News

Center to lead $2 million water resources study with far-reaching implications
North Carolinians can no longer afford to take the state’s once-abundant water supply for granted, Rural Center President Billy Ray Hall said March 12th in announcing a major water resources study that will arm state leaders with information essential to shoring up the state’s economic and environmental future through the next 25 years. The center’s WATER 2030 Initiative is a yearlong, $2 million project that will be carried out under the guidance of a 21-member advisory committee made up of the state’s business, environmental and agricultural leadership. Statistics that show one in four public water systems in the state expects to be nearly tapped out in 10 years. N.C. Congressman David Price, who helped secure a $1 million Congressional appropriation for the project, said the study could be used as a national model for other states dealing with similar water resource challenges. To find out more on the WATER 2030 Initiative, click here.

Rural Center’s $116.5 million wastewater investment improves quality of life in 50 rural communities
The Rural Center recently marked its final investment of $116.5 million in bond financing set aside to build wastewater facilities in small towns dealing with serious environmental problems. With its February 28 round of water and sewer infrastructure grants, the center made its 50th grant from the Unsewered Communities Grants Program, an initiative to address the most critical environmental and public health needs in municipalities with fewer than 5,000 residents. The program, one of three administered by the center with funding from the 1998 Clean Water Bonds, provided up to $3 million in funding – as much as 90 percent of the total project cost – for the design and construction of wastewater projects. The remainder of the Clean Water Bond funds, which are set aside to upgrade sewer facilities and improve the quality and availability of drinking water in rural communities, will be fully expended in 2005.

Health insurance a big problem for state’s small businesses
With its 1.1 million uninsured residents, North Carolina ranks 8th nationally in the number of uninsured people under age 65. As North Carolina becomes more dependent on its job-creating small business sector, there is growing concern about the effect rising health care premiums are having on these businesses, which account for 95 percent of all establishments in rural North Carolina. While job growth in the small business sector is outpacing that of larger businesses, most small business owners in North Carolina today do not offer health benefits to their employees and cite cost as the primary reason. In 2001, just 41 percent of North Carolina businesses with fewer than 50 employees offered health coverage – a 4 percent decrease from the previous year. To find out more about North Carolina’s growing health insurance crisis for small businesses, click here to read the center’s Spring 2004 issue of the North Carolina Rural Economy.

Court ruling could lead to increased funding for rural schools
A Wake County court ruling could have implications for small, poor school districts throughout the state. An ongoing lawsuit over school funding disparities in Hoke County was heard last week in Wake County Superior Court, where a judge ruled that North Carolina must provide additional resources for Hoke schools to ensure students there have access to the same quality education as students in more affluent districts, where property tax revenues boost school budgets and help quell teacher turnover by offering higher salaries. Howard Lee, chairman of the State Board of Education, and state Superintendent Mike Ward say the decision is clear, that the state must act to end funding disparities in Hoke and other small, poor school districts. Even the judge in the case acknowledged state leaders would be hard-pressed to do so given North Carolina’s lagging economy. The judge based his decision on the state Constitution, which provides that all students will receive access to a sound education regardless of where they live.

Fed up with high unemployment, Robeson County residents lobby Congress for rural economic development
In an extraordinary act, a group of Robeson County residents fed up with high unemployment and what they see as a lackluster domestic policy on rural economic development took matters into their own hands with a recent trip to the nation’s Capitol. In a presentation before the Congressional Rural Caucus, the Robesonians cited their county’s staggering manufacturing losses from 1993, when manufacturing accounted for 31 percent of the county’s jobs, to 2003, when it accounted for just 18 percent of jobs. Tax collections are down so dramatically that the county could not afford repair work needed to keep its ambulances running. To read more on the Congressional visit, read the related Raleigh News and Observer article by clicking here.

Reports and Research

Report series examines the state’s dilemma over lack of affordable housing
The Philanthropy Journal has released the first report in what will be an ongoing series on the affordable housing crisis in North Carolina. More than 700,000 North Carolina families do not have housing they can afford, and thousands more live in substandard housing, according to the report. Many of these families are homeless, while others choose to forego basic needs such as health care in order to pay for decent housing. To read the full report, click here.

County salaries report now available online
The 2004 edition of County Salaries in North Carolina, compiled by the MAPS Group for the School of Government at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, is now available online. The files contain information on salaries and benefits for over 65 county government positions. The information is available through the School of Government’s website. For questions, email sales@iogmail.iog.unc.edu, or call (919) 966-4119.

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Meetings and Events

The N.C. Rural Water Association to hold annual conference April 27-29 in Greensboro
The N.C. Rural Water Association will hold its annual conference in Greensboro April 27-29 at the Sheraton Greensboro Four Seasons Hotel. The conference will offer rural water and wastewater system professionals training opportunities and technical assistance, in addition to help with development of wellhead protection plans. Registration is $300 for non-members, and $140 for members. To register online, visit the association website at www.ncra.com/attreg.

Small business innovations conference to be held April 26-29 in Atlanta
The 2004 National Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)/Small Business Technology Transfer Programs (STTR) Conference will be held in Atlanta, April 26-29. The purpose of the conference is to help small businesses take advantage of the programs that provide funds for innovation and technology transfer. The conference provides an overview of the programs, explanations of how to apply for grants, and presentations on the future of the program. For more information, see www.sbiworld.com.

U.S. Small Business Administration Expo to be held May 19-21 in Orlando
The SBA’s 2004 Expo, held this year at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, will honor the nation’s leading small business entrepreneurs, one of which will receive the National Small Business Person of the Year award. Special events include a small business expo, business seminars, a town hall meeting, and the announcement of state and national small business winners. Deputy Administrator Melanie Sabelhaus is conducting a Women’s Breakfast and award ceremony honoring women entrepreneurs on May 20th. Expo ’04 will also feature speakers from business and industry, trade associations, and state level and federal government. To find out more, or to register, visit the SBA’s website at www.sba.gov/50.

UNC to offer Fulbright Institute on regional economic development June 7-11
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill will host a Fulbright Institute on regional economic development this summer. The intensive five-day institute, to be held June 7-11, will bring together 25 participants to review and discuss emerging ideas and policies around strategies for regional economic development. There will be a particular focus on rural and economically lagging regions. The program is aimed at graduate students, junior scholars and mid-career policy professionals interested in applied research and policy development in the economic development field. For more information, including application requirements and fees, visit the website by clicking here.

Southern Growth Policies Board to hold annual conference June 13-15 in Oklahoma City
Join the Southern Growth Policies Board and leaders from across the region on June 13-15 in Oklahoma City to explore how Southern communities, states and entrepreneurs can more fully engage in the global economy. Keynote and panel presentations will suggest exciting new strategies for creating jobs and wealth, fostering more effective relationships across national borders, and building the knowledge and skills needed to compete globally. The conference will also showcase Southern innovators who are already leading the way. For a complete agenda, or to register, visit www.southern.org/conf.asp.

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At the Rural Center

Project New Start off to strong start as 15 displaced workers find jobs
The Rural Center’s Project New Start, a jobs assistance program for dislocated workers in tobacco-dependent counties, is making good progress just six weeks after it was initiated in Vance, Wilson and Transylvania counties. To date, 15 laid-off workers have found new jobs, and 64 participants are taking part in the program, which helps workers map out an employment transition plan, search for a new job, and offers help with basic education and job training skills. Project New Start will use a community-based approach to serve at least 400 displaced workers over the next several months. The project was made possible by a $350,000 Tobacco Trust Fund Grant, while the Rural Center contributed $30,000 to the project. For more information, contact Anne Scharff, project director, at 919-250-4314.

Funding Sources

USDA grants of up to $500,000 available for distance learning and telemedicine The U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development’s Distance Learning and Telemedicine Program is accepting applications through April 30. The program, which provides grants of $50,000 to $500,000, is designed to provide access to education, training and health care resources for people in rural America. The Distance Learning and Telemedicine (DLT) Program is administered by the Rural Utilities Service (RUS). The grants, which are awarded through a competitive process, may be used to fund telecommunications, computer networks and related advanced technologies. The program also offers a combination of grant and loan opportunities for which there is no application deadline. To find out more, click here.

From the N.C. Press

Raleigh News & Observer: Young and old fuel North Carolina growth
The young and old alike flocked to North Carolina in the past three years, according to new census estimates that highlight stresses the state could face in the years ahead. The number of North Carolinians ages 65 and older jumped by 47,000 from April 2000 to July 2003, the fourth-largest numerical increase in the nation. At the same time, North Carolina added 36,000 children of elementary and middle school age, making it one of only 14 states that grew in that population group. The simultaneous increase in the number of children and retirees brings new demands on public schools and health care, said a demographer at UNC-Chapel Hill. "What's important is for the state to recognize that these trends are occurring and to be proactive in developing strategies to meet those needs," Jim Johnson said. The figures are based on estimates released today by the U.S. Census Bureau and reaffirm a trend that has been evident for years. Dennis Streets -- chief of the planning, budget and system support section at the N.C. Division of Aging -- said he expects growth in the older population to continue into the next decade. "We have to make sure we're considering them in our plans," Streets said.

Washington Daily News: Commissioners vote unanimously to oppose OLF
The Martin County commissioners voted unanimously April 5 to draft a new resolution opposing construction of an outlying landing field, or OLF, by the Navy in neighboring Washington County. As part of his motion to approve it, Vice Chairman Mort Hurst asked that the resolution be sent to the 99 other counties in the state. The resolution comes as Washington County and Beaufort County residents step up their lobbying against the OLF, which is scheduled to be built with federal dollars. The Navy wants to construct the practice landing strip to accommodate training for new F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet fighters. Replacement squadrons of Super Hornets are scheduled for deployment to the East Coast starting in 2006 or 2007. The boards of commissioners in Beaufort and Washington counties voted Dec. 1, 2003 to engage attorneys from Kennedy Covington, a Charlotte law firm, to sue the Navy to stop the OLF. Meanwhile, a group of Craven County residents has united to support the OLF. According to a recent Associated Press article, a committee in the Havelock area supports bringing 24 Super Hornets to Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point in Havelock. The jets would have a $38.8 million economic impact in that county and create 989 new jobs, the AP reported.

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Copyright by N.C. Rural Economic Development Center, Inc. 2002. We encourage you to share this UPDATE with interested individuals, organizations, or agencies. Material may be reproduced in electronic or print form. We ask that you please cite the Rural Center as the source.

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The mission of the North Carolina Rural Economic Development Center is to develop, promote, and implement sound economic strategies that improve the quality of life of rural North Carolinians, with a special focus on individuals with low to moderate incomes and communities with limited resources.

N.C. Rural Economic Development Center
Michelle Taylor, UPDATE editor
Kelly Tucker Griffin, UPDATE production manager
Elaine Matthews, vice president for communications and development
4021 Carya Drive, Raleigh, NC 27610
(919) 250-4314 Fax: (919) 250-4325
www.ncruralcenter.org