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Fletcher Town to pursue federal wastewater funding to extend sewer to three streets
Summary
Town staff told the council it will pursue a competitive federal revolving loan fund program (about $22 million in the category) to extend sewer service to three neighborhood streets; the local project is estimated at roughly $1 million and the funding category offers 0% interest loans with principal forgiveness, effectively a grant.
Fletcher Town staff said the town will pursue a competitive federal revolving loan fund opportunity aimed at decentralized wastewater systems, with roughly $22 million available in that funding category.
The Town Manager said the town would prepare a full application after a preliminary pre-application and could use a regional council as the administering agent. "You can have, a council of government. So, Land of Sky could be an administering agent for us," the Town Manager said. She added the program is technically a loan program but that this category offers 0% interest and "100% principal forgiveness," meaning it would effectively operate as a grant if awarded.
Why it matters: the town estimates the local sewer-extension project would cost about $1 million to extend sewer lines (including easements and road repairs) to three streets in a neighborhood where multiple households rely on septic systems. The Town Manager said some septic systems failed during Hurricane Helen and residents have requested sewer access for years.
Details staff provided include a 2% application fee applied to the estimated project cost and federal compliance requirements such as the Davis-Bacon prevailing-wage rules. The Town Manager cautioned there is no guarantee the town will receive an award because the round will be competitive.
Council members gave staff direction to continue moving forward with research and the pre-application steps; no formal funding award was made at the meeting. The Town Manager said staff will compile data showing the neighborhood's need and distress level as part of the application arguments.
The next procedural step is to prepare the full application and identify an administering agent and final project estimate before submitting to the federal program.
