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Thursday, November 05, 2009

NORTH CAROLINA PUBLIC PROJECT LEADS

More construction will soon pop up across North Carolina. State transportation leaders learned this week they're getting nearly $57M for 18 road and bridge projects. Federal stimulus money will fund 11 of the projects.

http://tinyurl.com/y92bjoz

Incoming Wake school board members tell current ones to halt the Forest Ridge High School project.

http://www.newsobserver.com/news/education/story/175599.html

The U.S. Department of Energy awarded up to $13M to Alcoa to replace four 90-year-old turbines at the Tapoco Cheoah plant near the Little Tennessee River in Graham and Swain counties.

http://www.newsobserver.com/business/story/175464.html

The Scarborough & Hargett Funeral Home has moved to temporary quarters, clearing the way for county officials to demolish its former building on Roxboro Street to make room for a new courthouse.

http://tinyurl.com/y8bfpwo

The New Century International Elementary School, set to open next year, will reduce the crowds at four other elementary schools in western Cumberland County.

http://www.fayobserver.com/Articles/2009/11/03/948915

A sorely needed sewer project to replace failing septic tanks in Maple Hill recently regained state funding that it had lost due to the state's budget crunch.

http://tinyurl.com/y9zndxk

Buncombe County unlikely to buy property sold to Stewart Coleman near Asheville City Hall

http://www.citizen-times.com/article/20091105/NEWS01/911050316

Pender County commissioners have agreed to help the school board get the additional funding it needs to build an auditorium and auxiliary gym at Trask High School in Rocky Point.

http://tinyurl.com/yzu9jy6

Wilkes County commissioners apparently ended a six-month gridlock Tuesday night by agreeing to move forward with plans for building a $13.9M, 256-bed jail without a law enforcement center next to the county courthouse in Wilkesboro.

http://www.journalpatriot.com/fullstory.asp?id=1782

Pender County Board of Education will consider a request to give nearly three acres of land in Hampstead to the county for a new library.

http://www.thependerpost.com/features.html#top1sub1

Burgaw convenience site on New Savannah Road will soon receive a facelift. The size of the site will increase from 9,500 square feet to more than 11,000 square feet.

http://www.thependerpost.com/features.html#top1sub1

The Town of Harrisburg alleges in a countersuit that the builder of Town Hall owes back rent.

http://tinyurl.com/yg2zmpw

Superintendent Randy Bridges hopes the Alamance-Burlington Board of Education will make a decision in December on where to put a career/technical education center for high school students. The school system has looked at nine potential sites in or near Burlington.

http://www.thetimesnews.com/news/school-29400-system-locations.html

The Davidson County Board of Commissioners will discuss plans for the Davidson Academy property during their meeting Thursday morning. The county paid $1.825M for the property.

http://tinyurl.com/ygdrngk

In the coming weeks, for sale signs will be popping up at property owned by the Lenoir County government.

http://www.kinston.com/news/sale-59732-county-property.html

Davie Co.: School board members heard presentations on ideas for the new high school from five architectural firms last week and are expected to select one soon. Architects from The FWA Group, MBAJ Architecture, Walter, Robbs, Callahan and Pierce, Fuller Architecture (with Little Diversified Architectural Consulting) and SLF+A spent nearly four hours with school board members. While each firm submitted its own prototypes of what the new school might look like, there were similarities in design in all the plans.

http://www.enterprise-record.com/story1.shtml

On Thursday at noon at the aptly named and still-under-construction Big Rock Stadium in Rotary Park, the Marlins will unveil their plans to become the Coastal Plain League's 15th franchise. The stadium is to be completed by the spring of 2010.

http://tinyurl.com/yhaxjhk

Construction will begin in the coming months on a new park at the old Benson Middle School campus. The park will include five lighted athletic fields.

http://www.theherald-nc.com/news/story/12053.html

Polk commissioners are moving ahead with the purchase of Lake Adger after receiving reports on estimated costs of repairs the dam could need in the future. The county could close on the purchase of the property as early as Friday, Nov. 13. Commissioners Monday approved a resolution to close on the $1.6M property, which consists of the lake bed and the dam. The county plans to use the lake as a future water source.

http://tryondailybulletin.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=426&Itemid=251

A state appeals court on Tuesday agreed that Mecklenburg County had authority to allow the Charlotte Knights to build a minor-league baseball stadium on public land in Third Ward, near Bank of America Stadium, upholding a decision by a judge last year.

http://www.heraldonline.com/109/story/1723784.html

NORTH CAROLINA PRIVATE LEADS

The N.C. Utilities Commission on Wednesday denied environmentalists' move to stop the expansion of Duke Energy's Cliffside coal-fired power plant west of Charlotte.

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/business/story/1037999.html

Charlotte's SCR-Tech won a $12.4M stimulus grant this year to expand its operations in a field that essentially did not exist in the United States 10 years ago. The subsidiary of Charlotte-based CoaLogix Inc. reprocesses t

http://charlotte.bizjournals.com/charlotte/stories/2009/11/02/focus2.html?b=1257138000^2351611

When a new Value Place extended-stay hotel opens in Apex in January, it will mark the first of what the chain hopes will become a network of properties scattered throughout the Triangle.

http://www.newsobserver.com/business/story/175434.html

Catalina Tempering is opening a 67,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Mount Airy that will employ 20 people, according to an announcement from the Surry County Economic Development Partnership.

http://triad.bizjournals.com/triad/stories/2009/11/02/daily39.html

North Buncombe landmark Claxton Farm plans to construct new facility to replace burned-down barn

http://www.citizen-times.com/article/20091105/NEWS01/911050319

Western North Carolina : Nouveau mountain motif dominates architect scene.

http://www.smokymountainnews.com/issues/11_09/11_04_09/fr_signature_style.html

Western North Carolina has so embraced mountain vernacular architecture that local planning boards across the area are prodding developers into adopting the style.

http://www.smokymountainnews.com/issues/11_09/11_04_09/fr_enamored_stones.html

A new commercial park planned for Lane Street in Kannapolis is back. The Research Commerce Park, slated for 35 acres on Lake Fisher right off Interstate 85, will be an eastern gateway into the city and the North Carolina Research Campus.

http://tinyurl.com/yfndg6a

Maymead Materials Inc. has gotten over one major hurdle in its effort to build a second asphalt plant in Statesville. Last week, the company received word from the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources that permits related to air quality aspects of the proposed plant had been given the green light.

http://tinyurl.com/ygkfz3b

Shelby apartment complex set for 2010 opening draws interest; The company builds apartments throughout the Carolinas and has a seniors-only project, Kings Falls, under way in Kings Mountain, also planned for spring availability.

http://www.shelbystar.com/news/justified-42881-class-bodycopy.html

Appalachian leaders are seeking ways to use alternative energy initiatives to spark the 13-state region's long-sluggish economy. The annual Appalachian Regional Commission conference, held in Athens, Ohio, this week will focus on giving the struggling area a big role in the push for more use of sources such as solar and wind, bringing so-called "green jobs'' with it.

http://www2.morganton.com/content/2009/oct/26/conference-puts-spotlight-green-energy-options/

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

NORTH CAROLINA PUBLIC PROJECT LEADS

The York County council is scheduled to decide Monday night whether to keep the Charlotte Knights in Fort Mill for the next four years. If a new lease is approved, it would also mean another delay for an uptown Charlotte ballpark.

http://tinyurl.com/ydq32cn

The election Tuesday could bring some big changes to how the Wake County school system decides the makeup of its classrooms or how the suburban town of Cary deals with growth.

http://www.newsobserver.com/news/education/story/126940.html

Voters in the Gate City will be asked next month to approve a $20M bond to pay for expansion and renovation to the Natural Science Center of Greensboro.

http://triad.bizjournals.com/triad/stories/2009/10/05/story2.html?b=1254715200^2194211

Harnett Co.: The design cost of a new middle school came under scrutiny Monday when Commissioner Jim Burgin asked why the county couldn't save money by using identical designs for the schools it needs to build. Architect John Birath said the designs vary with each site because of various factors, including the effect of soil on the foundation. Even the way the school faces can affect the windows and solar panels that are used.

http://www.fayobserver.com/Articles/2009/10/06/940306

Fayetteville commissioners ponder Gray's Creek water and sewer district

http://www.fayobserver.com/Articles/2009/10/06/940486

Asheville I-26 connector project could end Hillcrest isolation

http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20091006/NEWS01/910060335

At their meeting Tuesday, Oct. 6, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners will vote on beginning to lay the groundwork (or keep the ball rolling) on a number of fronts including zoning, green initiatives, school construction and courtroom space.

http://www.mountainx.com/news/2009/buncombe_commissioners_preview_groundwork_edition

Solar panels will soon be installed to heat water at the Pitt County Detention Center.

http://www.reflector.com/news/solar-panels-to-be-installed-at-detention-center-878725.html

Commissioners withheld comment on a request from Asheboro City Schools for funding to replace the early childhood development center at old Balfour School. That project, depending on the direction taken, would cost anywhere from $800,000 to $7M

http://www.courier-tribune.com/articles/2009/10/06/news/en3.txt

Granite Quarry town officials are keeping Rowan County's talk of a satellite jail at the corner of Heilig and Faith roads at arm's length for now, unsure whether the land would even come under Granite Quarry's extraterritorial zoning jurisdiction. The town's zoning line might not take in all of the county's 84 acres at the intersection.

http://www.salisburypost.com/Area/100609-granite-quarry-on-jail-annex

Shelby City Council moves forward with $1.3M youth sports complex

http://www.shelbystar.com/news/shelby-42174-city-sports.html

Watauga County may soon have a major new recreational facility that combines hiking with mountain biking, Frisbee golf and other activities. he commissioners Monday gave approval to make a purchase offer for 47.2 acres owned by the Darnell family heirs. The offer is for $909,000 and would be paid through occupancy-tax revenues collected by the Watauga County Tourism Development Authority.

http://www2.wataugademocrat.com/story/County_seeking_major_parks_project

Construction of Vance County's proposed water district will begin Feb. 1 of 2010 under a progress schedule for Phase 1 that was approved Monday night by the Board of Commissioners.

http://tinyurl.com/ybpb3vu

It's become more difficult for the Lenoir County Sheriff's Office to find jail space for its overcrowded inmate population. Brennan Associates is working to complete a design for a 192-bed jail facility. The new jail could be 62,000 feet and would house 48 women inmates.

http://www.kinston.com/news/available-59051-fewer-inmates.html

Sanford: Unemployment, capital needs with regards to education, preparing for the H1N1 virus, and making sure the area is ready for growth related to the coming Army base realignment proposal are the four biggest issues facing Lee County, a new report issued by the county manager suggests.

http://tinyurl.com/yehdfjy

The Warren County Board of Commissioners during a special meeting on Monday approved installment purchase financing in the amount of $610,000 for construction of a new building for Warren New Tech High School (WNTHS) on land near Warren County Middle School.

http://www.vancnews.com/articles/2009/10/02/warrenton/news/news52.txt

NORTH CAROLINA PRIVATE LEADS

A Charlotte architecture office is hoping to beat the downturn by tapping two distinct markets: overseas projects and firms wanting to downsize their offices.

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/business/story/986831.html

R.J. Griffin & Co., general contractor for The Vue, says construction will start again at the 51-story condo tower in uptown Charlotte. The company halted work Sept. 1, saying Chicago-based MCL Cos. had failed to make payment on invoices. Late Monday, R.J.

Griffin said it had received payment "and will promptly resume work on the Vue project."

http://charlotte.bizjournals.com/charlotte/stories/2009/10/05/daily12.html

Johnston County's Board of Commissioners approved a special-use permit and rezoned 283 acres for a proposed development of residential, professional and commercial space that would be larger than almost every other commercial hub in the county.

http://www.newsobserver.com/news/local_state/story/128303.html

Food Lion's Belgian parent wants to expand its foothold in the Southeast by buying stores and other assets worth $425 million from bankrupt rival grocer BI-LO.

http://www.newsobserver.com/business/story/128204.html

Carolinas Association of General Contractors: Construction activity still down but 'modest' rebound seen in 2010

http://triangle.bizjournals.com/triangle/stories/2009/10/05/daily2.html

Triad existing-home sales up 3.6%

http://triad.bizjournals.com/triad/stories/2009/10/05/daily3.html

Durham City Council members voted 6-0 Monday night to allot another $355,000 to plan another attempt to redevelop the Rolling Hills area, to cover a shortfall a St. Louis company left when it couldn't come up with money to help.

http://tinyurl.com/yew3dwh

A proposal from the National Association of State Fire Marshalls could cost some local furniture retail stores and manufacturers big bucks in efforts to increase safety.

http://tinyurl.com/ye3jzj6

Fayetteville: board approved a $10,000 incentive to the Eaton Corp.because the company has expressed interest in moving its Golf Pride division to Moore County. The company is the world's largest manufacturer of golf club grips. The company is looking at two vacant buildings in Southern Pines

http://www.fayobserver.com/Articles/2009/10/06/940443

Public input meeting to discuss possible Brunswick County artificial reef planned

http://tinyurl.com/ydqsjts

Nash County commissioners decided Monday to postpone any decision on a countywide dilapidated housing program. Commissioners told county planning officials they would make a decision on the program after seeking resident input and studying other options.

http://tinyurl.com/ydhj7my

Proposed changes to the Wayne County's subdivision ordinance will be back before commissioners when they meet Tuesday morning. The proposal that would give final approval of all subdivision plats to commissioners was the subject of two public hearings last month.

http://www.newsargus.com/news/archives/2009/10/05/commission_to_discuss_subdivision_rules_tuesday/

Watauga Commissioners address land, housing, and facilities

http://www2.wataugademocrat.com/story/Commissioners_address_land%2C_housing%2C_and_facilities

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

NORTH CAROLINA PUBLIC PROJECT LEADS

Greensboro City Council members got an update on plans for a new aquatic center. The facility would have a warm-up pool for children and seniors as well as a 50-meter pool and a 17-foot diving well.

http://tinyurl.com/lsnuts

Wake County school leaders and Rolesville Mayor Frank Eagles are clashing over a possible alternative site to a new high school in northeast Raleigh.

http://www.newsobserver.com/news/education/story/113634.html

$1.13B in capital projects proposed in Guilford Co.; $16.5M for an expanded aviation building and millions more for new or renovated training facilities for dental, continuing education, business, emergency services, hospitality, general classrooms, land and support facilities to go with those expansions at campuses in High Point, Greensboro and Jamestown; $11.3M for juvenile detention center; Ongoing projects, such as the approved bonds for the $115M county jail complex or $467M for county schools are included in the plan.

http://www.news-record.com/content/2009/09/23/article/113_billion_in_capital_projects_proposed

Davidson County Community College receives 183-acre gift; The college plans to use the land to develop a host of new programs and facilities that were not possible before due to land constraints.

http://tinyurl.com/npywug

The federal government is spending at least $516M to expand Fort Bragg because of base realignment, but it has mostly left surrounding counties to fend for themselves. This year, civilian leaders in those counties estimated they will need nearly $590M to build schools and roads to accommodate the Army post's rapid expansion.

http://www.fayobserver.com/Articles/2009/09/23/920482

The Federal Aviation Administration's $1.14M grant will allow Hickory Regional Airport to update its main taxiway. The FAA had allowed the city to delay the bidding process for about a year to wait for the price of petroleum to drop, and that delay saved the city about $100,000

http://www2.hickoryrecord.com/content/2009/sep/23/airport-update/news-local/

Pamlico County will seek $800,000 in state grant money to improve housing and utilities for a small community east of Bayboro.

http://www.newbernsj.com/news/pamlico-48148-seeking-utilities.html

Lee County Schools has qualified for an additional $2.2M in no-interest construction bonds, bringing the district's total up to nearly $8M

http://sanford.southernheadlines.com/index.cfm?section=47&story=24944

Wendell: Commissioners agreed to last week to take part in a county-sponsored program that could lead to the development of property in the Martin Center community near Leith AutoWorld. Called the Shovel Ready Sites program, the project would target properties in which the landowner is willing to let the town have a role in marketing and developing the land. The town and the county would pay to develop infrastructure such as water and sewer lines to the site and the property would be marketed to potential buyers.

http://www.easternwakenews.com/news/story/4789.html

WakeMed has won state regulators' approval to expand its nursery for premature and at-risk newborns. The $8.9M project will add 12 beds at WakeMed's main Raleigh campus, giving it 48 neonatal intensive care beds. But a similar expansion proposed by WakeMed's crosstown rival, Rex Healthcare, was rejected by the state office that reviews medical projects.

http://www.easternwakenews.com/news/story/4768.html

NORTH CAROLINA PRIVATE LEADS

After showing incremental improvements over the past couple of years, North Carolina has stalled at No. 39 in the annual business tax climate rankings compiled by the Tax Foundation.

http://triangle.bizjournals.com/triangle/stories/2009/09/21/daily26.html

As the nation's credit crisis has all but halted development, towns are devoting more time to big-picture growth strategies and smaller ordinance changes that were shelved during the boom.

http://www.carynews.com/front/story/13665.html

A planned pub next to Pack Square Park means that a condominium building considered for the same area no longer has city approval, Asheville city planners said Tuesday evening.

http://www.citizen-times.com/article/200990922106

A South Carolina developer who unsuccessfully pursued building a Wal-Mart shopping center at Port Terminal Commons nearly one year ago is petitioning to change the zoning at a new location.

http://www.reflector.com/news/wal-mart-developers-trying-for-different-location-852343.html

http://www.reflector.com/news/wal-mart-developer-files-new-request-excited-about-site-850317.html

The $3.6M creamery renovation project in Concord will receive an economic development grant from Cabarrus County despite concerns that the grant could set a precedent, costing the county M's in the future.

http://tinyurl.com/lztasl

Approval of proposed day care center in Carrboro still on hold

http://www.dailytarheel.com/content/approval-proposed-day-care-center-still-hold

Even if proposed updates to the county's land development plan are only suggestions, the Davidson County Board of Commissioners want to read the fine print thoroughly before making any changes official. For a third time, the board considered - and postponed - approving updates to the existing land development plan.

http://tinyurl.com/nwxpjs

An Arkansas-based manufacturing company will be building a new plant in a Mount Airy business park, creating up to 50 jobs. Central States Manufacturing Inc., which makes metal building components used in commercial and residential construction, will perform forming, cutting and assembly of coated steel parts and panels.

http://www.surrymessenger.com/index.html

Friday, September 4, 2009

NORTH CAROLINA PUBLIC PROJECT LEADS

With its jail already at maximum capacity, Surry Sheriff Graham Atkinson said this week that he’s not in a position to accommodate Yadkin prisoners who must be shipped out to new locations after the state closed the 40-year-old county jail for plumbing problems; could take four to six months to bring the jail up to code; at some point in the future, Surry County officials will have to look at expansion plans.

http://www.surrymessenger.com/Pages/news_1.html

More than $2.1M in grants have been awarded to communities in the Cape Fear region to address water and sewer needs and create jobs.

http://www.fayobserver.com/Articles/2009/09/04/930824

The Davidson County Board of Commissioners is set to give its final nod to accept and issue U.S. Qualified School Construction Bonds, part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, on behalf of the county’s three school districts. Lexington and Thomasville schools are eligible for $1.2M in bonds each, and county schools are eligible for $2.6M

http://tinyurl.com/m6ysoa

The Sampson County School system will soon be get a new technology server building on the Auxiliary Services/Technology campus; priced at $62,500, will be paid from QZAB (Qualified Zone Academy Bond) funding. other projects listed:

http://tinyurl.com/kuj7lq

Polk County’s long-range water plan includes running water lines to link the schools of Polk Central, Sunny View, Polk County middle and high schools. Polk County is currently seeking Henderson County’s permission to reclassify the Green River in order to purchase Lake Adger for its own water source and to eventually construct a water plant and distribute water to Polk residents.

http://tryondailybulletin.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2954&Itemid=251

Boone: New Hospitality House Facility Groundbreaking September 18. The campaign for the facility is currently at $2.4M with pledges and contributions toward the $3M private donations goal..

http://www.highcountrypress.com/weekly/2009/09-03-09/new_hospitality_house.htm

Orange County board of commissioners voted 4-3 Tuesday night to draw its attempt to find a site for a waste transfer station to a close, setting a timetable of 60 to 90 days for reaching a decision.

http://www.carrborocitizen.com/main/2009/09/03/county-sets-timetable-for-transfer-site-pick/

Orange County: Supporters of C.W. Stanford Middle School’s outdoor “eco” classroom are plunging back into the project. Plans moving forward on amphitheatre design.

http://www.aconews.com/articles/2009/09/03/noc/news/news1.txt

Hillsborough: North Carolina Parks and Recreation Authority has awarded $500,000 for continued development of Fairview Park.

Fairview Park will feature active and low-impact recreational facilities, including basketball courts, baseball field.

http://www.carrborocitizen.com/main/2009/09/03/grant-awarded-for-fairview-park/

Hillsborough: North Carolina Parks and Recreation Authority awarded $500,000 for the expansion of Fairview Park in Hillsborough, a joint town and county project. The fund also awarded almost $400,000 to the Riverwalk park project, which is being built in stages along the Eno River.

http://www.aconews.com/articles/2009/09/03/noc/news/news12.txt

Hillsborough was awarded $392,000 last week for Phase 2 development of Riverwalk, which will connect Gold Park to downtown.

http://www.carrborocitizen.com/main/2009/09/03/funds-provided-for-riverwalk/

Hillsborough: Though the proposed $227M UNC Hospitals Hillsborough campus proposal would be exempt from property taxes if approved by state and local officials, a study paid for by the hospital suggests it would still pay substantial dividends to local coffers.

http://www.aconews.com/articles/2009/09/03/noc/news/news15.txt

Guilford County Schools has fired the first shot of the battle over who will pay for ongoing problems at Oak Ridge Elementary School, suing Lyon Construction of King, North Carolina, in Guilford County Superior Court, over what the school system claims are breaches in the contract between the school system and the contractor

http://tinyurl.com/ldno73

Pikeville: Planning board examines moving town hall.

http://tinyurl.com/oxye3h

Highlands will hold a public forum to gather citizen input on the towns new 30+ acre Recreation Park and Civic Center.

http://www.highlandsinfo.com/newspaperdownload.htm

Red Springs: The town Board of Commissioners on Tuesday approved a conditional-use permit that clears the way for construction of new public housing.

http://tinyurl.com/ny3c2z

Lumberton: Design phase of new social services building coming to a close. The 92,000-square-foot, $19M structure is being designed by Little Architects, of Durham, and Native Design Services, of Pembroke.

http://tinyurl.com/mcbe6q

Pembroke: Lumbee Tribal leaders announced Friday that almost $5M in stimulus funding from the American Recovery Act and another $2M in state money has been received to be used in the development of Arrowpoint Acres, a subdivision owned by the tribe that will provide 50 homes for low-income families.

http://tinyurl.com/n78c36

Nash County: Gov. Beverly Perdue announced that county governments would receive almost $38M in lottery funds earmarked for school construction that she held back half a year ago in order to help manage the state’s budget crisis. Nash-Rocky Mount Public Schools will receive $492,297 in lottery money under the plan.

http://tinyurl.com/lfvjod

Montgomery: Board approves funds for work on baseball field. Planning and design costs are estimated at $37,000, and $306,266 is for construction.

http://www.montgomeryherald.com/articles/2009/09/03/news/top_stories/doc4a9d74243964b751213811.txt

Caswell County will receive $88,344 of released lottery funds to be used toward school construction, renovations or restorations.

http://www.caswellmessenger.com/articles/2009/09/01/news/news03.txt

NORTH CAROLINA PRIVATE LEADS

Mecklenburg County Code Enforcement officials have worked out a compromise with EpiCentre developer and owner Ghazi Co. that will allow new tenants to open at the uptown hot spot

http://charlotte.bizjournals.com/charlotte/stories/2009/08/31/story14.html?b=1251691200^2009591

Nestlé Waters North America Inc. is considering sites in Chesterfield County for a spring-water source and bottling facility.

http://charlotte.bizjournals.com/charlotte/stories/2009/08/31/daily38.html

MCNC has applied for $28.1M in federal stimulus funds to improve Internet access for businesses and schools in rural parts of North Carolina. The money, if granted, would support the acquisition of fiber optic lines for the North Carolina Research and Education Network in North Carolina

http://triangle.bizjournals.com/triangle/stories/2009/08/31/daily65.html

Swain County: Old building may become story center with $2.4M renovation.

http://www.thesmokymountaintimes.com/articles/2009/09/03/news/9.3.09.news04.txt

Machine Specialties Inc. will move from Greensboro to Whitsett this fall and add 145 employees by 2015

http://tinyurl.com/nso628

Some county commissioners dismissed claims this week from a former Guilford County economic development chief who called their draft economic incentive plan illegal; commissioners tabled discussion on a policy connected to $1.3M in the 2009-10 county budget that would give tax money to smaller business that add at least $10,000 in taxable property.

http://tinyurl.com/mkd4s4

On the same night Mount Airy officials approved $472,178 in incentives for one industry that might come here, it was announced two other companies also are considering projects which could lead to about 250 additional jobs. The incentives were approved for an unnamed company eyeing a 10-acre site in Piedmont Triad West Corporate Park for a proposed new facility that would hire 45 people.

Meanwhile, the two prospects that surfaced Thursday night are interested in existing buildings

http://tinyurl.com/lbbafn

Mount Airy and Surry County officials, apparently energized by the prospect of a new tenant for Piedmont Triad West Corporate Park, discussed plans Thursday for further development of that facility. The improvements outlined during a meeting of the City-County Liaison Committee would total more than $1M

http://tinyurl.com/mnedb8

A local industry is seeing signs that the housing market and the economy are on the upswing. Ritz-Craft Homes in Hamlet, which builds modular homes, was hit hard when the housing bubble burst last year.

http://tinyurl.com/mu9hlo

Thursday, August 27, 2009

NORTH CAROLINA PUBLIC PROJECT LEADS

Covering 85 daily newspapers and 76 weeklies.

Duke University Health System will spend $700M on a new cancer center and medical tower, a sum one industry expert called staggering.

http://tinyurl.com/mlosgs

Officials are adding an indoor and outdoor recreational facility to Swansboro's Municipal Park. A major state grant, along with funding from the city itself, is making the overhaul possible.

http://tinyurl.com/kuv5g5

State highway engineers have redesigned the future Greensboro Urban Loop to save most of a town house development on the city's west side, where some residents said they bought without knowing the road was planned so close to their homes.

http://www.news-record.com/content/2009/08/26/article/new_loop_design_may_save_town_houses

A $2.1M Neighborhood Stabilization Program grant Lexington received from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in March has a deadline, meaning the city has to spend the money before next July.

http://tinyurl.com/ln4ozh

The possibility of building a new high school in Bertie County seems nearly non-existent.

http://www.roanoke-chowannewsherald.com/news/2009/aug/22/bertie-board-balks-proposal/

Kure Beach was awarded $456,233 dollars to go towards development of the Town's ocean front park.

http://www.islandgazette.net/content/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=8937&Itemid=68

Emerald Isle: County pledges $1M for boat ramp project.

http://tinyurl.com/lqp6bz

Emerald Isle: N.C. Parks and Recreation Trust Fund awarded $500,000 Friday to Emerald Isle toward its project of acquiring land for a new boat launch facility on Bogue Sound.

http://tinyurl.com/mko45w

Chatham County's Board of Education July emergency meeting approved grant application for $1.6M in interest-free qualified school construction bond funds.

http://tinyurl.com/mkgrf7

Swansboro received word that it had earned a PARTF grant in the amount of $500,000. The grant is to be used to build phase one of a recreation complex at Swansboro Municipal Park, estimated at $1M.

http://tinyurl.com/l4eely

Jackson County: Friends of the Library is only $250,000 away from its $1.6M goal for a new library.

http://www.smokymountainnews.com/issues/08_09/08_26_09/fr_library_supporters.html

For the second time in little more than five years, federal regulators have sharply limited the Durham Housing Authority's ability to spend money on outside services and contractors.

http://tinyurl.com/lakmq8

The Town of Forest City has received a $160,000 federal Recovery Act grant to continue cleanup work at the former Florence Mill site.

http://dailycourier.southernheadlines.com/index.cfm?section=77&story=23996

NORTH CAROLINA PRIVATE LEADS

Motorsports mogul Humpy Wheeler is helping to bring a tire-testing facility to the Charlotte region

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/business/story/910577.html

A Gastonia developer plans a $5M rejuvenation of a Monroe warehouse that planners hope will jump-start a downtown makeover. Nathan Kirby, managing member of Downtown Pioneers, plans a mix of shops and homes in the 50,000-square-foot building on North Hayne Street.

http://charlotte.bizjournals.com/charlotte/stories/2009/08/24/story15.html?b=1251086400^1968101

Crosland has made a major monetary commitment to a mixed-use development site in Cary, though it may be a year or longer before construction starts.

http://charlotte.bizjournals.com/charlotte/stories/2009/08/24/story19.html?b=1251086400^1968241

The state's newest solar energy farm, which officially opened Wednesday near Roxboro, will be one of North Carolina's most visible green-energy efforts.

http://www.newsobserver.com/business/story/1663766.html

Jamestown: Oakdale Village LLC, part of Stratton Development has indicated a desire to be part of Jamestown. Current site construction includes a Sheetz gas and convenience store along with a small office building.

http://jamestownnews.womacknewspapers.com/articles/2009/08/26/news/top_stories/top_stories31.txt

Jackson County: Disgruntled residents contending that the 3,500-acre Legasus mega development should be stripped of its vested rights after selling off portions of the land. The Legasus development once called for 1,800 lots.

http://www.smokymountainnews.com/issues/08_09/08_26_09/fr_land_sales.html

Report: 10,000 stores could close by year-end

http://triad.bizjournals.com/triad/stories/2009/08/24/daily51.html

Carowinds announced today that it will add a $23M ride next season named after NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt that will be "the Southeast's tallest, fastest and longest roller coaster."

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/business/story/909449.html

Hoke County seeks input into zoning law changes

http://www.fayobserver.com/Articles/2009/08/27/928465

RedTail Mountain, a 720-acre resort development just over the North Carolina border near Mountain City, Tenn., is facing a foreclosure sale.

http://www2.wataugademocrat.com/story/171

Public takes a look at proposal's components for Washington; Strategy outlines vision for downtown and waterfront areas

http://www.wdnweb.com/articles/2009/08/27/news/doc4a95da3fdaad1801788688.txt

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

NORTH CAROLINA PUBLIC PROJECT LEADS

The Durham public school system announced Tuesday morning that a new high school will not be built in Duke Forest.

http://heraldsun.southernheadlines.com/durham/4-1191783.cfm

Gates prison to close; county will only take over GCC's wastewater treatment plant, not the prison buildings; county is seeking grant funds to provide a sanitary sewer district along an area of development on US 158 near the prison. The use of the GCC treatment plant is part of those development plans.

http://www.roanoke-chowannewsherald.com/news/2009/aug/18/gates-prison-close/

The feasibility study looking into renovating the Northampton County Courthouse or constructing a new facility is well underway.

http://www.roanoke-chowannewsherald.com/news/2009/aug/15/courthouse-full-security-issues/

After more than two years, ground is finally being moved on renovating Erwin's Municipal Park.

http://tinyurl.com/m3xyds

Library open at temporary location - Thornton facility to be renovated, expanded

http://henderson.southernheadlines.com//index.cfm?section=68&story=23459

Green River residents have serious reservations about two proposed water projects and water potentially being sold to South Carolina.

http://tinyurl.com/mnpo32

The Laurel Park Town Council approved a permit request from Henderson County on Tuesday to install a communications tower near the Fleetwood development. The tower, at the Fleetwood water tank area, will be used for public safety and emergency communications.

http://tinyurl.com/nct62r

NORTH CAROLINA PRIVATE LEADS

American builders broke ground on more single-family homes in July for a fifth straight month as the real-estate industry stabilized further.

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/business/story/895561.html

The U.S. Commerce Department says seasonally adjusted housing starts were down 1 percent in July, totaling 581,000. That's down from 587,000 starts in June http://charlotte.bizjournals.com/charlotte/stories/2009/08/17/daily13.html

More than 11/2 years after construction on The Park condos halted, the troubled tower has a new owner. The new owners plan to move forward with the construction, which could start within six months http://www.charlotteobserver.com/business/story/895556.html

The city of Raleigh has asked a judge to rescind a building height variance that was granted to Glenwood South property owners by the city's own Board of Adjustment.

http://www.newsobserver.com/news/story/1653002.html

Progress Energy plans to shut down three coal-fired power plants in Wayne County and build a plant fueled by natural gas at the site.

http://www.newsobserver.com/business/story/1652975.html

A Maryland company has bought a site in North Carolina for a photovoltaic solar farm.

http://www.newsobserver.com/business/story/1651930.html

More Guilford County commissioners speak up for incentives

http://tinyurl.com/ngej5m

Wilmington City Council voted to give Wilmington River Group LLC a sixth time extension on closing on the riverfront property it needs to build the hotel. The company plans to buy the land from the city for $579,000, but so far has been unable to provide a $1M financial surety required by the city.

http://tinyurl.com/nla2xb

After considering several options, Asheville City Council members failed to agree on a review process for new construction adjoining Pack Square Park http://www.mountainx.com/news/2009/081909asheville_city_council

A superior court judge ruled late last week that Cabarrus County's adequate public facilities ordinance is unlawful, meaning the county may have to return more than $5.2M in fees it has collected.

http://tinyurl.com/lp69nf

Turkington USA and its 120 jobs will begin moving out of the county by the end of the week, and by Sept. 1 will occupy a facility on U.S. 70 West at Clayton.

http://www.newsargus.com/news/archives/2009/08/18/local_plant_will_move_to_clayton_by_sept_1/

Boggs Group, a Monroe-based construction company plans to build an asphalt plant and reopen a rock quarry that has been closed since the early 1980s; citizens oppose

http://tinyurl.com/lkpdaa

The owner of the former Beacon Light apartment complex wants to meet with the Henderson City Council's Land Planning and Development Committee about the council's recent actions and about how to bring the property back into compliance with municipal codes.

http://henderson.southernheadlines.com//index.cfm?section=68&story=23457

Richmond County may begin pushing itself as a front-runner for a proposed inland port if the DOT and railroads of North Carolina decide to follow through with their plans.

http://tinyurl.com/nh3fav

The Sanford City Council held public hearings Tuesday to consider rezoning two properties for more commercial use.

http://sanford.southernheadlines.com/index.cfm?section=47&story=23443

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

NORTH CAROLINA PUBLIC PROJECT LEADS

Covering 85 daily newspapers and 76 weeklies.

Raleigh City Council voted to allocate $59,760 toward the design of an outdoor amphitheater next to Raleigh's downtown convention center. The council also ordered city staff to prepare a report on how noise from a 4,978-seat amphitheater might disturb nearby neighborhoods.

http://www.newsobserver.com/news/story/1634596.html

Triangle governments' push for local-option sales-tax authority to pay for new transit projects cleared a big hurdle Tuesday when a bill authorizing such taxes gained an endorsement from the state Senate Finance Committee.

http://heraldsun.southernheadlines.com/durham/4-1190646.cfm

The Lumbee tribal government and an organization that serves Lumbees have been awarded money from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The tribe will receive $4M for housing projects. The Lumbee Regional Development Association will receive $750,000 in grants and loans for community projects.

http://www.fayobserver.com/Articles/2009/08/04/922298

New Hanover school board to wait for review of condemned field house

http://tinyurl.com/nwxxrr

More than $85M in federal stimulus money has been approved for people and government agencies in the Cape Fear region, and there's more coming.

http://tinyurl.com/nd6wle

A new park nestled between storefronts on Main Avenue in downtown Gastonia was designed to temporarily beautify a gap in the historic streetscape left by the recent demolition of dilapidated buildings. That park could eventually become the location for a municipal conference center, but if and when that happens, the plants, shrubs and park benches could be moved to another green space downtown http://www.gastongazette.com/news/park-36627-downtown-new.html

The North Carolina Research Campus is one step closer to seeing a federal presence on its grounds. U.S. Rep. Larry Kissell introduced $500,00 for a U.S. Department of Agriculture human nutrition center at the biotechnology center in Kannapolis in the FY2010 Agriculture Appropriation bill. The earmark, now up to $1M, passed the Senate Tuesday and it looks like the bill is headed to President Barack Obama's desk.

http://tinyurl.com/mswxgb

The Hickory City Council has decided to spend $300,000 in an effort to save $10M. The $300,000 will be spent to alter existing plans for the city's Northeast Wastewater Treatment Facility upgrade at 310 Cloninger Mill Road.

http://tinyurl.com/l8c2u4

Moorseville commissioners approved a $10M budget for construction, awarded Morris-Berg Architects the design contract, and chose Brantley Acres on U.S. 21 as the location of the new Public Services Operation Center.

http://tinyurl.com/natd2w

The Davidson County Bar Association passed a resolution July 21 urging the City of Lexington to donate or sell the former Lexington Home Brands Plant No. 1 site to the county for a new courthouse, jail and government center. The resolution asks Lexington, which bought the 18-acre property two years ago, to work with the county to build first a new county courthouse, then a new jail and then a new location for the county's administrative offices.

http://tinyurl.com/njgt5h

Bridge of recycled plastic helps the Army go green

http://tinyurl.com/nvx6ju

A schematic design for the Moore Co.'s proposed Detention Center/Public Safety Complex passed another hurdle Tuesday morning when it won approval by the Major Capital Projects Task Force.

http://www.thepilot.com/stories/20090729/news/local/20090729Jail.html

Two studies looking at whether a planned mega port near Southport is feasible are under way, and another is gaining federal support.

http://tinyurl.com/klowzq

NORTH CAROLINA PRIVATE LEADS

Durham City Council members approved $2.6M worth of incentives for Greenfire Development to turn the Hill (aka SunTrust) Building into a ritzy hotel and to renovate three smaller downtown buildings for stores and apartments. The council also gave the thumbs up to Brightleaf Commons, a 431,052-square foot shopping center on U.S. 70 meant to compete with Brier Creek Commons, about three miles away in Wake County.

http://www.newsobserver.com/news/story/1634598.html

Wake-Chatham land use plan on table

http://heraldsun.southernheadlines.com/chatham/13-1190627.cfm

A planned luxury apartment complex on Bragg Boulevard is expected to be awarded about $228,000 in city tax incentives this month.

The project, called the Bellagio, calls for about 230 units on Bragg Boulevard south of Skibo Road.

http://www.fayobserver.com/Articles/2009/08/04/922224

South Hills rolling along; Furniture 4 Less, a large discount furniture store, signed a lease July 27 and plans to open a 70,000 square-foot megastore around Labor Day. Martin also has sketches for a future 64-story office building, sitting atop a six-deck parking garage.

http://www.carynews.com/front/story/13045.html

Asheville developer Stewart Coleman said Tuesday he is keeping his options open, but don't look for a condominium building to rise near City Hall anytime soon.

http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090805/NEWS01/908050317

The Wilson Planning Board approved a zoning change Tuesday night that could lead to an expansion of the Wilson Corporate Park. But before its decision, there were questions about whether to approve a subdivision request that would also locate near the corporate park.

http://tinyurl.com/n69j3h

Research park in Randleman stirs interest

http://www.courier-tribune.com/articles/2009/08/04/news/dn1.txt

Representatives of the Salisbury City Council will hear - once again - from individuals wishing to express opinions about a site plan for a proposed Taco Bell on Jake Alexander Boulevard.

http://www.salisburypost.com/Area/080509-Salisbury-City-Council-I

After nearly an hour of debate, Iredell County Commissioners held their noses and approved a tax rebate incentives plan for a Mooresville candy company; BestSweet, Inc. wants to make $5M worth of expansions http://tinyurl.com/nd4nex

Pasquotank County officials have rejected a developer's offer to buy more than two acres the county owns in South Mills at a price less than the appraised value.

http://www.dailyadvance.com/news/pasquotank-rejects-offer-to-buy-county-land-755899.html

Rezoning bid fails to win planning OK - Henderson Council to decide if property can be used for bank

http://henderson.southernheadlines.com//index.cfm?section=68&story=22574