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.
Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/51755
Local Businesses Strengthen Community, Economy by STEPHANIE CRIDER In August of 2010, Fayetteville was ranked as having the second highest per-capita income in North Carolina, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. The per-capita income in the Fayetteville metro area, which includes Cumberland and Hoke counties, was $40,917 in 2009, up 4.8 percent from 2008's $39,054. In October 2010, the Miliken Institute ranked Fayetteville as the 18th best-performing large city in the nation, up from 31st place the previous year. Fayetteville was also ranked third in the nation for one-year job growth and sixth in the nation for one-year wage and salary increases by the same institute. June of 2011 saw Fayetteville named the best city for college graduates by the Daily Beast. Policom Corporation's Economic Strength Rankings 2011 ranked the Fayetteville metropolitan statistical area as the 92nd strongest in the country. In June of 2011, Fayetteville won its fourth All-America City Award. These are some impressive achievements for a place once known as Fayettenam. It takes more than one industry to rate numbers like this. The city's small business community is a large part of what drives the economy and what makes Fayetteville news worthy. One sign of the strength of Fayetteville businesses is the success of non- franchise restaurants that are successful in the community. Fayetteville's locally owned restaurants span a wide variety of tastes and cultures: The Bombay Bistro, Vietnamese Restaurant, Zorba's, Mi Casita, Lido's, Bella Villa, Mash House, Huske Hardware House, Hilltop House and the Haymont Grill. These are just a few of the many locally owned businesses that, through patronage of their customers, strengthen the local economy. They hold a special place in the community's heart because they offer experiences that can't be found anywhere else. Manufacturing and industry also have a long established presence in Fayetteville. Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. employs 2,600 people and has invested more than $295 million locally. DuPont also has a plant here and has invested more than $70 million in the local economy. Adding to the momentum of the local economy is the push to bring higher technology and higher wage jobs to the area. A dedication to growth by leveraging our military presence to strenthen the economy has seen impressive results. Greater Fayetteville Futures led to the opening of the Military Business Center in Fayetteville to assist businesses with military and other federal contracts and help military family members connect with job opportunities. The result is nearly 600 contracts worth $2.7 billion awarded to North Carolina fi rms. Companies including RLM, L3 Communications and Booz Allen Hamilton have come to Fayetteville bringing with them more than 600 high-tech jobs. Together, these businesses pack a mighty punch in the city's favor — both locally and nationally. City Initiatives Improve Quality of Life for Its Citizens by JANICE BURTON While much of the community and nation has been focused on the economy, Fayetteville leaders have managed to look beyond the economy to the city's future and have undertaken a number of initiatives over the past year to improve not only city services, but the quality of life for its citizens. For a number of years, the Fayetteville Area Transit System has been a top priority for the Fayetteville City Council. A large segment of the city's population depends on the city buses to get to work, to doctor's appointments and shopping destinations. While many cities are cutting services, Fayetteville has maintained its commitment to the community by increasing not only the number of citizens served by the buses but also the quality of the service. In September 2011, the city added extended services to a number of bus routes, including the FASTtrac van service for disabled residents. "By adding evening hours to these routes, travel will be enhanced from downtown to north Fayetteville," said Transit Director Randy Hume. "Connections are also being added to Cape Fear Valley satellite locations and western portions of the service area. Funding for these improvements was provided by the Fayetteville City Council in the city's budget. These changes are only a few of the improvements clients will experience as FAST continues to enhance citizens' travel options one step at a time." The same attention that was given to the FAST system was also extended to the disabled in our community. The Fayetteville-Cumberland Human Relations Commision is active in working to create opportunities for the disabled. Following the completion of a Self Evaluation and Transition Plan in 2007, the city has undertaken a wide variety of projects to comply with the Americans With Disabilities Act, including closed captioning and listening devices for city council meetings; a city council chamber renovation; numerous ADA projects at city-owned facilities, recreation centers and parks; handicap lifts at the Amtrak station; curb cuts and sidewalk upgrades, along with special doors to accommodate persons who are disabled; and appropriate signage in city hall. "The City of Fayetteville has taken great strides to address ADA requirements," said Ron McElrath, city ADA coordinator and human relations director. From its people, to its environment, the city continues to look for ways to improve. One unique aspect of innovation is the purchase of four Big Belly solar compactors for disposing of recyclables and trash. These compactors are used at large events downtown including the International Folk Festival and the Dogwood Festival. Each Big Belly solar compactor uses solar energy to compact trash and actually cuts public garbage collection emissions by up to 80 percent because it has fi ve times the capacity of a regular trash can. Reducing waste and increasing effi ciency are key elements in this great form of technology. Also, equipped with wireless monitoring, staff is notified when the trash cans need to be emptied and can be tracked from a remote computer. The second part of the unit is a recycling component that collects glass, plastic and paper recycling, which was one of the number one requests for things to be added to downtown. The compactors are an example of green efforts in the All America City of Fayetteville. WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM JANUARY 4-10, 2012 UCW 9