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Milton accepts $700,000 SEID grant for secondary water source and approves emergency grinder-pump purchases after water-loss event
Summary
The Milton Board of Commissioners voted March 10 to accept a $700,000 SEID grant for a secondary water source, approved an emergency sole-source procurement for grinder pumps and authorized EPIC-funded survey work as the town continues pursuing a recommended $1.9 million wastewater plant funding opportunity.
Milton’s Board of Commissioners voted unanimously March 10 to accept a $700,000 grant offer tied to the SEID program to finance a secondary water source and to authorize emergency procurement measures after a recent water-loss event.
Mayor Angela Upchurch said the town had been ranked by the Department of Environmental Quality as “4TH in recommendation” for potential funding of a $1.9 million wastewater treatment plant. She described a recent water-loss emergency in which an aging pump ran six hours at a stretch and the town needed multiple grinder pumps to maintain service. “Needing to supply 5 pumps at once, as we've been doing, would cost over $12,000.00,” she said, and reported estimates of five grinder pumps installed at $26,321.75 and individual pump price at $3,686.87 (pre-tax).
The board read and adopted a resolution authorizing a sole-source procurement for emergency grinder-pump purchases based on engineering recommendations. Commissioner Danny Cash moved to adopt the procurement resolution; Commissioner Bob Palmer seconded the motion and the board voted unanimously to approve it.
In the same meeting, the board approved a resolution to accept the $700,000 SEID grant for a secondary water source. Commissioner Bob Palmer moved to accept the grant and Commissioner Jackie Jeffries seconded; the motion passed unanimously. Mayor Upchurch said an EPIC-funded survey of the proposed secondary well site has begun and that a Limited Notice to Proceed is the next administrative step toward project mobilization.
Officials present emphasized that the emergency purchases were prompted by short-term operational needs and vendor availability: staff and contractors located a distributor near Richmond that had pumps in stock and could assist with at least one installation. Mayor Upchurch credited NC Rural Water Association and Mullins Utilities for emergency support and said the town is working through procurement and grant processes to obtain long-term equipment and installation through planned projects.
The board also approved a resolution authorizing EPIC to fund the survey of the secondary well site and accepted a memorandum of understanding to pursue engineering steps toward full notice to proceed.
The board’s actions on March 10 set the town on a path to combine grant-funded infrastructure investments with immediate emergency procurement to stabilize water service while longer-term projects proceed.
