In 1991, the National Association of Counties established April as National County Government Month. This annual observance celebrates the successes of county initiatives and allows for an opportunity to provide information to communities about how their county serves and advocates for their residents. Since 1968, through regional collaboration and local action, we have seen our counties grow and expand their efforts to focus on challenging and top-of-mind issues involving workforce, housing, education, transportation and more.
We strive to honor all the big and small wins of our member governments. This month, we’re highlighting previous county success stories as well as exciting projects they have currently underway with Centralina. Click on the linked articles to read previous recaps in full. More details on current projects coming soon.
Anson County
Opportunity Site Opens in Morven
In 2021, Centralina Workforce Development Board opened an Opportunity Site in the Town of Morven. Leaders and government officials saw youth in this community struggling with achieving high test scores, in addition to other obstacles like lack of transportation and access to technology that kept young people from being able to find and keep good jobs. The site now provides programs and services to help students increase their scores to better equip them to make positive contributions to society.
Current Projects
Centralina is supporting Anson County with direct services related to spending and compliance requirements with American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding as well as improving administrative and financial management systems with policy and procedures.
Cabarrus County
Understanding the Reentry Needs of Previously Incarcerated Individuals
Last spring, NCWorks Career Center-Cabarrus held an event designed to educate participants on what the first month is like for people who have just been released from prison. Attendees went through an immersive simulation related to obstacles these individuals face as they navigate through their new life while adhering to requirements associated with supervised release. The exercise fostered productive discussions on what steps need to be taken to help those impacted in the county and how to make it easier for previous offenders to assimilate back into the community in the future.
Gaston County
Highland Neighborhood: A Model of Shared Governance
This partnership between the City of Gastonia, Kintegra Health and Gaston County Department of Health and Human Services helped to tackle obstacles in a low-income, historically African American community, including obesity, access to healthy foods and affordable housing. The association offered a variety of activities and investments offering access to fresh foods, parks and recreation, healthcare and community engagement. They also helped to empower members of the community to become self-advocates. Their efforts were recognized through the presentation of the 2019 Region of Excellence Award for Improving Quality of Life.
Current Projects
Centralina assisted Gaston County with a promotional process for police captains and sergeants in March 2022. Over three days, Centralina facilitated an assessment center in which candidates for both ranks participated in a series of job-related exercises and were evaluated by a group of independent assessors. Gaston County used the results of the assessment center to make final decisions on promotions.
Iredell County
Centralina Virtual Career Marketplace Career Fair
As the COVID-19 pandemic forced workers across all different industries to work virtually, many job seekers struggled to find open opportunities in their respective communities. Despite this obstacle, Centralina Workforce Development Board worked in conjunction with several Iredell County stakeholders to offer a two-day virtual event where local residents looking for new opportunities could connect with employers in the county and learn about the different jobs they were hiring for.
Current Projects
Centralina recently partnered with the Charlotte Regional Transportation Planning Organization to provide a transportation and land use “nuts and bolts” training session for local elected officials, planning board members and staff from Iredell County and municipalities within the county. This half-day training was sponsored by the Lake Norman Transportation Commission.
Lincoln County
Stanly and Lincoln County Families Benefit from Housing Repair Programs
One of the biggest issues across the state for older adults on low-to-moderate fixed incomes is maintaining their homes and keeping up with needed repairs. While North Carolina had transferred housing funding to help boost local infrastructure programs for several years, the needs of these families continued to accumulate. Thankfully, the state has now returned funding for these programs back to the families in need with more resources for housing repairs. In 2021, Centralina was able to assist both Lincoln and Stanly County with applications for repairs and was able to successfully receive funding for both communities.
Current Projects
Centralina is assisting Lincoln County Public Schools, Lincoln Charter School and Gaston College in exploring the concept of a shared career & technical education facility. The project would prepare students for careers in current or emerging professions and create a source for high-skill, high-wage employees for the local workforce.
Mecklenburg County
Dementia Friendly Charlotte Mecklenburg
Dementia can be a complex and frightening term for those who don’t know what it entails and how to handle it. Stakeholders in Mecklenburg County saw a need to educate the surrounding community to help reduce barriers and stigma around the term and help create safe environments and improve the quality of life for those with dementia. Members of Centralina Area Agency on Aging, UNC Charlotte’s Gerontology Program and local government aging programs collaborated to help create a local chapter of Dementia Friendly America, now known as Dementia Friendly Charlotte Mecklenburg. Their efforts in establishing the chapter and implementing effective toolkits, training and assessments earned them the 2019 Region of Excellence Aging in Action Award for the initiative.
Current Projects
The Healthy Homes Fall Prevention pilot program is an active program in Mecklenburg County, currently serving 32 members in the community. Through a partnership with Green & Healthy Home Initiatives, this program seeks to provide fall prevention education and home modifications to increase the overall quality of life for older and disabled adults to help them age in place in a safe home environment.
Rowan County
A Cheerwine Festival to Remember
This cherry-flavored soda has been a celebrated North Carolina staple for decades, honored every year through the annual Cheerwine Festival in Salisbury. This popular event that draws in thousands of visitors and immensely benefits local businesses was threatened by the changes associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Rather than cancel the entire event, planners adapted to create an immersive three-hour online experience, compete with entertainment from bands, advertisements from sponsors, a marketplace for vendors and local businesses and more. What was first seen as an inconvenient and potentially devastating shift allowed people all around the world to join in on the fun and provide positive exposure to the brand. Their efforts were celebrated as the 2020 Region of Excellence Local Government Innovation award winner.
Current Projects
Rowan as part of the Centralina Economic Development District in partnership with Centralina Regional Council worked with the county’s emergency management director to launch the Regional Resilience Collaborative (RRC) in April 2021. The RRC program examines the viability and resiliency of emergency management disaster recovery plans and economic resilience needs to ensure the county and region benefits from greater efficiency in responding to current and future natural and man-made disasters and economic shocks.
Stanly County
Stanly County Celebrates National Manufacturing Day
While Stanly County offers numerous employment opportunities in the manufacturing field, the industry can be easily misunderstood and hard for job seekers to see the real benefits of a career in the field. Centralina Workforce Development Board and the NCWorks team came together to host hiring events in Albemarle and around celebrated National Manufacturing Day. Local students were able to learn more about working in the industry through a walk-through of Stanly Community College’s Advanced Manufacturing Center. They were also able to meet and interact with several local companies to learn more about job opportunities and what a career would look like working in manufacturing.
Union County
Monroe Improves Sidewalks for ADA Compliance
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ensures that people with disabilities have the same rights and opportunities as those without in all areas of public life, including jobs, schools, transportation, etc. In 2015, City of Monroe officials created a master plan to help enhance connectivity to local services and facilities for residents and visitors. A major part of this plan was the implementation of ADA-compliant sidewalks along Concord Avenue, one of the busiest roadways in the city. The project helped to improve walkability and safety for those traveling along the avenue and easily connected them with local businesses and services.
Current Projects
Since 2016 Centralina has assisted Union County with the administration of Housing Urban Development (HUD) funded Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Entitlement Program. These funds must benefit low- and moderate-income individuals and can be used for various economic and workforce development activities; affordable housing initiatives under the housing preservation umbrella; public facilities and infrastructure improvement projects (sidewalk and road projects, water and sewer projects, park and community center improvement projects); and public service activities. In 2022 Centralina assisted the County with the launch of a septic system repair program as part of the CDBG Entitlement Program funds.
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