TITLE
Title
APPROVE NC DEPT. OF COMMERCE RURAL BUILDING REUSE GRANT APPLICATION FOR BETHANY MEDICAL CENTER, PA
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SPONSOR
Sponsor
J. Leslie Bell
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BACKGROUND
Background
Bethany Medical Center, PA, has requested that Guilford County apply for a NC Dept. of Commerce Building Reuse and Infrastructure grant in the amount of $592,858 and is seeking to renovate a 4912 sq. ft. vacant building located at 108 W. Main Street, Jamestown, NC 27282 (owned by the Peters Development, LLC). The company is an independent group of health care providers with a mission to provide excellent care through a multi-specialty approach from prevention to intervention of potentially life-threatening health problems. The company has 18 locations in the Piedmont Triad area with the majority of those locations in Guilford County.
The company has been in business in NC for 35 years and currently employs 473 full-time employees and 47 part-time employees. Bethany Medical Center, PA is projected to create thirty (30) new jobs with an average annual wage of $54,453 with 89.5% of employer-paid health insurance. The average Guilford County private sector wage (2022) is $53,994 as published by the NC Dept. of Commerce.
Eligible applicants are units of local government located in either a Tier 1 or Tier 2 county, or a rural census tract in a Tier 3 county. Guilford County is a Tier 2 county.
The five percent (5%) local match can be included in the 50% from local resources. Local resources procured by the local government may come from the business, property owner, or others but may not come from other state or federal grant funds.
This grant, if approved by the State, would be in the form of pass-through funding in the form of a loan to the property owner, forgivable upon meeting the investment and job creation requirements. The funds would reimburse the property owner for eligible project expenses contingent upon performance review and verification by the State (see attached application). Funds paid are subject to repayment to the State to the extent that the investment and job creation requirements are not met. To avoid that contingency, a Supplemental Agreement will be used which provides that the grant funds will not flow from the State to the County and from the County to the property owner until all the investment and job creation requirements have been met and contains commitments by the property owner (Peters Development, LLC) and the business (Bethany Medical Center, P.A.) that they will satisfy the 5% local match. A draft Supplemental Agreement is attached for approval in substantial form. This request also includes adoption, in substantial form, of the associated resolution in support of this building reuse grant application.
No County budget action is necessary at this time as the request of the Board of Commissioners is to approve submittal of the NC Dept. of Commerce Rural Building Reuse Grant Application for the project. If awarded, grant acceptance and the corresponding budget amendment would be subject to approval by the Board of Commissioners on terms it deems appropriate.
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BUDGET IMPACT
Budget Impact
NO ADDITIONAL COUNTY FUNDS REQUIRED
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RESOLUTION
Resolution
WHEREAS, The Building Reuse Program, under the Rural Grants/Programs Section of the North Carolina Department of Commerce, provides grants to local governments;
WHEREAS, Funding is available for the renovation or expansion of existing vacant buildings that will lead to the creation of new, full-time jobs;
WHEREAS, Bethany Medical Center, PA is a North Carolina company that desires to locate in Guilford County and occupy an existing vacant building (owned by Peters Development, LLC) in Guilford County at 108 W. Main Street, Jamestown, NC 27282;
WHEREAS, Bethany Medical Center, PA, is submitting a pre-application for funds for the project;
WHEREAS, Guilford County is supporting this application to the NC Department of Commerce, contingent upon the submittal to the NC Department of Commerce, of a complete application for the project;
WHEREAS, The program requires a unit of local government (the County) to be the Applicant; and
WHEREAS, Guilford County finds that it is in its best interest to support Bethany Medical Center, PA's renovation project of the building by applying for these grant funds.
NOW, THEREFORE, THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS OF GUILFORD COUNTY RESOLVES:
Section 1. That Guilford County supports the submission of an application to the NC Department of Commerce for a Rural Building Reuse grant to assist Bethany Medical Center, PA, to renovate a vacant building in Jamestown, NC.
Section 2. That the amount of the grant application will be $592,858.
Section 3. That this Resolution shall be effective upon adoption.
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REQUESTED ACTION
Requested Action
Approve NC Dept. of Commerce Rural Building Reuse Grant Application for Bethany Medical Center, PA, project, accompanying resolution, and Supplemental Agreement, in substantial form.
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