Hart retiring; local cities get LEAF funds; McCarty awarded scholarship
Council on Aging's Hart retiring
The Council on Aging for Henderson County announced June 30 that chair of its board of directors, Jill Hart, is retiring after serving two three-year terms, acting as vice chair (2018-2019) and chair (2020-2022).
“Jill led the Council on Aging through some of the toughest times we’ve faced,” said Sally Buchholz, the current board chair, in a news release. “She worked with great skill, creativity, and dedication. We are grateful for her commitment to the Council on Aging and all seniors in Henderson County.”
Hart has been working with seniors, their families, and professional advocates to create accommodating housing plans since 2015. She is the author of “Downsizing with Heart,” a book written to help seniors deal with the physical and emotional aspects of moving to a new home.
“I am honored to have served with the dedicated staff and volunteers at COAHC and am blessed by the seniors I met through those connections,” Hart said in the release.
Golden LEAF awards funds to Hendersonville and Brevard
On Aug. 3, the Golden LEAF Board of Directors awarded $1,158,333 to support five projects through the Open Grants Program, $3,150,518 in funding for 10 projects through the Flood Mitigation Program, and $2,778,721 in funding for 24 projects through the Food Distribution Assistance Program.
According to a news release, the State of North Carolina appropriated the Golden LEAF Foundation $25 million for a Flood Mitigation Program. The Flood Mitigation Program awards funding up to $250,000 per project. Funds may only be awarded to units of local government, and they were awarded to 10 counties, including Henderson and Transylvania counties.
All of the awarded funds are listed below:
$250,000 to the City of Hendersonville in Henderson County to complete design, engineering, and permitting to route water through a 25-acre site that will serve as an area for floodwater storage that will mitigate flooding that occurs on bridge decks, railroad tracks, and two highways, and threatens businesses along the Lower Mud Creek Watershed.
$250,000 to the City of Brevard in Transylvania County for installation of new stormwater infrastructure to mitigate flooding that occurs in Brevard’s downtown business district at the Times Arcade Alley.
$200,000 to the City of Fayetteville in Cumberland County to address stream erosion and flooding of roadways through data gathering, field inspection and surveying, model updates, and conceptual design, to support floodplain management and stream enhancement at Blounts Creek.
$250,000 to the City of Gastonia in Gaston County for design and engineering to restore and improve Duharts Creek, whose flooding causes overtopping of roads and yards and severe erosion that has exposed wastewater pipes and threatens to expose nearby power lines to flood waters.
$72,697 to the Town of Lake Santeetlah in Graham County to pave and deepen the ditches directing stormwater downhill and away from roads to culverts installed to discharge the stormwater into the lake, mitigating roadside erosion and flooding in the community that occurs during periods of heavy rain.
$250,000 to the City of Lumberton in Robeson County to upsize an existing culvert and realign piping to mitigate frequent flooding that occurs along First Street.
$250,000 to the Town of Pollocksville in Jones County to install new infrastructure that would relieve road overtopping and prevent flooding in yards along Fourth Street.
$250,000 to the City of Raleigh in Wake County to complement the city’s initial assessment of flooding issues in the Kingsborough Estates area by funding activities to identify alternative solutions and design and engineer the selected solutions, complete an in-depth study of the upstream watershed, and further evaluate identified solutions.
$169,488 to the Town of Roseboro in Sampson County to complete preliminary design of an alleyway and both sides of West Roseboro Street that would resolve flooding of the alleyway, sidewalks, and businesses.
$250,000 to the City of Southport in Brunswick County to perform a city-wide asset inventory and assessment of the condition of the stormwater system, mapping of the system, and modeling to support development of a capital improvement plan to reduce flooding throughout the town.
McCarty named recipient of DeJoy-Woś Family Foundation Scholarship
Maxwell McCarty, a Mills River native studying at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, has been chosen for the DeJoy-Woś Family Foundation Scholarship, funded by Louis DeJoy and Dr. Aldona Woś, Maxwell received tuition and housing to attend educational and professional programs hosted by The Fund for American Studies.
According to a news release, as part of the small cohort of DeJoy-Woś scholars, Maxwell spent the summer in Washington D.C. while partaking in college courses through George Mason University and attending a variety of educational and interactive lectures by national leaders. Maxwell also completed a professional internship with the Potomac Institute during his eight-week stay in the capital and received personalized guidance from hand-picked mentors.
Louis DeJoy, North Carolina business leader and current U.S. Postmaster General, his wife and former U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Estonia Dr. Aldona Woś, and The Fund for American Studiesannounced the 2023 recipients of the DeJoy-Woś Family Foundation Scholarship. The students, all of whom have ties to North Carolina or Estonia, were selected from a competitive pool of applicants, the release said. Recipients received tuition and housing scholarships to attend TFAS programs in Washington, D.C., this summer.
The DeJoy-Woś Scholarship program has been funded for 18 years by the DeJoy-Woś Family Foundation. This year marks the first year of a new gift of $500,000 to be distributed over five years.
Guided tree walk set for Aug. 20
At 2 p.m. Aug. 20, arborist Bill Leatherwood will lead a walk on Main Street in downtown Hendersonville to identify the trees and discuss the special care and maintenance that helps the plants and trees thrive in the landscaped, restrictive areas of the beds and containers. Space is limited for the 90-minute walk.
Reservations are required and must be made by Aug. 17 by calling Mac Brackett at 828-692-3026. Details will be provided. The walk is open to the public at no charge.
Leatherwood, an arborist contracted by the City of Hendersonville to care for downtown trees, is involved with tree care and maintenance along the downtown artery and has inventoried each tree and shrub. He will discuss methods he uses to both prevent and treat pest damage, to which the trees are always susceptible, and his efforts to keep the trees and shrubs stress-free.
This article originally appeared on Hendersonville Times-News: Hart retiring; local cities get LEAF funds; McCarty awarded scholarship
