By Erin Smith
Two Bladen County towns have been awarded grants and one town was also awarded a loan from the NC Office of Recovery and Resiliency in Raleigh.
The town of Elizabethtown was awarded a $500,000 grant and a $2 million grant. The town of Bladenboro was awarded a $500,000 grant.
Elizabethtown Town Manager Eddie Madden said the way the grant is structured, the funds can only be used to provide short-term assistance with everyday operating expenses, such as general payroll, certain non-disaster-related vendor payments and debt service. The funds may also be utilized to pay for two time-limited positions or to purchase vehicles.
Madden said the town of Elizabethtown’s staff submitted a grant application listing several potential projects for funding.
*The town is seeking funding for debt service expenses to cover debt payments on the new fire station and the street scape project for two years in the amount of $262,516;
*two positions —one for a code enforcement officer and one for a marketing/economic development officer. The estimated cost is $42,000 per position and plus benefits;
*The town staff also submitted a grant request in the amount of $50,000 for a consultant to study the erosion issues occurring along the Cape Fear River.
Madden said the town is now waiting to learn exactly which projects were selected for funding.
Madden said the loan in the amount of $2 million will be utilized to cover expenses associated with the relocation of 270 grave sites. The loan is a zero percent interest loan and must be paid back in two years.
Madden said the town is waiting to hear from the Federal Emergency Management Agency regarding funding for the cemetery project.
“We’re approaching hurricane season and we need to take corrective action,” said Madden.
He said the town has recently received the paperwork regarding the personnel expenses and storm debris disposal but has not received any correspondence regarding the other FEMA-related projects.
Bladenboro Town Administrator Blake Proctor said the town of Bladenboro submitted a grant application totaling $847,271 seeking fiscal assistance, labor and professional services. The town was approved for $500,000. Proctor said the town of Bladenboro is now waiting to learn which items were selected for funding.
“We don’t know yet which items were funded,” said Proctor.
The grants and loans are available to local governments through the North Carolina Office of Recovery and Resiliency (NCORR).
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