Up & Coming Weekly

June 29, 2021

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 JUNE 30 - JULY 6, 2021 UCW 11 PWC receives national award for community service a STAFF REPORT e Fayetteville Public Works Commission received an American Public Power Association Sue Kelly Community Service Award June 22 during APPA's National Conference in Orlando, Florida. e award recognizes "good neighbor" activities that demonstrate the commitment of the utility and its employees to the community. PWC partnered with the city's downtown district to bring Prismatica, an interactive, public art installation, to light up the downtown after the city reopened following the COVID-19 shut- downs. "Prismatica-Powered by PWC" celebrat- ed and highlighted the value of public power for a month and increased foot traffic by 30 percent, lifting both the economic outlook of businesses and the spirit of Fayetteville's community. "PWC exemplifies the power of togetherness - the power of collaboration with their actions. ey not only supply our growing region with quality/reliable infrastructure, but they believe in being good neighbors; and dedicating their resources to support the community," said Bianca Shoneman, President and CEO, Cool Spring Downtown District, Inc. Annually, PWC employees have a strong commitment to the United Way of Cumberland County. In over 20 years, PWC employees have given more than $2 million in support of United Way. With donations projected to be down in 2020 because of the pandemic, employees stepped up and increased support by 9 percent with a $156,000 campaign. "PWC's efforts and commitment to improv- ing lives are evident in their work and through interaction with their staff," says Amy Navejas, President, United Way of Cumberland County. "eir efforts stand out as they go above and beyond to encourage workplace support of those in need not only through generous financial support totaling over $2.2 million, but through volunteerism and dedication to numerous com- munity events." roughout the years, PWC has remained service-driven and continues to implement vari- ous programs that greatly benefit its community. Other initiatives recognized by the APPA Award include: •Increasing awareness of bidding opportuni- ties to keep more dollars in the local economy through its Building Business Rally initiatives. •Establishing a local Line worker program with Fayetteville Technical Community College, addressing concerns of an aging workforce, and need for line workers. PWC provides resources to the program including donating/setting the poles for the class pole yard. •Increasing renewable energy production, engaging customer participation in affordable renewable energy and lowering demand costs/ customer rates by building NC's first Public Power Community Solar Project. e project provides Fayetteville's transient military com- munity, including renters, the ability to partici- pate in solar energy without long-term rooftop solar investment. e American Public Power Association is the voice of not-for-profit, community-owned utili- ties that power 2,000 towns and cities nation- wide. e APPA represents public power before the federal government to protect the interests of the more than 49 million people that public power utilities serve, and the 93,000 people they employ. Local libraries awarded grants a STAFF REPORT Public library receives Summertime Kids Grant e Cumberland Com- munity Foundation, Inc., awarded the Cumberland County Public Library a $7,500 Summertime Kids Grant. Every summer since 1992, the foundation's Sum- mertime Kids Grants pro- gram has helped more than 1,000 youth have life-chang- ing summer experiences. e library's 2021 summer reading program serves children from birth through grades 6-12 at li- brary locations. e library is using the Summertime Kids Grant to provide books and bags to children and teens attending summer camps offered by local nonprofits, neighborhood groups and other com- munity organizations. Cumberland County Public Library staff will visit camps from June through August at Cape Fear Botanical Garden, Cape Fear Regional eatre, Fayetteville Urban Ministry, Inc., the Salvation Army, Fayetteville-Cumberland Parks & Recre- ation and Moore Street Foundation. Each child will receive two age-appropriate books and a book bag. Additional support for library's outreach program to the camps is provided by the Friends of the Library. For more information on other free programs provided by the Cumberland County Library sys- tem, please visit www.cumberland.lib.nc.us or call 910-483-7727. For more information on the Sum- mertime Kids Grants Program www.cumberlandcf. org/for-nonprofits/summertime-kids.html. FTCC library awarded federal grant e Paul H. ompson Library at Fayetteville Tech- nical Community College was awarded an $11,936 grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services to create a Maker- space Lab to serve FTCC students. Makerspaces are collaborative work areas with a variety of equipment. At the Paul H. ompson Library, the grant will be used to purchase a com- puter, a 3D printer, a Raspberry Pi computer and a Cricut cutting machine, as well as furniture and re- lated supplies to support curriculum programs and to improve learning outcomes of students. Library Director Laurence Gavin said the Mak- erspace Lab will be an active learning space where students will be able to work independently or in small groups to create, learn and share ideas to achieve their educational goals through access to a variety of educational technologies. e grant funds were provided by the Institute through the federal Library Services and Technol- ogy Act, which aims to help libraries deliver relevant and up-to-date services for their communities. e State Library of North Carolina administers the grant program in this state and funds projects in li- braries across the state that advance excellence and promote equity by strengthening capacity, expand- ing access and community engagement. e Paul H. ompson library received one of 47 competitive grants awarded to North Carolina libraries for fiscal year 2021-2022 from a federal allotment of $4.8 million. e Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation's 122,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. e Institute's mission is to create strong libraries and museums that connect people to infor- mation and ideas. rough the LSTA Grants to States program IMLS provides funds to State Library agencies using a population-based formula. State libraries may use the appropriation to support statewide initiatives and services; they may also distribute the funds through competitive subgrants to public and aca- demic libraries. To learn more about the Institute, please visit www.imls.gov. For more information about North Carolina's LSTA program visit the State Library of North Caro- lina's LSTA web page at https://statelibrary.ncdcr. gov/services-libraries/grants-libraries/lsta-grant- information or contact the State Library's Federal Programs Consultant at 919-814-6796. NEWS PWC CEO/General Manager Elaina Ball (center) is pic- tured with APPA Board of Directors Chair and President and CEO, American Municipal Power, Jolene ompson (left) and APPA Chair-Elect and Executive Director, Kan- sas Municipal Utilities, McPherson, Kansas, Colin Hansen (right). (Photo courtesy PWC)

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