Washington, D.C— Today, Congresswoman Deborah Ross (NC-02) announced that all ten of the community project funding requests she submitted on behalf of North Carolina’s 2nd District have been included in House appropriations bills. These projects total $10.6 million in federal investments for education, affordable housing, and transit projects for the people of the 2nd District of North Carolina. Once approved by the House Appropriations Committee, the projects will advance to the full House of Representatives for consideration.
“Investments in our local universities, affordable housing, and transportation and infrastructure are critical for the continued growth and prosperity of our community,” said Congresswoman Ross. “I’m thrilled to announce $10.6 million for crucial projects I’ve fought for to improve the lives of people in Wake County. These projects will also support small business development, emergency planning and operations, and K-12 education.”
The following projects, formally called Community Project Funding (CPF) requests,?advanced in the House Committee on Appropriations. CPF is a new initiative for Fiscal Year 2022 that allows Members of Congress to request direct funding for projects that benefit the communities they represent.?Rep. Ross submitted ten projects for consideration and all ten were included in the House appropriations bills.
Congresswoman Ross has continued to advocate for funding for local projects to improve education and research at local universities, support our small businesses, improve our local parks and roads, bolster emergency readiness, increase access to justice, and support affordable housing.
Project Sponsor: Raleigh – Wake City/County Bureau Of Identification
Address: 3301 Hammond Rd., Raleigh NC 27603
Amount Funded: $500,000
Project Description and Explanation: Raleigh-Wake City County Bureau of Identification (CCBI) will purchase the scientific instrumentation necessary to conduct DNA analysis on evidence collected from crime scenes. This will enable CCBI to fulfill DNA requests from the Wake County Justice Center (WCJC) in a timely fashion, more accurately connect individuals with crime scene evidence, better the enforcement of criminal laws, and avert wrongful criminal convictions.
Project Sponsor: Town of Morrisville
Address: 100 Town Hall Drive, Morrisville, NC 27560
Amount Funded: $300,000
Project Description and Explanation: The funding would be used for financial support and assistance for small businesses through both grants, incentives, and town provided programs such as events, networking activities, marketing and communication support, and establishment of a database of information to enhance regular and ongoing engagement with this segment of the Morrisville community.
Project Sponsor: County of Wake
Address: 301 S McDowell St., 4th Floor, Raleigh, NC 27601
Amount Funded: $1,000,000
Project Description and Explanation: Wake County has identified a space vacated by another County department that could be renovated as a new emergency operations center (EOC) at a low cost and mitigate many of the challenges of the existing location. The new location would have adequate staffing space (even if factors like social distancing are needed), room for current technologies to facilitate both internal meetings and communication with news outlets and the public, and access to restrooms and break areas. The flexibility of the space allows for quick set up that is scalable based on the perceived emergency. This project would be a valuable use of taxpayer funds because the basement-level facility Wake County Emergency Management has operated out of since 1988 no longer meets the County’s needs. The County and its emergency situations have grown in number and complexity, and the way in which the County responds has evolved.
Project Sponsor: Town of Cary
Address: 316 N Academy St, Cary, NC 27513
Amount Funded: $900,000
Project Description and Explanation: The funding would be used for data and advanced watershed analytics to proactively monitor and assess stormwater and floodplain management within the Swift Creek Basin for the benefit of public safety and water quality.
Project Sponsor: North Carolina State University
Address: 1A Holladay Hall, 20 Watauga Club Dr., Raleigh NC 27605
Amount Funded: $350,000
Project Description and Explanation: Making CS STICK will create and develop sustainable communities of teachers to support on-going integration of computer science (CS) in elementary education. By the end of the pilot year of the project, Making CS STICK will have implemented a scalable professional development program for K-5 educators, developed locally relevant curricular materials to increase access to computing education in elementary schools, and served 3,000 students. It will also result in a program for the state to leverage, ensuring that ultimately every student in North Carolina has the opportunity to experience computer science regardless of historical stereotypes and institutional barriers. This project would be a valuable use of taxpayer funds because creating a sustainable K-5 computer science education model will engage students at an early age in the opportunities that exist within computer science, help students understand the impact of computer science on our society, and ultimately create a larger, more diversified high-tech workforce for the future of North Carolina.
Project Sponsor: Wake Technical Community College
Address: 9201 Fayetteville Rd., Raleigh, NC 27603
Amount funded: $600,000
Project Description and Explanation: Through a collaboration between the North Carolina State University Juntos Program and Wake Technical Community College, Reach will provide targeted academic supports, mentoring, and college pipeline experiences to 660 middle, high school, and college students and their families living in Eastern Wake County to put students on the path to graduation and a living wage. This project would be a valuable use of taxpayer funds because adults living in Wake County who lack higher education credentials are less likely to find employment opportunities paying a living wage. By investing taxpayer funds in targeted educational supports for first generation college students and their families who lag behind their peers in completing high school and college credentials, this project will help not only to create the next generation of the skilled workforce, but also to advance their economic mobility.
Project Sponsor: City of Raleigh
Address: 222 West Hargett Street Suite 218, Raleigh, NC 27601
Amount Funded: $3 million
Project Description and Explanation: The goal of the South Raleigh Heritage Walk, also known as the “Dix-Chavis Strollway / South Park Heritage Walk,” is to celebrate Raleigh’s rich cultural history while connecting multiple communities on the southeast and southwest sides of the City. In doing so, the City will provide a safe, accessible, multi-modal route to both parks and energize the area through placemaking, interpretive signage, partnerships, and community engagement. The proposed bike and pedestrian route will run by historic neighborhoods, Shaw University (one of two Historically Black Colleges and Universities in Raleigh), the vibrant downtown core, black-owned businesses, the Convention Center, affordable housing areas (including Heritage Park), emerging retail hubs, and areas of new development.
Project Sponsor: CASA
Address: 624 West Jones Street, Raleigh, NC 27603
Amount Funded: $2 million
Project Description and Explanation: King’s Ridge is a new construction apartment community designed to end homelessness for over 100 Wake County families and individuals. The community is being modeled after other successful public-private partnerships that create permanent, supportive housing across the country, such as Moore Place in Charlotte, where onsite supportive services increase health and stability outcomes for residents. King’s Ridge will include 100 apartments designated for single adults and families who are homeless, focusing on housing those below 30% of AMI ($28,250 for a family of four/$19,800 and below for a single person). The community will include on-site supportive services on the main floor and will incorporate trauma-informed design features. CASA is partnering with Wake County and the City of Raleigh and working collaboratively with more than a dozen supportive service providers to build partnerships specific to King’s Ridge in areas of healthcare and case management.
Project Sponsor: Town of Garner
Address: 900 Seventh Avenue, Garner, NC 27529
Amount Funded: $1,030,405
Project Description and Explanation: The project is a comprehensive rehabilitation of the intersection of Main Street and Rand Mill Rd. in Downtown Garner, North Carolina. At the intersection and along Main Street, streetscape improvements include: a pedestrian plaza and sidewalk amenities to create a sense of place; grade separation between sidewalk and street at the intersection; pedestrian safety bump-outs to increase visibility at crosswalks; stamped colored asphalt at the intersection and crosswalk to serve as traffic calming; stormwater drainage improvements to prevent flooding; and a 2-story mural of important cultural figures from Garner’s history. South of the intersection, the town will construct a new public parking lot, including 59 new paved parking spots and a communal trash solution for the downtown business owners. The parking lot will transform an underutilized central lot into a productive downtown asset and public investment in this project will catalyze private development in downtown Garner. This project will increase accessibility and capacity for residents and visitors to enjoy the entire downtown.
Project Sponsor: Town of Cary
Address: 316 North Academy Street, Cary, NC 27513
Amount Funded: $1 million
Project Description and Explanation: The Wake County Transit Plan includes a new GoCary Bus Operations and Maintenance Facility that will serve as a foundation for the growth of regional mobility options and support the largest planned expansion and improvement in bus service County-wide. It will help connect Cary to all Wake County communities, enhance access to transit, and create frequent, reliable urban transportation options. In addition, the requested appropriation will help Cary meet its sustainability goals by reducing the environmental impact of the proposed 50,000-square foot administration, operations, and maintenance facility. The request would help offset two costs: 1) installing solar panels on the facility grounds to assist with the powering of the building and any electric buses purchased in the future; and 2) installing a green roof to help achieve environmental benefits including reducing stormwater runoff, increasing energy efficiency, and the mitigation of the urban heat island effect.
Additional information on Ross-sponsored projects in the 2nd District selected for Community Projects Funding (CPF) through the Committee on Appropriations can be found?here.?
###