Minutes 03-10-2022 Work Session - Laserfiche WebLink

Browse Search

10 Commissioner Greene commended the board and staff for the emphasis on agricultural economic development and the food processing center. She said she hoped they could grow that due to the potential. Chair Price commended the board on their work for small business assistance and family farms. She asked if the board felt there were sufficient grant funds for the number of applicants. Estella Johnson said there is never enough money because people are always in need. She said that small businesses generate long-term jobs. She said she is not certain on the amount of money available to them to supply to businesses. She said it is good for them to have expert support. Steve Brantley said they are fortunate that grant money is supported by Chapel Hill and Carrboro where they have new grant programs made available by ARPA or accrued funding. He said the county is the only organization that has funding available for farms or food processors. He said that if there is more funding available that they would make more grants or larger grants. He said the biggest difference between the agricultural grants and the other businesses is a timing one. He said people in agriculture have a different cycle in when they need funding. He said that other small business applicants do not have the same cyclicality. He said that brand new startup type ventures are not really allowed with the guidelines. He said there are funds available that have never been used and they are proposing to move it to allow startups to be able to use it. He said they want to grow businesses with less than 12 months operating history. He said the county is reinvesting in the community with economic development. Sharron Hill presented virtually for the Chapel Hill Orange County Visitors Bureau Advisory Board. She said they moved to 308 West Franklin Street. She shared a video from musician James Taylor that will play continuously at the visitor's bureau. She said that tourists are returning to Chapel Hill. She said staff has completed a 2022 event and meeting guide. She shared a new draft website that highlights the diversity of the area. She said they are going to update language on the website to include the term BIPOC. She asked that people contact the visitor's bureau with events that they would like highlighted. Laurie Paolicelli of the Visitors Bureau, thanked Sharron Hill and Commissioner McKee for serving on the advisory board. She said that there are also twelve other videos, including Coach Brown, Governor Cooper, and Lewis Brown, all the mayors, and Chair Price. She said they hope to have a grand opening for their new space after UNC Chapel Hill's graduation. She said they are going after meeting planners now because the biggest struggle is mid-week. Frances Castillo presented for the Human Relations Commission. She said that they have spent a lot of time partnering with other organizations and working on community development. She said they worked to educate tenants and landlords on their rights and responsibilities. She said they collaborated with UNC Humanities K-12 and created a Pauli Murray curriculum. She said that teachers can use the lesson plan and it is being used even outside of North Carolina. She said they are beginning to publish documents in languages other than English. She said that in 2021 they hosted the Pauli Murray awards, a community conversation on defunding the police, letters to the editors on defunding police and violence against the Asian Americans. She said they also took a month to dedicate to community education on how to be a good advocate. She said that the upcoming year will be interesting as they begin in-person meetings. She said that there are many issues, and they are putting together resources to help the community address those. She said they want everyone on the commission to go through GARE training. She said they have started attending the state human relation commission meetings. She said that they want to address women's health and women's economic opportunities. She said they want to work more with other advisory boards and commissions.