The Vance County Board of Commissioner’s Planning & Environmental Committee decided in a two-to-one split decision to empower County Manager Jerry Ayscue to seek grant money for the proposed Kittrell sewer line project.
According to a procedure outlined during Monday’s regular meeting of the full board, the other four members of the commission must be informed of and agree to the decisions made by the committee.
Commission Chair Dan Brummitt provided the dissenting voice. The other members of the committee are Terry Garrison and Danny Wright.
Ayscue began the meeting by summarizing the purpose of the meeting, which was for commissioners to direct county staff on what they should submit proposals for to the Golden LEAF Foundation.
Golden LEAF has up to $2 million in funds available for projects in Vance County for non-profit organizations with 501(c)(3) status or for government bodies.
Ayscue said that Brummit and he had met with the Vance County Fire Fighters Association on Tuesday night, and that the substance of the discussion was that the group wanted to increase fire hydrants from the USDA allowed 2.5 hydrants per mile to 3.5 hydrants per mile.
The cost of that enterprise is estimated at $180,000.
The hydrants would cover Phase 1a and 1b of the county’s water project, about 100 miles of water lines.
Another proposal outlined by Ayscue is to run water lines to Carver Elementary School. That school currently uses well water.
The cost of putting Carver Elementary on the water system is estimated by Ayscue at $750,000.
Preliminary research by Home in Henderson was unable to find any reference to a publicly stated need for Carver to receive water service.
The third prospect outlined by Ayscue was the recommendation by the Economic Development Commission that the county seek $250,000 for what he called the “Kittrell Sewer Project”.
The three items together total $1.18 million dollars.
After a brief discussion in which it was established that county staff had time to submit all of the proposals, Brummitt stated that he could agree with the two water projects, and all three members quickly announced consensus on submitting proposals for those projects.
The commission chair was not, however, as sanguine about the Kittrell sewer project. In stating his position, Brummitt said that the project was originated to produce a sewer line for the Kittrell Job Corps (KJC), and that at the time it was proposed, it looked as if the KJC was going to contribute to the project.
Brummitt told members that he had communicated with KJC director Arvin Lane, who had told him that the KJC has awarded bids and is proceeding with the renovation of its existing sewage treatment facility. He added that there have been problems with that facility in the past, but that they have had no problems lately.
The committee member said that since the KJC “is out of the project”, he would like to see [the county] “take a new perspective”.
Claiming that residents of Kittrell and Bear Pond want input into the process, Brummitt proposed pursing a North Carolina Rural Center grant of $40,000 to see if the county can design something that benefits all.
Brummitt concluded his remarks by noting that the projects seemed more like a city project, as Henderson would take over the lines upon completion.
Wright restated remarks he made during Monday’s meeting of the full board, saying that running water and sewer in any direction is good. He added that running sewer to Kittrell is not a new idea.
He went on to repeat from his statements during Monday’s meeting that the $250,000 could be used to leverage additional funds.
“The fact that the Kittrell Job Corps is out doesn’t change things,” Wright said.
He went on to say that he wanted the proposed sewage line to “take in as many users as possible to support future growth.” He also indicated that “growing infrastructure towards Raleigh” was a desirable outcome.
Garrison told his committee that his thoughts were the same as Wright’s. Responding to Brummitt, he said that he did not think the city would undertake a project to run sewer outside of the city.
“Now we have an opportunity to facilitate such growth,” he said.
When Brummitt asked what the additional funding sources for the project would be, Ayscue responded that the money would not come from the county. He speculated that funds might come from federal appropriations, the Rural Center, Golden LEAF, and maybe the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
Ayscue said when asked that he felt that there was a better chance of getting the project off of the ground now than in the past or maybe the immediate future, a sentiment that was echoed by Wright.
On the subject of leveraging funds, Wright said that there was a need to demonstrate to other grant agencies that “we are willing to help ourselves”. He argued that the grant under discussion could help to draw other grants.
Brummitt opined that the money that is currently available for such projects is available to be borrowed [rather than as grant money]. He went on to characterize the project grant application as moving from supporting a planning grant to getting “into project money without a project”.
Garrison argued that the “political atmosphere couldn’t be better” and that there is currently “a focus on domestic spending”. He indicated that Vance County’s congressional delegation could be used to secure additional funded.
Asserting that the project could be $4-5 million dollars, Brummitt asked Ayscue about whether the Golden LEAF funds would be lost if they were not expended. He went on to recall that grant money the county currently has for sewer projects is being recalled because the bids for the project were more than the grant amount.
Ayscue agreed that Golden LEAF would likely have a window in which the funds must be used, but also said that they would probably want to know [the timeline] before they make a decision.
As the meeting closed, Ayscue said that he would contact the other members of the board and inform them of the committee’s decisions, including the split decision on the Kittrell sewer project. It was determined that if the committee and the other members were not in accord that a special meeting of the board would be called.