Up & Coming Weekly

December 29, 2020

Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.

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WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM 14 UCW DECEMBER 30, 2020 - JANUARY 5, 2021 We can't ig nore t he COV ID pan- demic. The good news is vacci- nes have arrived and lives w ill be saved. Thanks to t hose who created and w ill dist ribute vaccines. Please f ind a mask you like, wear it, and you may save a life. People need enter tainment, money, jobs, and government sup- por t to sur v ive pressures of t he pandemic. I urge you to enjoy f ree outdoor spaces like t he new Rowan St reet Skate Park and Stor y Walk at Clark Park. Look for ways to be act ive and healt hy in 2021. Please shop local to suppor t small businesses during t hese dif f icult t imes. I can assure you Cit y Council and staf f are work ing to st reng t hen t he local economy and disburse t he federal f unds prov ided to help t hose af fected by COV ID. Qualif ied small businesses can st ill apply for loans or g rants to assist w it h operat ing costs. Call 910-433-1590 for details. The Cit y has also used federal CA R ES Act money to help low and moderate income persons and families stay in t heir homes. R ight now, $700,000 is set aside to help residents w it h past due rent, ut ilit y and mor tgage pay ments. As we plan for g row t h, t he Cit y is ident if y ing "Oppor tunit y Zones" where people can build and do business. In par t nership w it h t he Fayettev ille Cumberland Economic Development Cor porat ion, we w ill promote long-term invest ments in underser ved neighborhoods. There are ta x incent ives and g rants available for businesses and ent- repreneurs w illing to build in Fayettev ille. We are work ing closely w it h lea- ders at Fayettev ille State Universit y to redesig n t he Murchison Road Corridor. The Cit y's Economic & Communit y Development Depar t ment oversees blight removal. This means, we want to bring new life to vacant proper t ies near t he Universit y and t hroughout t he Cit y. So, you may see more const r uc- t ion and changes in t his Corridor area. Cit y staf f worked w it h t he Fayettev ille Housing Aut horit y and successf ully secured a g rant f rom t he U.S. Depar t ment of Housing and Urban Development. The award is $450,000 toward t he Murchison Road Corridor rev itali- zat ion. We are execut ing ot her large pro- jects across t he Cit y. One example, is t he dow ntow n park ing deck — completed t his year— to pro- v ide park ing to residents of The Gat hering at Prince Charles. Eventually, t he park ing deck w ill suppor t a hotel and of f ice occu- pants above. Cit y Council and staf f are follo- w ing t hrough on projects in t he voter-approved $35 million Parks and Recreat ion bond. This inclu- des a Senior Center West of f Lake R im. Cit y Council also took act ion and appro- ved a par t nership w it h Met hodist Universit y. The school's Jordan Soccer Complex w ill be upg raded for t he public and for tournaments. In t he near f uture, t he Cit y w ill move for ward w it h an ag reement w it h For t Bragg for use of proper t y for a spor ts complex. It w ill be loca- ted of f I-295 and McA r t hur Road. For t Bragg w ill prov ide t he land for t he Cit y to develop t he complex into a hub for soldiers, v isitors and spor t ing events. We appreciate t he par t nership w it h For t Bragg on t his t ransformat ive project. I hope you v isited t he Christ mas in t he Park Drive-Thr u event at A rnette Park. This year, it became a communit y par t nership bet ween t he Cit y and Fayettev ille PWC. Fayettev ille PWC ensured t he event was f ree for residents. Ut ilit y crews and Cit y staf f created t he drive- t hr u ex perience. It was dif ferent f rom years past when we could ex it our cars, walk around and see t he holiday lights at t he park. Fayettev ille PWC is doing good work, also cont ribut ing to Cit y sewer upg rades which sup- por t dow ntow n redevelopment pro- jects including, Seg ra Stadium and The Gat hering at Prince Charles. Ex pect a new t ravel ex perience at Fayettev ille Reg ional A ir por t. The A ir por t is undergoing a rede- sig n, using more t han $50 million dollars of federal and g rant money for upg rades. W hen complete, t he terminal w ill be larger, w it h new escalators, airline counters, and a restaurant and concessions area. In t he New Year, I want to enhan- ce racial equit y and inclusion across t he Cit y. We are rev iew ing Cit y policies, hiring pract ices, and cont racts for equit y and inclusion. It is our goal to st reng t hen rela- t ionships bet ween residents, pub- lic safet y and elected of f icials. We have some tough decisions to make and we w ill need your input. I am proud to be your Mayor, we Can Do any t hing we set out to do. Let's all work to make Fayettev ille a safe and secure place to live, work and play. Mayor recaps Fayetteville's 2020 achievements by MITCH COLVIN COMMUNITY VOICES MITCH COLVIN, Mayor of Fayetteville. Comments? Editor@upandcomingweekly. com. 910-484-6200.

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