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Board approves $387,000 transfer, $200,000 loan to service authority to support Creeper Trail waterline work
Summary
The Washington County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to move $387,000 set aside for Creeper Trail repairs into the capital improvement fund and to allocate $200,000 to the Washington County Service Authority to support engineering and front‑end costs for a two‑mile water line tied to trail rebuilding.
The Washington County Board of Supervisors on Jan. 28 approved moving $387,000 previously reserved for repairs to Trestle 31 on the Creeper Trail into the county’s capital improvement fund and pledged $200,000 of that amount to the Washington County Service Authority to help finance engineering and up‑front work on a two‑mile water line between Taylors Valley Spring and the Straight Branch parking area.
The money is intended to help the service authority advance a water‑line installation that board members said is necessary before a contractor can rebuild the trail corridor in that section. “They really want service authority to take the lead on build rebuilding the trail, because they will practically have to rebuild the trail to put their water line in it,” Supervisor Baugh told the board during the item.
Board members discussed timing, federal reimbursements and cash‑flow concerns. Baugh said FEMA and other federal programs may reimburse a large portion of costs but noted local cash will be needed up front: “there's gonna become a cash flow crunch, especially on the front end with engineering,” he said.
Supervisor Ball moved to transfer the funds and to allocate $200,000 to the service authority, and the motion as amended to include a memorandum of understanding (MOU) passed unanimously, 7–0. Staff said the remaining $187,000 will sit in the capital improvement contingency and be available for capital projects, including future Creeper Trail needs.
Board members asked that an MOU or similar agreement be used to ensure the county funds are applied to the water‑line work and related engineering. County staff said the $387,000 originally came from ARPA funds that were converted to local funds and therefore are not federally restricted; the transferred money will be budgeted in the capital improvement fund’s contingency account.
Several supervisors and staff urged the Forest Service, federal partners and the service authority to coordinate contracting so trail rebuilding and utility work proceed in parallel. No additional conditions or programmatic language were attached to the $200,000 other than the MOU requirement discussed at the meeting.
Votes at a glance: The motion to transfer $387,000 to the capital improvement fund and to allocate $200,000 to the Washington County Service Authority (with an MOU) passed 7–0.
Next steps: Staff will draft the MOU and coordinate with the service authority and federal partners; county leaders said they expect further interagency planning and engineering to follow.
