Buncombe County has received a $979,000 grant from the North Carolina Department of Commerce’s Small Business Infrastructure Grant Program to repair and extend sidewalks in Swannanoa. The funding will be used to fix existing sidewalks along Whitson Avenue and expand the sidewalk network through the commercial area of Beacon Village.
The Small Business Infrastructure Grant Program is managed by the Department of Commerce’s Rural Economic Development Division. It is part of a $55 million initiative launched by Governor Josh Stein in partnership with the North Carolina General Assembly. The program provides grants up to $1 million per project for local governments to rebuild damaged public infrastructure such as water, sewer, gas, telecommunications, sidewalks, and stormwater systems that support small businesses.
“This is a big deal for our families, visitors, and small businesses,” said Daniel Lancaster, owner of Short Sleeves Coffee and Swannanoa resident. “Beacon Village is Swannanoa’s downtown, and as we rebuild, we’re seeing more and more folks coming to take advantage of what makes our part of the valley so special. We all know we need more sidewalks in Swannanoa to keep people safe, and this project moves us in the right direction. As a business owner, this is very exciting, and as a dad with little ones, it’s even bigger news.”
“We’re looking forward to working with the North Carolina Department of Transportation on the management and construction of this project,” said Intergovernmental Affairs Economic Development Analyst E.B. Odderstol. “Improving Swannanoa’s sidewalk infrastructure will substantially contribute to the area’s recovery, revitalizing the economy and investing in the community’s future.”
The Buncombe County Board will formally accept the grant at an upcoming public meeting according to county procedures.
Other recent awards from the same program include nearly $872,000 for restoring historic brick sidewalks in Biltmore Village; about $969,000 for reconstructing ADA-accessible ramps; over $652,000 for replacing historic curbing; all awarded to Asheville. Black Mountain received $1 million for stormwater pipe replacement on Sutton Avenue.
In related education statistics from Buncombe County schools during 2022-23: About 28.5% of senior students who took the science portion of the ACT were considered college-ready (https://www.dpi.nc.gov/), while 30.1% of juniors met that standard (https://www.dpi.nc.gov/). For reading readiness on the ACT among seniors it was 41.1% (https://www.dpi.nc.gov/) and among juniors 43.2% (https://www.dpi.nc.gov/). In math readiness on the ACT tests taken by seniors it was 25.6% (https://www.dpi.nc.gov/) compared with 32.7% among juniors (https://www.dpi.nc.gov/).
