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Oki ITEM #4: PROPOSED GRANT APPLICATIOIN TO GOLDEN LEAF FOUNDATION ERCD is requesting permission to apply for a Golden Leaf grant at the BOCC's next meeting. Stancil reviewed the announcement for the Golden Leaf Foundation. The Foundation was established by the State to distribute a portion of the funds North Carolina receives as a result of the settlement of NC v. Phillip Morris Incorporated, to those most affected by the decrease in tobacco production. The purpose is to fund activities to improve social and economic conditions in economically affected or tobacco - dependent regions of the state. Orange County is certainly economically affected; over five million dollars of tobacco gross sales was recorded in 1999 alone. Traditionally northern Orange County is a high producer of tobacco. The Foundation will fund different types of activities such as: Education Assistance - having an economic specialist help prepare business plans, job training and employment assistance — providing business planning operations to keep farmers active; Public Works and Industrial Recruitment - attracting new business for economic development purposes or keeping agriculture a viable part of the economy; Community Assistance — while we're not a tobacco dependent community, there is a substantial section of the local economy linked to this agricultural infrastructure. Stancil noted that to be eligible to apply the organization should be tax exempt or a governmental unit. Typically, the first year for funding is a good time to begin. As the application is due October 16, staff will be working hard to comply with the criteria listed in the announcement. Orange County located in an urbanizing part of the state that is feeling tremendous growth pressures. There is great interest for keeping agricultural viable. Hopefully the pilot project will keep farmers farming by enhancing the farmers market in Hillsborough. The grant proposal would also pursue funding for a movable shelter for the market facility. The second main objective in the proposal is to create an agricultural economy specialist position funded for three years, to serve as a broker for OC farmers, child care services, schools, UNC and other possible buyers of locally produced products. The agricultural economy special wouls also bring the rest of us up to speed as to what we have in OC, prepare agricultural resource guide, inventory what produce is available, and provide business planning resource for farmers. Ranells noted that the grant application may carry more weight if the pilot project has a regional effort, and suggested getting letters of intent from surrounding jurisdictions to that effect. Other ideas discussed included using tracking tools to look at volumes, prices, crops most desirable, and farm locations in correlation to growing zones, link together efforts towards grant application. It is unlikely with