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Spencer officials advance draft water/sewer extension policy and agree to study bike‑lane striping
Summary
Town staff previewed a draft policy to use an annual SRU allocation to cost-share water/sewer main extensions for infill development and sought board direction to hire a consultant to produce a striping plan for bike lanes and intersections tied to the EB5861 trail work.
Town staff brought two informational items to the Sept. 9 Spencer Board of Aldermen meeting: a draft water/sewer main extension policy and a proposal to study striping options for bike lanes on Salisbury Avenue and Whitehead.
At length, Mr. Blunt described an available annual allocation within Salisbury-ROW utilities (SRU) that has historically set aside about $50,000 for main extensions in Spencer. Blunt said the draft policy would allow the town to partner with private developers to share extension costs where water or sewer mains are missing. Under the concept he presented, eligible projects would meet a minimum cost threshold (initially proposed at $10,000) and the town would cover 50% of the eligible extension up to a capped amount (staff used an example of $5,000). "We had $50,000 available each year and we weren't using it," Blunt said, arguing the fund could be leveraged to fill gaps and promote development.
Planning Board members asked whether the minimum should be higher so the $50,000 could support fewer but larger projects; the board also suggested flexibility to allocate the full annual amount to a single high‑value project if justified by economic benefit. Mr. Blunt said SRU would continue to oversee engineering approvals, and that any formal program would come back as ordinance language for board approval.
Separately, staff revisited long-standing elements of the town’s 2016 comprehensive bicycle and pedestrian plan and the EB5861 multi‑purpose Yadkin River trail, telling the board that current funding estimates leave a gap (staff cited a DOT match estimate and a consultant estimate that the $4,000,000 total is insufficient). The manager recommended budgeting for a professional striping consultant to develop a detailed striping plan and dimensions ahead of NCDOT resurfacing work. "Starting at 3rd Street...the road is 34 feet by my measurement," the manager said while explaining how two 11-foot traffic lanes plus two 6-foot bike lanes fit typical cross-sections.
Board members expressed general support for staff to continue work on both policies and asked staff to return with a prepared ordinance for the water/sewer assistance program and a consultant cost estimate for striping work. No formal votes were required on either informational item at the Sept. 9 meeting.
