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Board presses staff over clearwell delays and $630,000 funding loss
Summary
A lengthy discussion at the March 11 meeting centered on delays acquiring property and confusion over CDBG/SRF/ARPA funding that a speaker said cost the town roughly $630,000; staff and the engineer explained grant/loan distinctions and timelines for the clearwell project.
The Decatur Board of Aldermen on March 11 focused extensive discussion on delays to a planned clearwell project and confusion over grant and loan deadlines that a participant said led to the town losing roughly $630,000 in potential funding.
The engineer told the board the town is current on ARPA milestone reporting and has submitted required documents into state systems; he said the sewer rehabilitation and pump station project is complete and expected to go out for bid on March 23 with a May board presentation to accept a bid. On the clearwell tank design, the engineer said a design package was submitted in December, comments were addressed and the tank design received approval on March 3.
Why the property acquisition and site easement have taken about a year was a central point. Staff said negotiations and repeated lawyer-to-lawyer questions — plus a change in approach when the landowner offered to convey property instead of granting an easement — restarted the legal process and delayed filing the deed.
A participant described a sequence of events involving an extension letter and a county agenda item and said that, because of that process, the town had effectively 'lost' about $630,000 that the speaker associated with the clearwell funding opportunity. The board and staff did not dispute the speaker’s frustration but emphasized communication gaps and procedural complexity in intergovernmental approvals.
Staff clarified the funding picture: the State Revolving Fund (SRF) is a loan option the town applied for to keep the project viable but is not an obligation the town must accept; unused SRF money returns to the state. The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) in question has an April 25 expiration unless extended; ARPA funds, by contrast, are contractually allocated and not retracted by the county. The engineer said construction would take roughly 12 months once procurement and property acquisitions are resolved and materials are available.
Town officials said they will provide a timeline of key decisions and staff communications to the board and pursue legal assistance to resolve the property/plat issues that have held up the site acquisition. The board asked for clearer communication with county officials and for the town attorney to help secure counsel with more subdivision expertise.
The meeting closed the discussion without a formal vote on the clearwell project; staff said next steps include completing deed paperwork, confirming grant/loan eligibility, and returning with procurement milestones for future board action.
