Fremont to get more grants for sewer line work
By Jack Stephens
Published in News on November 16, 2005 1:47 PM
FREMONT -- Fremont will get another $1.7 million in grants for sewer line repairs and has applied for another grant for downtown improvements.
Town Administrator Kerry McDuffie announced Fremont will get a $1,551,000 grant from the state's Clean Water Management Trust Fund and a $200,000 grant from the N.C. Rural Center. The town will kick in a $25,000 match.
McDuffie told the aldermen during Tuesday night's monthly town board meeting that Fremont needs to replace a third of its sewer lines and a third of its manholes. He said if the repairs were done correctly, the town's problems would be solved.
During his monthly report, Public Works Director Tim Howell said 4,155 feet of sewer line and 16 manholes should be replaced as a result of smoke-testing. He said the town's newly contracted engineering firm, the Wooten Co. of Greenville, will verify the results.
Fremont recently spent more than $4 million to build sewer lines to Goldsboro and Eureka and to repair sewer and water lines in town after it was ordered to shut down its antiquated sewer plant.
Mayor Devone Jones said Fremont also has applied for a grant to make the downtown look more attractive. The Rural Center will pick 20 small towns for grants from a $10 million state appropriation. Jones urged town residents to become involved in the project.
McDuffie said staff will be provided to assist in the three-year obligation. He said an elected official and one citizen must attend a workshop on the project.
Also during the meeting, the town board learned the daffodil town will be getting 80,000 more flowers.
The N.C. Department of Transportation, or DOT, has agreed to plant the daffodils at the exit ramps from Goldsboro and Wilson at the new U.S. 117 and N.C. 222 interchange, just west of Fremont.
McDuffie said the DOT also will plant oak trees at both exit ramps and day lilies at the exit ramp from Wilson. He said the DOT will pay $61,000 for the trees and flowers but the town will have to maintain them and also mow the grass several times a year.
In other business, McDuffie asked the town to put together a written policy on ditch maintenance. He showed the board a map of the town's ditches and how they are maintained. Some are piped, and others are maintained either by hand or by machine.
The administrator explained that the town has to maintain drainage ditches on street rights of way. But the town has no rules on ditches that are on private property.
"This is a work in progress," McDuffie said later. "We will get a written policy. We would rather do it right than be in a hurry."
In other business, the board:
*Accepted a low bid of $2,188.30 to paint the roof on the Community Building.
*Passed a budget amendment to cover East Main Street sidewalk renovations.
*Appointed Alderman W.T. Smith to the Wayne County Utility Committee.
*Scheduled the December meeting one week earlier on Dec. 13 to avoid the holidays.