Wilkes Journal Patriot – “Perhaps it has something to do with emerging from the hardships of a pandemic, but we can’t remember a time when there have been so many efforts with so much potential for positive change in Wilkes County.
This quest is coming from multiple fronts and is fueled by public and private dollars, as well as volunteer efforts.
Prominent in the minds of many Wilkes Countians is the pending reopening of the North Wilkesboro Speedway, thanks to an $18 million infusion of federal funds in the state budget for this purpose and the enthusiastic participation of track owner Speedway Motorsports LLC. Aside from economic implications, the impact of this turn of events on morale in Wilkes is significant.
The positive momentum in Wilkes was keenly felt with the recent presentation of bold plans for developing an outdoor economy here. Congratulations to local leaders involved in this exciting effort for transformation and to Boone-based Destination by Design for skillfully packaging and visually depicting the plans.
The breadth of this movement for better opportunities goes back at least to March 2021, when Wilkes Community College’s Education Promise “last dollar” scholarship program was announced.
Last dollar means the two-year scholarship will cover the full cost of tuition and fees, capping out at a little over $2,500 per year, after students complete the FAFSA and get whatever federal and state aid they can get and use a New Century Scholars scholarship if they have one. It’s all about making sure educational attainment doesn’t end with a high school diploma in Wilkes, Ashe and Alleghany counties. Primary funders include the Wilkes-Ashe-Watauga Endowment, Stone Foundation, Window World and Wilkes County government.
WCC’s participation in NC Reconnect, an effort to re-enroll adult students who didn’t complete educational programs at the college, was officially launched last month. In partnership with myFutureNC and the John M. Belk Endowment, this initiative has the additional purpose of addressing the state’s workforce deficit.
NC Tech Paths Inc., an initiative focused on helping young people and others in Wilkes, Ashe and Alleghany secure technology jobs that don’t require moving elsewhere, was announced in January. It also involves WCC and is funded with over $2 million from the Leonard G. Herring Family Foundation.
Construction is about to start on the 31,200-square-foot Wilkes Commercial Business Center near the intersection of N.C. 268 East and River Road-Liberty Grove Road to help address the lack of available commercial space in Wilkes. The prefabricated metal building will be available for lease, with this revenue going toward the cost of constructing more commercial buildings for lease. This effort is led by the Wilkes Economic Development Corp., with funding from the Golden LEAF Foundation and county government. North Wilkesboro is extending a water line.
Wilkesboro and North Wilkesboro both have major park improvement plans.
Newcomers Mick and Aynsley Zulpo and longtime local businessman Cam Finley are among private investors making things happen. The Zulpos addressed the need for an indoor family recreational center in Wilkes by opening The Block. Finley is building multi-family, market rate housing in Wilkesboro in response to the well-publicized lack of housing in the county.
There are other big economic development projects afoot.
These and other initiatives are creating exciting times in Wilkes.”