Commissioners award contract and budget amendment for Lift Station 33 replacement in Pinehurst

Moore County commissioners voted July 15 to award a construction agreement to Grosvenor Land LLC to replace sanitary sewer Lift Station 33 in Pinehurst and approved an associated budget amendment.

County engineer Tom Blue said the lift station—installed in the early 1970s—is about 53 years old, has been prone to overheating and heavy maintenance, and is part of a broader capital-improvement plan to replace aging lift stations. Blue said the project was bid, bids were tightly grouped and the county was comfortable with award. He asked the board to authorize the chair to sign the agreement subject to county attorney and finance approval and to allow the county manager to approve change orders up to $30,000.

During questioning commissioners asked whether spare equipment is kept on hand and whether emergency plans account for increased inflow/infiltration during storm events; staff said spare components exist but some parts are custom and aging infrastructure increases risk of inflow and infiltration from neighboring systems.

The board voted to award the contract (motion carried) and approved a budget amendment, and a commissioner noted the funding would come from retained earnings rather than a rate increase.

Notation on contract amount: the engineer's presentation recorded the project amount as $923,333.49; the motion language recorded the agreement amount as $923,330.49. The board approved the award as recorded in the motion and authorized the county attorney and finance staff to finalize contract documents.

Next steps: county staff will execute the agreement (subject to attorney/finance review) and the county manager may approve change orders up to $30,000 as needed.