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TOWN OF ROBBINSVILLE, NCSTEP LEADERSHIP TEAM

NC STEP ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIC PLAN & IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY 2010-2011

for the ROBBINSVILLE TOWN BOARD

NOVEMBER 2011

Town of RobbinsvilleNC STEP Economic Development Strategic Plan

and Implementation Strategy

Table of Contents

I. Introduction

What is STEP?Why was the demonstration program established?What are the goals for a STEP community?

II. Town Participation

III. Applying the NC STEP Process – Robbinsville Engages

Kick-offLeadership Team Mission and Community VisionCommunity ProfileCommunity AssessmentStrategy IdentificationStrategy and Project Development

IV. Implementation

Monthly Implementation Reports Fiscal ManagementMaintaining Momentum: monthly meetings, local facilitation,

agendas, minutes, expand citizen leadershipSTEP Impact and Evaluation

V. Appendices

NC STEP Requirements and Planning Process – Appendix ACommunity Profile – Appendix BCommunity Assessment – Appendix CEconomic & Demographic Scan – Appendix DProject Templates – Appendix EProject Budget Summary – Appendix FList of Leadership Team Members – Appendix G

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Executive SummaryTown of Robbinsville, NC STEP Program

Robbinsville entered the STEP program in 2010, and began working with an NC STEP coach to create a long term economic development strategic plan and implementation strategy for the town. The plan’s goals are to create conditions and activities that will ultimately result in job and wealth creation, additional public and private investments into the town and vicinity, and an improved standard of living and quality of life for the community’s residents and visitors. The planning process spanned approximately 15 months.

After drafting a common vision statement, the STEP Leadership Team, comprised of a cross section of Robbinsville area citizens, developed its plan focusing on two broad strategies with multiple projects under each strategy. As participants in the STEP program, the community receives up to $25,000 in planning funds and up to $100,000 to implement its initial projects. The STEP planning process emphasizes the development of citizen leaders who will have the skills necessary to improve the community’s health and vibrancy and to bring more knowledge and know-how to overcome barriers and increase the community’s ability to grow and prosper.

The Rural Center allows a STEP community a year to a maximum of a year and a half to complete its projects. The following lists the strategies and their respective projects:

STRATEGY #1: Increase and implement programs that will develop new opportunities encouraging people to stop, shop and live in Robbinsville:

Operation Face-lift Face Funds ($15,000 + matching) Sitting Areas & Landscaping ($25,000) Wi-Fi ($6,000)

STRATEGY #2: Market and publicize the natural resources, heritage and tourism-related amenities available in the Robbinsville area:

Annual Calendar of Events ($49,500) Website Development ($4,500)

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Town of Robbinsville STEP Leadership TeamNC STEP Economic Development Strategic Plan

and Implementation Strategy

I. Introduction

The North Carolina Small Towns Economic Prosperity program (NC STEP) brings a comprehensive revitalization effort to communities, especially those challenged by economic hardships due to changes in the economy and/or natural disasters. It is part of a larger initiative of the North Carolina Rural Economic Development Center called the Small Towns Initiative. State leaders recognize that North Carolina’s small towns serve a major role in the economic, social and cultural well being of the state as a whole. Even with the rapid growth of urban centers, North Carolina remains a state of small towns: over 475 towns have populations of fewer than 10,000 people, accounting for 86 percent of the state's municipalities.

The Small Towns Initiative and NC STEP are based on the belief that North Carolina’s towns have the opportunity to embrace a new future that –

Values the best of the past; Preserves and enhances important resources; Seeks out new economic opportunities; and Respects, involves and lifts up all the people who live in these towns.

The program has three primary goals:

(1) Support economic recovery and revitalization through job creation, business activity and leveraged private and public investments; (2) Implement a comprehensive model of local leadership capacity building, technical assistance and grant making; and, (3) Provide vital information to develop public policies that support long-term investment in the economic vitality of North Carolina’s small towns.

STEP towns are chosen based on level of economic distress, geographical distribution, population size and diversity, management structure, resource availability and degree of readiness. Towns must show an understanding of the importance of an inclusive community leadership team and demonstrate the potential for economic recovery and revitalization and economic transition.

By participating in the program, towns receive:

(1) Coaching assistance to identify critical needs and community assets, develop potential economic development initiatives, prioritize projects and seek out technical and financial resources; (2) Planning funds ($25,000) to use in the planning phase for assessments, feasibility studies, coordination and travel, and other pertinent activities;

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(3) Implementation funds ($100,000) to implement priority projects developed through the planning process; (4); Opportunities for training workshops and shared learning; and, (5) Priority consideration in other Rural Center grants programs.

For more detail on the Requirements and Planning Process of participating in the STEP program, please refer to Appendix A.

II. Town Participation – Robbinsville Becomes a STEP Community

Robbinsville entered the STEP program in 2010 as one of eleven towns in the third cohort of STEP towns. In its application, Robbinsville summarized its desire to be in the program with this statement: “The Town of Robbinsville and Graham County desire to become a self-sufficient model community in western North Carolina. To accomplish this, a master plan will be created as a guide to the future. By focusing upon restoring downtown, preserving our culture and protecting our natural environment, these efforts will create the needed vibrancy for the Town of Robbinsville and Graham County to overcome its Tier 1 “distressed” status.”

As the STEP planning process progressed we developed a core group of concerned citizens that are committed and motivated in making positive changes. Working together this Team has meshed into a strong, cohesive group of leaders that have expanded their efforts outside the leadership team to other community endeavors.

III. Applying the STEP Process – Robbinsville and Graham County Engage

KICK-OFFThe kickoff is an opportunity to celebrate and emphasize what makes the community special and engage its citizens in the STEP process. On September 4, 2010 Robbinsville held the NCSTEP Kick-off and as hoped for had a record turn-out of over 400 people. It was held downtown in front of the courthouse with speakers, music and free food for all to share. Congressman Heath Shuler, Senator John Snow, our Town Aldermen, County Commissioners, Sheriff and Director of NCSTEP, Art Jackson were on stage to share in the celebration. Local talented individuals and gospel groups helped to bring joy to the day by providing the crowd with some musical entertainment. The food was truly a community effort as at least 25 individuals and businesses contributed to the wonderful down home style food of BBQ and corn-on-the-cob. Along with the Leadership Team and some town employees there were approximately 60 volunteers to make this a real neighborhood event. A big hit for children and adults alike was the Hopes and Dreams board where a list was started for visions of what our citizens would like to see in the future for Robbinsville.

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LEADERSHIP TEAM MISSION STATEMENT AND COMMUNITY VISIONThe first step in the planning process was to insure that the Leadership Team and the community clearly understand both the Team’s source of authority (Robbinsville Town Council) and its responsibilities (to create an economic development strategic plan and implementation strategy). The Team named itself the NCSTEP Leadership Team and developed the following mission statement:

The NC STEP Team is a group of concerned citizens serving the Town of Robbinsville, NC. Our mission is to promote economic growth through revitalization and beautification of our town. We can achieve this goal by increasing tourism and business growth opportunities, while preserving our natural resources, heritage and culture.

The next task was to visualize the desired and possible future for the Robbinsville community by asking the question, ‘What do you want the community to be like 10 to 20 years from now?’ Several dimensions were taken into account —such as the physical appearance of the downtown, mix of businesses, population size and mix, income levels and sources of income, public facilities, recreation opportunities and infrastructure, and any other aspects of the community considered important. The Leadership Team drafted the following vision statement:

Robbinsville can be reawakened from the sleepy town that it is into a thriving, viable, self-sustaining community where visitors make it a destination and residents benefit by improving their economy and quality of life.

COMMUNITY PROFILEPart of the process of taking charge of a community’s destiny is developing an understanding of its uniqueness and diversity. The community profile is designed to document a town’s assets, opportunities, appearance and challenges in words and pictures. These are combined into a document that present a clear picture of the town’s defining characteristics. The profile provides a “first look” of the town from the leadership team’s perspective and makes the group look at their town with a critical eye. In compiling the profile, leadership team members look for the answers to questions like: Who are we? What are our defining characteristics? What do we value in our small town? What are we proud of? What are our weaknesses? What would attract investment to our small town? What current situations, issues, policies or problems would discourage new investment?

Robbinsville’s Community Profile is found in Appendix B.

COMMUNITY ASSESSMENTThe community assessment is an examination of the social, political, economic, demographic and environmental conditions within a community or region. This process involves economic development experts, local and regional community leaders, local

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businesses and residents. Dozens of development factors are considered and addressed. Economic “engines” and strategies evolve out of the assessment based on priorities of the community.

An important step in this process is understanding that a town does not exist in a vacuum. As the town embarks on developing its economic development strategy, it needs to understand that it is planning in context. In North Carolina, at the least, a town resides in a county; is part of a regional economic development partnership; and is served by a council of governments. It could also be within the service area of a regional university’s community and economic development outreach office. All of these groups engage in strategic planning, and it is important for a town to know what kind of planning is going on around them, what these strategic plans contain and emphasize – and to be keyed in.

In Robbinsville’s case, the Graham Revitalization Economic Action Team (GREAT) is an inclusive community leadership team already in place in Graham County supporting community development and bringing a variety of leaders to the table to address complex issues facing the community, the region and the state. GREAT’s active 100-plus membership is fully connected to local, regional and state issues. Most members of the NCSTEP Leadership Team are also members of GREAT.

The complete Community Assessment is in Appendix C. Highlights of the economic and demographic information for Robbinsville, its neighboring towns and Graham County follow.

A significant part of the community assessment contains an economic overview of Robbinsville and Graham County. (An economic and demographic scan was prepared for Robbinsville and Graham County. See Appendix D for the complete scan.) Robbinsville, with 738 people (July 2008 State Data Center estimate) is the county seat of Graham County in southwestern North Carolina. Santeetlah and Fontana Dam, only other towns in the county, have 71 and 33 residents respectively. Graham County only has a population of 8,067 people (July 2008 State Data Center estimate), and grew by 1.2 percent from April 2000 to July 2008. Robbinsville is located at the intersection of US 129 and NC 143 approximately 100 miles west of Asheville. The nearest urban center is Knoxville, TN, approximately 88 miles to the north. It is approximately 40 miles southwest of Cherokee and the Harrah’s casino. Graham County is very rural and scenic with the bulk of its land area in the Nantahala National Forest.

Robbinsville and Graham County are primarily white only, as is common in the western NC counties. Nonwhites in the county and town are primarily American Indian. The Hispanic population percentage is very low. The age distribution of Robbinsville in 2000 included a higher percentage of younger people than was true for the county. The state percentage of people age 65 or older in the 2000 Census was 12.0, somewhat less than in the local area.

Educational attainment is an important measure of workforce capacity. The percentage of high school graduates of age 25 or more in Graham County population is 10 points lower

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than the percentage of high school graduates for the state, and the percentage with a Bachelor’s degree or higher is 11 points lower than the state percentage. Robbinsville fares worse, with only 55% having a high school diploma or higher and only 5% with a Bachelor’s degree or higher.

Income averages in Graham County lagged that of the state by several thousand dollars in 1999. Robbinsville’s averages were substantially less than for Graham County. According to BEA data, the Graham County per capita personal income in 2008 was $26,794, compared with $35,249 for North Carolina. The 2008 number ranks Graham County 89th in per capita income among North Carolina counties. In 1998 the PCPI of Graham was $17,535 and ranked 94th in the state, indicating a small improvement in relative income over the 10 year period.

For 2008, the Bureau of Economic Analysis reports total personal income in Graham County at $213.8 million. Earnings from work in Graham County are a much smaller portion of total personal income than is true for the state. Earnings by workers who live in Graham County are almost the same percentage of income as earnings by place of work, indicating that the net effect of commuting to jobs outside the county is negligible.

Between 2001 and 2008, total unemployment in Graham County grew by 15.67%. Retail trade almost doubled in absolute number of employees and as a percentage of total employment from 2001 to 2008. Manufacturing is a very small portion of total employment, and the government and construction sectors actually declined during this period. Retail expenditures are a major source of movement of income across county lines. Generally, rural counties experience a high rate of retail expenditure “leakage” to nearby urban counties, while resort counties may pull in retail expenditures by attracting tourists. It is interesting to look at leakage of retail sales across county borders. Counties with a large inflow of shoppers, whether tourists or regional residents, will have higher sales per capita and higher sales as a percent of personal income than the state average, while counties with outflow of shoppers will have lower numbers. The average 2008-09 taxable retail sales per capita in the state are $10,804, compared to just $4,751 for Graham County. The numbers for Graham County are low relative to the state and neighboring counties, reflecting the county’s lack of a significant retail sector due primarily to low personal income, and despite a significant tourism sector. Apparently the Graham retail sector is not capturing much of the retail expenditures of area tourists and local residents. [For more detail, refer to Tables 8. Residence Adjustment Gross Flow of Earnings and Table 9. Graham County Total Full-time and Part-time Employment by Industry (BEA data, Selected Industries) in Community Demographics in Appendix D.]

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STRATEGY IDENTIFICATIONA matrix summarizing community assets and constraints was developed as part of the Community Assessment and served as the springboard for brainstorming possible economic development strategies for the town. (The complete matrixes are in Appendix C.) The Team was asked to look for commonalities and overlapping themes that stood out to them and identify any strategic directions or themes from their insights. To think about the viability of potential strategies, several questions were put to the Leadership Team: What’s possible for the town to accomplish? What are the opportunities presented by the strategy (i.e., what assets support it)? What are the weaknesses of it (i.e., what barriers constrain it)? Who is the target audience?

Paths to sustaining and growing the Robbinsville economy.In general, local prosperity and growth depends on producing more locally, bringing in outside income and reducing the rate of leakage of income from the community. The challenge for Robbinsville, as a small town in a remote and small county, is to find ways to grow local income while reducing the proportion that leaks out to the surrounding counties. Existing regional economic activity provides a substantial challenge for any efforts to expand economic activity in Robbinsville. On the other hand, a strong regional economy is a necessary starting point for growth in a small town.

For local areas, we can generally identify six potential paths to sustaining and growing the local economy. The six paths are:

1. Retain and expand existing businesses.2. Improve local linkages and reduce leakage of income out of the community.3. Create new businesses through supporting entrepreneurship.4. Increase earnings outside the community (commuting to work).5. Capture more unearned dollars.6. Attract more outside investment.

Each path involves increasing the income potential of the community or reducing the expenditure leakage from the community. The potential for growing the local economy through any of the six paths varies across small towns and rural communities depending on a number of factors, some of which the community can control and some of which it cannot control. Unfortunately, there is very little that Robbinsville can control, and any growth induced by the regional economy will be minimal because of relative isolation from urban centers. Therefore, based on its assets and limiting factors Robbinsville must consider the potential of each growth path.

Identification of assets and limiting factors. The Robbinsville Leadership Team organized a community meeting in March 2011 and divided into small groups to consider each potential growth path relative to the capacity of the community. The groups considered each of the six alternatives, first focusing on aspects of the community that would increase the likelihood of success, then focusing on aspects of the community that would decrease the likelihood of success. Table 12 is a list of identified community assets and resources mapped to each of the six paths for growing the community. Table 13 is a list of constraints and limiting factors that, left unaddressed,

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would reduce the potential for pursuing a particular growth path. Examining both of the tables should move us toward two of our objectives: first, articulating a vision of Robbinsville in the future and second, identifying potential strategies for growing the area economy and achieving our vision for the community.

Robbinsville’s vision statement and the strategies touched upon above imply a number of target audiences or markets for its economic development efforts. The area is poised to capitalize on its assets, overcome barriers and to reinvigorate itself, if it advances its strategies, develops relevant projects and pursues them with sufficient intensity.

STRATEGY AND PROJECT DEVELOPMENT

ROBBINSVILLE’S ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIC PLAN

The Robbinsville STEP Leadership Team adopted two (2) economic development strategies. The process involved Team members dividing into subcommittees to draft a strategy statement including the strategy’s issues for implementation and to identify, develop and propose projects designed to fulfill the goals of their respective strategy. Each subcommittee vetted its projects among themselves, and those projects with the most promise were brought before the whole Leadership Team at its monthly meeting for further development and discussion. The viable projects meeting the approval of the complete Team comprise the projects for STEP funding or in some cases partial STEP funding. [Note that these strategies are inter-related and projects to support one strategy may also support another.]

Because community development and quality of life issues fall within and overlap strategies, each subcommittee would include projects in these areas. Projects within the scope of education and workforce development, not-for-profit organization building and expansion, recreation and entertainment, and physical infrastructure, attractiveness and appearance could evolve out of any of the subcommittees.

The strategies, their descriptive narrative and summaries of their supporting projects follow. Detailed project templates are found in Appendix E.

Robbinsville Economic Development Strategy #1 : Increase and implement programs that will develop new opportunities encouraging people to stop, shop and live in Robbinsville.

Graham County is rich with numerous natural resources and historic sites but the Town of Robbinsville, the county’s town seat, rests in stark contrast and decay amongst this myriad beauty and quaint and friendly atmosphere. This decline commenced in the 1970’s and continues today with Graham County having one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation and in the state at 14.6% in August 2011.* An Asheville Citizen article dated August 25, 2011 reports that “An estimated 39 percent of Graham County kids don’t know where their next meal is coming from…” This is the highest rate of food insecurity in the state and ranks as the 11th highest rate in the nation.

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This high rate of food insecurity is directly attributable to the poverty rate of 19.9% according to Manna Food Bank statistics, Graham County’s high unemployment rate and the cost of food in Graham County which is 3% higher than the national average. With such statistics, it is not surprising that the NC Department of Commerce and the Appalachian Regional Commission classify Graham County as a Tier 1 “distressed” county.To halt this spiral downward, the Stop, Shop and Stay Team is focusing its strategic attention upon revitalizing the heavily traveled US 129 Rodney Orr Bypass. The North Carolina Department of Transportation 2009 vehicle count on the Bypass shows that from 6700 to over 10,000 vehicles travel this route per day. Revitalization of this “worse for wear” strip will capture the interest of the largest number of people traveling within and through Graham County and will create the desired clean and vibrant atmosphere conducive to shopping that locals and tourists alike prefer. Existing businesses will expand and new business will be created to supply goods and services to both segments of this population keeping needed dollars in Graham County. Retirees will want to live in the county where needed goods and services are provided and the cost of living is 20% below the national average. Investors are constantly monitoring trends in scenic towns like Robbinsville and many developers already own large tracts of undeveloped land in the town and county. Once revitalization commences, these investors will be more likely to invest in mixed-use developments and other facilities to ensure Robbinsville is not deserted when businesses close up shop for the day. An attractive appearance, unique restaurants, cultural events and a convivial atmosphere will keeps locals in town and will draw people in from the outlying areas putting vitality back into downtown. Needless to say, this revitalization will create jobs causing the unemployment, poverty and food insecurity rates to decrease.This is not to say that Olde Towne Robbinsville will be forgotten. Comprehensive master planning in process at this time will develop plans to continue the revitalization of Robbinsville from the US 129 By-Pass crossing to Ford Street then connecting Ford Street and the Bypass at several junctures to Olde Towne. Once complete revitalization is accomplished, the Town of Robbinsville will be renewed from city limit to city limit reflecting the beauty of the surrounding mountains.

STEP Projects addressing these strategic development issues are:

1. Operation Face-lift Facade Funds - Operation Face-lift Facade Funds - This is a grant based program designed to stimulate private investment in quality building improvements that contribute to the overall strength of the community’s business and retail section. This will promote joint public/private action and investment which will complement and enhance downtown revitalization efforts. We will develop a committee that will award qualifying businesses (A) grants that match dollar for dollar with the owner’s investment, varying in amounts from $500-5000 per building (B) a possible tax abatement or tax “freeze” program if their property taxes go up due to improvements and (C) possible low interest bearing loans through the participation of local banking facilities.There will be mini grants available for basic clean up and participation in a Window

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Murals Project. This will enhance the look and feel of empty buildings, as well as give local groups and artisans a place to display and/or advertise locations/events using murals and artistic flair. The expected outcome is for locals and visitors to learn more about community businesses and amenities and be drawn to “Stop, Shop and Stay” within the community longer than expected, translating into more captured dollars. Total cost for this project is $15,000.

2. Sitting Areas and Landscaping - All memorable towns have a variety of smaller places within them to appeal to various people. In fact, some of the best towns can be small themselves like Robbinsville. For this reason the Stop, Shop and Stay Team will create five (See schematic Attachment I) attractively designed sitting areas (See before photo and after rendering, Attachment II) along the US 129 Rodney Orr Bypass to encourage both locals and tourists to spend more time and dollars in Robbinsville. These new sitting spaces will add additional native trees, shrubs and perennials to those already planted and will provide boulders, benches, trash receptacles, planters and bike racks so individuals will be able to sit for a spell to chat with each other or to watch the Homecoming, Christmas and other parades. For the technology savvy, these sitting areas will also provide an attractive place to log on to the Wi-Fi network downtown. The total cost for this project is $25,000.

3. Wi-Fi - Data from the e-NC Authority report in 2007 classified Graham County as “connectivity challenged.” This designation indicated that less than 70% of the population had high speed internet access. In fact, Graham County’s broadband service percentage was specified at 52.43%. Some progress has been made since 2007 as a result of matching incentive grants from e-NC Authority that has increased the percentage to near 70%. However, the county still lags behind the rest of the state in having access to high speed internet service. The Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) Project will directly address the need addressed in the statement/issue identified above. Business owners need it to remain competitive and entice patrons to stop and shop and our visitors (especially motorcyclists) need access to remain in touch in this technological age.

The Wi-Fi Project will increase access for citizens, businesses and visitors to Robbinsville. Economic development will be enhanced to build and sustain high quality, productive, and economically viable businesses. As a result, an increase in tax revenue will be realized through the enhancement and creation of business activity. A study conducted by MIT and Carnegie Mellon University in 2005 concluded…“Broadband enhances economic activity, helping to promote job creation both in terms of the total number of jobs and the number of establishments in communities with broadband.”

The purpose of this project is to provide funds for expansion of Wi-Fi access for the Town of Robbinsville. Objectives are:

1) To establish a collaborative of partners for the purpose of providing Wi-Fi access to Graham County citizens and visitors. 2) To facilitate capacity building and use of technology for the enhancement of business development and economic opportunities.

The total cost for this project will be $6,000.

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Robbinsville Economic Development Strategy #2: Market and publicize the natural resources, heritage and tourism-related amenities available in the Robbinsville area.

In recent years the Town of Robbinsville, and Graham County as a whole, has seen what was once a manufacturing and agricultural driven economy, transition to a tourism driven economy. As a result, the jobs lost in those industries will have to be replaced with jobs in direct tourism businesses, or in indirect tourism businesses. According to a recent report by the U.S. Travel Association (see attached), Robbinsville currently receives only $22 million of the State’s $17 billion in tourism spending. These numbers indicate Robbinsville Tourism, while currently underdeveloped, has incredible potential for at least 10% growth. This strategy will develop a continuous plan to generate significantly increased tourism, tourism dollars, retirement dollars and second home dollars. The increase in tourism will create a culture for entrepreneurs and lead to new business formation and new job creation; thereby establishing a new sense of community pride, camaraderie and economic growth in Robbinsville.

STEP Projects addressing these strategic development issues are:

1. Annual Calendar of Events - Development of an Annual Calendar of Special Events that will focus on increasing tourism traffic in off peak times, as well as traffic during peak times and add to those events that are historically presented each year during peak season. Develop and mail a “Calendar Questionnaire” to local businesses to rally support. Create a part-time position of “NCSTEP Projects Coordinator” to primarily oversee marketing, special events planning and solicit local, regional and national sponsors; in addition, work with the NCSTEP Team to use the valuable business relationships developed by the Coordinator to leverage those relationships to assist with the all-important partnership between the other NCSTEP projects and the business community. This will give local businesses ownership and pride in the successful outcome of the projects, thereby creating a win-win result for Robbinsville in building its tourism industry in the future. This Coordinator will need to be a paid position due to the number of hours required to put projects in place. Team members have been volunteering at this point for 18 months and doing this after normal business hours. The business education element, orientation, and coordination between the business community, Travel and Tourism Authority, and other participating entities will require several hours per week and the Coordinator will need to be able to communicate with all parties during normal business hours. The Strategy Team will continue to play a support role for the Coordinator and will fill volunteer positions during festivals and other special events while the employee takes care of coordination and oversight. The Town of Robbinsville will provide office space and necessary office equipment for the position. The Coordinator will assist the current Travel & Tourism Director to recruit and train volunteer Tourism Ambassadors to staff the Travel & Tourism office, to meet/greet and answer walk-in tourist questions, freeing up the Travel and Tourism Director and other part time employees for event planning and their other responsibilities. This project also includes the purchase of much needed signage to aid in marketing and directing visitors to those events. Total cost for the project is $49,500.

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2. Website Development - Plan and create a website for the Town of Robbinsville and provide access to the site for all interested businesses. The website will include, but not be limited to, a short questionnaire for visitors which will ask their location, reason for visiting our area, how long they will be staying and if they are first-time visitors; track traffic to site by time of year and links used/pages visited; mailing list sign-up; maps and events calendars. In addition, the site will provide tourist links to the Graham Chamber and Travel & Tourism sites, local business sites, as well as the Blue Ridge Heritage Area site. Provide education to those businesses on use of the site, while monitoring and recording pertinent data that will be used to track the ebbs and flows of tourism traffic in the area. Users will be able to adjust any programs that are being used to attract new tourism dollars, allowing us to maintain constant knowledge of what is currently working and to be able to adjust to changes. These efforts, combined with other strategies, will in the long term, help to create jobs and to retain current. Total cost for the project is $4,500.

IV. Implementation

The Rural Center allows a STEP community a year to a maximum of a year and a half from the approval of its economic development strategic plan and implementation strategy and contract date to complete its projects.

Implementation involves the following:

Monthly reports must be completed and received by the Rural Center in a timely fashion.

If problems, issues or concerns arise, it is the responsibility of the town to notify the Rural Center STEP staff as soon as possible.

Accurate fiscal management is the responsibility of the town and will be monitored closely.

The Leadership/Implementation Team continues to meet on a monthly basis to share information, update each other on project progress, and to maintain momentum.

A facilitator is responsible for calling the meetings and developing an agenda; a recorder will take minutes.

New members are always encouraged to join and contribute to the team. Once the initial projects funded through the STEP program are completed, the

STEP community continues to work its economic development strategic plan, develop new projects and strive to realize its vision.

STEP Impact and Evaluation:

As projects are initiated and completed, the town must monitor their impact. The NC Rural Center will be tracking economic development indicators to evaluate the effectiveness of the program in the community.

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Thus, STEP towns should keep in mind these questions as they implement their projects, develop additional projects, and document their results:

Have members of the Leadership Team stepped up their leadership role in the community and are making a difference?

Have new jobs and businesses resulted from these strategies and projects? Are new private and public monetary investments coming into the town? Are more dollars being spent in the community? Are people patronizing local

businesses? Have any existing businesses expanded as a result of STEP? Are residents seeing improvements in their community and letting local officials

and citizen leaders know that they’re noticing a difference? And like it? Is there more hope and energy in your community? Are young people engaged in carrying out any of the STEP projects and offering

ideas for additional projects? Have new partnerships been formed? Is the town working more with the county

or state government offices on economic development issues? Has the town engaged more with the regional council of governments? Have any town/private business partnerships formed around a particular opportunity or to solve a particular problem?

Has the town sought resources or assistance from regional organizations such as the community college or regional university?

Have any non-profit organizations in the community stepped up to tackle town issues or meet a need?

Does the town look better? Are more people aware of the town’s participation in the STEP program and see the correlation?

Through STEP, the Leadership Team has learned a process to vet new ideas, find resources and execute projects and initiatives. Over time, it is anticipated that the STEP process will continually evolve -- that the Leadership Team will create new projects to be developed and implemented, and that the economic development strategies will be re-evaluated as progress is made and circumstances improve. This Team is expected to continue after STEP funds have been spent, these initial STEP projects described in this economic development strategic plan are completed, and the STEP program relationship with the Rural Center has lessened. With consistent and expanded leadership and the ability to bring more resources to the community, the town will increase its chances for prosperity and will see an improved quality of life for its current and future residents.

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APPENDIX A

NC STEP REQUIREMENTS AND PLANNING PROCESS

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NC STEP Requirements and Planning Process

Requirements:

Participation in NC STEP requires:

(1) A kick-off event to announce the demonstration award and to prepare the community for the work ahead; (2) An inclusive community leadership team representative of the expertise and class, race, and/or ethnic make-up of the community; (3) A local elected official and a representative of town management or administration to participate on the leadership team to ensure local government and community buy-in; (4) An assessment and planning process designed in collaboration with the Rural Center; and, (5) Participation in all required trainings and activities.

Planning Process:

1. Developing an inclusive community Leadership Team. This involves attending an orientation and training, recruiting members outside of the initial core group, and hosting an NC STEP community kickoff event.

2. Defining the Mission of the leadership team. Team members create a mission statement to guide their work by describing what they’re going to do, whom they serve and the values/qualities they want to promote.

3. Identifying a Community Vision by visualizing and articulating the desired and possible future for the community in 10 to 20 years.

4. Developing a Community Profile. Town citizens compile and describe the community’s assets, opportunities and areas for improvement in words and pictures. These are combined into a document that provides a “first look” at their community through their eyes.

5. Preparing a Community Assessment

A. Planning in Context. Representatives from larger community and economic development entities are invited to present their organization’s strategic plan and initiatives. The purpose is for members of the Leadership Team to see where their town is positioned in the larger strategies, if at all, and how their economic development plan, once developed, will fit in the larger context, and for them to begin to build relationships with these entities and foster partnerships.

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B. Economic Overview. An economic and demographic scan is prepared detailing elements of growing a local economy, town and county demographics, basic economic descriptors followed by an analysis of what all this means for the community.

C. Paths to Growing a Local Economy. In essence, local prosperity and growth depend on producing more locally, bringing in outside income and reducing the amount of money spent outside the community. An important element of this process is examining the town’s assets, limiting factors and challenges.

6. Identifying Economic Development Strategies. Based upon the information gleaned through the community assessment process, the leadership team analyzes its local economy, its assets and limitations and determines ways in which it has the potential to grow. These discussions result in identified economic development strategies for the town, and all the above work forms the basis for the STEP economic development strategic plan.

Throughout the STEP process the leadership team is coached that the elements of the economic development strategic plan must ultimately relate to job creation, increased public and private investment in the Community, leveraged resources and/or wealth creation.

7. Creating an Implementation Strategy. For the strategies to be realized, projects must be identified, developed and prioritized under each strategy. These prioritized projects make up the implementation strategy. Once the Economic Development Strategic Plan and Implementation Strategy are written up and accepted by the town council, the town enters into contracts for project implementation with the Rural Center.

8. Executing the Implementation Strategy. For the projects to come to fruition, committed citizen leaders and town officials must complete the projects. These persons make up the implementation team and work under the authority of the town council.

Then the implementation team goes to work!

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APPENDIX B

COMMUNITY PROFILE

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Remote and Rugged

Home to some of the highest and most remote mountains of the Southeastern United States and located in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains in far Western North Carolina, Graham County was officially formed in 1872. The county was named in honor of William A. Graham, US Senator, Governor, Secretary of the Navy and a Confederate States Senator. Formerly part of the Cherokee treaty lands and surrounded by rugged towering mountains on practically all sides, this region was one of the last domains in WNC to be settled by white men. Those that did explore these realms found a remote beauty abundant with lakes and rivers and wildlife available for their use and survival. Many families that still reside in Graham County can trace their lineage to the original founding families and the native Cherokee that were here when Robbinsville was named the county seat in 1874.Community of Spirit and Pride

Today Robbinsville does not have strip malls or chain restaurants; it doesn’t have busy highways or tall buildings. What is lacking in infrastructure is made up in the strength of its community. Robbinsville is a community filled with spirit and pride, where so many folks show up at the Friday night football games they are outgrowing their facilities. What Robbinsville does have is friendliness and neighborliness where a quick trip to the grocery store turns into an hour of social time with the people you know in the community. What Robbinsville does have is being the gateway to acres upon acres of National Forest Land and endless hours of outdoor fun and activities.

Evidence of the dedication of our citizens is shown through our festivals and events. The biggest celebration of the year is the annual 4th of July Heritage Festival that lasts a whole weekend. Community organizers have also made successful the summer weekly Music on the Square program. Our Christmas and Homecoming parades stop traffic as residents show their support, faith and family values. The events of Relay for Life bring unity and generous donations from all over the county.

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Co-Operation in Action

On September 4, 2010 Robbinsville held the NCSTEP Kick-off and as hoped for had a record turn-out of over 400 people. It was held downtown in front of the courthouse with speakers, music and free food for all to share. Congressman Heath Shuler, Senator John Snow, our Town Aldermen, County Commissioners, Sheriff and Director of NCSTEP, Art Jackson

were on stage to share in the celebration. Local talented individuals and gospel groups helped to bring joy to the day by providing the crowd with some musical entertainment. The food was truly a community effort as at least 25 individuals and businesses contributed to the wonderful down home style food of BBQ and corn-on-the-cob. Along with the Leadership Team and some town employees there were approximately 60 volunteers to make this a real neighborhood event. A big hit for children and adults alike was the Hopes and Dreams board where a list was started for visions of what our citizens would like to see in the future for Robbinsville.In 2005, a partnership of citizens and community leaders got together to form GREAT- the Graham Revitalization Economic Action Team. This is “a citizenship-based organization that provides an innovative approach to many of the challenges faced by Graham County through civic engagement.” GREAT has formed seven committees that use detailed strategies and actions to work together to address community issues. Through these committees Robbinsville has found funds through grants and donations for a playground and a 1-mile fitness trail that wraps around the high school to be used by everyone. GREAT was the catalyst in getting the NC Step Program to Robbinsville. It is a successful team effort and one that is thriving and helping to bring positive change to the community.

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Ours for the FutureWith such amazing natural resources as Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest, the Cherohala Skyway, Lake Santeetlah, Fontana Lake and Dam, the Appalachian Trail, the Cheoah River, numerous other rivers and so much more, it’s no wonder Robbinsville’s economy leans heavily on the eco-tourism industry.

Activities that include hiking, fishing, hunting, white-water rafting, boating, motorcycling, mountain biking and camping attract visitors, but Robbinsville lacks what it needs to keep the people here longer. Numerous buildings downtown remain vacant and in disrepair. Many day visitors come to enjoy our natural riches, but our vision is to get them to stay longer, enjoy our town and not just the outskirts - to stay here, not leave and go to another town for the night.Main Street in downtown Robbinsville has the potential to turn into a quaint mountain town rich with heritage and pride and thriving local businesses. Dealing with infrastructure issues such as water and sewer and giving a much needed face-lift to downtown would open the doors to change happening. Not only will funds be needed to turn these dreams into reality, but community cooperation and a long-term vision is necessary to make things happen. The renewed Chamber of Commerce is a great step in the right direction for attracting businesses to town.

Robbinsville has the natural attractions, what we now need is the man-made attractions and upgrades to keep people here longer and strengthen our occupational opportunities. Although it is a long-term vision, with the team effort of its concerned and caring citizens and the willingness to seek outside funding sources, Robbinsville can be reawakened from the sleepy town that it is into a thriving, viable, self-sustaining community where visitors make it a destination and residents benefit by improving their economy and quality of life.

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APPENDIX C

COMMUNITY ASSESSMENT

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Town of RobbinsvilleNC Small Towns Economic Prosperity Program

What Makes a Healthy Community?A set of indicators adapted from the Heartland Center’s Home Town Competitiveness program called “20 Clues for Rural Community Survival: An Annotated List” was introduced during the second leadership team meeting. After the coach led a discussion about these 20 Clues, the leadership team was divided into subgroups of six to eight people to complete a “Community Score Card” based on these 20 clues. Each subgroup graded their community and then compared their answers with the other groups.The Clues are couched in the framework of what makes a healthy community and is a good approach to introducing economic development concepts. These elements or ingredients for a healthy community include community pride, participatory approach to community decision making, awareness of competitive positioning, leadership pipeline and diversity, education, health care, civic infrastructure, use and management of fiscal resources, seeking outside assistance and resources, and finally, community responsibility for its future. By the leadership team members evaluating their community against these “clues,” they begin thinking critically about their community and understanding that they can influence the quality of each of these elements.

Below are the results for the “20 Clues” score card.

Evidence of Community Pride AEmphasis on Quality in Business and Community Life C-Willingness to Invest in the Future CParticipatory Approach to Community Decision-Making B-Cooperative Community Spirit BRealistic Appraisal of Future Opportunities CAwareness of Competitive Positioning BKnowledge of Physical Environment AActive Economic Development Program A-Deliberate Transition of Power to Younger Leaders BCelebration of Diversity in Leadership Roles CStrong Belief in and Support of Education BProblem-Solving Approach to Providing Health Care BStrong Multi-Generational Family Orientation AStrong Presence of Traditional Institutions A-Sound and Well-Maintained Infrastructure DCareful Use of Fiscal Resources BSophisticated Use of Technology Resources C-Willingness to Seek Help from the Outside AConviction that, in the long run, you have to do it yourself

B

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Paths to sustaining and growing the Robbinsville economy. In general, local prosperity and growth depends on producing more locally, bringing in outside income and reducing the rate of leakage of income from the community. The challenge for Robbinsville, as a small town in a remote and small county, is to find ways to grow local income while reducing the proportion that leaks out to the surrounding counties. Existing regional economic activity provides a substantial challenge for any efforts to expand economic activity in Robbinsville. On the other hand, a strong regional economy is a necessary starting point for growth in a small town.

For local areas, we can generally identify six potential paths to sustaining and growing the local economy. The six paths are:

1. Retain and expand existing businesses.2. Improve local linkages and reduce leakage of income out of the community.3. Create new businesses through supporting entrepreneurship.4. Increase earnings outside the community (commuting to work).5. Capture more unearned dollars.6. Attract more outside investment.

Each path involves increasing the income potential of the community or reducing the expenditure leakage from the community. The potential for growing the local economy through any of the six paths varies across small towns and rural communities depending on a number of factors, some of which the community can control and some of which it cannot control. Unfortunately, there is very little that Robbinsville can control, and any growth induced by the regional economy will be minimal because of relative isolation from urban centers. Therefore, based on its assets and limiting factors Robbinsville must consider the potential of each growth path.

Identification of assets and limiting factors. The Robbinsville Leadership Team organized a community meeting in March 2011 and was divided into small groups to consider each potential growth path relative to the capacity of the community. The groups considered each of the six alternatives, first focusing on aspects of the community that would increase the likelihood of success, then focusing on aspects of the community that would decrease the likelihood of success. Table 12 is a list of identified community assets and resources mapped to each of the six paths for growing the community. Table 13 is a list of constraints and limiting factors that, left unaddressed, would reduce the potential for pursuing a particular growth path. Examining both of the tables should move us toward two of our objectives: first, articulating a vision of Robbinsville in the future and second, identifying potential strategies for growing the area economy and achieving our vision for the community.

Table 12. Matrix of community assets and resources for sustaining and growing the local economy.Asset or resource identified Retain and

Expand Existing Businesses

Improve Local Linkages and Reduce Expenditure Leakages

Create New Businesses through Entrepreneurship

Increase Earnings Outside the Community (Commuting to Work)

Capture more Unearned Dollars

Attract more Outside Investment

Natural and scenic beauty X X X X X

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Outdoor recreation: Lakes, rivers, mountains, trails, campgrounds

X X X X X

Small town friendliness X X X X X XArts and crafts community X X XHealth care services; Brithaven, Healing House, Health Dept., Dentist, Clinics

X X X X X

Festivals: Ramps, Christmas, Fall, Heritage, Homecoming

X X X X

Tri-County CC/Small Business Center

X X

Cooperative Extension: Local agriculture, medicinal herbs

X X X

Chief Junaluska & MuseumCompetent leadership committed to improvement of community

X X X X X X

GREAT X X X X XVacant, usable buildings X X X XWorkforce X X XScenic drives X X X XStecoah Valley Ctr X X X XCycle, car, and boat repair businesses- locally owned

X X X X

Chamber of Commerce X X X XUS Forest Service and Forest Lands

X X X X X

Library X XStanley Furniture X XJoyce Kilmer X X XPrimary education: Good test scores

X X X X

Internet access X X X X X XMountain music X X XStrong police force X X X XCost of living X X X X X X

Table 13. Matrix of constraints and limiting factors for sustaining and growing the local economy.Constraint or Limiting Factor identified

Retain and Expand Existing Businesses

Improve Local Linkages and Reduce Expenditure Leakages

Create New Businesses through Entrepreneurship

Increase Earnings Outside the Community (Commuting to Work)

Capture more Unearned Dollars

Attract more Outside Investment

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Unattractive/run down commercial properties

X X X X X X

Local mindset that goods and services are cheaper elsewhere

X X X X X

Lack of consumer base

X X X X

Lack of entertainment

X X X X X X

No sporting goods stores

X X X X

No car rental X XNo restaurant chains X XLack of high-end restaurants

X X X X

No alcohol sales X X X X XNo clothing and shoe retailer

X X X X

Lack of small business training

X X X X

Few outdoor recreation businesses

X X X X

No rafting company X XFew business incentives for new or expanding businesses

X X X X

Decaying water treatment plant

X X X X

Little variety in goods and services

X X X X X

No movie theater X XWeak “buy local” effort

X X X X

Few teen/children activities

X X X X

Lack of cultural opportunities

X X X X X X

Lack of lodging/facilities for cultural events

X X X X

Lack of flat developable land

X X X X

No summer camps X XNo recreation complex

X X

Lack of trail and campground maintenance

X X X X

No comprehensive X X X X X X

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town planNo business licensing

X X X

No tourism development plan

X X X X

No coordinated marketing for arts and crafts

X X X

Artisans are too spread out

X X

No social media X X XLack of agricultural value-added opportunities

X X

Economic recession X X X X X XLimited job opportunities for H.S./college graduates

X

No drug rehab at Smoky Mtn

X X

Drug use X X X XNo urgent care/24 hr emergency service

X X X X X X

No dialysis center X X X XNo learning center for h.s. graduates

X X X X

Lack of support from famous locals

X

Difficulty embracing change

X X X X X X

Lack of civic participation by young people

X X

Forest service land ownership

X X

Remoteness X X X XNo chemistry or physics teachersNo web cams/radar in downtown

X X

Lack of county wide broadband

X X X X X X

Lack of private land for sale/use

X X X

Lack of highly trained workforce

X X X

High unemployment X XLow tax base X XHigh land values X X XNo 4-lane access X X X X X

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Domestic violence X X

ROBBINSVILLE WALK-ABOUTThoughts & Perspectives

On Thursday, May 5, 2011 seven NC Step Leadership Team members got together to have a walk-about in the Town of Robbinsville. We wanted to get up close and personal

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with our downtown streets and buildings for the purpose of trying to inspire some strategic thinking.

Our group started at the parking lot of the Graham County Health Dept. and began our walk down Main St. towards the elementary school.

The first point of interest is the old Snider Department Store. There are some of us that feel this could be a centerpiece of downtown by turning it into a multi-use venue featuring local crafters, a farmer’s market, and an entertainment center. It is a beautiful historic old stone building that would help to create an atmosphere of celebrating our cultural heritage. However, the building is structurally out-of-date and not up to code. It would take a large

investment just to do the necessary upgrades.

The next thing our eyes set upon is an example of how some property owners are forcing the unpleasant issues of zoning. We are a people that like to live and let live, but with this freedom must come personal responsibility and properties that are kept in these conditions are negative to our revitalization.

Overall, we felt the streets and ground surfaces were cleaner than we remembered or thought they would be. There are some sidewalk issues but more on that later. Probably the top two eye-catching problems are the number of vacant buildings and land. The strongest limiting factor with these buildings is that they cannot be brought up to code without major renovation, if not total re-construction. Many of these buildings actually have apartments behind or underneath, with renters occupying some, yet the front that faces downtown is crumbling and desperately in need of a facelift.

Could we sponsor some type of facelift renovation project where we do a cost share with the property owners to spruce up the front of their buildings? Paint, flower boxes, planters, and repairing the broken window sills might make a world of difference. Add more benches to rest and decorative lampposts like they have installed in front of Town Hall to make it more inviting. Another idea was to open the vacant buildings during “events” so vendors can

open rain or shine. There is one section where only the façade of the building is left standing yet we all agree it is beautiful and needs to be saved in some way. Another keeper that is owned locally had renovations begun and then stopped. The roof has caved in, but it would make a great little soda shop, especially right next to the elementary school. This is a building that definitely needs something in it (right)!

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The other issue was the amount of vacant land and one of the difficulties with these areas are they are not built up to street level. We did learn during our walk that between the county and the Graham Help Foundation, founded by Phillips&Jordan, there are several lots downtown that might be available for donation if somebody submitted a viable business plan that would help to enhance downtown Robbinsville. We came up with the idea of throwing an ad out there in cyber space to see if we get any bites.

This is land available next to the This lot is across from the rock house This is a prime lot for events on County Manager’s office. and the oldest house downtown. the corner of Hwy 129 and Knight St.

When our group reached the elementary school we turned around. At the end of Main St. Phillips has a nice motel and restaurant. Walking back towards Ford St. what many of us thought was another vacant business actually had their doors open, yet most people would never know this Western Store was open for business. (I’ve lived here 8 years and this is the first time I have ever seen it look like it was in operation.)

Zoning may be a four letter word, but it would really help with issues like this.

The sidewalks around downtown are a big issue too. If we want to have visitors walking around and exploring our shops downtown, we cannot have them tripping over uneven pavement, gravel and

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grass growing over the sidewalks. In some areas guardrails could stand to be installed. Most of these issues are DOT’s responsibility which then could possibly be maintained through the use of a prison inmate program.

A few other discussions that came up while walking down Ford St. were the on-going drainage problems, which helps to create the sidewalk problem, the big empty field next to the San-Ran Motel and the Duke Energy equipment storage area.

This profitably located field stretches We all agreed a nice fence would helpfrom Ford St. to Hwy 129. It has 3 large to hide this industrial look that is not sewer pipes connecting underground in sync with our hopes and visions. which would have to be re-routed before Unfortunately, Duke would like theany large business could be built. county to give them more land for

more equipment storage.

Finally, all of us did agree that the new fence built on E. Main St. is a definite improvement. We would like to see flower boxes with automatic drip hoses installed and this might be done through a local civic group.

Overall, most of us felt a mixture of hopelessness and hopefulness. Due to the structural deterioration of the majority of the buildings we have to realize and accept that the STEP funds alone will not be able to address these issues. We need to keep our visions and dreams for the more substantial projects, such as a multi-use venue; these projects may still be achievable through other means. Thinking outside the box is key to the success of those goals. Other funding sources may be available to assist with these efforts.

Due to the specifics of the NC STEP grant, although we may leverage our monies to make more money, we do have to spend this grant in a timely fashion and, being unable to raise the necessary funds to do a large scale project through the STEP program, it becomes necessary to keep our focus on some smaller projects where we can get more bang for our buck, so to speak. There are many areas where we can improve on what we already have, update and beautify, make more inviting and fun. We need to heed the saying, “Just because you are poor doesn’t mean you have to look or act like you’re poor.”

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APPENDIX D

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ECONOMIC AND DEMOGRAPHIC SCAN

Community Vision for Robbinsville. The STEP leadership team was asked to visualize the desired and possible future for the Robbinsville community by asking the question, ‘What do you want the community to be like 10 to 20 years from now?’ To answer this question, it is appropriate to think along several dimensions—such as the physical appearance of the downtown, mix of businesses, population size and mix, income levels and sources of income, public facilities, recreation opportunities and infrastructure, and any other aspects of the community considered important. The Leadership Team drafted the following vision statement within its community profile: “Robbinsville can be reawakened from the sleepy town that it is into a thriving, viable, self-sustaining community where visitors make it a destination and residents benefit by improving their economy and quality of life.”

Economic overview. Robbinsville, with 738 people (July 2008 State Data Center estimate) is the county seat of Graham County in southwestern North Carolina. Santeetlah, the only other town in the county, only has 71 residents. Graham County only has a population of 8,067 people (July 2008 State Data Center estimate), and grew by 1.2

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percent from April 2000 to July 2008. Robbinsville is located at the intersection of US 129 and NC 143 approximately 100 miles west of Asheville (See Figure 1.). The nearest urban center is Knoxville, TN, approximately 88 miles to the north. It is approximately 40 miles southwest of Cherokee and the Harrah’s casino. Graham County is very rural and scenic with the bulk of its land area in the Nantahala National Forest.

Figure 1. Graham County.

Table 1. Total Population.

Geography April 2000 Census Population

July 2008 Estimated Population

Percent change

Robbinsville 747 738 -1.2Santeetlah 67 71 5.97Graham County 7,993 8,087 1.2North Carolina 8,046,822 9,227,016 14.7

The 2000 Census reported that 24% of Graham County workers age 16 years or older worked outside the county and approximately 14% of Robbinsville workers worked outside the county (Table 2).

Table 2. Commuting by resident workers 16 years old or older (2000 Census)

Lived in Robbinsville Lived in Graham

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CountyWorked in Graham County

23086.1%

2,45475.6%

Worked outside Graham County

3713.9%

79024.4%

Current economic and demographic data about individual towns is limited. However, with 2000 Census data we can draw some relevant comparisons. As shown in Table 3, both Robbinsville and Graham County are primarily white only, as is common in the western NC counties. Nonwhites in the county and town are primarily American Indian. The Hispanic population percentage is very low.

Table 3. Racial and Ethnic Distribution (2000 Census)

Town of Robbinsville

Graham County

North Carolina

White only 94.4% 91.9% 72.2%

African American only

0.0% 0.2% 21.6%

Other (including multiple race)

5.6% 7.9% 6.2%

Hispanic or Latino (any race)

0.7% 0.8% 4.7%

Age distribution is shown in Table 4. The age distribution of Robbinsville in 2000 included a higher percentage of younger people than was true for the county. The state percentage of people age 65 or older in the 2000 Census was 12.0, somewhat less than in the local area.

Table 4. Age Distribution (2000 Census).

Age Town of Robbinsville (%)

Graham County (%)

0-19 years 26.7 22.720-24 years 7.4 4.925-44 years 25.4 25.145-64 years 21.6 28.265 years and older 19.0 19.1

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Educational attainment is an important measure of workforce capacity. The percentage of high school graduates in the age 25 or more Graham County population (Table 5) is 10 points lower than the percentage of high school graduates for the state, and the percentage with a Bachelor’s degree or higher is 11 points lower than the state percentage. Robbinsville fares worse, with only 55% having a high school diploma or higher and only 5% with a Bachelor’s degree or higher.

Table 5. Educational Attainment of Population Age 25 or over (2000 Census)

Town of Robbinsville

GrahamCounty

North Carolina

High School Graduate or Higher

54.9% 68.4% 78.1%

Bachelor’s Degree or Higher

4.9% 11.2% 22.5%

As shown in Table 6, income averages in Graham County lagged that of the state by several thousand dollars in 1999. Robbinsville’s averages were substantially less than for Graham County. According to BEA data, the Graham County per capita personal income in 2008 was $26,794, compared with $35,249 for North Carolina. The 2008 number ranks Graham County 89th in per capita income among North Carolina counties. In 1998 the PCPI of Graham was $17,535 and ranked 94th in the state, indicating a small improvement in relative income over the 10 year period.

Table 6. Income Averages (2000 Census).Town of

RobbinsvilleGraham County

North Carolina

Per Capita Personal Income

in 1999

$10,275 $14,237 $20,307

Median Family Income in 1999

$21,705 $32,750 $46,335

For 2008, the Bureau of Economic Analysis reports total personal income in Graham County at $213.8 million. Table 7 is the distribution of this income across broad sources compared with North Carolina. The table shows several interesting difference between the county and the state. Earnings from work in Graham County are a much smaller portion of total personal income than is true for the state. Earnings by workers who live in Graham County are almost the same percentage of income as earnings by place of work, indicating that the net effect of commuting to jobs outside the county is negligible. Personal transfer payments at 32.8% of total personal income are a much larger portion

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of income in Graham County than in North Carolina. The majority of personal transfer payments are social security, Medicare and Medicaid payments. In fact, government transfers to individuals are over 98% of total current personal transfer receipts.

Table 7. Components of Personal Income in 2008 for Graham County and North Carolina (BEA data).Income Component Graham County (% of

Total)North Carolina (% of total)

Total Personal Income ($000) $213,815 (100%) $325,953,820 (100%)

Farm Income -0.3 0.7Earnings by place of work 56.9 74.8Earnings by place of residence 55.7 65.7

Dividends, Interest and Rent 11.5 16.9

Personal Transfer Payments 32.8 17.4Proprietors’ Income 12.4 7.2Nonfarm Proprietors’ Income 12.8 6.7

As mentioned earlier, the 2000 Census reported that 24.4 percent of employed Graham County residents and only 13.9 percent of employed Robbinsville residents commuted to work outside the county. Looking at the BEA reported gross flow of earnings in Table 8 for Graham and surrounding counties makes the point in a slightly different way. A negative figure in the table indicates more income going out of a county (workers commuting in) than coming into the county (local residents commuting out to work), as is the case with several of the counties in Table 8. For Graham, the residence adjustment represents 6% of total personal income of residents. Graham residents are likely to commute to Cherokee and Swain Counties, verifying the importance of the regional economy to Graham County.

Table 8. Residence Adjustment Gross Flow of EarningsCounty 2001 Residence adjustment

($000)2008 Residence Adjustment ($000)

Buncombe -398,695 -712,651Cherokee -26,295 -21,140Graham 11,702 13,624Haywood 180,085 226,414Jackson 635 -7,760Macon 2,999 -125Swain -21,526 -30,922

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Total employment in Graham County increased by 15.7% from 2001 to 2008, despite the population growing by only 1.2% from 2000 to 2008. Note that manufacturing employment is not disclosed for either year because of confidentiality constraints. However, adding the numbers for each year implies that manufacturing is about 20% of total employment. As shown in the table, very few sectors grew significantly from 2001 to 2008. Retail trade grew by the largest percentage over the seven year period. The relative size and growth of proprietors’ employment is hard to interpret, since this sector includes sole proprietorships organized for part-time consulting, investment management, etc., and business partners. Another implication of the large percentage of proprietors’ employment is that, as one would expect, most employment sectors are dominated by very small firms. Nonfarm Proprietors’ income was over 12% of total personal income in 2008.

Graham County is recovering from the recession at a somewhat slower rate than the state as a whole. The February, 2011 unemployment rate in Graham County was 17.2% and the state rate was 10.1%.

Table 9. Graham County Total Full-time and Part-time Employment by Industry (BEA data, Selected Industries)NAICS Industry 2001

Number of Jobs

2001 Percent of Total

2008 Number of Jobs

2008 Percent of Total

Total employment (in county) 3,797 100.0 4,392 100.0Proprietors’ Employment (also included in other categories)

1,160 30.6 1,465 33.4

Farm Employment (Farm and nonfarm added equals total employment)

149 3.9 169 3.8

Nonfarm employment 3,648 96.1 4,223 96.2Construction 787 20.7 866 19.7Manufacturing Undisclosed UndisclosedWholesale trade 30 0.8 UndisclosedRetail trade 322 8.5 616 14.0Transportation and warehousing Undisclosed 63 1.4Finance and Insurance 69 1.8 92 2.1Real Estate and Rental and Leasing

103 2.7 167 3.8

Professional, Scientific and Technical Services

61 1.6 110 2.5

Administrative and Waste Services 117 3.1 145 3.3Health care and social assistance 235 6.2 UndisclosedArts, entertainment and recreation 38 1.0 UndisclosedAccommodation and Food Services 258 6.8 UndisclosedOther Services, Except Public Administration

200 5.3 237 5.4

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Government and Government Enterprises

556 14.6 534 12.2

As shown in Table 9, retail trade almost doubled in absolute number of employees and as a percentage of total employment from 2001 to 2008. Retail expenditures are a major source of movement of income across county lines. Generally, rural counties experience a high rate of retail expenditure “leakage” to nearby urban counties, while resort counties may pull in retail expenditures by attracting tourists. It is interesting to look at leakage of retail sales across county borders. Table 10 compares retail sales per capita and as a percent of personal income in Graham County with the state of North Carolina and some neighboring counties. The average 2008-09 taxable retail sales per capita in the state are $10,804, setting a benchmark by which to judge the retail activity in each county. Counties with a large inflow of shoppers, whether tourists or regional residents, will have higher sales per capita and higher sales as a percent of personal income than the state average, while counties with outflow of shoppers will have lower numbers. The numbers for Graham County are low relative to the state and neighboring counties, reflecting the county’s lack of a significant retail sector due primarily to low personal income, and despite a significant tourism sector. Apparently the Graham retail sector is not capturing much of the retail expenditures of area tourists and local residents.

Table 10. Taxable Retail Sales.Taxable retail sales in 2008-09

2008-09 Taxable retail sales per capita (2008 population estimate State Data Center)

2008-09 Taxable retail sales as a percent of 2008 personal income

North Carolina $99,691,217,415 $10,804 30.6Buncombe $2,995,665,910 $13,146 37.3Cherokee $244,123,605 $8,999 37.1Graham $38,422,626 $4,751 18.0Haywood $489,719,216 $8,575 27.5Jackson $306,789,017 $8,294 28.3Swain $76,867,665 $5,498 21.4

As one would expect, the distribution of retail sales across types of products is somewhat different in Graham County than in the state as a whole (See Table 11). Automotive and food are higher proportions of total retail sales in Graham County than in the state, while the apparel and general merchandise categories are a much smaller proportion of sales in Graham than in the state.

Table 11. 2008-09 Taxable Retail Sales by Type.

Type NC Total NC Percent

Graham Total Graham Percent

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1, 2, 2.5 and 3% Tax Group $653,685,532 0.7 $385,114 1.0Apparel $3,628,009,462 3.6 $85,522 0.2Automotive $5,365,725,864 5.4 $7,773,555 20.2Food $19,982,766,504 20.0 $9,647,935 25.1Furniture $3,854,662,360 3.9 $805,701 2.1General Merchandise $27,281,044,201 27.4 $5,058,497 13.2Lumber and Building Materials

$11,728,029,451 11.8 $5,086,306 13.2

Unclassified $27,197,294,041 27.3 $9,579,996 24.9Total $99,691,217,415 100.0 $38,422,626 100.0

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APPENDIX E

PROJECT TEMPLATES

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Robbinsville’s Economic Development Strategy: Increase and implement programs that will develop new opportunities encouraging people to stop, shop and live in Robbinsville.Issues for Strategy Implementation:

Graham County is rich with numerous natural resources and historic sites but the Town of Robbinsville, the county’s town seat, rests in stark contrast and decay amongst this myriad beauty and quaint and friendly atmosphere. This decline commenced in the 1970’s and continues today with Graham County having one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation and in the state at 14.6% in August 2011.* An Asheville Citizen article dated August 25, 2011 reports that “An estimated 39 percent of Graham County kids don’t know where their next meal is coming from…” This is the highest rate of food insecurity in the state and ranks as the 11th highest rate in the nation. This high rate of food insecurity is directly attributable to the poverty rate of 19.9% according to Manna Food Bank statistics, Graham County’s high unemployment rate and the cost of food in Graham County which is 3% higher than the national average. With such statistics, it is not surprising that the NC Department of Commerce and the Appalachian Regional Commission classify Graham County as a Tier 1 “distressed” county.To halt this spiral downward, the Stop, Shop and Stay Team is focusing its strategic attention upon revitalizing the heavily traveled US 129 Rodney Orr Bypass. The North Carolina Department of Transportation 2009 vehicle count on the Bypass shows that from 6700 to over 10,000 vehicles travel this route per day. Revitalization of this “worse for wear” strip will capture the interest of the largest number of people traveling within and through Graham County and will create the desired clean and vibrant atmosphere conducive to shopping that locals and tourists alike prefer. Existing businesses will expand and new business will be created to supply goods and services to both segments of this population keeping needed dollars in Graham County.

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Retirees will want to live in the county where needed goods and services are provided and the cost of living is 20% below the national average. Investors are constantly monitoring trends in scenic towns like Robbinsville and many developers already own large tracts of undeveloped land in the town and county. Once revitalization commences, these investors will be more likely to invest in mixed-use developments and other facilities to ensure Robbinsville is not deserted when businesses close up shop for the day. An attractive appearance, unique restaurants, cultural events and a convivial atmosphere will keeps locals in town and will draw people in from the outlying areas putting vitality back into downtown. Needless to say, this revitalization will create jobs causing the unemployment, poverty and food insecurity rates to decrease.This is not to say that Olde Towne Robbinsville will be forgotten. Comprehensive master planning in process at this time will develop plans to continue the revitalization of Robbinsville from the US 129 By-Pass crossing to Ford Street then connecting Ford Street and the Bypass at several junctures to Olde Towne. Once complete revitalization is accomplished, the Town of Robbinsville will be renewed from city limit to city limit reflecting the beauty of the surrounding mountains.SOURCES:*Employment Security Commissionhttp://www.city-data.com/county/Graham_County-NC.html http://www.arc.gov/images/appregion/economic_statusFY2012/CountyEconomicStatusandDistressAreasFY2012NorthCarolina.pdfhttp://karen-perkins.suite101.com/downtown-revitalization-in-america-a112488#ixzz1aETVcQ2T

Project # 1 Operation Face-lift Facade Funds - This is a grant based program designed to stimulate private investment in quality building improvements that contribute to the overall strength of the community’s business and retail section. This will promote joint public/private action and investment which will complement and enhance downtown revitalization efforts.

We will develop a committee that will award qualifying businesses (A) grants that match dollar for dollar with the owner’s investment, varying in amounts from $500-5000 per building (B) a possible tax abatement or tax “freeze” program if their property taxes go up due to improvements and (C) possible low interest bearing loans through the participation of local banking facilities.

There will be mini grants available for basic clean up and participation in a Window Murals Project. This will

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enhance the look and feel of empty buildings, as well as give local groups and artisans a place to display and/or advertise locations/events using murals and artistic flair. The expected outcome is for locals and visitors to learn more about community businesses and amenities and be drawn to “Stop, Shop and Stay” within the community longer than expected, translating into more captured dollars.

Steps and Timeframe:

OPERATION FACE-LIFT FACADE FUNDS

1. Researching to see if there are any grants to match NCSTEP funds for Operation Face-lift Facade Funds. This would allow us to extend the program even longer and make more improvements. (2 weeks)

2. Talking to local bank(s) about providing low interest program loans. (1 month)3. Committee Brainstorming Think-tanks to facilitate ideas of possible renovation plans to share with

businesses. (Completed)4. Developing and implementing the OFFF committee. (2 weeks)5. Research, develop and write the OFFF grant program specifications. (1 month)6. Publicize, Announce and Inform the business community of the new OFFF funding. (2 months)7. Formally begin the review and selection process of Applicants. (1 month for applicants to submit, 2

weeks for committee to decide.)8. Meetings with grant-awarded applicants to develop and discuss expectations; time-lines established

for project with assistance from committee and design “consultants” that are willing to help. (1 month)

9. Grantees can begin process of obtaining bids and beginning improvement work.

The planning phase, which includes the implementation of a grant program committee and the application and awarding phase of the businesses, will take 6-7 months. At that point the businesses themselves will have up to one year to complete the renovations.WINDOW MURALS PROJECT

1. Meet with owners of vacant buildings to introduce the concept. (The time to accomplish this will vary

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due to many out-of-town owners, but is not dependent on all participation at the same time. Present-6 months)

2. Upon approval from building owners, partner that building with a business or artisan for window concept design. (1-2 months)

3. “Mural designer” will present idea and expense form to OFFF committee for approval. (1 month)4. Volunteers will have 2 months, or other determined amount of time, for execution of project.

Outcome Metrics: We expect 5-7 businesses to take advantage of this program by applying to the grant committee. We expect 50% of the empty windows to become filled with displays by local organizations.

Improving the outward appearance of the heavily-driven, but often passed by By-Pass will drive the local economy by increasing the flow of traffic, bringing in tourism dollars and improving the quality of life, thereby making Robbinsville more attractive to prospective businesses and tourists to Stop, Shop and Stay. This project lays the groundwork for long term improvements that the entire community can both participate in and benefit from.

http://www.ncforum.org/doclib/Visitor%20Spending%20by%20County.pdfThe above link launches to The 2010 Economic Impact of Travel on North Carolina Counties" Report and could be one report of tracking community numbers. We would survey businesses participating in programs for feedback on perception of results and profit figures.

Implementation Milestones:

1. Getting funds for grant program in place.2. Obtaining permission from storefront owners to do a window mural.3. Developing a grant approval committee with design “consultants” in place.4. Facade improvement program developed.5. 2-3 Window displays completed.6. Public is informed and applications handed out.7. Grants awarded and work starts.8. Improvements are made.

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9. More businesses decide to improve their property.

Convening Organizations(s):

The plan, design and implementation will require coordination between many groups, including merchants, property owners, business chamber and the city. It will be critical for there to be constant communication and coordination between all of these entities in order for this plan to be successful. This can be done through the OFFF Grant Committee and the Town of Robbinsville. Many of the partners listed below could help organize our efforts:NCSTEP Implementation TeamArtist Guild from Stecoah Valley Cultural Arts CenterGraham County Chamber of CommerceThe GREAT OrganizationTown of Robbinsville

Participating/Stakeholder Organizations:

The following parties may have an interest and could aid with resources and expertise to assist in the implementation of this program.

Graham County Travel & Tourism Local organizations, non-profits, businesses that want to participate in the Windows Mural project Local Banking Facility North Carolina Downtown Development Association (NCDDA) NC Dept of Commerce NC Rural Economic Development Center (small town program) Handmade in America Advantage West, Western NC Regional Economic Development Commission Economic development teams from various universities Wealthy entrepreneurs / Angel donors

Funding Needs: $15,000 from the Rural Center through the NC STEP grant. We will attempt to locate a matching grant that would allow $30,000 to be available for this grant program. This would enable us to serve up to 30 buildings using grants that averaged $2000.00. If we do not find a matching grant, we will still have the ability to

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revitalize up to 15 buildings.Potential Funding Sources:

NC STEP, CDBG, Main Street Small Towns

Projected Number of Jobs Created:

If 10-15 businesses participate in this program and hire local workers, this could create jobs for up to 10-15 different people, depending on if they all use different companies. Most of this would be smaller handyman, or renovation type work. The increase of traffic could in turn allow restaurant, retail and other tourist outlets to hire additional help.

Projected Additional or Leveraged Funds needed to complete the project:

$15,000In process and continued efforts by local urban planner, community artisans, the STEP Leadership Team and other community volunteers will leverage hours evaluating the Bypass and all of downtown, recommend materials and design appropriate to the history and culture of Robbinsville. The urban planner will submit renderings. Renderings have already been drawn of a particular retail section of the Rodney Orr By-pass that show a wonderful and very affordable and achievable example of what could be accomplished with this façade grant program. See Attachment I. The value of all this volunteer work is $5,000.

Misc.: This type of program has shown success time after time in many locations across the United States and into Canada and Europe. Our ideas will unite different sectors of the county and pull from the vast amounts of natural talents from our citizens. Following are links to success stories and/or like programs in various locations.http://www.cornwallheartofthecity.com/index.cfm?Title=media-%20gedoroshttp://www.london.ca/Planning_and_Development/Land_Use_Planning/PDFs/Livelink/Guidelines/MainstreetLondonDowntownLondonInformationPackage.pdfhttp://www.sanleandro.org/depts/cd/bizdev/redev/projects.asphttp://www.oysterbaymainstreet.org/docs/Facade_Success_Stories.pdf

Other:Notes: Public input has shown that residents are concerned with downtown, and want to make improvements to

the area. There is a strong desire to create a thriving downtown that attracts residents and visitors with a variety of activities and services. The cost of renovating historic and rundown buildings can be expensive and complicated for owners, especially if there is a desire to maintain historic integrity. Often, these buildings

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require major investment to return them to a safe and usable condition. Often, property owners are not able to obtain sufficient rent to justify renovation costs and leave the buildings to deteriorate. This results in a spiral of declining values and appearance throughout downtown which can harm even successful businesses in the area. To combat this, our NC STEP team would like to offer this grant program as assistance to building owners to help them improve their buildings.

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ATTACHMENT 1-EDS1, Project 1 – Operation Façade Facelift Funds

Before

After

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Robbinsville Economic Development Strategy:

Increase and implement programs that will develop new opportunities encouraging people to stop, shop and live in Robbinsville.Issues for Strategy Implementation:

Graham County is rich with numerous natural resources and historic sites but the Town of Robbinsville, the county’s town seat, rests in stark contrast and decay amongst this myriad beauty and quaint and friendly atmosphere. This decline commenced in the 1970’s and continues today with Graham County having one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation and in the state at 14.6% in August 2011.* An Asheville Citizen article dated August 25, 2011 reports that “An estimated 39 percent of Graham County kids don’t know where their next meal is coming from…” This is the highest rate of food insecurity in the state and ranks as the 11th highest rate in the nation. This high rate of food insecurity is directly attributable to the poverty rate of 19.9% according to Manna Food Bank statistics, Graham County’s high unemployment rate and the cost of food in Graham County which is 3% higher than the national average. With such statistics, it is not surprising that the NC Department of Commerce and the Appalachian Regional Commission classify Graham County as a Tier 1 “distressed” county.To halt this spiral downward, the Stop, Shop and Stay Team is focusing its strategic attention upon revitalizing

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the heavily traveled US 129 Rodney Orr Bypass. The North Carolina Department of Transportation 2009 vehicle count on the Bypass shows that from 6700 to over 10,000 vehicles travel this route per day. Revitalization of this “worse for wear” strip will capture the interest of the largest number of people traveling within and through Graham County and will create the desired clean and vibrant atmosphere conducive to shopping that locals and tourists alike prefer. Existing businesses will expand and new business will be created to supply goods and services to both segments of this population keeping needed dollars in Graham County. Retirees will want to live in the county where needed goods and services are provided and the cost of living is 20% below the national average. Investors are constantly monitoring trends in scenic towns like Robbinsville and many developers already own large tracts of undeveloped land in the town and county. Once revitalization commences, these investors will be more likely to invest in mixed-use developments and other facilities to ensure Robbinsville is not deserted when businesses close up shop for the day. An attractive appearance, unique restaurants, cultural events and a convivial atmosphere will keeps locals in town and will draw people in from the outlying areas putting vitality back into downtown. Needless to say, this revitalization will create jobs causing the unemployment, poverty and food insecurity rates to decrease.This is not to say that Olde Towne Robbinsville will be forgotten. Comprehensive master planning in process at this time will develop plans to continue the revitalization of Robbinsville from the US 129 By-Pass crossing to Ford Street then connecting Ford Street and the Bypass at several junctures to Olde Towne. Once complete revitalization is accomplished, the Town of Robbinsville will be renewed from city limit to city limit reflecting the beauty of the surrounding mountains.SOURCES:*Employment Security Commissionhttp://www.city-data.com/county/Graham_County-NC.html http://www.arc.gov/images/appregion/economic_statusFY2012/CountyEconomicStatusandDistressAreasFY2012NorthCarolina.pdfhttp://karen-perkins.suite101.com/downtown-revitalization-in-america-a112488#ixzz1aETVcQ2T

Project #2: Bypass Sitting AreasAll memorable towns have a variety of smaller places within them to appeal to various people. In fact, some of the best towns can be small themselves like Robbinsville. For this reason the Stop, Shop and Stay Team will create five (See schematic Attachment I) attractively designed sitting areas (See before photo and after

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rendering, Attachment II) along the US 129 Rodney Orr Bypass to encourage both locals and tourists to spend more time and dollars in Robbinsville. These new sitting spaces will add additional native trees, shrubs and perennials to those already planted and will provide boulders, benches, trash receptacles, planters and bike racks so individuals will be able to sit for a spell to chat with each other or to watch the Homecoming, Christmas and other parades. For the technology savvy, these sitting areas will also provide an attractive place to log on to the Wi-Fi network downtown.

Steps and Timeframe:

1. In process through 2011. Continue collaboration w/Ryan Sherby, RPO Planner, Southwestern Commission and Wesley Grindstaff, District Engineer, North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT), Andrews, NC because all work will be accomplished on NCDOT right of way.2. In process. Develop landscape plan. See attached map of Bypass w/improvements and rendering (Attachment I) of typical sitting area.3. January 2012 – Place order for all materials – trees, shrubs, etc. as well as benches, receptacles, bike racks, etc.4. February 2012 – Remove debris (grass and other objects) from sidewalks and prepare sites for sitting areas.5. March 2012 – Plant trees, shrubs and perennials and place boulders, benches, trash receptacles, bike racks and planters.

OUTCOME METRICS:

1. Improved Air and Water Quality. A single tree can provide not only fresh air, a place to enjoy nature and a place to be outdoors but saves up to $273 a year in air conditioning, pollution reduction, erosion and storm water control, and wildlife shelter benefits. This same tree can remove 26 pounds of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere per year, an amount equal to 11,000 miles worth of car emissions. The cost savings from this one tree is important to this “distressed” community and the environmental costs savings is as equal or more important.2. Personal Benefits – Plants lower blood pressure and reduce tension. Other personal benefits include fun and entertainment from parades and other celebrations, relaxation and learning opportunities for children from sitting to view people, flora and fauna increasing their attention span and giving them “a sense of belonging” creating civic identity and pride.3. Increase Sociological Benefits – These sitting areas are inexpensive but they provide basic amenities to poorer residents. This amenity was ranked as the most important benefit by parks and recreation officials in The Benefits of Local Recreation and Park Services, a Nationwide Study of the Perceptions of the American

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Public.4. Improve Economic Sustainability – “The Economic Benefits of Parks and Open Space – How Land Conservation Helps Communities Grow Smart and Protect the Bottom Line” states that parks and open space boosts tourism, attracts investment, revitalizes investment and revitalizes cities because people linger and shop longer along tree-lined streets. Apartments and offices in these green areas rent more quickly, have higher occupancy rates and tenants stay longer and businesses having office space in these areas find their workers are more productive and absenteeism is reduced.5. Increase Traffic Safety because trees and green space absorb and block noise from the urban environment preventing driver distraction.6. Increase Real Estate Values because healthy trees and green spaces can add up to 15 percent to residential property value and office and industrial space in these settings is in more demand and is more valuable to sell or rent.7. Add Aesthetic Values because people enjoy viewing nature, especially when it is otherwise extensively deprived as on the Rodney Orr Bypass.8. Affect Consumer Perceptions and Behaviors because a community filled with beautiful landscapes results in highly visible advertising which causes people to purchase more goods.9. Extend the Life of Paved Surfaces because trees cool paved surfaces extending their life.

IMPLEMENTATION MILESTONES:

1. Approval of Project by NC STEP Leadership Team. Approval Received2. Submission of project to NC Rural Development Center for review and approval. 2 months.3. Approval Town of Robbinsville Town Council. 1 month4. Final approval of plantings and placement of decorative amenities plan on NCDOT right-of-way. 2 months.5. Remove debris and amend soil in sitting areas. 2 weeks6. Completion of the planting of trees, shrubs and perennials along with the placement of stones, benches, planters, waste receptacles and bike racks. 2 months.

CONVENING ORGANIZATION(S):

1. NC STEP Leadership Team2. Town of Robbinsville3. Graham County Government

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PARTICIPATING/STAKEHOLDER ORGANIZATIONS:

1. NC STEP Leadership Team2. Town of Robbinsville3. Graham County Government4. Graham County Travel and Tourism5. Graham County Chamber of Commerce6. Graham Revitalization Economic Action Team (GREAT)7. Town of Robbinsville Businesses and Property Owners

FUNDING NEEDS:

NC STEP Implementation Grant Funds will be used to purchase materials and to pay invoices for work completed and to also leverage funds for this project. The cost of this project is as follows:5 ea. Benches @ $1300 ea. including shipping $ 6,5005 ea. Planters @ $1,000 including shipping. 5,0005 ea. Waste Receptacles w/Bonnet including shipping 5,0005 ea. 7 Bike Rack @ $425 ea. including shipping 2,12510 ea. Mature Trees grown in containers @ $150.00 ea. 1,200 (Dogwood, Red or Autumn Maple, Thuga, Italian Cypress, Crepe Myrtle, Poplar)20 ea. Mature Shrubs grown in containers @ $75.00 ea. 900 (Hydrangea, Snowball Bush, Helleri Holly)1 ea. Delivery of trees and shrubs 2251 ea. Truckloads (15 Tons ea.) granite boulders @ $700 ea 700 Perennials, annual plants and seeds 2505 ea. 12’ x 6’ Concrete Pad @ $500 ea. 2,5001 ea. Truckloads @ 15 Cu. Yd. ea. @ $250.00 2501 ea. Case commercial landscape fabric 200 Various soil amendments (weed killer, root 150 stimulator, fertilizer)_______________________________________________________________________________Total Cost of Project $25,000

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Potential FUNDING SOURCES:

NC STEP Implementation FundLocal Individuals and BusinessesTown of Robbinsville

Projected Number of Jobs Created

Little evidence is available directly attributing the creation of jobs to downtown revitalization strategies because most studies generalize their findings; but according to the Region A Toolbox one thing is clear , those counties in Region A that have revitalized their town seats and have ready access to natural resources have shown significantly more growth (See Table Below) than Graham County which has the lowest growth rate in the region.Table I.3 – Growth and Change in Western North Carolina –Region A Toolbox

Locality % Change Median Household Income

% Change Per Capita Income

% Change in

Poverty

% Population Change

Cherokee 6.2% 27.1% -9.6% 20.5%

Clay 26.1% 43.4% -22.5% 22.6%

Graham 18.4% 19.4% -13.6% 11.1%

Haywood 12.4% 17.7% 4.4% 15.1%

Jackson 12.6% 26.7% 15.3% 23.4%

Macon 17.0% 25.9% -3.0% 26.9%

Swain 32.5% 22.2% -23.2% 15.1%

With this said, it is expected that the creation of these attractive sitting areas in conjunction with other revitalization projects along the Rodney Orr Bypass will create at least three new businesses and 5 new jobs by 2014.

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Projected Additional or Leveraged Funds needed to complete the project:

In process and continued efforts by local urban planner, community artisans, the STEP Leadership Team and other community volunteers will leverage hours evaluating the Bypass and all of downtown, recommend materials and design appropriate to the history and culture of Robbinsville. The urban planner will submit renderings. The value of this work is $5,000.The Town of Robbinsville will provide assistance using the Town’s equipment and personnel to plant trees, shrubs and flowers and to assemble and position benches, waste receptacles, planters and bike racks. The value of this work is $20,000.

Misc.:

Other:

Notes:

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ATTACHMENT IIEDS1, Project 2 – Sitting Areas & Landscaping

Before

After

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Robbinsville Economic Development Strategy: Increase and implement programs that will develop now opportunities encouraging people to stop, shop and live in Robbinsville.Issues for Strategy Implementation:Issues for Strategy Implementation:

Graham County is rich with numerous natural resources and historic sites but the Town of Robbinsville, the county’s town seat, rests in stark contrast and decay amongst this myriad beauty and quaint and friendly atmosphere. This decline commenced in the 1970’s and continues today with Graham County having one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation and in the state at 14.6% in August 2011.* An Asheville Citizen article dated August 25, 2011 reports that “An estimated 39 percent of Graham County kids don’t know where their next meal is coming from…” This is the highest rate of food insecurity in the state and ranks as the 11th highest rate in the nation. This high rate of food insecurity is directly attributable to the poverty rate of 19.9% according to Manna Food Bank statistics, Graham County’s high unemployment rate and the cost of food in Graham County which is 3% higher than the national average. With such statistics, it is not surprising that the NC Department of Commerce and the Appalachian Regional Commission classify Graham County as a Tier 1 “distressed” county.To halt this spiral downward, the Stop, Shop and Stay Team is focusing its strategic attention upon revitalizing the heavily traveled US 129 Rodney Orr Bypass. The North Carolina Department of Transportation 2009 vehicle count on the Bypass shows that from 6700 to over 10,000 vehicles travel this route per day. Revitalization of this “worse for wear” strip will capture the interest of the largest number of people traveling within and through Graham County and will create the desired clean and

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vibrant atmosphere conducive to shopping that locals and tourists alike prefer. Existing businesses will expand and new business will be created to supply goods and services to both segments of this population keeping needed dollars in Graham County. Retirees will want to live in the county where needed goods and services are provided and the cost of living is 20% below the national average. Investors are constantly monitoring trends in scenic towns like Robbinsville and many developers already own large tracts of undeveloped land in the town and county. Once revitalization commences, these investors will be more likely to invest in mixed-use developments and other facilities to ensure Robbinsville is not deserted when businesses close up shop for the day. An attractive appearance, unique restaurants, cultural events and a convivial atmosphere will keeps locals in town and will draw people in from the outlying areas putting vitality back into downtown. Needless to say, this revitalization will create jobs causing the unemployment, poverty and food insecurity rates to decrease.This is not to say that Olde Towne Robbinsville will be forgotten. Comprehensive master planning in process at this time will develop plans to continue the revitalization of Robbinsville from the US 129 By-Pass crossing to Ford Street then connecting Ford Street and the Bypass at several junctures to Olde Towne. Once complete revitalization is accomplished, the Town of Robbinsville will be renewed from city limit to city limit reflecting the beauty of the surrounding mountains.

SOURCES:*Employment Security Commissionhttp :// www . city - data . com / county / Graham _ County - NC . html http :// www . arc . gov / images / appregion / economic _ statusFY 2012/ CountyEconomicStatusandDistressAreasF Y 2012 NorthCarolina . pdf http :// karen - perkins . suite 101. com / downtown - revitalization - in - america - a 112488# ixzz 1 aETVcQ 2 T

Project # 3 Data from the e-NC Authority report in 2007 classified Graham County as “connectivity challenged.” This designation indicated that less than 70% of the population had high speed internet access. In fact, Graham County’s broadband service percentage was specified at 52.43%. Some progress has been made since 2007 as a result of matching incentive grants from e-NC Authority that has increased the percentage to near 70%. However, the county still lags behind the rest of the state in having access to high speed internet service. The Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) Project will directly address the need addressed in the statement/issue identified above.

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Business owners need it to remain competitive and entice patrons to stop and shop and our visitors (especially motorcyclists) need access to remain in touch in this technological age.

The Wi-Fi Project will increase access for citizens, businesses and visitors to Robbinsville. Economic development will be enhanced to build and sustain high quality, productive, and economically viable businesses. As a result, an increase in tax revenue will be realized through the enhancement and creation of business activity. A study conducted by MIT and Carnegie Mellon University in 2005 concluded…“Broadband enhances economic activity, helping to promote job creation both in terms of the total number of jobs and the number of establishments in communities with broadband.”

The purpose of this project is to provide funds for expansion of Wi-Fi access for the Town of Robbinsville. Objectives are:

1) To establish a collaborative of partners for the purpose of providing Wi-Fi access to Graham County citizens and visitors.2) To facilitate capacity building and use of technology for the enhancement of business development and economic opportunities.

Steps and Timeframe:Steps and Timeframe:

The Wi-Fi project can be completed within a relatively short amount of time. Once project is approved, discussions with the Town of Robbinsville, Graham County Government and the selected vendor will commence. The total project should be completed within a month once the project is approved by required agencies. The basic timeframe follows:

1. One day for survey lay-out and design (partially completed);2. Three days for deployment of equipment;3. Three days for server location/connection;4. Three days for Web/Splash Page design (can be done during any of the construction periods);5. One week of local merchant orientation/development

Outcome Metrics:Outcome

The impact of having Wi-Fi service to citizens and visitors to Robbinsville opens up tremendous new potential for business development and economic opportunities. This technological capacity would better position the Town of Robbinsville for future growth and economic development in efficient and effective ways not currently available. The Wi-Fi services will provide visitors and residents in Robbinsville area a way to check email or surf for nearby

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Metrics: stores, eateries, and hotels/motels. When a visitor to Robbinsville attempts to access the Wi-Fi system the visitor/tourist must enter their zip code. This will provide a means to determine where our visitors are from and provide potential target areas or Travel and Tourism Authority personnel. This objective measurement can be built in to the economic development and marketing plan being proposed. Long term expected outcomes will be an increased user capability to use technology to deliver a broad range of services for the enhancement of business opportunities. Creating wealth and jobs is the ultimate outcome of this project.

Implementation Milestones:Implementation Milestones:

1. Approval of project by NC STEP Leadership Team.2. Submission of project to NC Rural Center.3. Selection of wireless vendor.4. Installation of equipment

Convening Organizations(s):Convening Organization(s):

1. NC STEP Leadership Team2. Town of Robbinsville3. Graham County Government

Participating/ Stakeholder Organizations:

1. NC STEP Leadership Team2. Town of Robbinsville3. Graham County Government4. Graham County Economic Development Commission5. Graham County Travel and Tourism6. Graham County Chamber of Commerce7. Graham Revitalization Economic Action Team8. Town of Robbinsville Business and Property Owners

vFFFu:Funding Needs:

The NC STEP funds will be used to provide and leverage funds to bring Wi-Fi access to the Town of Robbinsville. The equipment, installation and associated costs will be accomplished for six thousand dollars ($6,000). It is anticipated that Graham County Government IT Department would monitor and maintain the system after grant cycle is completed.

Equipment Unit Cost Total

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2 5.8 Ubiquitie M5 Radios $89.95 $179.905 Meraki Outdoor Mesh Units $199.99 $999.955 7 dbi gain Meraki Omni Antennas $29.99 $149.957 One Legged Mounts $15.92 $111.44

Expenses Unit Cost TotalInstallation $750.00 $750.00Wi-Fi Setup $400.00 $400.00Web/Splash Page Design $800.00 $800.00Web Hosting per month (12 months) $7.95 $91.80Maintenance/Service (12 months) $105.00 $1,260.00Bandwith – 5 mg (12 months) $69.95 $839.4Electrical/Misc $167.86 $167.86

Total Project Cost $6,000.00

Potential Funding Sources:Potential Funding Source(s):

1. NC STEP implementation funds2. Graham County Economic Development Commission3. Graham County Travel and Tourism4. Town of Robbinsville businesses

Projected Number of Jobs Created:Projected Number of Jobs Created:

No jobs are anticipated to be created. However, an increase in revenue will be realized by Robbinsville businesses as a result of awareness created by visitor access to Wi-Fi. This will result in a need for additional jobs/services.

Projected Additional or Leveraged Funds

Leveraged funds would be a result of assistance with installation by Town of Robbinsville employees, maintenance/monitoring of system assumed by the Graham County IT Department and funds provided by T & T

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needed to complete the project:Projected Additional or Leveraged Funds needed to complete the project:

and the Graham County EDC.

Misc.:Misc.:

Robbinsville Economic Development Strategy:Market and publicize the natural resources,heritage and tourism-related amenities availablein the Robbinsville area.Issues for Strategy Implementation:

In recent years the Town of Robbinsville, and Graham County as a whole, has seen what was once a manufacturing and agricultural driven economy, transition to a tourism driven economy. As a result, the jobs lost in those industries will have to be replaced with jobs in direct tourism businesses, or in indirect tourism businesses. According to a recent report by the U.S. Travel Association (see attached), Robbinsville currently receives only $22 million of the State’s $17 billion in tourism spending. These numbers indicate Robbinsville Tourism, while currently underdeveloped, has incredible potential for at least 10% growth. This strategy will develop a continuous plan to generate significantly increased tourism, tourism dollars, retirement dollars and second home dollars. The increase in tourism will create a culture for entrepreneurs and lead to new business formation and new job creation; thereby establishing a new sense of community pride, camaraderie and economic growth in Robbinsville.

Project # 1: Development of an Annual Calendar of Special Events (preliminary calendar attached) that will

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focus on increasing tourism traffic in off peak times, as well as traffic during peak times and add to those events that are historically presented each year during peak season. Develop and mail a “Calendar Questionnaire” to local businesses to rally support. Create a part-time position of “NCSTEP Projects Coordinator” to primarily oversee marketing, special events planning and solicit local, regional and national sponsors; in addition, work with the NCSTEP Team to use the valuable business relationships developed by the Coordinator to leverage those relationships to assist with the all-important partnership between the other NCSTEP projects and the business community. This will give local businesses ownership and pride in the successful outcome of the projects, thereby creating a win-win result for Robbinsville in building its tourism industry in the future. This Coordinator will need to be a paid position due to the number of hours required to put projects in place. Team members have been volunteering at this point for 18 months and doing this after normal business hours. The business education element, orientation, and coordination between the business community, Travel and Tourism Authority, and other participating entities will require several hours per week and the Coordinator will need to be able to communicate with all parties during normal business hours. The Strategy Team will continue to play a support role for the Coordinator and will fill volunteer positions during festivals and other special events while the employee takes care of coordination and oversight. The Town of Robbinsville will provide office space and necessary office equipment for the position. The Coordinator will assist the current Travel & Tourism Director to recruit and train volunteer Tourism Ambassadors to staff the Travel & Tourism office, to meet/greet and answer walk-in tourist questions, freeing up the Travel and Tourism Director and other part time employees for event planning and their other responsibilities. This project also includes the purchase of much needed signage to aid in marketing and directing visitors to those events.

Steps and Timeframe: 1. Engage the Town Council, Chamber of Commerce, Travel and Tourism Authority, and those businesses that will become stakeholders in the Calendar of Events and will maintain and support the events as the plan is being implemented and will continue their support into the future. (60 days)2. Develop job description for NCTEP Projects Coordinator, along with list of responsibilities and an accountability grid. (30 days)

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3. Hire NCSTEP Projects Coordinator to oversee marketing and festival planning. Approach local college marketing departments about donating time/using calendar planning as a part of their curriculum. (90 days)4. Recruit/train Volunteer Tourism Ambassadors (90 days)5. Purchase signage. (30 days)6. Proposed events will be finalized as to when they will occur, what type of marketing will be needed, sources for funding marketing and support. (90 days)7. A series of workshops will be held to introduce the Calendar of Events and a brochure developed that will identify the events by name, date, location, and a brief description of what the event entails. (120 days)8. Data from the Town of Robbinsville and Travel & Tourism websites will be used to monitor interest in the calendar and used to determine when and where changes need to be made to improve the success of the calendar as well as forecast number of visitors that may attend a particular event. The website will also be used as a marketing tool and thereby generate the data needed for monitoring number of visitors. (ongoing)9. This project can proceed once approved and will be completed within 12 months.10. Implement Festival Vendor Fee of $20 per space, anticipated income of $800 to $1000 per festival which will be used for advertising, contests, music, clean-up, etc.

Outcome Metrics: This project requires a team effort of all the partners to finalize the Calendar. Once completed and implemented, the Calendar will allow participating businesses to plan for the events in advance with some foresight into what kind of traffic count to expect. It will allow the Town of Robbinsville to monitor and determine what it's role will be in each event and after a yet to be determined period, allow them to use tourism traffic data to project what, if any, increases in sales tax revenue might be and use that data as part of their fiscal budgeting process. Because of underdeveloped Tourism in the area, it is expected that with the Website, increased marketing and signage – all of which were previously non-existent -- our objective to double attendance at our current annual festival to 10,000 and add three additional seasonal festivals next year which will net an additional 35,000 visitors to Robbinsville annually will be a conservative and attainable goal. The main goal of an increased Special Events Calendar (attached) is to generate exposure to

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our area, thereby bringing in more tourist dollars, with an ultimate goal of job creation and prosperity. According to a recent report by the U.S. Travel Association (attached), Graham County Tourism dollars for 2010 amounted to $22.82 million with an increase of 6.7% versus a State increase of +9.0%. Graham County collects only 0.134% (or less than 2/10ths of one percent) of the State’s total tourism dollars ($23 million out of $17 billion). This reflects a tourism payroll in Graham County of $3.97 million, 250 jobs at $16K average annual salary and generating $1.57 million in local tax revenues. Considering our infinitesimal piece of the State tourism pie, a very conservative goal of an increase of 10% in tourism dollars would reflect an increase of 25 jobs, $397K in payroll and $157K in local tax revenue.

Implementation Milestones:

1. NCSTEP Projects Coordinator hired, ambassadors recruited and trained2. Brochures and questionnaires printed3. Meetings held with Town, Chamber of Commerce and local businesses4. Signage purchased5. Workshops held6. Festivals Enjoyed!

Convening Organizations(s):

Robbinsville NCSTEP Leadership Team

Participating/Stakeholder Organizations:

Town of RobbinsvilleGraham County Chamber of CommerceG.R.E.A.T.NCSTEPGraham County Travel & TourismTri-County Community College Marketing DepartmentWCU Marketing Department

Funding Needs: NCSTEP Projects Coordinator Position (20 hr/wk $15/hr and expenses – year 2+ to be provided by increased tourism $$$) $20,000 Computer/Printer for Coordinator $700Durable Signage (4 40" x 8' 2-sided reader boards w/letters, 10yr warranty and 100 cardboard yard signs) $1800

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Festival Expenses (3 additional in year one, for total of 4 $27,000TOTAL $49,500

Potential Funding Sources:

NCSTEPTown of RobbinsvilleGraham CountyGraham County Travel & TourismChamber of Commerce/local businessesEvent-appropriate Corporate Sponsors

Projected Number of Jobs Created:Projected Additional or Leveraged Funds needed to complete the project:Misc.:Other:Notes:

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SEPTEMBER1. Fall Outdoors Fest (fall hunting season) same as March show/fest2. Jet Ski Racing alternative month3. Classic Car/Motorcycle Show with Poker Run Food/Arts/Crafts Vendors/Music - Southeast Car clubs

OCTOBER1. Quilt fest w/Quilt Trail tie-in **Same as April but to take advantage of Christmas buyers2. Pottery/Arts & Crafts/Harvest Fest -- Pumpkin Theme

NOVEMBER1. Indoor Christmas Arts & Craft Show To take advantage of Christmas buyers

NOVEMBER THRU FEBRUARYMurder Mystery Weekends Sponsored by local lodges/hotels

DECEMBERToys for Tots Christmas Toy Drive Involve car/motorcycle clubs and militaryParade of HomesLighted Boat Parade

* June thru August - Friday Night Music/Dance Expand to include food/craft vendors

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Robbinsville Economic Development Strategy:Market and publicize the natural resources,heritage and tourism-related amenities availablein the Robbinsville area.Issues for Strategy Implementation:

In recent years the Town of Robbinsville, and Graham County as a whole, has seen what was once a manufacturing and agricultural driven economy, transition to a tourism driven economy. As a result, the jobs lost in those industries will have to be replaced with jobs in direct tourism businesses, or in indirect tourism businesses. According to a recent report by the U.S. Travel Association (see attached), Robbinsville currently receives only $22 million of the State’s $17 billion in tourism spending. Another report, from the Department of Transportation, indicates traffic of 7 million vehicles drive through Robbinsville annually (mostly visitors). These numbers indicate Robbinsville tourism, while currently underdeveloped, has incredible potential for at least 10% growth. This strategy will develop a continuous plan to generate significantly increased tourism, tourism dollars, retirement dollars and second home dollars. The increase in tourism will create a culture for entrepreneurs and lead to new business formation and new job creation; thereby establishing a new sense of community pride, camaraderie and economic growth in Robbinsville.

Project # 2 Plan and create a website for the Town of Robbinsville and provide access to the site for all interested businesses. The website will include, but not be limited to, a short questionnaire for visitors which will ask their location, reason for visiting our area, how long they will be staying and if they are first-time visitors; track traffic to site by time of year and links used/pages visited; mailing list sign-up; maps and events calendars. In addition, the site will provide tourist links to the Graham Chamber and Travel & Tourism sites, local business sites, as well as the Blue Ridge Heritage Area site. Provide education to those businesses on use of the site, while monitoring and recording pertinent data that will be used to track the ebbs and flows of tourism traffic in the area. Users will be able to adjust any programs that are being used to attract new tourism dollars, allowing us to

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maintain constant knowledge of what is currently working and to be able to adjust to changes. These efforts, combined with other strategies, will in the long term, help to create jobs and to retain current.

Steps and Timeframe: 1. Engage with a website design firm to develop Town of Robbinsville and Area Business Associates website. (completed)2. Develop site, acquire, and prepare data for site (1 month)3. Implement and start-up site; begin education and training for person, or persons responsible for monitoring (1 month)4. Follow-up and monitoring of site and educational monitoring to ensure that site is working as designed and that businesses are participating; resolve any post installation issues. (on-going)

* Project planning and implementation will begin immediately once notice to proceed is received. Business recruitment will coincide with the development and continue with bi-monthly meetings for the first six months to ensure that the system is functioning properly and that all business participation is being maximized. Once these thresholds have been met the education and up-date meetings will change to quarterly meetings to receive monitoring information and determine successes and where changes need to be made if necessary.

Outcome Metrics: Number of new tourism inquiries and new data collection means Robbinsville will be able to put all its services online and offer better service to its citizens. Growth in business sales will increase employment opportunities and generate additional sales tax revenue for Robbinsville and Graham County. A conservative 10% increase in tourism would result in an additional 25 jobs and $157K in local tax receipts. (See attached U.S. Travel Association Study) In addition, it is anticipated that future use of local students to provide some website monitoring will provide beneficial “hands on” experience for those students.

Implementation Milestones: 1. As a result of this and other strategies, data collected will demonstrate if more tourism interest is occurring, then future efforts can be created to respond, or react to data

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generated. Businesses will be able to use the site to promote their business and to monitor web traffic, allowing them to be able to react to trends and to make forecasts of future trends.

2. These efforts will establish a network of businesses not only linked by the website, but by a network of new working relationships and will become an ongoing support group of businesses helping businesses, all working for the same goal on a united front.

Convening Organizations(s): Robbinsville NCSTEP Leadership TeamParticipating/Stakeholder Organizations:

Town of RobbinsvilleGraham County Chamber of CommerceG.R.E.A.T.NCSTEPRobbinsville High SchoolTri-County Community CollegeWCU

Funding Needs: Website Development $3,300Website Maintenance (1st year) 1,200Projected total first year cost $4,500

Potential Funding Sources: NCSTEPTown of RobbinsvilleChamber of Commerce

Projected Number of Jobs Created:Projected Additional or Leveraged Funds needed to complete the project:Misc.:Other:

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APPENDIX FSTEP LEADERSHIP TEAM

APPROVED PROJECT BUDGET

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Robbinsville Approved Projects List

List of Projects: Amount:

Façade Facelift Funds 15,000

Sitting Areas and Landscaping 25,000

WiFi Accessibility 6,000

Annual Calendar of Events 49,500

Website 4,500

Total 100,000

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APPENDIX G

STEP LEADERSHIP TEAM MEETING ATTENDEES

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For approximately 15 months the NCSTEP Leadership Team has been meeting monthly and working through our community’s assets and barriers and formulating strategies and projects. During this time we have had some members drop out, which is to be expected due to the length of this process and the variances of individual’s lives, but we have also had a very dedicated core of citizens and community leaders that have stayed with this whole process who have been very active and supportive. Following is a list of those committed citizens:

Smithson Mills – CoachBrenda Artiss – Business Owner, Committee Chair Member of GREATDave Artiss – Business Owner, Community Advocate, Member of GREATArleen Higgins – Community Volunteer/Advocate, Member of GREATRick Davis – Community Leader/Advocate, Director of GREATCheri Brantley – Travel & Tourism, Member of GREAT Tabitha Myler – Community Volunteer/Advocate, Member of GREATDale Wiggins – Community Leader/Advocate/VolunteerLisa Russo – Community Volunteer/Advocate, Member of GREATGlenn Muehlhausen – Business Owner, Community VolunteerLaila Mortimer – Business Owner, Community Volunteer/Advocate, Member of GREATDouglas Mortimer – Community Volunteer/Advocate, Member of GREATBob Ferreira – Andrews Valley Initiative, Community AdvocateJacky Ayers – Town of Robbinsville AldermanBobby Smith – Town of Robbinsville Alderman

This is not an all-inclusive list. During these months there have been many people come to listen, put their two-cents in and give what time they were able. We have had speakers from regional groups as well as local entities come to help educate us as to our community and the resources available. Although not able to attend, we have also had business owners, residents and other members of GREAT keeping abreast of our progress.

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