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A-NPDC News Summary
The A-NPDC did not meet during December 2002. The following is a
summary of A-NPDC news.
·
Exmore
is getting a face lift as owners begin facade improvements as part of
the Town’s revitalization program.
Work began last month on the first group of buildings to receive
forgivable loan funds for facade improvements. Other property owners elected to proceed
with their facade work on their own, but either way Exmore is getting a new
look as owners install new windows, awnings and signs and repair and paint
or re-side their storefronts. If
you’d like to keep track of the progress, before and after shots will soon
be available on the Town’s web site, www.exmore.org.
·
Accomack-Northampton Regional Housing
Authority staff recently conducted HUD required briefing sessions for 100
families pulled from the Section 8
Waiting List. 82 families were screened for income eligibility and
given information on Section 8 rules and regulations, lead paint safety,
and housing discrimination. 52 of the 82 families qualified and were issued
vouchers to find safe, decent, and affordable housing. Of these 52
families, four have already signed leases and the A-NRHA anticipates that
ten more families will have signed leases by the New Year. Families
determined to be ineligible at this time because of their income have been
placed back on the waiting list.
Public Forums Scheduled for Regional Partnership
Strategic Plan
The Regional Partnership
will present its new strategic plan projects to the public for review and
comment in three public meetings in January 2003. All meetings will be held
from 7:00 to 9:00 pm:
Tuesday, January
21,
Nandua
High School Auditorium
Thursday, January
23,
Northampton High
School Auditorium
Thursday, January
30, Chincoteague Town
Hall
National Attention
for CBBT Commuter Toll Study
The
Transportation Research Board, the national research and training arm of
the U.S. Department of Transportation, has accepted a paper on the
Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel Commuter Toll Impact Study for presentation at
its annual meeting. The paper is authored by Al Racciatti
of the Louis Berger Group and Paul Berge
of the A-NPDC. The Impact Study was completed in December 2001 by a
bi-county Study Committee staffed by the A-NPDC. It recommended delaying
the commuter discount until a capital improvements plan for the
Bridge-Tunnel was completed. The Louis Berger Group prepared the study for
the Committee. A copy of the paper will be available on the A-NPDC website
after the TRB presentation on January
15, 2002.
Candlelight
Discussed
In meetings hosted by the
A-NPDC, state, local and regional leaders have been preparing plans to
re-open the former Candlelight Motel and Restaurant as a community housing
and low-income family services facility. The Candlelight, located in Birdsnest, was a transitional housing center serving
the homeless until it was closed two years ago after funding ended.
Community group leaders, local government officials, churches, local and
regional service providers, and state officials met four times during
November and December. A proposal for re-opening is due by mid-January. If
the proposal is not accepted, the Candlelight will be sold at public
auction.
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Website of the Month
The A-NPDC’s webpage has been re-designed
and moved to its own site at www.a-npdc.org. It now
includes this monthly newsletter and other publications and links. Check it
out!
Next A-NPDC Meeting
The A-NPDC will not meet in January. The next meeting will
be announced in the February newsletter.
Census Bureau Conducting 2002 Economic Census
The Commerce Department’s Census Bureau sent questionnaires to more
than 5 million businesses in December, launching the 2002 Economic Census,
which Federal Reserve Board Chairman Alan Greenspan has called,
“indispensable to understanding America’s
economy.” The Economic Census, taken every five years, “assures the
accuracy of the statistics we rely on for sound economic policy and for
successful business planning,” said Greenspan.
The Economic Census also provides the
foundation for reports on hundreds of industries and data for states,
counties and places – even some for ZIP-Codes.
Businesses, communities, and governments use
Economic Census data for planning and market development. Reports and
statistics are published on the Census Bureau’s Internet site, www.census.gov.
Completed forms are due at the Census Bureau
by February 12, 2003.
Businesses that receive a form are required by law (Title 13, U.S. Code) to
respond.
Several initiatives will be used to make it
easier for businesses to complete their census forms. For the first time,
about 3.5 million locations will be able to file their forms
electronically. The Census Bureau also has an Internet help site for
businesses at www.census.gov/econhelp.
A toll-free "help line"
(1-800-233-6136) will be answered by Census Bureau employees during
business hours (8 a.m. to 8 p.m.,
EST, Monday through Friday).
The 2002 Economic Census features many
"firsts," including:
·
The first official measure of e-commerce for
all industries
·
New information on changing business supply-chain
functions
·
The first information on leased employees in
businesses
·
Initial use of the North American Product
Classification System for products in about 85 service industries
·
Expanded information on purchased services
and classes of customers
Data covering calendar year
2002 will be collected and processed during 2003, and the first data will
be released beginning in early 2004. Ultimately, the Economic Census will
yield over 1,600 data products, with information on more than 1,000
industries and over 50,000 geographic areas.
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