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Clarks Hill wastewater project receives USDA funding offer; $900,000 gap remains
Summary
A USDA funding offer for the Town of Clarks Hill's wastewater project would cover about $10.1M of an estimated $11.0M+ project (roughly $8.1M grant and $2.0M loan), leaving a funding gap near $900,000; project managers said the loan would be capped at 2.875% for 40 years and Kleinpeter Consulting will pursue State Revolving Fund options.
During the public‑comment period on July 6, Robert Bellucci, project manager with Commonwealth Engineers, told the Board of Commissioners that the Town of Clarks Hill received a formal funding offer from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for its wastewater project.
Bellucci described the funding structure as an estimated project cost of more than $11.0 million, a USDA funding offer of about $10.1 million split into roughly $8.1 million in grant funding and $2.0 million in loan funds, leaving an estimated funding gap of about $900,000. He said the loan carries a capped interest rate of 2.875% (the USDA poverty rate for the current quarter), has a 40‑year maturity and produces an estimated loan payment of about $7,016 per month (approximately $84,196 annually).
Bellucci said Kleinpeter Consulting Group will pursue the State Revolving Fund (SRF) to address the funding gap and that the project’s bid packet includes optional alternates so the core treatment plant can be built within budget even if final bids or funding change. He described the project as close to “shovel ready” and said officials are optimistic about locking in the financing before bidding.
Vice President Thomas P. Murtaugh asked whether SRF would commit to covering the gap prior to bidding; Bellucci said SRF requires the municipality to commit to a specific closing quarter but officials are optimistic about securing the funding. No formal county action on the Clarks Hill project was recorded at the July 6 meeting; the remarks were delivered as public comment by the project manager.
