OCTOBER 2019 NEWSLETTER

CURRENT EVENTS

·     The next COG Board Meeting will be Thursday, October 24th at 6:30PM at the Kerr-Tar Office.

2018 Annual Award Winners

Listed in the picture left to right: 

Emily Hurd, Youngsville Town Clerk Outstanding Clerk Award Winner

Frank Frazier, Henderson City Manager Outstanding Manager Award Winner

Phyllis Blackwell, wife of Byrd Blackwell, Honorary Municipal Award Winner

W.E. “Pete” Averette, Regional Star Award Winner

Dr. Francine Chavis, COG Board Member Award

Jennifer Jordan-Pierce, Warren County Commissioner Outstanding County Elected Official Award Winner

*Not pictured, Charlotte Stigall, wife of Sandy Stigall, Honorary Municipal Award Winner

You and your family are invited to attend an Open House at any of the region’s four campus locations. At the Open House you will have the opportunity to learn about the admissions and financial aid process as well as meet with faculty.

Date: Saturday, October 19, 2019

Time: 9:00 am – 12:00 pm

Please reserve your spot by registering at the following:

https://www.vgcc.edu/open-house/

EDA FY 2019 Disaster Supplemental Funding

EDA invites all eligible applicants to apply for disaster supplemental funding following Hurricanes Florence and Michael. All funding will be competitively awarded, based on the evaluation criteria outlined in the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), which includes, but is not limited to: the strength of the disaster nexus; the extent to which the project is responsive to the needs of communities impacted by the relevant disasters regarding disaster relief; the project’s feasibility; the alignment with the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategies (CEDS); the significance of the impact upon the region from the relevant disaster; the project’s ability to support job creation and promote private investment in the area; and the applicants’ organizational capacity.

For more information on this grant opportunity, please refer to the following:

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=319126

EDA provides staff to ensure all interested parties clearly understand all application and submission requirements. To discuss this opportunity further or seek clarification on submission, please contact Hillary Sherman at hsherman@eda.gov or 404-730-3013. 

Fall Family Safety Tips for Drivers, Pedestrians and Cyclists

RALEIGH – As nights grow longer and days get shorter, the N.C. Department of Transportation is offering important safety tips to keep your family safe as the seasons change. Remember to:

·     Always watch for children

·     Pay special attention to children near bus stops

·     Look out for trick-or-treaters on Halloween

·     Remind children about how to safely cross the street and watch for cars

·     Look out for bicyclists and pedestrians 

·     Remember to always wear reflective gear while biking or running 

·     Drivers should share the road with bicyclists and pedestrians 

·     Be aware of deer and wildlife 

·     Pay attention when driving near wood-lined areas 

·     Stay alert as wildlife are most active at dusk and dawn

·     Use your headlights during morning and evening hours 

·     If you are in doubt, keep your headlights on 

·     Remember to turn on your headlights when using your windshield wipers

·     Follow simple photo safety rules

·     For your safety and others, never take pictures while driving

·     While often inviting, never take pictures on train tracks or bridges

·     Always buckle up

·     Every person. Every seat. Every time.



For more information on all these programs and initiatives, visit the safety page on NCDOT.gov/

PLANNING & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

2019 Tentative TCC/TAC Meeting Dates

Meetings are held from 3:00-5:00 p.m. at the Kerr-Tar COG Offices located at 1724 Graham Avenue in Henderson

The KTRPO TAC and TCC will not meet again until the new year. Should a meeting need to be held, members will be notified.  

SPOT P6.0 Subcommittee Meeting

The KTRPO Prioritization Subcommittee will meet on Wednesday, October 30, 2019 from 9:00 am -11:00 am at the Kerr-Tar Regional Council of Governments’ Offices. Representatives from NCDOT will assist Subcommittee members and KTRPO staff in selecting projects for submittal during the SPOT P6.0 process. Regional projects may be submitted to NCDOT through May 1, 2020.  

Registration is now underway for the 7th Annual Tour de Vance bike ride, scheduled for Saturday, October 19, 2019. The ride has been growing steadily since its inception, drawing families and first-timers in addition to the most seasoned of cyclists for four separate cycling events.

This year’s ride will help VGCC’s Endowment Fund to support scholarships for students enrolled in Health Sciences programs at the college. 

Interested riders may register through the Vance-Granville Community College’s website at: http://www.vgcc.edu/tourdevance

America Walks Announces 2019 Community Change Grants

America Walks supports the hard work of advocates and local organizations in advancing safe, equitable, accessible, and enjoyable places to walk and move across communities in the United States.

This grant opportunity will work to provide support to the growing network of advocates, organizations, and agencies using innovative, engaging, and inclusive programs and projects to create change at the community level. This program will award grantees $1,500 in community stipends for projects related to creating healthy, active, and engaged places for residents to live, work, and play.

Funded projects should:

·    Increase physical activity and active transportation in a specific community

·    Work to engage people and organizations new to the efforts of walking and walkability

·    Demonstrate a culture of inclusive health

·    Create and support healthy, active, and engaged communities

Applications are due by 5:00 pm on November 8, 2019. Awardees will be notified in December 2019. Funds must be used in the 2020 calendar year. If your community is interested, please contact a member of the KTRPO for assistance.

Additional information on the Community Change Grant may be found at the following:

https://americawalks.org/america-walks-opens-2019-community-change-grant-applications/

NCDOT Launches Fourth Annual Customer Survey

The N.C. Department of Transportation has launched the Department’s 4^th annual customer survey, available here. The Department encourages everyone willing to offer feedback to take part. 

The purpose of the survey is to gauge how the department is performing in its effort to provide great customer service.

Participation can help NCDOT identify ways to make North Carolina transportation services safer, more efficient and customer focused.

Administered by North Carolina State University's Institute for Transportation Research and Education (ITRE), the survey is grouped into eight core transportation services: motor vehicle, transportation, bicycle, pedestrian, transit, passenger rail, ferry, aviation and the Division of Motor Vehicles (NCDMV).

The N.C. General Assembly requires the survey and the results will be used as the basis for measuring NCDOT’s performance in the area of customer service across the Department.

Survey responses must be received by the end of October. The results will be available to the public on www.ncdot.gov by January 2020.

2020 NC Transportation Summit

North Carolina’s 2^nd annual Transportation Summit will be held January 8-9 at the Raleigh Convention Center. This year’s summit will provide attendees with insight and guidance on the future of mobility, discover the latest in transportation funding and new technologies. Your attendance helps ensure that North Carolina's transportation industry is keeping up with the state's needs. Please visit www.nctransportationsummit.com for further registration details.

AGING

NEW Caregiver Directed Vouchers

Caregiver Directed Vouchers are awarded to family caregivers who meet the guidelines of the Family Caregiver Support Program for In-Home Respite services. The caregiver hires and pays a private respite care provider to come into their home to provide respite services. This allows the caregiver to get a break from their caregiving obligations. The Kerr-Tar Area Agency on Aging reimburses the caregiver up to $750. For additional information about this program, please contact Family Caregiver Specialist, Harvey Holmes, at (252) 436-2040 or hholmes@kerrtarcog.org. 

In an emergency, every second counts.

Kerr-Tar Regional AAA is launching the File of Life project in partnership with local emergency responders and our senior centers. File of Life is an information card in a red, magnetized sleeve that is placed on the person’s refrigerator so that emergency responders have all essential information immediately available should the person need experience a health crisis. The program already exists in over 5,000 communities in the US, and is supported by AARPand the Red Cross. Our launch is starting in Franklin and Warren counties and will move to the other three counties within the next two months.

The File of Life Program

Medical emergencies can happen anytime. When they do, there is confusion, panic and urgency. Paramedics arrive on the scene with no information about the person in need. Seconds count – they can make the difference between life and death. Does the patient have prior medical conditions? Allergies? What medications are they taking? Who do they want us to call? How do we contact their family or friends? File of Life puts these answers at their fingertips. It allows first responders to immediately begin the best possible treatment, notify loved ones, and pass this vital data on to awaiting physicians at the emergency room. File of Life has already saved thousands of lives. It is an absolute asset to emergency preparedness, and peace of mind, for every household and community across the nation.

History

Since 1995, more than 5,000 communities across the United States have implemented a File of Life program. Our product is in 18 million homes nationwide with 900,000 being distributed last year alone. Within 24 years, we have gained the support of national and state civic organizations such as the American Red Cross, the National Council on Aging (N.C.O.A.) and AARP. The File of Life products have appeared prolifically in local press as well as major media outlets including NBC Nightly News.

The local File of Life project is sponsored by the Kerr-Tar Area Agency on Aging, in partnership with local senior centers, emergency responders, businesses and faith based organizations. File of Life refrigerator magnet sleeves and personal size sleeves for your wallet, purse or glove box are available through the these local organizations or the Kerr-Tar Area Agency on Aging.

Limited sponsorships are available to local organizations who would like their business name on the front of the information card. Contact the Kerr-Tar Area Agency on Aging Director, phone 252 436 2040 ext 2047.

WORKFORCE

Click here to see what's happening in the month of October at the Oxford & Henderson Career Centers.

Looking for a job - look at www.NCWORKS.gov 

MISSION STATEMENT

Kerr-Tar Regional Council of Governments aims to

promote regionalism that provides opportunities for

local governments to enhance and improve the quality

of life for our citizens through effective delivery of

services and programs.