Meeting on a Thursday due to this week’s Primary Election, the Board of Commissioners took a step toward securing more funding for affordable housing. On March 7, Commissioners held a first public hearing and approved creating a Recovery Housing Program (RHP) Citizen Participation Plan, which is a necessary step to be eligible to receive funding from the North Carolina Department of Commerce. One of the major goals of the grant is to help provide stable housing to people recovering from substance use disorder and helping support those seeking self-sufficiency through stable housing. RHP grants upward of $1 million are available and can be used for multiple purposes such as:
- Acquisition of property
- Payments for rent, utilities, and repairs
- Construction of single-family, multifamily, and public housing
- Public facilities and improvements
- Clearance and demolition
Buncombe County would partner with the Land of Sky Regional Council, which would administer the grant. No County match is required to receive the grant funding. The next step will be a second public hearing on the Citizen Participation Plan during the Commissioners’ meeting on April 2. The Department of Commerce will announce grant recipients by May 8. You can read more here.
A-B Tech vacant building demolition
Commissioners approved a single prime contract to D.H. Griffin for demolition of a vacant building at A-B Tech’s Enka campus. The work will include, but is not limited to:
- Hazardous materials abatement and recycling
- Proper disconnection of all utilities
- Building demolition
- Recycling efforts to maximize landfill divergence
- Disposal of materials in authorized locations
- Re-grading and filling of the property to proper slopes and compaction
The contract is for $648,990 and the demolition is expected to take 180 days. You can view the contract here.
Appointment of interim Clerk to the Board
The current Clerk to the Board will be leaving Buncombe County on March 15. Commissioners approved appointing Deputy Clerk to the Board Stacey Woody as the interim Clerk while the County searches for a replacement. The position’s advertisement has already closed and the interview process will be underway in the coming weeks.