Friday, August 14, 2020 Transylvania County will be featured during the LGFCU Innovation Hour, which will be held as part of the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners (NCACC) 2020 Virtual Annual Conference. Transylvania County staff were selected to receive a Local Government Federal Credit Union (LGFCU) Excellence in Innovation Award for developing a successful, novel program to help counties improve services to citizens.

The Transylvania County Solid Waste Department, with the help of Integrated Land Enhancement, created and completed a Demonstration Project to decrease soil erosion, improve poor soil quality, and find a use for wood waste at the landfill by using fungi to expedite decomposition of wood chips on steep slopes. Due to the poor soil quality, hydroseeding and fertilizers were ineffective in establishing required grass cover. The goal of the fungi experiment was to find a natural cost-effective solution with materials already on site. The fungi mycelium created a mass underground while breaking down the cellulose in the wood chips. Demonstration found that this added beneficial nutrients to the soil. The experiment was a successful one that will reduce the use of fertilizer which is costly and can damage the riparian ecosystem. This technique is unique as it stands, and it is not being used by any other landfill in North Carolina.

What: LGFCU Innovation Hour, hosted by the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners
When: Friday, August 14, 2020, 4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Where: Remote, click here to access the session.
Why: To recognize county employees for finding new and improved ways to serve their communities.
Who: LGFCU Excellence in Innovation Award recipients from Alexander, Buncombe, Catawba, Henderson, Macon, Scotland, Transylvania, Union, and Watauga counties.
• Behavioral Health Clinic – Alexander County
• Energy Innovation Task Force – Buncombe County
• Make Your Recycling Efforts Count – Catawba County
• Library to Go – Catawba County
• Behavioral Health Navigation for Inmates – Henderson County
• No Wrong Door – Macon County
• “LIEAP” into the Community – Scotland County
• Fungi Demonstration Project – Transylvania County
• Behavioral Health Collaborative – Union County
• High Country Food Hub – Watauga County

The North Carolina Association of County Commissioners (NCACC) is the official voice of all 100 counties on issues considered by the General Assembly, Congress and federal and state agencies. The Association provides expertise to counties in the areas of advocacy, research, risk management and education and leadership training.