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December 2 2022

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By NEWS-TOPIC STAFF

Dec 1, 2022

ROCKY MOUNT — Caldwell was one of nine counties to benefit from a Golden LEAF Foundation award Thursday, Dec. 1.

The Golden LEAF Foundation Board of Directors awarded $5.8 million in funding for 10 projects through the Golden LEAF SITE Program in Caldwell, Duplin, Forsyth, Nash, Randolph, Rockingham, Sampson, Stanly, and Warren counties.

SITE Program — Identification provides assistance to a community from a firm contracted by Golden LEAF to help identify potential industrial sites in the community. Warren County was selected to receive assistance through this phase.

In the SITE Program — Due Diligence phase, the Golden LEAF Board awarded $25,500 in funding to the Greater Winston-Salem Development Corp. for the Tanglewood Business Park and $50,000 in funding to Caldwell County for the Evergreene Industrial Park. These projects will use funding to complete eligible due diligence activities such as environmental assessments, archaeological analyses, and mapping.

For the SITE Program — Development, the Golden LEAF Board awarded $5,775,802 in funding for seven projects that will provide public infrastructure and, for publicly owned sites, clearing and rough grading, to benefit sites that have completed the due diligence necessary to demonstrate that the site is suitable for development.

Additionally, the Golden LEAF Board awarded two projects totaling $700,000 in Open Grants Program funding. These projects will support agriculture and workforce preparedness in Ashe and Catawba counties.

• $500,000 to Ashe County to support construction costs for a multi-purpose agricultural center that will provide a space for area cattle farmers to aggregate and market their livestock locally in a manner that would attract large buyers and increase opportunities to gain premium pricing.
• $200,000 to Catawba Valley Community College for two years of start-up funding to partially fund four of seven new positions for the Manufacturing Solutions Center II an economic development and job creation initiative focused on best practices in fabric development, new textile personal protective equipment, and expanded testing and prototyping.