A total of up the $2.1 million is available for local non-profits as part of a plan meant to help them through a time when donations and fundraising may have dropped, but the demand for services did not. The clock is ticking for non-profits in Surry County to apply for a grant from Invest in Surry, the application window has been extended through April 14.
Federal planners wanted to offer relief to as many people as possible, so they set aside large amounts of money for local governments, counties, and tribal leaders to enact public works projects in their own communities. The theory being that local leaders would have a better sense of what needs to be done.
County Manager Chris Knopf explained the plan as an investment in the categories of salaries and revenue loss. Then the county can turn around over the next few years and invest those savings in infrastructure, public health, public safety, public recreation, community development and non-profit grants.
“We are using regular general funds to assist nonprofits that serve a public purpose and provide services the county has the statutory and constitutional authority to fund,” said Denise Brown of the county finance office. “Especially those that have been hit hard financially by COVID and have not received assistance from other sources.”
Simply put, the county is paying down debts and salaries with money the federal government is sending. The funds that would have been used for such will then be free to Invest in Surry, including more than $2 million for non-profit groups.
Preference for those non-profit grants will be shown to organizations which provide services to communities most impacted by the pandemic. Groups who have three years of service in the county serving vulnerable populations such as seniors, low income, handicapped, unemployed, or the homeless and have a net revenue of under $2 million are welcome to apply.
By approving Invest in Surry, the county can move on the approved items found within individually, as the county sees fit and when the funds become available.
The projects have to support public health expenditures or address negative economic impacts caused by the pandemic. Replacing lost public sector revenue, providing premium pay for essential workers, or investing in water, sewer, and broadband infrastructure were also among conditions.
The county solicited ideas for how to best use the funds for the projects that would benefit the most people. Those suggestions from citizens, agencies, and county departments were then used to refine the initial blueprint on spending the rescue plan funds.
Prior to Invest in Surry, federal funds had been set aside for other projects, and the county made sure early in the process to develop and deploy bonuses for county employees who worked through the pandemic.
Last September, the board agreed to a one-time bonus of $2,100 to full time employees of the county. Permanent part time and temporary workers were eligible for a bonus using a sliding scale, with all employees having to be on payroll before May 2020, and actively employed by the county at the time of the bonus.
These relief funds were meant to benefit everyone so in February, the Invest in Surry plan was approved for projects to benefit the public.
Public health entities will receive $1.6 million in funding for additional PPE, air quality improvements to their offices, as well as pandemic mitigation upgrades. Public safety improvements such as a mobile command unit for shared use between county agencies and cyber security enhancements are budgeted around $1.5 million.
River accesses, lighting for parks and ball fields, completion of the Mountains to Sea trail, and pandemic protocol improvements to Fisher River Park including bathrooms and concession stand are estimated to cost $1.2 million.
Community development projects are projected at $900,000 and include funding for the new Surry on the Go streaming service, as well as capital improvements for the Mount Airy Museum of Regional History and the Surry Arts Council.
The largest percentage of the funds are set to go to infrastructure projects, currently estimated at 46% of the total fund budget, or $6.5 million. Water/sewer deficiencies, fiber broadband enhancements, Camp Creek riverbank restoration, and airport improvements were all listed as top priorities to the board of commissioners.
The broadband initiative is an exciting one for this area as it is the “last miles” project, meaning these communities in Shoals, State Road, and Lowgap are some of the last communities to have fiber broadband access in the county.
More information on the Invest in Surry non-profit grants can be found on a link on the county’s homepage at https://www.co.surry.nc.us/ or use the search bar to search: Invest in Surry.
Source: https://www.mtairynews.com
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