Reporter – Leigh Hester – County Commissioners voted Monday night to approve plans that will move the water line to the Sandy Creek Township a bit closer to construction.
Tim Carpenter of Hobbs, Upchurch & Associates stood before the Commission to unveil an ambitious plan that would place a bid opening on the project no later than January 31, 2012. The County already has an Option to Purchase secured on a potential tank site and is working on another site for a meter vault, and permits for the project have been reviewed by NCDOT and are currently under review by the NC Department of Natural Resources. Carpenter stated that he expects the reviews to be complete by December 15.
If all goes as planned, construction would be complete and water available to residents along the line by November of 2012.
Phase 1A, which covers only the Sandy Creek Township, includes an agreement for up to 150,000 gallons per day of water. The bid will not include any provisions for operations or maintenance. An RFP (Request for Proposals) for operations and maintenance services has been developed and will be advertised and distributed sometime in December.
Later phases, including 1B (Kittrell),2A (Dabney Township), and 2B (Northwestern Vance County) are still seeking funding, which will be done with $1.99 million in grants and $3.94 million in loans. Although residential sign-ups began in June, more are needed for the project to proceed.