Awards and Milestones (continued)
MAY
The national nonprofi t KaBoom!
honored the Town with a Playful
City USA designation for the fourth
consecutive year. Garner was one of
just 11 cities or towns in the state to earn
the recognition in 2017, joining Raleigh
and Durham as the only Triangle
municipalities to be named a Playful
City USA. The recognition honors cities and towns across
the country for putting the needs of families fi rst so kids
can learn, grow and develop important life skills.
The Government Finance Offi cers of the United States
and Canada awarded the Certifi cate of Achievement
for Excellence in Financial Reporting to the Town for its
2016 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR).
It was the 27th consecutive year that the Finance
Department earned the award, which is the highest form
of recognition in the area of governmental accounting
and fi nancial reporting.
JUNE
The Garner Revitalization Association (GRA) was
designated for 2017 as an accredited Main Street
America program for meeting rigorous performance
standards set by the National Main Street Center. Each
year, the National Main Street Center and its coordinating
program partners announce the list of accredited
Main Street America programs in recognition of their
exemplary commitment to preservation-based economic
development and community revitalization.
For the third consecutive year, the Town of Garner
received the Award for Outstanding Achievement in
Popular Annual Financial Reporting from the Government
Finance Offi cers Association of the United States and
Canada for its Popular Annual Financial Report (PAFR).
The report was for the fi scal year ended June 30, 2016.
The award recognizes conformity with the highest
standards for preparation of state and local government
popular reports.
JULY
Improved Nature, a start-up company that manufactures
soy-based meat-substitute products, began production
at its new 30,000-square-foot facility in Garner. The
company expected to hire 30 to 35 employees initially,
but employment at the current facility on Vandora
Springs Road could grow to about 70. Initial investment
in the facility is approximately $3 million. The plant can
produce 10 pounds of meat substitute product per
minute.
AUGUST
With help from a $75,000 grant from the Main Street
Solutions Fund—and a partnership involving the GRA,
Town of Garner and North Carolina Main Street &
Rural Planning Center—local entrepreneurs completed
4
renovation of a historic bank building in downtown
Garner and made it home to Full Bloom Coffee & Craft.
It was the fi rst Main Street Solutions Fund project to be
completed in Wake County. The fund assists planning
agencies and small businesses in downtown revitalization
efforts by creating jobs, funding infrastructure
improvements and rehabilitating buildings.
Town offi cials cut the ribbon on a new picnic shelter at
Garner Recreational Park. The park has become a focus
of community activity in North Garner with the addition
of pop-up markets and a dog park. Both the shelter and
dog park were funded with proceeds from the 2013
Garner Bond Program.
The Town received an Award
of Merit from the Southern
Economic Development Council
for the Economic Development
Department’s Garner: A Great Place
to Be brochure. The publication
won in the general purpose
brochure-small division category,
along with an international business
guide produced by the Tampa Hillsborough Economic
Development Corporation/Global Tampa Bay.
SEPTEMBER
Town Hall offi cials and invited
dignitaries offi cially opened Garner’s
new Tow