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D3. Does your project help to
<br />address any racial disparities
<br />in the location it is proposed
<br />for? (200 word limit)
<br />According to the rules of this grant application, we affirm that the specific communities served are the most disadvantaged
<br />in Orange County (see attached Orange County equity maps from https://bestneighborhood.org), and that our stormwater
<br />control interventions will have the greatest immediate and long-term impact on these areas and the wider surrounding
<br />regions. USS’s repair and installation of riparian buffers along Bolin Creek will benefit all Orange County residents affected
<br />by tropical storm Chantal and similar future storm events, regardless of race, ethnicity, or financial circumstances.
<br />D4. Please list any data
<br />sources used in reference to
<br />D1, D2, and D3 and show
<br />the steps of any calculations.
<br />(300 word limit)
<br />Area Income: https://bestneighborhood.org/household-income-chapel-hill-nc/
<br />Area Race and Diversity: https://bestneighborhood.org/race-in-carrboro-nc/
<br />Area Demographics:
<br />https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/orangecountynorthcarolina/PST045222
<br />In cases where Orange County demographics could not be obtained, NC census data was utilized:
<br />https://ncbudget.org/new-census-poverty-data-1-3-million-living-in-poverty-in-nc/.
<br />Student Demographics are based on national data pertaining to public vocational education:
<br />https://www.apmreports.org/episode/2014/09/09/the-troubled-history-of-vocational-education, and
<br />https://hechingerreport.org/how-career-and-technical-education-shuts-out-black-and-latino-students-from-high-paying-
<br />professions/.
<br />D4a. Optional file upload to show the steps of any calculations.
<br />Equity_Maps.pdf
<br />D5. Please describe any
<br />ways in which low-income or
<br />marginalized
<br />communities/households
<br />were engaged in the creation
<br />of this project proposal. (150
<br />word limit)
<br />USS continues to improve and expand, using past experiences and feedback from participants in our trainings and
<br />installations in the Triangle— most recently Braggtown community members in Durham, the Weaver Community in Carrboro,
<br />and Millbrook Highschool in Raleigh, all low(er)-income areas. Since 2023, USS has partnered with the Carrboro
<br />Stormwater Manager of Public Works, which has helped USS with education, outreach, and contracting with underserved
<br />property owners in Bolin Creek. Raleigh’s Stormwater Engineering Services also assists USS in connecting with low-
<br />income and marginalized communities that need green infrastructure services.
<br />USS holds regular community meetings, inviting residents requiring our services and people with backgrounds in education,
<br />government municipalities, conservation and more, to seek their participation. Our last Orange County community meeting
<br />was in February 2025: https://www.urbanss.org/news/esxkwtr8o3o38qoryzi5qwiqywfebr. USS also holds project dedication
<br />events, like this one at Carrboro’s Weaver Community last year: https://www.urbanss.org/news/attention-weaver-
<br />community-open-house.
<br />D6. Please describe any
<br />potential negative side
<br />effects of the project and
<br />describe the steps you are
<br />taking/will take to eliminate or
<br />minimize these impacts to
<br />any low-income or
<br />marginalized
<br />communities/households.
<br />(200 word limit)
<br />The only potential negative side effect we foresee is a lack of long-term maintenance for the green stormwater
<br />infrastructure installed by USS teachers and students. To ensure ongoing upkeep, our contract requires property owners to
<br />commit to maintaining installations on their properties for 5 years. USS will continue to seek funding to pay USS teachers
<br />and their students to perform site checks and provide maintenance services (such as weeding and replanting), which will
<br />reduce homeowner maintenance costs.
<br />D7. Are the impacted
<br />residents already aware of
<br />the potential positive and
<br />negative impacts of your
<br />project and the steps you are
<br />taking? If not, please
<br />describe your plan to engage
<br />with them and how you will
<br />act based on their input. (200
<br />word limit)
<br />Yes. Teachers and students enrolled in the after-school program funded by OCCCA also participate in selecting and
<br />reaching out to the most effective installation sites in their underserved communities. USS staff will continue to contact
<br />neighborhood associations and/or churches and, if needed, will personally visit prospective property owners to educate
<br />them about USS’s stormwater management installations and their benefits. Our organization’s website features detailed
<br />documentation of our most recent projects, including before and after pictures: https://www.urbanss.org/portfolio. Especially
<br />view the Weaver Community project at https://www.urbanss.org/portfolio/weaver. USS follow-up will help ensure the
<br />properties are maintained.
<br />D8. During and after the
<br />project, what will your
<br />continued engagement with
<br />the impacted community be?
<br />(200 word limit)
<br />To ensure long-term maintenance, our contract requires property owners to commit to maintaining their BMPs for 5 years.
<br />To support this, USS will continue to seek and secure funding to pay USS teachers and their afterschool and summer
<br />students to perform site checks and provide Green Infrastructure maintenance services every one to two years for USS
<br />installations on low-income properties. Our goal is to leverage community funding to offer Green Infrastructure
<br />Apprenticeships to our youth, through which they assist property owners with maintenance, enabling USS’s ongoing and
<br />long-term in-person engagement with these residents and their communities.
<br />D9. Please describe any
<br />other aspect of your project
<br />that is relevant to Social
<br />Justice, Environmental
<br />Justice and Racial Equity.
<br />(200 word limit)
<br />Although USS’s installations sequester carbon and reduce CO2 emissions, as well as sedimentation, erosion and waterway
<br />pollution in real time, their greatest benefit is the valuable, practical, job-ready skills they give to participating teachers and
<br />students. These individuals naturally go on to educate others and expand the public’s understanding and use of sustainable
<br />stormwater management practices. USS’s trainings prepare Orange County high-school students for careers in green
<br />infrastructure after graduation, helping to increase the limited number of qualified workers in these fields within the Triangle.
<br />Besides their environmental advantages, USS’s installations also improve neighborhood aesthetics by featuring native and
<br />flowering plants. Historically, these plants have been associated mainly with wealthier, often white neighborhoods and
<br />homeowners’ associations. Additionally, these plants support songbirds, bees, and other pollinators, further contributing to
<br />environmental stewardship.
<br />Criterion 2 - Emissions Reduced This criterion has a maximum score of 4 points (out of a total of 26 points). Please see the
<br />Grant Project website for estimation tools and the Background and Information document for information about technical
<br />assistance. Applicants are encouraged to ask for clarification and technical assistance as early as possible and no later
<br />than the posted deadline for questions.
<br />Docusign Envelope ID: FE98AD8C-2A26-4FC1-9B3F-6DEB6E3A41EE
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