Western Piedmont Council of Governments works behind the scenes to help communities thrive

Whether it’s helping secure funding for redevelopment projects, coordinating the region’s response to homelessness, or advocating to protect the region’s water resources, staff at the Western Piedmont Council of Governments often wear many hats and work behind the scenes on some of the biggest challenges and opportunities facing Burke County and the surrounding region.

With the recent expansion of the organization’s Long View headquarters, Executive Director Anthony Starr said the growth reflects a continued commitment to serving local governments in Burke, Alexander, Caldwell, and Catawba by assisting with not only operational tasks like code enforcement and planning, but by helping communities tackle challenges that extend beyond municipal boundaries.

Formed in 1968, the Western Piedmont Council of Governments, commonly known as the COG, is authorized under state law and governed by the 28 local governments it serves. Each community appoints a representative to the organization’s policy board, which also includes seven community members as appointed delegates.

Today, the organization employs about 75 people and administers a variety of federal, state, and local programs. Some services directly assist local governments through planning, grant writing, and code enforcement, while others have a broader reach through programs such as workforce development, aging services, transportation planning, and housing assistance.

“About 95% of the opportunities and challenges that our local governments face have been experienced in another community or county,” Starr said. “There’s wisdom in collaboration.”

That collaboration with each other and with the COG’s staff has supported many of the transformational projects that Burke County residents see taking shape today. Many of them are the products of years of planning and pursuing grants.

Economic Development Director Ben Willis said the redevelopment of the former Drexel Furniture site in downtown Drexel is a project that demonstrates how the council works with local governments to secure grant funding that would be difficult for small towns to pursue on their own.

With grading on the 100-acre site complete, Town Manager Bill Carroll and Brandon Ruppe, president and CEO of Burke Development, Inc., are working to bring industry back to Drexel. The yearslong work brought together $6.57 million in grants from various sources.

Other projects include $3.8 million in water infrastructure improvements in Valdese’s Berrytown community; $700,000 in Appalachian Regional Commission funding for Morganton’s Albert Tron Boulevard Water and Sewer Project that’s expected to leverage more than $18 million in private investment; and, most recently, the pursuit of over $6 million for renovations to the CoMMA Performing Arts Center. The COG also helped with planning for the Burke River Trail, a 40-mile pedestrian route that aims to connect the county’s nine municipalities.

REGIONAL ADVOCACY

While many of the organization’s efforts are specific to Burke County’s communities, the COG also plays a larger role in advocacy when issues arise that affect the four-county region as a whole.

As discussions continue about restoring passenger rail service from Salisbury to Asheville, Starr noted that the council serves as the primary point of contact between local governments and the North Carolina Department of Transportation.

He also said that the COG has coordinated regional opposition to Charlotte’s request to double the amount of water the city is taking from the Catawba River Basin in order to support the area’s growth demands.

Starr said that many officials from communities in the northern basin area are concerned that the proposal could limit future growth and worsen the impacts of drought by removing water from the basin permanently rather than returning it through wastewater treatment systems.

“What our communities recognized is our voice is stronger as a region together than it would be individually,” Starr said.

Under Willis’ department, the COG has also taken a regional approach to addressing homelessness through a five-member Homelessness Response team that works across all four counties. The group connects individuals with services while coordinating efforts among nonprofits, faith-based organizations, law enforcement agencies, and local governments.

Because homelessness crosses county and municipal lines, Willis said regional coordination is essential.

“We try to be navigators,” Willis said. “When you can see the data gathered by working with all these entities, it allows you to have a better view about how to address it.”

The COG also provides a range of services directly to residents, including foreclosure prevention counseling, workforce development services, housing vouchers, support for senior citizens through the Area Agency on Aging, housing rehabilitation grants, and first-time homebuyer assistance.

“We’ve helped thousands of families buy their first homes over the years,” Starr said. “I think over 4 or 5,000 families since the mid-90s since we’ve started that program.

Starr said it’s the community partners and the COG’s staff that have made those services increasingly accessible to the public.

“Our staff are public servants, and they’re some of the finest public servants that I’ve had the opportunity to work with in my career,” Starr said.

He added that the organization’s recent 11,500-square-foot expansion, completed without taking on debt thanks to appropriations from the North Carolina General Assembly, provides room for the COG’s staff to grow. The agency has added about 35 employees since the facility was built 15 years ago.

Starr said the expansion is another tool to improve services for local governments and residents. While much of the staff’s work happens behind the scenes, Willis said the impact is felt throughout the region and is deeply personal to many staff members, including himself.

“All the work we’re doing, we’re doing to help the communities that we live in,” Willis said. “We’re your neighbors.”