SALISBURY — At the Dec. 5 Salisbury City Council meeting, Byrne Criminal Justice Innovation Project Coordinator Chanel Nestor led an update presentation on the $800,000 BCJI grant that the Salisbury Police Department applied for and was awarded from the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The purpose of the grant is to find ways “to decrease crime over a long period of time by improving the environment in which people live” specifically for the West End neighborhood.

The grant was developed in March 2021 and over the course of 2022, various forms of data about the West End were collected.

Throughout 2023, Nestor said that her and her staff’s time was “spent with community engagement, community outreach and action plan development.”

Since May, West End community meetings have taken place at Miller Recreation Teen Center to let residents share their opinions on how they think the grant money should be utilized. Nestor also mentioned that Capt. Corey Brooks is the new project supervisor after taking over for Lt. Koula Black.

Nestor said the “priority areas” the grant will fund are youth and family development, youth and family education, neighborhood safety, youth and community recreation and civic engagement.

Some of the plans for the grant money will go towards creating a West End neighborhood association, neighborhood beautification, offering $2,500 to 20 small businesses, crime intervention neighborhood training, and installing security cameras as well as street lights.

A total of $200,000 is being used for youth and family summer programs that will be taking place from May to Sept. 2024. Up to $20,000 will be given to several new and existing Rowan County organizations that operate in the West End. It is intended for 501(c)(3) nonprofits, but for profit groups can apply if they have a fiduciary partner that is a 501(c)(3). 

Applications for the youth and family summer programs can be submitted starting Jan. 15, 2024, through Feb. 16. Rowan County United Way is going to be paid $20,000 to assist with the summer programs. Grant recipients are to be announced in late March. 

“To me, I think this is the shining star of this. The other stuff’s great, but I think getting these youth programs up and running with the funding to do them. A lot of people are doing a lot of good work, but the funding is so impossible. This is a great opportunity,” Mayor Pro Tem Tamara Sheffield said. 

Of the grant, $160,000 are going to be paid to the city’s research partner, Idea Analytics, over three years for their contributions in writing the grant and for being “responsible for certain project management aspects.” 

According to Nestor, the action plan is “still ongoing,” but advised it was submitted to BJA in Sept. and is in the “review process.” The International Association of Chiefs of Police, who is the intermediary for the city and the bureau, said that the action plan is “very strong” and is likely to be approved by the beginning of 2024. SPD should receive the funds around that same time period.