Commissioners back EDC application for Rural Building Reuse Grant for ‘Project Highland’ medical center

Mitchell County commissioners voted to support a resolution authorizing the county Economic Development Commission to apply for a Rural Building Reuse Grant from the North Carolina Department of Commerce for a proposed medical facility called Project Highland. The board moved, seconded and approved the resolution by voice vote; a formal roll-call tally was not stated on the record. Phil, a staff member, told commissioners the grant would allow up to two years to complete an awarded project, with the county anticipating an award date of Oct. 19. Bill, a meeting speaker on the application, clarified that the Rural Building Reuse Grant program allows an exception for rural health-care projects and therefore can fund new construction for Project Highland. Bill said the project expects to create a minimum of 24 new jobs with an average salary of $77,000 and cited a capital investment figure of about $18,000,000; he also said the project (referred to in the meeting as MCHP/Project Highland) would ultimately employ roughly 200 people once operational. Commissioners framed the grant as meeting local health-care needs and moved to support the application. The resolution is titled Project Highland on the application materials. No members of the public spoke during the grant’s public hearing segment on the agenda. The board’s support is an authorization for the EDC to submit the application; the transcript does not record a final grant award or any funding commitment from the county beyond the resolution of support.