_{26 June 2023 Update}

_{After speaking with the Golden LEAF Foundation several times, we have confirmed that the 1 Million Dollar grant would be canceled if the intended purpose ceased to exist, as stated by Commissioner Paul Beaumont. In this case, the county abandoned the ill-fated Moyock Mega Site, aka Currituck Station. However, the grant’s goal was economic development and creating jobs. The county could have returned to the Foundation Board and requested to modify the purpose. The wastewater treatment plant still needs to be upgraded to attract businesses to Moyock, thereby creating jobs and fulfilling the goal of economic development.}

The Golden LEAF Foundation was established in 1999 to administer some tobacco settlement agreement monies back into North Carolina’s rural and economically distressed communities. In 2019 The Golden LEAF Foundation (learn more here) awarded Currituck a one million dollar grant to expand the Moyock Wastewater Treatment Plant. The County encountered significant delays in planning this critical project, and on October 5th, 2022, the Foundation’s Board of Directors rescinded the one million dollar award.

We contacted Currituck’s Commissioners for comment, with only one responding. Paul Beaumont responded that the Moyock Mega Site, aka Currituck Station, was up for a vote to remove mention of the defunct project from the Uniform Development Ordinance (UDO). We had already posted that same information here. We asked Beaumont for more detail and are still waiting to hear back. The inference was that upgrading the treatment plant was no longer necessary with eliminating the Currituck Station project. That, however, aligns differently from other county studies; more here. In December 2021, Commissioner Owen Etheridge discussed the limitations of the existing Plant on social media; more here.

Surprisingly Currituck removed all mention of the Golden LEAF grant from the county website without explanation. Oddly enough, Currituck County Manager Ike McRee requested an extension of grant period in March 2022 to extend the grant out to 2024. (Update) We also learned from the Foundation that Currituck never contacted them prior to the funds being rescinded about their plans to abandon the project.(end) Growth in the northern end of the County is still going strong. Infrastructure to support the never-ending addition of new rooftops in Moyock will include the need for retail and health options to support its residents. We must wonder if those new businesses will come without capacity in the treatment plant.

Did county leadership meet your minimum expectations? Let us know in the comments.