Locally, UNC-Chapel Hill will receive money to renovate or replace one of its key medical-school buildings, and N.C. Central University likewise will get capital to replace its business school.
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Governor Pat McCrory, who helped spearhead the measure, has spent the past several weeks promoting it across the state. At the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, $90 million would go to build a new state of the art science lab that Chancellor Phil Dubois said will train workers needed by area businesses. The rest of the bond money will go towards renovations and construction on water and sewer projects, state parks and facilities for agriculture, public safety and the National Guard.
North Carolina voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to borrow $2 billion to pay for a laundry list of infrastructure projects.
Suddath said he wishes the state would have borrowed more with cheap interest rates and used that money to improve roads and bridges.
“Even though the bond act requires a lot of money that the state will have to pay back, the opportunities it will create in eastern North Carolina alone will put the state in the right direction to be able pay back”, said Ashley Wilford, sophomore majoring in mechanical engineering.
There wasn’t much organized opposition to the bond bill. But they acknowledged they had a tough fight. Others did not support it because it did not include the statewide transportation improvements included in the original $3 billion bond package.
View all of the Connect NC Bond projects.
“I was very pleased last night to see the uniform support across the state for the Connect NC Bond”, Sampson Community College president Dr. Paul Hutchins told The Independent Wednesday.
“This is a great day for the UNC system and all of North Carolina”.
The Council of State will have to sign off on issuing the debt, but that is a routine step since lawmakers have already decided where to spend the money.
Haywood Community College will receive $2.83 million for renovations and Southwestern Community College will receive $7.17 million for renovations and/or new construction on its three campuses.
Haw River, Mayo River, Hanging Rock and Pilot Mountain State Parks will receive a combined total of about $9 million.
Almost $310 million will go to water and wastewater system projects, with $100 million of the amount earmarked for grants and the rest for loans.
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McCrory, who won his primary too on Tuesday, was joined by former Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton and other Democrats in pushing for the bond.
