Glen Alpine chooses its path: Town leaders plan strategic approach to economic development

The Glen Alpine Board of Aldermen is setting its sights on revitalization by preparing for the lengthy creation of a five-year economic development plan, small-town business grant support, and kicking off the county-wide America250 celebration.

At the board’s next meeting on April 13, North Carolina Commerce’s Phil Boggan will brief board members and the community on the process of creating a five-year strategic plan. The plan will identify the town’s goals for building and growing its economy and then establish a path forward.

The plan would designate a central business district along Linville Street’s downtown buildings and U.S. 70, unlocking access to various grant opportunities. Alderman Chad Wykle said Boggan recently completed similar work with the Town of Taylorsville.

The process will take about 8-12 months to complete, according to Wykle. He added that there will be a community board of about 8-10 people, which could include community members, select board members, town employees like members of the police department, and more. They would meet with Boggan every month to work through the plan.

Ben Willis and Kyle Case from the Western Piedmont Council of Governments also came to Glen Alpine to talk and build a relationship with town leaders, according to Wykle. Willis and Case are the director and manager, respectively, of community and economic development at WPCOG.

“They really appreciated the excitement that we had around revitalization here in the town, and the fact that we had already connected with Phil about this five-year plan opportunity,” Wykle said.

Wykle said that Boggan, Willis, and Case also encouraged the town to reach out to The Historical Society of North Carolina to assess the buildings downtown that could provide benefits if they are deemed historic by the state, including tax breaks for owners and leverage when writing grants.

EXPLORING LOCAL BUSINESS GRANTS

The board also discussed the possibility of using budgeted funds for grants to incentivize new businesses in Glen Alpine. Since 2019, the town has had $1,700 budgeted for contribution to the Valdese Economic Development Investment Corporation, but the board Monday evening voted against supplying those funds for the second year in a row, citing uncertainty about how the organization has directly benefited Glen Alpine, if at all.

The nonprofit was founded to promote business growth, job creation, and economic development in Valdese, but it has since expanded its reach across Burke County and beyond. Since its creation, VEDIC has provided more than $10 million in loans to small businesses and helped create more than 800 jobs in Burke County.

“I’ve started a small business here in Glen Alpine and knew nothing about it,” Alderwoman Sheila Perkins said, adding that last year, when VEDIC leaders came to present to the town, they did not know of any direct influence that the organization had on the town.

Town Administrator Crystal Carswell noted that loan information is confidential, similar to obtaining a loan from a bank. However, board members said they wanted assurance that the funds would directly benefit Glen Alpine.

“If our taxpayers are paying into it, then I think they should at least know where their money’s going,” Alderman Reid Scott said.

Mayor Pro Tempore Luke Boone suggested that the town use the money instead for its own grant, targeting small businesses that want to expand or for new businesses coming to the town. Then, if nobody takes advantage of the funds, he suggested rolling the money over to the next budget year.

“I know $1,700 ain’t a lot of money, but it’s more than just throwing it randomly and wondering where it goes,” Boone said.

Town Attorney Rob Denton and Carswell suggested that the board talk to the state auditor about the logistics of creating the grant due to possible tax penalties for the grant recipient. No official action was taken, but the board agreed to revisit the idea after doing more research.

“This is a way to keep those businesses afloat is to say ‘hey, you know, let’s reward you for being in the community.’ We can set the parameters or the contingencies on how they get that money,” Boone said.

PREPPING TO KICK OFF AMERICA250 CELEBRATION

As Burke County and the rest of the United States inch closer to celebrating the 250th anniversary of the country’s independence, the spotlight will be on Glen Alpine as Burke County Tourism has selected the Glen Alpine Fourth of July Parade to kick off the celebration.

The City of Morganton has offered to assist with funds and public safety resources for the event, according to Mayor Kevin Herron. Now, it’s up to the board to work out the logistics, which might include a parade reroute to handle a bigger turnout.

In recent years, the parade has traveled down Linville Street, but with a larger crowd expected this year, the board discussed seeking permission from the N.C. Department of Transportation to close U.S. 70 for the route and use Simpson Field as the staging area.

Herron also suggested bringing out more food trucks, some live music, and more. Carswell said additional parking and better organization will be needed to accommodate the larger crowd. She added that she has already begun coordinating with board members’ spouses and other community members to help plan the event.