County applies for $2.6 million in grants
By Steve Herring
Published in News on November 8, 2015 3:05 AM
Wayne County is applying for USDA loans/grants totaling $2.6 million for its proposed $16 million agricultural and convention center.
Wayne County commissioners were updated on the applications during their Tuesday session by County Manager George Wood.
"USDA loans, we have been working through Tri-County EMC," Wood said. "USDA does those loans through them. (Tri-County has) been very gracious to work with us. There are two separate $1 million loans. One is for the ag center part and one is for the convention center part. So we had filled out the application information they needed about 45 days ago on the agricultural part."
Wood said he finished and sent off the paperwork for the convention center portion last Friday.
"They are 10-year, zero-interest loans," he said. "So it is a fantastic deal. But with that they also have $300,000 grants for each one.
"So there could be up to $600,000 of grants that we would not have to repay. So it could be worth $2.6 million toward the agriculture and convention center."
Wood said it probably would be January or February before the county learns if the applications are funded.
The county last month received the project renderings representing the first 35 percent of the plans from architect Kristen M. Hess of HH Architecture of Raleigh.
The initial renderings were important in order to have something to show to potential funding sources, both public and private.
Convergent Nonprofit Solutions is conducting a fundraising campaign for the project, and commissioners Ed Cromartie and John Bell will lobby U.S. Rep. G.K. Butterfield about possible federal funding for the project
The center will be located on a 12-acre site on North Wayne Memorial Drive just north of Wayne Community College.
The city of Goldsboro is providing for the project as part of an agreement with the county. An adjoining city-owned six acres remains as the site for a possible hotel.
The assembly hall is designed to accommodate 840 people when set up banquet style and 1,554 for assembly seating.
The assembly hall also can be broken into four rooms of different sizes to accommodate crowds of 190, 210, 380 and 494 respectively.
The building includes several offices, classrooms and a large lobby.
The center will house the Cooperative Extension Service, Farm Service Agency, Natural Resources Conservation Service and Wayne County Soil and Water.