chatham county

Chatham makes strides on lifting residents out of poverty

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This weeks’ question comes from John Moore, who wonders what Chatham County is doing to lift people out of poverty. 

As it turns out, he may be answering his own question. 

Moore is the executive director of UPLIFT Chatham, an organization which aims to help people move themselves out of poverty. UPLIFT stands for Understanding Poverty: Lifting Individuals and Families Together. For more than five years, the organization pursued an empowerment model, which offered leadership development classes and ongoing support to Chatham residents in poverty. But Moore said when the model wasn’t having the results they hoped for, they went looking for something new. 

Now, he’s settled on an integrated service delivery model—essentially putting everything a person in poverty may need under one roof. 

Moore said he is making progress on building a “marvelous array of non-profit organizations” to provide the services in Chatham, and hopes to open in Siler City soon. But the largest barrier to implementing the ISD program is funding. 

The success of similar programs elsewhere may serve as proof that the costs are worth it. One such program, the Greensboro Family Success Center, run by the local United Way, shows particularly strong results, Moore said.

chatham county

New research raises questions – not alarm – about well water

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If you’re a Chatham County resident, you could pay the county’s Public Health department more than $100 to test your home’s well water for lead. But thanks to a current research study with the Gillings School of Public Health at UNC-Chapel Hill, some residents could get tested for free. 

The Gillings team is researching the relationship between lead in well water and high blood lead levels in children under seven years old. Jacqueline Gibson, the head researcher for the project, says it is the first U.S. study to examine lead levels in private well water and its effect on children. 

And so far, the results are worth a second glance. 

“We’ve actually found that the percentage of wells that have high lead in the area is not too different from what was observed in Flint [Mich.] during the water crisis,” Gibson said. “And [again,] these are private wells. They are not regulated municipal utilities.” 

Back in 2014, city officials in Flint, Mich.

chatham county

You asked, We answered: What’s going in that empty Piggly Wiggly site anyway?

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This week’s question goes to Mike Cowell, who asked, “What is planned for the old Piggly Wiggly store?” 

This Piggly Wiggly was located at 386 East Street, in Pittsboro. It opened its doors on October 15, 2007, and served its customers for over 10 years before it announced its closureon Facebook this past July. 

Now the storefront of the defunct Piggly Wiggly is left with scratched-off letters where its sign once stood. According to Victoria Bailiff of the Pittsboro Planning Department, the Piggly Wiggly spot won’t have a successor anytime soon. “Right now, we haven’t had any plans submitted,” said Bailiff. According to the Chatham County, NC Land Use & Planning viewing application, the land’s deed belongs to Piedmont Center Investments LLC.

chatham county

When will public transportation and rideshare availability in Chatham improve?

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Thanks to Jon Darling for asking this week’s question — “Could you do a story on the availability and planning for expanding rural and small urban mobility and transportation solutions for residents in Chatham County? And how Uber, Lyft, Go Go Grandparent. etc. might fit into such plans?” Most people consider Research Triangle Park one of the most innovative locations in the state—arguably in the nation.