Mount Gilead Shows Off Grant Projects

Billy Ray Hall, president of the North Carolina Rural Center, explains to a number of dignitaries from across North Carolina how grant monies can benefit a small, rural community. For example, the Town of Mount Gilead used $220,000 in grant funds from the N.C. Rural Center to enhance Highland Community Center and create the Piedmont Center for the Arts and The Ford Place restaurant. Members of the N.C. Legislature, representatives from the League of Municipalities, N.C. Association of County Commissioners, N.C. Department of Commerce and Golden L.E.A.F. toured those projects in Mount Gilead on Tuesday, along with other projects in Montgomery, Anson and Stanly counties. The ultimate goal of the grant funds is to stimulate local economies and help with job creation.