Community
Warren County Community Center Awarded $300K State Grant 👏🏽
A major win for this Historic Warren County building!
A major win for this Historic Warren County building!
One of Warren County’s most notable historic sites, the Warren County Community Center has been awarded a grant for $300,000.00 from the North Carolina State Capital and Infrastructure Fund (SCIF).
According to the Committee Report, page H55, item 571, “this funding is for improvements, therefore the funding must be spent on capital improvements.”
Shauna Williams, Board President of the Warren County Community Center stated she has secured several grants over the years. She noted, “This is the first substantial grant we have gotten that will allow us to rehabilitate our aging building and make it accessible.”
Shauna Williams, Board President of the Warren County Community Center
NC Senator Don Davis, who represents the Fifth Senatorial District, was the key reason The Community Center received the grant. “He presented it and got it into this year’s state budget,” Williams stated.
When asked he supported the Community Center, Senator Davis stated:
“The Community Center is a pillar of strength and vitality for not only Warren County, but all of eastern North Carolina. Since 1934 when the association was founded, it has served as a critical site for educating young people, bringing together social leaders and families, and uniting us together through our shared history in North Carolina. I’m proud to champion the renovation of this community center and investing in its mission as we work for a brighter future in the east.”
Senator Don Davis spoke during a Black History Program at Warren New Tech High in 2020. (📷: Shauna Williams)
Williams explained how the process went:
“We had to submit all types of information to the NC Office of State Budget and Management over the course of several weeks starting in January. The information about the work was included in: a Scope of Work, which includes objectives, expected results, performance measures and a budget. Further we had to determine Grant Performance Measures, describing the work to be done, showing start and completion dates. From there, the state drew up a contract that I signed and they signed and then they sent the money! We were able to see the electronic transfer on Friday, February 25th.
I called a Board of Trustees meeting on Monday, February 28th and informed our entire Warren County Community Center, Inc. Board of Trustees.
Next week, I’ll attend another state Office of Budget and Management webinar to learn our reporting requirements with details!” – Shauna Williams
Williams concluded they will be rehabilitating the entire building, inside and outside. The work will include exterior porch, steps, walls and handrails; roof, electric, plumbing, lighting, upgraded bathrooms and kitchens, pain, roof, insulation, new interior and exterior doors, and addition of a lift with required walkway to make the building accessible.
We look forward to seeing the end results to this prominent historic property and how it will continue to serve the Warren County community!
The Warren County Community Center is located at 111 West Franklin Street in Warrenton, NC.
📷: Warren County Community Center/ Crystal Myrick (The Warrenist)
Source: Press Release
Community
Green Rural Redevelopment Organization Launches Eva Clayton Rural Food Institute, Will Host Rural Food Forum
The 2023 Rural Food Forum to convene subject matter experts at Vance-Granville Community College January 12.
The Green Rural Redevelopment Organization, with the help of the honorable Eva Clayton, is set to launch the Eva Clayton Rural Food Institute and host the inaugural Rural Food Forum scheduled for Thursday, January 12, at 8:30 a.m. at the Vance-Granville Community College Civic Center.
The Green Rural Redevelopment Organization (GRRO), founded in 2012 with a vision to revitalize rural communities across NC and focus on poverty, food insecurity, and chronic health issues, is excited to launch the new Institute named in honor of board member and the first African-American woman to represent North Carolina in Congress Ms. Eva Clayton.
“I am a Board Member of GRRO and continue to be impressed with its founders Ardis and Henry Crews. I believed in the vision and mission of the Institute and how it could help rural communities across North Carolina,” said former Congresswoman Clayton. “I want to play a significant role in its success. The data in most rural counties in North Carolina clearly show high levels of food insecurity, poor health indicators, weak school systems, and weak economies. Rural North Carolina is home; I care and have a responsibility to help make it a healthy, better educated, more prosperous, and engaging community where I can.
The launch of the Eva Clayton Rural Food Institute will take place during the organization’s inaugural Rural Food Forum on Thursday, January 12.
The forum will convene leaders, community members, rural farmers and a host of influential guests to discuss existing programs, resources and opportunities to address challenges and solutions to create sustainable economic growth in rural communities through the creation and increased utilization of rural farming and equitable food systems.
Congresswoman Eva Clayton
“This is an extraordinary opportunity for our organization and the people in rural North Carolina, said Henry Crews, executive director of GRRO. “Ms. Clayton has dedicated a large part of her life to fighting for rural communities, equitable care, and access to nutritious food, and we can’t think of a better way to tap into that knowledge. The forum is how we share knowledge, resources and bring others to the table to ensure a healthier rural NC together.”
Key speakers include Stacy Dean, Deputy Under Secretary for USDA’s Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services; Debra Farrington, Deputy Secretary/Chief Health Equity Officer NC Department of Health and Human Services; Bob Etheridge, State Executive Director, USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) in NC; Dr. Norbert Wilson, Director of Duke University’s World Food Policy Center; Honorable G.K. Butterfield, Former Congressman First District of North Carolina and a host of other community leaders and advocates.
While the forum is free, registration is required to ensure adequate seating and food accommodations.
See the full forum agenda at: grronc.org/rural-food-forum
Community
What is the Average Commute in Warren County, NC
Stacker compiled statistics about the average commute in Warren County NC using data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
ddisq // Shutterstock
See what the average commute is in Warren County, NC
American commutes are getting longer, with a U.S. Census Bureau report released in 2021 revealing the average one-way commute in 2019 reached a record high of 27.6 minutes. Combined with high gas prices, workers’ daily commutes are increasingly time-consuming and expensive—so much so that some are calling for commutes to count as part of the workday.
Even worse are travel times for “super commuters“—that unlucky 10% of Americans traveling more than one hour each way to punch a clock.
Stacker compiled statistics about the average commute in Warren County using data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Statistics are calculated based on 2020 5-year estimates. Warren County has a longer commute than five out of six neighboring counties, with Nash County, NC having the shortest commute at 23.5 minutes.
Warren County commuting by the numbers
– Average commute: 27.4 minutes
— 9.8% higher than state average
— #29 worst commute in the state
– Workers with 1+ hour commute: 9.1%
– Workers who drive to work: 93.9%
— Workers who carpool to work: 11.6%
– Workers who take public transport to work: 0.1%
– Workers who work from home: 2.4%
– Left for work between 12 a.m. and 6 a.m.: 15.0%
– Worked outside county of residence: 52.1%
Commutes in neighboring counties
#1. Nash County, NC: 23.5 minutes
#2. Halifax County, NC: 24.6 minutes
#3. Mecklenburg County, VA: 24.7 minutes
#4. Vance County, NC: 24.9 minutes
#5. Northampton County, NC: 26.0 minutes
#6. Warren County, NC: 27.4 minutes
#7. Brunswick County, VA: 32.9 minutes
Counties with the best commute in North Carolina
#1. Swain County: 19.0 minutes
#2. Hyde County: 19.6 minutes
#2. Jackson County: 19.6 minutes
Counties with the worst commute in North Carolina
#1. Gates County: 36.9 minutes
#2. Currituck County: 35.1 minutes
#3. Perquimans County: 34.4 minutes
Community
Warren County Memorial Library Hosts Oasis Spaces: North Carolina Green Book Project
The Warren County Memorial Library will host the “Oasis Spaces: North Carolina Green Book Project, 1933-1966” exhibit through January 31st.
The Warren County Memorial Library will host the “Oasis Spaces: North Carolina Green Book Project, 1933-1966” exhibit through January 31st. The exhibit is made possible through a partnership with the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources as part of the North Carolina African American Heritage Commission.
The exhibit reflects the Heritage Commission’s research about “The Negro Motorist Green Book,” which identified business that in essence served as “oasis spaces” for African American travelers during the time of segregation. The book was both a travel guide and a tool of resistance designed to confront the realities of racial discrimination in the United States and beyond. It listed over 300 North Carolina businesses including restaurants, hotels, tourist homes, nightclubs and beauty salons.
“We are pleased to present this exhibit for the community to explore a part of history that has been overlooked,” said Library Director Christy Bondy.
Oasis Spaces: North Carolina Green Book Project / Submitted photo
The library has several programs planned that accompany the exhibit including film screenings, and a virtual visit with author, Calvin Ramsey.
The Green Book Project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
The Warren County Memorial Library is located at 119 S. Front St., Warrenton, NC.
For more information about the Green Book project, visit www.wcmlibrary.org.
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Gale
March 20, 2022 at 4:22 am
Congratulations!
Paulette
March 28, 2022 at 12:52 am
Wow! That’s huge!!
Kathryn
May 30, 2022 at 10:57 am
I saw them working on it last week. Congrats to them! Can’t wait to see what it will look like once they’re done.
Crystal
June 1, 2022 at 2:44 pm
Hi Kathryn! Yes, they’ve been working very hard for the last few weeks. I think it will look amazing once it is complete!
Alexis
June 9, 2022 at 10:49 am
Congratulations! I remember going to the community center when I was younger and lived in Warren County. Can’t wait to see what it looks like when they’re done and I’m visiting. I still have family there.
Rory
August 25, 2022 at 10:05 pm
My wife asked me about the community center the other day. it’s good to see this historic building is being fixed up.
cynthia
August 26, 2022 at 2:36 am
Congratulations! Ive only been inside once and that was a long time ago. Looking forward to visiting it again when Im back in Warrenton. I haven’t visited in a while because of covid.