Fremont might finally see fix to costly sewer lines
By Joey Pitchford
Published in News on January 20, 2017 6:25 AM
The town of Fremont has received a $1.2 million Connect N.C. grant, town officials said Thursday, money the town intends to put towards fixing its aging sewer system.
The town has applied for the grant before -- five times -- and has come up short in each, often being left off the list of 10 recipients by only one or two places.
This time, a study conducted by the town on the specific costs of their projects helped tip the balance in their favor, said town administrator Barbara Aycock.
Specific information on costs and a town's ability to pay them can influence how grant agencies determine how much a community needs the money.
Leaks in the sewer system have plagued the community for years. Ms. Aycock was hopeful that the grant money will help put those problems to rest.
"Hopefully this means we can fix the leaks in the sewer lines where water is coming in and being sent to Goldsboro," she said. "When water gets in to the lines, it goes by the meters, and we get charged for it."
Fremont sends its sewer water to Goldsboro for treatment, and pays the city based on the amount of water they send. Leaks in the sewer pipes allow ground water to enter the pipes, which in turn increases the volume of water sent to the city.
This means that the town pays for far more water to be treated than it actually uses.
In a community where many already struggle to pay utility bills, this disparity prompted the town's board of Aldermen to vote in March of 2016 to raise sewer rates by $2.50 and garbage rates by $3 to offset the cost of a $70,000 loan from Goldsboro to repair the derelict Norwayne pump station.
At the time, sewer bills only brought the town around $60,000, while the bill from Goldsboro sat at $75,000.
Ms. Aycock said at the time that the decision was the only way to avoid a state takeover of the town, which would have resulted in substantially higher utility rates.
Now, she said, the town may eventually be able to bring those rates back down.
"Hopefully, the end product is to look at costs and eventually reduce costs," she said. "That's been my goal all along."
The town will also look in to replacing or repairing its failing sewer pumps, which a public works employee said in June of 2016 were "ready to go at any time."
The grant comes during a period of overall financial improvement for the town. Fremont's general fund was in the positive coming out of 2015 for the first time in two years, and staff have fixed errors in town expenditures which have saved Fremont tens of thousands in unnecessary payments.
Ms. Aycock said that work is unlikely to begin before late 2017. The town must complete paperwork and then bid out the construction project before actual repairs can begin.