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The Duplin County Economic Development Board was required to make prompt decisions at its Feb. 6 meeting on how best to spend $4.2 million remaining from a $12 million grant the county received for economic development purposes. The board was recently notified that the remaining funds must be used or contracted by June 30 or risk being returned.
Duplin County is not alone in receiving the notice. Statewide, the notice stated approximately $40 million in unspent grant funds awarded out of a $1 billion allocation.
Using a list of potential uses for the remaining funds provided by Duplin County Economic Development Director Scotty Summerlin, the board discussed which options would most efficiently advance the county’s economic development goals.
The top of the list included the construction of another shell building in the Duplin Airpark to be located across AirPark Drive from the nearly completed first of two 50,000-square-foot shell buildings.
The board discussed whether it would be the best use of funds to build one new 30,000-square-foot building or two 20,000-square-foot buildings. After calling Joe McKemey, a project engineer with McDavid Associates, and Jeremiah Daniels with Daniels & Daniels for advice, the board decided one 30,000-square-foot shell building would be easier to market to companies seeking space for operations.
In addition to the new building, the board decided to use some of the funds to complete four or five short-term rental buildings in the AirPark and improve street lighting, shrubbery and other upgrades at the location. It was also determined that funds could be used to repair a telemetry system in the sewer pump station located near the airport that is not currently transmitting alerts when issues are detected.
Finally, the board appropriated funds to be used to erect new signage at the other industrial parks in the county similar to the signage being placed at the Duplin AirPark.
After estimating all the costs of those projects, the board determined it had nearly allocated the $4.2 million left in the original grant. Despite those decisions, the board decided the county should write the grant administrator requesting an extension beyond the June 30 deadline in the event of any unforeseen circumstances in appropriating the funds.
Summerlin also informed the board that the plans had been completed for Duplin County to host a group of economic development specialists from across the state at an invitation-only event on March 4. Attendees will tour the AirPark and the nearly completed shell building on the property to market the building and other business opportunities in the county.
It was also announced that $55,000 was being appropriated to pipe a ditch on Airport Road in front of the new N.C. Forest Service Division Headquarters being built in the AirPark. The ditch has proven insufficient to handle the stormwater in the area. At last month’s meeting, the ditch was a source of frustration for the board because they believed the original project engineer, Parrish & Parrish, should be responsible for contributing at least half the cost of making the improvements to the ditch line. There was no comment on any negotiations to persuade Parrish & Parrish to contribute to the cost.
