SOUTHEASTERN N.C. — Two ares of interest dominated the headlines in the tri-county region this week: the New Hanover County Endowment and the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge’s impending repairs.
ALSO: WMPO asks regional employers to help with relieving congestion from bridge closure
At the beginning of the week, the endowment announced the recipients among its 200-plus applicants in 2023. Whereas last year, roughly $9 million was dispersed among 100 nonprofits, this year there was six times the money, $53 million, doled out but only to 33 organizations.
The goal according to endowment officials was to make transformational change over giving out smaller, one-time grants. While they announced 2023 grants would be centered on housing and capacity building, the former was left out in funding, with CEO William Buster instead saying the endowment is looking to tackle affordable housing this year in a larger, multi-organizational payout.
It will likely mirror the money it gave four entities to provide funding to strengthen the healthcare industry in Wilmington. UNCW, CFCC, New Hanover County Schools and the Wilmington Chamber of Commerce are collaboratively launching a talent pipeline program with $22.3 million granted by NHC Endowment.
As well, the endowment honored $5 million to the District Attorney’s office and the Jo Ann Harrelson Center to launch a community justice center. It’s mission, according to the grant application obtained by PCD earlier in the fall, is “creating pathways to justice through integrated, comprehensive support services.”
The CJC is modeled after the family justice center concept pioneered by Casey Gwinn, San Diego’s city attorney from 1996 to 2004. Centers co-locate victim services and judicial agencies to improve communication, cooperation and efficiency between organizations. It provides a streamlined experience for survivors, who don’t have to repeat their stories of trauma multiple times and can get expedited services.
The DA’s office claims its center will go beyond the family justice center model, incorporating a restorative justice approach. The goal is to recognize mass incarceration is not a long-term solution and attempt to address the underlying, root causes of crime, potentially outside the legal system.
It posits the Rape Crisis Center of Coastal Horizons, Domestic Violence Shelter and Services, Carousel Center and Legal Aid will be involved, with services offered onsite at the CJC, thus increasing output for the nonprofits.
The former three entities — foundations of victim services in the region for many decades and all located within a few miles of the proposed justice center — also applied for grants through the endowment this year. None received funds, though they were awarded last year.
It left PCD asking how a nonprofit can increase services yet also lose continue to funding, especially if 50% comes from grants, such as at DVSS? The CJC does not cover nonprofits’ costs to send representatives to their outpost.
In Guilford County, Catharine Johnson said her nonprofit partners write joint grants and have annual meetings to collaborate and reduce overlap and explore partnership opportunities. Many organizations “got a lot more funding” as a result because their service demands went way up, according to Johnson.
PCD took a closer look at the issue in the first piece to hit the press about the community justice center:
Also covered in multiple ways this week: the unfolding expectations of the five-month Cape Fear Memorial Bridge closure. North Carolina Department of Transportation gave its official update Wednesday and informed the public it will be conducting the full lane closures starting Jan. 28.
Southern Road and Bridge will be replacing the entire riding deck and support stringers of the bridge. Crews prepare their work platform and set up a concrete barricade on the roadway for safety on Jan. 11; this could cause temporary overnight closures.
Full closures of eastbound traffic will begin Jan. 28 and open by the first of April; westbound traffic will be shut down starting April 9, after Azalea Festival, and open by May.
NCDOT Division 3 Engineer Chad Kims assured the schedule is very stringent; if the contractor loses a day due to weather, it will be added to the end of the timeline. However, he also said bridge work can be done in the rain, so there aren’t many factors that will prevent daily labor.
Later in the week, a group of stakeholders — including NCDOT, New Hanover and Brunswick counties’ commissioners, Wilmington city council members, law enforcement, WMPO, Wave Transit and others — held a roundtable discussion about how to strategize and plan for the months-long critical congestion this will cause.
Detours will be the Isabel Holmes Bridge and I-140 into and out of Wilmington. Commercial trucks are being rerouted through the city proper onto College Road — already heavily congested — sure to add to even more delays.
However, authorities have no real plans in place yet. Still being considered are joint communication teams, traffic signal adjustments, ride-sharing programs, alternative employee schedules, and working with the N.C. Ports to consider nighttime truck traffic or diverting more containers to rail.
Emergency management partners are modeling hurricane response methodology to tackle the issue, setting up an incident command center on the ninth floor of Skyline Center, the city’s new headquarters. With views of the bridge and access to citywide cameras, staff can provide real-time updates on traffic, delays and incidents. NCDOT staff was invited to co-locate in the same space as NHC and city officials for the duration of the project.
The project was planned during the first of the year, with the goal to be complete amid peak tourist and hurricane season. NCDOT has incentivized Southern Road and Bridge — awarded $7.1 million for the bridge repairs — to finish the project early. It could get $300,000 if done by Memorial Day — preferably by May 23 — or $200,000 by June 28, with a $500,000 maximum bonus.
The contract also included a penalizing provision. If Southern Road and Bridge does not finish by June 28, it will cost the contractor $6,000 per day, paid back to NCDOT, which is funding the repairs.
Catch up on more here:
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