North Carolina League of Municipalities

76 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 9, ISSUE 12 military communities that know how to cater to military families. This diverse patchwork of communities is a real strength of the state, enriching residents’ quality of life and providing businesses with choices tailored to their needs. 6. WHAT WAY DO YOU SEEK TO MARKET OR PROMOTE YOUR MEMBERS? NCLM does not engage in traditional economic development marketing, but we do believe that it is important to tell the story of how cities and towns and their services contribute to the economic success of the state. Cities are the economic engines of the state. With that in mind, the organization created its Here We Grow initiative, found at herewegrownc.org , highlighting investments made by municipalities that are leading to business and economic successes. 7. ANY EXAMPLES OR STORIES THAT EXEMPLIFY OUR MESSAGE THAT WE ARE PRESENTING. BREVARD, NC: The City of Brevard is a top tourist destination in western North Carolina, but having under 8,000 full time residents, the city’s American Rescue Plan distribution is relatively small. Their plan, then, was to make each dollar go as far as possible. They’ll accomplish that through infrastructure. “For a small municipality, investing $2.5 million into infrastructure is a very big deal,” said Mayor Maureen Copelof. “These investments will last for decades.” Brevard’s foremost investment will be into stormwater. Setting aside $700,000 of ARP funds towards that category, the city is addressing areas with known stormwater issues, including some key commercial and recreational locations. Each of those areas was selected strategically, not only due to their importance to the community, but also because the city can coordinate its ARP projects with additional city-led initiatives. For example, one area receiving stormwater improvement will be Times Arcade Alley, a NORTH CAROL INA LEAGUE OF MUNICI PAL I T I ES