The City of Fayetteville received an additional $1.85 million in grants from the Golden LEAF Foundation to provide relief for projects related to Hurricane Matthew recovery efforts.

This new funding will be applied to the following projects: $993,000 for additional debris removal from four creeks — Branson Creek, Blounts Creek, Hybarts Branch and Buckhead Creek. Spruce Street drainage will  receive $873,831.

These grants are in addition to a $1.2 million grant the City received in April that paid for the removal of debris from Cross Creek and the replacement of a road at Rayconda destroyed during Hurricane Matthew. The City is now applying for additional grants in the third round of funding, asking for $2.5+ million for bank stabilization (City’s Cross Creek Cemetery #2) along with more than $800,000 for storm debris removal from Beaver Creek, Little Cross Creek tributaries and Bones Creek. Neighborhoods affected by these tributaries are Chestnut Hills, Hollywood Heights, Beaver Run, Cliffdale West and the Washington Drive community.

“Golden LEAF has again come through for us in a big way to assist with our Hurricane Matthew recovery efforts in Fayetteville,” Mayor Nat Robertson said. The Golden LEAF Foundation is committed to using the funds entrusted to it by the General Assembly through the Disaster Recovery Act of 2016.

Cape Fear River Contamination Inspection

The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality has inspected the Chemours Fayetteville facility and verified that the company is now containing wastewater from its byproduct GenX, thereby preventing further discharge of the unregulated chemical compound into the Cape Fear River. DEQ officials verified during an on-site inspection that Chemours is redirecting the wastewater into temporary storage tanks at the Fayetteville facility.

“We are holding Chemours accountable for containing the compound as we continue to investigate the presence of GenX in the Cape Fear River,” said Michael Regan, secretary of the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality.

The state is investigating reports of GenX presence in the lower Cape Fear River at Wilmington. Chemours previously discharged wastewater from the process into the Cape Fear for many years.

Breached Dams Meetings Set This Month

The City of Fayetteville is holding meetings this summer for residents whose neighborhood dams were destroyed by Hurricane Matthew. These meetings will be held for the following neighborhoods at the listed dates, times and locations:

• Mirror Lake Dam: City Hall, Tues., July 25, 6 p.m.

• Devonwood: City Hall, Tues., July 25, 7:30 p.m.

• Gables, Strickland Bridge, Loch Lomond and all other city private dams: City Hall, Thurs., July  27, 6 p.m.

• Arran Lakes: Lake Rim Recreation Center, Tues., Aug. 1, 6 p.m.

• Rayconda: Lake Rim Recreation Center, Tues., Aug. 1, 7:30 p.m. 

The City is working with homeowners’ associations to encourage turnout at the meetings and to solicit feedback. That feedback will be presented to City Council at a future meeting.

Free Lunches for Kids This Summer

Cumberland County Schools are helping to keep children healthy while school is out, recognizing that for some, daily school lunches are a necessity. CCS’ Child Nutrition Services is providing free meals to area children this summer.  Meals are served at 17 locations around Cumberland County, Monday through Friday through July 28. Anyone 18 or younger is welcome. The meals are free.

“Children can receive nutritious meals … by visiting open feeding sites or attending camps, church programs and other organizations that participate in the Summer Feeding Program,” said Beth Maynard, Executive Director of CCS’ Child Nutrition Services. Each year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture partners with CCS’ Child Nutrition Services to provide the meals to children when school is out for the summer.

Local Real Estate Broker Earns Distinguished Designation 

Grant-Murray Real Estate, LLC., of Fayetteville announced that Rishi Shah completed training to earn the designation as Certified Commercial Investment Member. The distinction denotes that Shah has completed advanced coursework in financial and market analysis and demonstrated extensive experience in the commercial real estate industry.

Shah has been a Broker Associate with GrantMurray since November 2014. He earned a degree in economics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He’s a native of Laurinburg and grew up in Fayetteville. Grant-Murray is a full-service commercial real estate and investment brokerage firm.