Commission approves pursuing ARC planning grant for Edgemoor Road corridor

The Anderson County operations committee voted to pursue an Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) planning grant to study the Edgemoor Road corridor, county leaders said. The planning study would examine pedestrian and bicycle improvements, safety, land use, sewer and water infrastructure and could recommend zoning or other implementation steps for the corridor.

"There's so the corridor really encompasses much more than just the road itself... it would look at the assets, it would look at the resources," S5 (the mayor) said, describing stakeholder engagement that would inform a report and implementation options. Commissioner Foster (S4) moved to proceed with grant work and the committee approved the motion; the mayor said he will prepare grant narratives and return later with a formal application resolution and any matching-fund requests if required.

Commissioners asked whether the grant required a 50/50 local match and whether TDOT would fund street lighting; the mayor said he did not yet have the application but typically such grants require matching funds and that TDOT does not fund lights. The mayor recalled a previous decision not to accept a lighting contract due to near-$2 million estimated costs and the ongoing maintenance burden. The committee also discussed sewer constraints in the Claxton sewershed and the need to coordinate with local utilities and the development district as part of the planning process.

Staff will continue preparing the application and report back with specifics on match amounts and timeline once the grant notice is released. The committee's referral authorizes staff to pursue planning-stage work and stakeholder outreach.