By Carol Vaughn —
The Accomack County Board of Supervisors approved a second round of CARES Act grants.
The second round of federally funded grants will give an opportunity to re-apply for funds to small businesses, watermen, and charter boat captains or Coast Guard passenger vessel operators who were deemed ineligible in the first round of grant awards due to unpaid or delinquent taxes or not having an active business license in the county.
Taxes must be paid up to date and businesses must have a business license, if required, on or before Sept. 22 to be eligible.
Small businesses, watermen, and charter boat captains/USCG passenger vessels who did not apply in the first round of county grants may apply.
Information about the second round of grants is available on the Accomack County website at www.co.accomack.va.us
Look for the Second Round CARES Grant tab.
The application period will be available on-line beginning Thursday, Sept. 24 at 10 a.m. and will close on Sept. 30 at 5 p.m.
“It’s out there. Help us get the word out,” said Rich Morrison, deputy Accomack County administrator, at Wednesday’s board of supervisors meeting.
Anyone who received a grant during the first round of the program is not eligible to apply.
Board Chairwoman C. Reneta Major applauded staff for their foresight in implementing the program.
Morrison said 11 applications were received from charter boat captains in the first round of the county CARE Act program.
The second round of CARES Act funding to the county totals $2.8 million. Of that amount, around $779,000 will go to towns.
Additional uses the board approved include up to $29,585 to reimburse COVID-19 related expenses of the 911 Commission; $100,000 for a rent and mortgage assistance program that will expand and complement an existing program administered by the Accomack-Northampton Planning District Commission; and money to partner with the Eastern Shore of Virginia Broadband Authority to construct up to 15 additional public wifi hotspots in residential areas where a survey showed there are high densities of public school students without internet service at home.
For the last item, the board authorized Accomack County Administrator Mike Mason and county staff to work with the ESVBA on the project. The cost is still being determined, he said.
Library Rooms Named
The board approved naming three rooms in the new regional library after people. The library board of trustees approved all three names at its Sept. 8 meeting.
The library is under construction in Parksley.
The Eastern Shore archive room will be named the Brooks Miles Barnes Archive Room, after the librarian and historian who started the Eastern Shore Room at the library.
The children’s room will be named the Arthur W. Perdue Children’s Room, after the founder of Perdue Farms. Perdue Family Farms contributed $100,000 to the building fund for the library.
The children’s study room will be named the Frances Bibbins Latimer Children’s Study Room.
Latimer was a historian whose focus was the Shore and in particular African American history.
After a long career as an educator and director of the local Project Head Start, she became interested in studying county records, publishing transcriptions and later founding her own publishing house.
Latimer’s research collections and writing were donated to the library after her death and are being archived there.
Valedictorians Recognized
The board also recognized valedictorians from four Accomack County high schools with resolutions: Taylee Thomas of Chincoteague High School; Molly Turlington of Nandua High School; Dade Walker of Arcadia High School; and Matthew Norman Parks of Tangier Combined School.
