Newton County will cover the cost of pre-packaged foods purchased for the afterschool program at Nelson Heights Community Center.
The Board of Commissioners voted Tuesday night to approve paying a $1,576.09 bill from PureFun!, Inc. of Lawrenceville. The company provides USDA-approved pre-packaged food that meets child nutrition guidelines, such as packaged and fresh fruit, juice, graham crackers, milk, celery, carrots, condiments, bread and meat for child care programs.
The amount covers two weeks of meals, distributed to approximately 45 children during the week at the Nelson Heights Community Center.
The BOC approved the expenditure after it declined to accept a Bright from the Start grant from the state. The grant, which was originally applied for under the center’s 501c3 nonprofit tax identification number, was rejected due to confusion over management of the center.
At the request of Commissioner J. C. Henderson, District 4, with advice from then County Manager Tom Garrett, the grant was refiled in June under the BOC’s tax identification number.
Considered a pass-through grant, money for the Bright from the Start is received by the state from the federal government and given to the county. Anticipating the BOC’s acceptance of the grant, the center ordered after school meals from the vendor.
At an Oct. 26 special called meeting, the BOC was advised by Interim County Manager Harry Owens, Finance Director Michelle Kelly and Grant Coordinator Cathy Davis that because the Bright from the Start grant was a federal pass-through grant, failure to comply with strict USDA regulations could jeopardize the county’s other $11 million dollars in federal funding.
That spurned the discussion on what to do, not only with the organization of the Nelson Height Community Center, but all the county-run community services, such as Senior Services.
When the center was originally built 10 years ago, a 501c3 nonprofit tax structure was put in place, but it had no management authority over the center, according to Jenny Carter, attorney with W. T. Craig Law Offices.
In April 2013, the then-BOC passed a resolution, creating a board of directors for the center, with administration of monies handled in a checking account under the board’s name and administration handled by county staff. According to Kelly, the center’s board of directors had yet to open a checking account, which was part of staff’s concerns about the administration and compliance of the pass-through grant.
Carter informed the BOC at its most recent meeting that the 501c3 was still active and work was being done to transfer management back to the nonprofit entity instead of a board of directors.
An outside consulting firm, RCIP, Inc., which trains and supports nonprofit organizations’ child-nutrition program staff in maintaining compliance with federal regulations had already begun training Nelson Heights Community staff. When the BOC voted to deny the grant, he withdrew his services, and the center lost the grant.
Currently, Nelson Heights Community Center receives $40,000 in appropriations from the county. According to the center’s budget for fiscal year 2016, $22,500 of that pays for staff for the afterschool program, with another $3,000 budgeted for meals, and the balance for utilities, transportation and maintenance.
