Fremont storm issues minimal
By Joey Pitchford
Published in News on October 19, 2016 9:57 AM
The town of Fremont made it through Hurricane Matthew with relatively little trouble, largely thanks to the work of their police force, fire department and public works personnel, town officials and staff said at the monthly Board of Aldermen meeting Tuesday evening.
Public Works Director Tim Howell said that during the storm his staff, as well as up to 30 members of the police department and fire department, worked more than 30 hours straight to block off flooded roads, clear debris and make sure power lines stayed as maintained as possible. This came after days of preparation during which public works staff identified possible problem areas around power lines and worked to cut back potentially dangerous limbs.
"I just want to commend Tim's staff, as well as the police department and the fire department. They have done an exceptional job keeping the people of Fremont safe," said Town Administrator Barbara Aycock.
Alderwoman Joyce Artis agreed, and thanked the agencies involved for their quick response to power outages in the town.
"Tim, I thank God for you and your people, because we could have been in the dark," she said.
Hurricane Matthew and its aftermath pushed back a planned discussion of how the town should enforce its trash can ordinances, which have been a recurring topic at board meetings for months now. The town has yet to determine what kind of fine -- if any -- will be placed on residents who do not retrieve their trash cans from the side of the road after they have been emptied, and the decision will wait at least until the next meeting in November.
Mayor Darron Flowers said that, while there is no intention to ignore the problem, making sure the town was prepared for the storm was of paramount importance.
Fremont did incur some costs from the storm, however, as the heavy rain limited use of the town's sewage spray field, resulting in much of the 18 inches of rain the town received being sent to Goldsboro for processing.
Mrs. Aycock said that the water bill Fremont will receive from Goldsboro at the end of October may be beyond the town's means, and she is hoping to secure funding from FEMA to help offset those costs and others incurred during the recovery process. Town officials will attend a meeting with FEMA representatives this week to get more information on getting recovery funds.