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Ranlo hears pitch to join South Fork Collective; MOU would ask only for coordination, not cash
Summary
John Serbey of Catawba Riverkeeper asked the Ranlo board to sign a non‑financial MOU to join the South Fork Collective, aiming to coordinate flood‑resiliency projects, improve water quality and expand river access; staff said the town would have no out‑of‑pocket cost and paperwork would be handled by staff.
John Serbey, executive director of Catawba Riverkeeper, told the Ranlo board that the South Fork Collective seeks municipality partners to coordinate flood resiliency, water‑quality and recreational projects along the South Fork watershed and asked Ranlo to sign a memorandum of understanding to participate.
"What we came to was really 3 goals, to improve the water quality of the South Fork, to improve the flood resiliency of the South Fork, and to improve recreational access on the South Fork," Serbey said, outlining the group's priorities. He emphasized that participation would not require a financial contribution from the town: "The great thing about the South Fork Collective is there's no financial commitment from the town."
Serbey described the Collective's history and recent accomplishments, saying members worked together to secure grant funding. He cited a recent restoration project in Gastonia, which he said got roughly $10,000,000 after member municipalities provided letters of support. Serbey asked Ranlo to sign an MOU to attend quarterly meetings, share planning and join potential collective grant requests that could bring flood‑resiliency funds into the region.
Town staff walked the board through the MOU and the packet materials and said the town would not be asked to submit money up front. Staff asked the board to consider a motion to enter the town into the MOU and said they would manage the paperwork and notifications to members if Ranlo chose to participate.
The transcript records a request for a motion to enter the agreement but does not record a completed vote or final outcome during the provided excerpt. If the board votes to sign, staff indicated they would notify members by simple email response and follow up on any coordinated grant work.
Serbey closed by inviting questions and offering to provide more details about projects the Collective is coordinating across Gaston, Lincoln and Catawba counties.
