Jackson allocates funds for parks projects

On Sept. 14, 2022, Vecinos, a free clinic for uninsured, low-income adults in Western North Carolina, received a $1 million grant from the USDA Emergency Rural Health Care Grant to assist in renovating the upcoming Community Health Hub in Franklin. In partnership with other local nonprofits, the Community Health Hub will offer a variety of bilingual, free services for low-income, uninsured community members, including Vecinos’ services of integrated primary and mental healthcare and COVID-19 vaccines. Renovations will begin early 2023 with an opening date of Spring 2024.

Vecinos has facilitated and provided over 7,000 vaccines, testing kits and masks to patients and community members via two mobile clinics and an outpatient clinic located on the Western Carolina University campus in Cullowhee. Funding will assist in renovating the Health Hub in order to increase provision of COVID-19 vaccines and other supportive services.

The USDA Emergency Rural Health Care program provides up to $500 million in grant funding to help broaden access to COVID-19 testing and vaccines, rural healthcare services, and food assistance.

Vecinos is a bilingual, nonprofit, free clinic that serves the uninsured, low-income population in Western North Carolina with outpatient and mobile primary and mental health clinical and supportive services. Many patients have been impacted by COVID-19, from health implications to job insecurity. To assist the community in need and to meet the goals of this grant, their outreach teams continue to identify and assist patients in need.

As a matching grant, Vecinos must raise $2 million in order to receive USDA’s $1 million grant. A $5.6 million Capital Campaign is underway and is seeking support from a variety of sources, including individual donors. Donations are accepted at vecinos.org/donate. For more information regarding Vecinos’ work in WNC, please email info@vecinosinc.org.

BY HANNAH MCLEOD STAFF WRITER

This month, the Jackson County Board of Commissioners took the next steps toward capital improvement and construction projects for parks in Qualla/Whittier and Cashiers.

“What I like about this is the impacts to our community that are long lasting,” said Chairman Brian McMahan.

At a Nov. 7 work session, the board discussed funding options for the park projects, which are coming primarily from Parks and Recreation Trust Fund grants, American Rescue Plan grants and the Jackson County Conservation Preservation and Recreation Fund.

The Qualla Whittier park project will cost $2,013,525. The scope of the project includes a picnic shelter, playground, paving, signage and bathrooms, with additional costs for site preparation, land acquisition and contingency.

To pay for the project, approximately $750,000 will be coming out of the CPR Fund, $750,000 out of APRA funds, with an additional $500,000 coming from the Parks and Recreation Trust Fund.

On Tuesday, Nov. 15 the Board of Commissioners approved a contract with Equinox for site design and development of the Qualla/Whittier park for just over $100,000. The board also approved the grant project ordinance to pay for the park.

Total cost for the Cashiers park project is $1,111,691. The scope of the project includes sidewalks and pathways, wayfinding signs, tennis court remodeling, picnic tables, trash and recycling receptacles, benches, planting, a splash pad and additional fees for site preparation, architectural and engineering fees as well as contingency. Funding for the Cashiers park project will come from the ARPA funds. The board approved the grant project ordinance at its Nov. 15 meeting. After allocating some of these ARPA funds for both parks projects, the county has over $3 million remaining from the COVIDera money. “This proposed Cashiers park plan fits very well within the scope of impact to our community. It’s an outdoor, recreational component, it involves health, it involves several lasting impacts that improve the quality of life for the people in the southern end of the county and I think there is no better way that we could spend those funds and it be something that is so long lasting,” said McMahan. “Not only from a physical standpoint, but from the health and improvement to quality of life of those residents, it would be huge.”

“I totally support that idea,” said Commissioner Gayle Woody. “We know that outdoor activities, no matter what age a person is, greatly improves their mental health.”

Both the Qualla/Whittier Parks and the Cashiers-Glenville Recreation Center improvements are part of a recreation master plan that commissions put together in 2013. Late last year the board approved a master plan for the Cashier-Glenville Recreation Center.

Sylva to fund Art Walk with municipal grant

BY HANNAH MCLEOD STAFF WRITER

With the help of the Jackson County Municipal Grant, Sylva may soon be able to implement a Sylva Art Walk.

“We did a little research about this grant and want to apply for a Sylva Art Walk launch,” said Main Street Economic Development Director Bernadette Peters.

The Art Walk, developed by Sylva Art and Design, has three main components. The first would be murals on Mill Street, from different artists. Funds would help to compensate artists for their work and supplies. The second component would be Sylva Art Walk rack cards.

“The Sylva Art and Design Committee has done an inventory of all the art projects that have gone on in Sylva and potential canvasses for future art projects,” said Peters. “So our intention is to put that into a website with a QR code on a rack card so people can walk around, just like they can do with the heritage walk and see all the art and learn a little bit more about the artist and intention and that sort of thing.”

The final piece of the Sylva Art Walk would be the Sylva Walks Kiosk. Residents and visitors to Sylva may have noticed tall, putty-colored kiosks around town. These were funded by the TDA and the Chamber of Commerce and house brochures and other products you can find at the visitor center.

“What we would propose is a shorter version of that, that holds four different pieces,” said Peters. “One would be the existing Sylva map, the second would be the heritage walk brochure, the third would be the Sylva Art Walk rack card, and the fourth would be the future Garden Walk which will replace the old Tree Walk that we have that the garden club is working on.”

The Jackson County Municipal Grant is funded by the county to assist municipalities with implementation of projects that will directly benefit not only citizens of the municipality, but all citizens of Jackson County. Sylva has submitted an application in the amount of $5,000.

Municipalities are expected to present their requests to the Jackson County Board of Commissioners on Jan. 10, however that is subject to change. The Board of Commissioners will hold an organizational meeting on Dec. 5, where they will adopt the calendar year’s meeting schedule.

Sylva has used the grant opportunity for two sidewalk projects during the last two cycles.

“Sylva is becoming an art-centered hub of Jackson County having many public art murals and smaller art projects throughout the Town of Sylva,” the grant application reads. “The town has considered the need to create a unified economic driver for the downtown area through public art and would like to create a Sylva Art Walk featuring murals on Mill, Art Walk rack cards, and kiosks.”