RALEIGH, NC (WGHP) – Forsyth County and the City of Mebane are the areas of the Piedmont Triad that will benefit from the latest grant distribution from North Carolina Rural Infrastructure Authority.
Gov. Roy Cooper in a statement Thursday announced 15 grants to local governments that would provide $4,278,230. Cooper said these projects will attract about $201 million in investment and add 526 jobs.
The announcement said the RIA approved 13 grants under its Building Reuse Program, which essentially invests in efforts to renovate and retrofit existing buildings. Forsyth County and Mebane will benefit from those.
Forsyth is receiving $250,000 in an Inexpensive Construction Grant for a 45,000-square-foot building in Winston-Salem to be occupied by Frank Blum Construction Company.
Blum, a commercial general contractor that provides construction management services to clients in the education, healthcare, commercial and hospitality industries, plans to create 35 jobs by investing more than $3.1 million.
The city of Mebane will receive $350,000 in an existing construction grant to help expand a building occupied by Lotus Bakeries. Lotus, which makes baked goods and snacks, plans to add 100,000 square feet and invest nearly $85.5 million, creating 62 jobs.
“When rural North Carolina communities succeed, so does our entire state,” Cooper said in the release. “These grants will stimulate more economic growth in rural North Carolina by improving buildings and other infrastructure to facilitate the creation of good jobs.”
Other approved grants
Category of vacant buildings
- Edenton (Chowan County): $25,000 to support the reuse of a 5,506-square-foot building as a startup restaurant, The Herringbone on the Waterfront. This project is expected to create five jobs and attract private investment of $1,432,250.
- Granville County: $100,000 to support the reuse of a 175,000-square-foot building in Oxford where food manufacturer D’Artagnan plans to locate. The project is expected to create 23 jobs, with an investment of $5,060,986 from the company and 15 jobs are linked to this grant.
- Salisbury (Rowan County): $75,000 to support the reuse of a 5,600-square-foot building that would house Stout Heating & Air. The company is expected to create 11 jobs and invest $1,717,337.
Existing category of business buildings
- Chatham County: $67,000 to support the renovation of a 158,995-square-foot building in Moncure that is occupied by ARAUCO. The company plans to create 26 jobs by investing $8,966,745.
- Cleveland County: $160,000 to support the expansion of a building in Shelby that is occupied by Maco, which plans to add 7,800 square feet. The project is expected to create 20 jobs, with an investment of $485,093.
- Craven County: $500,000 to support the renovation of a 500,000-square-foot building in New Bern that is occupied by White River Marine Group. The company is expected to create 500 jobs, with 200 jobs and an investment of $33.5 million associated with this grant.
- Granville County: $250,000 to support the renovation of a 326,000-square-foot building in Oxford that is occupied by CertainTeed. The company plans to create 37 jobs by investing 118.8 million dollars. Thirty-two jobs and an investment of $837,500 are associated with this grant.
- Greene County: $175,000 to support the expansion of a building in Stantonsburg that is occupied by H&T Trucking. The company plans to add 2,250 square feet, create 31 jobs and invest $162,589.
- Lincoln County: $300,000 to support the expansion of a Denver building occupied by Huber Technology. The company plans to add 122,000 square feet, create 46 jobs and invest $39.515 million.
- Madison County: $125,000 to support the renovation of a 120,000-square-foot building in Mars Hill that is occupied by Highland Metal Works. The company plans to create 17 jobs and invest 5.101 million dollars.
- Robeson County: $120,000 to support the renovation of a 49,000-square-foot building in Lumberton that is occupied by Asbury Graphite of North Carolina. The company plans to create 22 jobs and invest $16.9 million, with 15 jobs and $15,560,212 tied to this grant.
Building the Reuse Program
- Nash County: $1,681,230 to support a sewer and road expansion to improve the Middlesex Corporate Center industrial park, preparing the site for future job creation and private investment.
- Pitt County: $100,000 to assist the county in providing a sewer line extension that will support an expansion at North State Steel’s Greenville facility. The company plans to create 11 jobs and invest 1.05 million dollars.
“The rural infrastructure grants are examples of the strong and innovative collaboration between state and local governments that have helped North Carolina be recognized as America’s top state for business,” NC Commerce Secretary Machelle Baker Sanders said in the release. “We are proud to partner with rural communities to bring new jobs and investment to all corners of our great state.”
You can learn more at www.nccommerce.com/rd.