Currituck Awarded $1 Million Golden LEAF Grant for Infrastructure

by Think Currituck, on 2/14/19 10:26 AM

Currituck County Golden LEAF wastewater

The Golden LEAF Foundation has awarded Currituck County a $1 million grant to improve the Moyock Regional wastewater treatment facility that will serve Currituck Station.  

The Golden LEAF Foundation is a nonprofit established to receive a portion of North Carolina’s funding from the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement with cigarette manufacturers. Golden LEAF describes their mission as working to "increase economic opportunity in North Carolina’s rural and tobacco-dependent communities through leadership in grantsmaking, collaboration, innovation, and stewardship as an independent and perpetual foundation."

The grant was awarded on February 7, 2019.

The Golden LEAF funds will help improve infrastructure for the Currituck Station project in Moyock. Specifically, the $1 million will be used to expand the Moyock Regional wastewater treatment plant located west of Caratoke Highway (NC 168), within acreage designated for development.

The proposed expansion would triple the plant's capacity to 300,000 gallons per day. 

"This grant validates the vision that the county has for Currituck Station," said Larry Lombardi, Director of Economic Development. "Expanding the wastewater treatment plant will act as a catalyst for upgrades to other municipal services. The increase in capacity will also allow for a wider variety of residential housing and commercial development options."

Lombardi added that moving forward to improve the area's infrastructure "shows a commitment from the county to developers... it lets them know that we want to be partners with them in making Currituck Station a reality."

The wastewater treatment plant expansion will be one of the first infrastructure hurdles for Currituck Station, which is planned for more than 3,000 acres adjacent to the Virginia border. The goal of the long-term project is to stimulate millions of dollars in private investment and create hundreds of new, full-time jobs with anchor tenants that will include healthcare providers, retail, restaurants, entertainment and commercial office space. 

Currituck County intends to finance the balance of the project through an installment purchase contract from the North Carolina Department of State Treasurer that will be paid off using user and developmental fees generated from the sale of sewer services. 

Dan-Gerlach-Golden-LEAF“The Golden LEAF Foundation is pleased to support development of the Currituck Station site,” said Dan Gerlach, Golden LEAF President. “The new wastewater infrastructure will help the County accommodate expected new businesses and jobs in Northeastern NC.” 

In 2019, the Golden LEAF Foundation celebrates 20 years of giving back to North Carolina communities. As reported on their website, since 1999, grants from the foundation "have supported projects that have already created more than 63,000 jobs, trained 68,000 workers and built more than $624 million in new payroll statewide."

 

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Topics:Rural DevelopmentEconomic DevelopmentCurrituck CountyCurrituck Station

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