Cramerton board approves MOU to launch South Fork River health work

The Town of Cramerton Board of Commissioners voted 5-0 on Dec. 9 to approve a memorandum of understanding with the South Fork River Health Committee, clearing the way for grant writing and fundraising to begin for a year-long action plan to improve the South Fork of the Catawba River.

The action plan, described at the meeting as covering 13 discrete actions, is organized around four themes—"connected," "active," "healthy," and "resilient." Commissioner Atkinson emphasized flood mitigation as a priority and said the river "is a great asset and needs to be protected and improved," urging a sonar survey of the river bottom and testing for toxins in the water. John Searby, executive director of the Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation, said the foundation has been a strong partner and welcomed the planned project phase and partnership with municipal governments.

Attorney Wolter told the board there were no legal concerns with the proposed memorandum. Mayor Cauthen said he would like the board to approve the memorandum so fundraising can begin. Commissioner Helms moved to approve the proposed MOU; Mayor Pro Tempore Koutsoupias seconded the motion and the board voted 5-0 in favor.

The board’s approval permits the committee and its partners to begin grant applications and fundraising work over the next 12 months; committee members said the project phase will emphasize planning-to-action steps, including research and grant sourcing. The Riverkeeper Foundation representative also asked the board to review zoning requests carefully for potential impacts on water quality.

Next steps identified by presenters included grant writing over the coming year and targeted technical work such as the sonar and water sampling Commissioner Atkinson described; the town did not set specific timelines for those technical studies during the meeting.