Asheboro seeking $2M-plus for community development projects

ASHEBORO — The City of Asheboro will seek more than $2.1 million in Community Development Block Grant funds for five proposed projects in the community.

The Asheboro City Council approved applications for a total of $2,116,918 in CDBG funds from the N.C. Department of Commerce. 

CDBG funds must benefit low- and moderate-income people and can be used for rehabilitation, public facilities and improvements, acquisition of real property for economic development, public services, and/or program administration costs.

The applicants are Randolph Senior Adults Association, George Washington Carver College, Malcomb Coley, East Side Improvement Association and Wainman Homes. The City of Asheboro proposes to use up to $286,257 in CDBG funds to administer an amended program.

•Mark Hensley, executive director of Randolph Senior Adults, is asking for an additional $25,000 in CDBG funds to support the meal program to provide nutrition for clients below the poverty level. 

“We have seen a 142 percent increase in the number of clients we serve in Asheboro that are at or below the poverty level," Hensley said. "The need is great. Every day we are hearing from new clients asking, 'How can we be put on your meal list?' "

•Clyde Foust of George Washington Carver College said they need $300,000 to build two new classrooms and another $30,000 for educational and social programs.

"Right now, every time we have an event during the week, in the afternoon, for the community, the afterschool community has to pack up their stuff and put it in a closet,” Foust said. “To be quite frank, we're running out of closets. There are a lot of organizations that have very important events in our space, but we're running out of storage to hold our stuff."

As for the educational programs, Foust said, "The educators get paid, and the artists get paid. They need to be paid every two weeks. We need that money to cover the shortfall, of what we've gotten from you, from that grant you already gave us, and what we're getting from donations and other municipalities, and what it costs to run the program."

Lara Foust, student body president at RCC, added, "More storage space is not only going to make George Washing Carver more organized, but it's also going to make the opportunities it gives the community more efficient."

•Tammie Coley, speaking on behalf of her husband Malcomb, asked for $900,000 to purchase and renovate 112 and 114 Sunset Ave. to support local business. She said the total investment would be $1.5 million and would create jobs that would benefit low- to moderate-income people.

"Those buildings are not holding up to the standard we'd like them to. We'd like to do our part to refurbish those buildings to grow the economy and create jobs, and to use local contractors to do the work.

"It's about building jobs, building Asheboro's downtown community, getting rid of buildings that look a little run down right now."

•DeNeal McNair said East Side Improvement Association, which owns Central Gymnasium, is asking for $255,101 to improve two buildings, at 624 Brewer St. and 621 Frank St. 

"It's being used by the community, but we've got major issues,” McNair said. “You guys know. We've been dealing with that roof for a long time. We've been patching and covering it up. I think it's long overdue."

•Robert Lawler said Wainman Homes is seeking $320,560 for renovations to CASPN Homes, an affordable housing complex at 945 S. Church St. Renovations will include replacement of the building’s windows, resulting in greater energy efficiency. 

This would be an addition to $950,000 already applied for, according to Robert Lawler of Wainman Homes. The $286,257 the city is proposing would be used to administer the amended program.

Mayor David Smith said the city staff is “working to convince Commerce that this is vital to the future of Asheboro, to support low- and moderate-income people.”

Trevor Nuttall, assistant city manager who presented the projects, said they’re “recommending maximum funding for what we can procure and to proceed with the request.”

Council members agreed and voted unanimously to apply for all the CDBG requests.