During the County Manager’s Report portion of yesterday’s regular meeting of the Vance County Board of Commissioners, County Manager Jerry Ayscue discussed grant proposals that are due next week to access up to $2 million in available funds from the Golden LEAF Foundation.
Noting that the three major categories determined in community meetings with Golden LEAF representatives are education, economic development, and emergency services, Ayscue asked members for direction in how the county should apply for the money. He suggested that a portion of the county’s water project could be carved out for service to Vance County schools currently using well water and placing additional fire hydrants in rural areas.
Ayscue went on to note that the board has endorsed a sewer line project to the Kittrell Job Corps. The county manager told members that the Golden LEAF grant would be a good opportunity to get seed money “for future leverage on the project”.
Commission Chair Dan Brummitt asked if the money could be used to enlarge water lines for the water project. Ayscue responded that that is hard to do, as USDA rules do not allow speculation on future use.
Member Terry Garrison said that a meeting of the Environmental & Planning Committee was needed to see what staff was thinking. He worried that with the number of people involved in the Golden LEAF meetings that a county application might be perceived as a usurpation of the available funds, a sentiment that member Deborah Brown echoed when she advocated partnering with other groups and working collaboratively.
Commissioner Danny Wright noted that the final decision on how the funds will be allocated is up to Golden LEAF.
Brummitt recalled that when the commission was first approached regarding the Kittrell sewer project, that it was told that grants and federal money would be used.
According to information received by Home in Henderson, the Kittrell Job Corps is currently renovating its sewage treatment facility with grant money already received for that purpose.
“Now we’re trying to secure money for the project,” Brummitt said.
A discussion ensued about whether or not the commission had, in fact, endorsed the project in the first place. It was later determined that they had, as noted on Home in Henderson on May 8, 2009.
After first stating that there is support for the project on Raleigh Road, Brummitt said that there is only preliminary engineering on the proposed line. He said that the four inch line that has been initially proposed would only carry waste from the Kittrell Job Corps itself, making future additions impossible.
Brown suggested that the issues which Brummitt raised should be part of the committee discussion itself. Garrison said such a discussion would only “muddy the issue”.
Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce President Bill Edwards asked for permission to speak to the commission on the topic in an economic development capacity. He said that he had been asked to “step up” because local businessman Sam Watkins, the president of the former incarnation of the Economic Development Commission had recused himself because of a conflict of interest.
Watkins owns land in Kittrell that could potentially benefit from sewer service.
Watkins was present during the meeting and had been seated next to and talking with Edwards before Edwards took the podium with Brummitt’s permission.
Edwards told members that $250,000 is sought as seed money for the project. He also said that there has been interest in the Bear Pond area to tap into the line.
“We need to plan this project,” Edwards said.
The Chamber president also said that $25,000 can be obtained from the North Carolina Rural Center for a planning grant.
“There are some pieces of the puzzle we don’t have today and we won’t have tomorrow,” Edwards said. He then asked that Ayscue be allowed to apply for the grant.
Brummitt said that the other potential funding sources “would still be there”. Edwards responded by saying that Golden LEAF wants to see “us” apply for a portion of this “to show community support”.
Danny Wright said that any time the county can run water or sewer in any direction that “it is a good thing.” He indicated he would support the application. He also said that running the line for one user “makes no sense at all”.
Brummitt said that proponents of the project have “sheer ball park [estimates] for numbers”.
Edwards told members that the Kittrell Job Corps wants to add another dormitory, but cannot because their current sewage treatment plant cannot handle the added capacity. A sewage line would make the addition possible.
The commission scheduled a meeting of the Environmental & Planning Committee for Thursday, August 6, 2009 at 12:00 p.m. They also unanimously passed a motion to allow the committee to go forward with an proposal submission subject to the notification of other commission members.
Ayscue told members that the proposals will come back to the Golden LEAF planning committee, and the committee will then decide which applications go forward.