential Michael Jordan museum, $53 million in grants and the option of a $2 bridge toll were among the topics Wilmington and New Hanover County leaders brought to the table at an event Thursday.

Officials took turns breaking down the significant announcements on the main stage Thursday morning at the Greater Wilmington Business Journal’s final Power Breakfast of 2023.

The updates they shared included a partnership with the family of Michael Jordan to look at plans for a Jordan museum; $53 million in grants the New Hanover Community Endowment is set to announce Dec. 18; and the Wilmington Chamber of Commerce’s support for a $2 toll in Cape Fear Memorial Bridge replacement plans.

The CEO of the New Hanover Community Endowment, William Buster, announced the total amount of the second batch of the endowment's grants. The sale of New Hanover Regional Medical Center to Novant Health created the more than $1 billion endowment in 2021.

Buster said the endowment will invest in 19 multi-year strategic grants and 14 non-renewing responsive grants. Through the 33 total grants, $53 million will be injected into the community, he said. Buster is expected to announce the recipients Dec. 18.

Chamber President Natalie English showed her support for the option to charge a $2 toll on the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge to fund the bridge replacement project. She said she does not want a toll, but one might be necessary, at least for a time, to complete the project.

Bridge replacement project plans have involved the possibility of a toll in the past. At a Wilmington Urban Area Metropolitan Planning Organization meeting this month, N.C. Department of Transportation officials again brought up the idea of a toll to lower project costs. 

English also spoke about the chamber’s workforce development efforts, including the appointment of Steven Hill as the health care talent pipeline manager, the launch of N.C. Career Coast earlier this year and the Career and Leadership Development Academy, which teaches New Hanover County middle schoolers skills to aid professional development. 

Chris Coudriet, New Hanover County manager, during his Project Grace talk described the vision for a Jordan family museum to be included in Project Grace.

Project Grace is a downtown redevelopment effort on the county-owned block bordered by Chestnut, Grace, Second and North Third streets. Other plans for the site include combining the main branch of the public library and the Cape Fear Museum of History and Science. 

To watch Coudriet’s presentation, click here.

New Hanover County Schools Superintendent Charles Foust presented an overview of how the county’s schools are doing.

Foust reminded the audience of what learning looked like in 2020 — learning over Zoom and dealing with widespread uncertainty in the community.

He dubbed 2023 a “banner year” for growth in test performance at New Hanover County schools. Five schools were no longer low-performing, 61% of New Hanover County students were proficient in education standards, and Bellamy Elementary School was named a National Blue Ribbon school.

Foust acknowledged there is still work to be done to mitigate online learning from the pandemic.

“It took us three years, and we’re still working,” he said.

During his time on stage at the Power Breakfast, Bill Early, executive director of Brunswick Business & Industry Development, explained the process of securing the promise of a $650 million investment from Epsilon Advanced Materials to build an electric vehicle battery component manufacturing plant.

He said Epsilon plans to begin construction in July 2024. Labor shortages were addressed through partnerships between Brunswick and Cape Fear community colleges. Brunswick’s working-age population is growing at approximately 5%, Early said. He expects this to help staff the 500 jobs created by the project.

“It is our hope that with Epsilon announcing,” Early said, “we will be able to attract others that are involved in the [electric vehicle] industry and the automotive industry.”

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