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Kernersville board authorizes staff to pursue Land and Water Fund waiver and submit grant application for Ivy‑Redmond stream restoration
Summary
The Board of Aldermen authorized staff to apply for a North Carolina Land and Water Fund grant and seek a waiver of a newly required local match for a stream restoration project behind Ivy‑Redmond Sports Complex. Staff warned the board the federal reimbursement model could expose the town to upfront costs if the grant is altered or cut later.
The Board of Aldermen voted to authorize town staff to pursue a North Carolina Land and Water Fund grant and to seek a waiver of a local match connected to a previously awarded project for the Ivy‑Redmond stream restoration behind the Ivy‑Redmond Sports Complex.
Town staff said the project had originally been awarded approximately $2.42 million through a congressional office several years earlier. Project estimates have since grown to about $3.0 million, creating an approximately $600,000 shortfall. Under the current funding pathway town staff said the N.C. Land and Water Fund requires the town to pay project costs upfront and seek reimbursement; the town’s stormwater enterprise fund would have to provide the cash flow.
“I'm gonna tell you that it is my recommendation if you all approve this grant to give staff some flexibility in whether or not to apply for it or to move forward with it,” Town Manager Mister Swisher told the board. “This is a federal grant, not a state grant. We have to put the $2,420,000.00, now $3,000,000. We have to pay it upfront, and we get reimbursed. So if we go in and start that project and we pay $3,000,000 for the stream restoration project and then either, a, the money gets cut … or b, the whole department gets cut, we're on the hook for the $3,000,000.”
Staff said the request before the board was to authorize pursuing a waiver of the match requirement and to continue application steps; the board did not accept any grant contract or commit funding that night. The board’s action allows staff to apply for the waiver and to continue negotiating with the state agency. If staff does not secure the waiver or alternate grant funding, the town would return to the board before signing any cost‑reimbursement contract.
Board members asked for caution. The town manager, public works and stormwater staff recommended proceeding to seek the waiver while making clear to the board that final contracting would return to the board for approval. The board voted unanimously to allow staff to proceed with the application process and waiver request.
Why it matters: The project addresses stream restoration and water‑quality improvements for a corridor that runs from the sports complex; it was previously awarded funding but now faces a higher local match requirement because of cost increases. Staff warned the board that federal reimbursement grants require cash flow and that proceeding without a confirmed waiver or additional funding could expose the town to substantial upfront costs.
