After the Henderson City Council approved a memorandum of understanding between the North Carolina Community Development Initiative and the city, Initiative CEO Abdul Rasheed told members that for the project to be successful, anything the city can do in terms of services that can be housed at the location would be good.
Rasheed went on to ask for a Henderson Police Department presence at the site as well. He said that [the project] would not work without security.
“I know you can cover that kind of cost with Weed & Seed funds,” Rasheed said. “I beg you to consider it.”
City Manager Ray Griffin said that he would be glad to speak to Rashed further to better understand his request and to be a recommendation to the council at a subsequent meeting.
Before the final vote was taken, Griffin told the council that the city will match a grant from the North Carolina Rural Center towards the project with $1,000 from the city’s contingency fund. Rasheed said that the warehouse site conversion was “not the only project we’re invested in in Henderson. We have others we need to finish.”