Town council considers possible uses for American Rescue Plan funds

Discussion on allocation of $1.1 million begins in special call meeting

Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
October 7, 2022

The Black Mountain Town Council discusses the possible allocation of $1.1 million in ARPA funding and a stormwater utility bill collection policy in a special call meeting on Oct. 6. Photo by Fred McCormick

A preliminary discussion by local officials regarding the allocation of $1.1 million received by the Town of Black Mountain through the American Rescue Plan Act revealed a wide range of potential projects that could benefit from the federal funding. 

The topic was among several addressed in an Oct. 6 special call town council meeting. 

The morning session opened with a review of the nearly $1.5 million in ARPA funds already committed to six projects, which include repairing the dam on the southern end of Lake Tomahawk; waterline replacement along U.S. 70; sidewalks connecting Charlotte Street to East State Street; renovations to the Grey Eagle Arena; an apron for the bay of the Public Safety building and future pickleball courts. 

Timelines vary for the completion of each of those projects, according to an update from Town Manager Josh Harrold. 

Construction on the $200,000 apron, the area in front of Black Mountain Fire Department, will begin in the coming weeks, he told the town council, while the $500,000 project that will reinforce the earthen structure at the lake has received permitting from the Army Corps of Engineers and is awaiting final approval from the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality Dam Safety division. 

“The plan is for that to start this winter, or early spring,” Harrold said. “We’re hoping to get it underway this winter, because we’ll probably need to lower the lake levels a little bit, but I don’t think all the way.”

The pending plan, if approved by NCDEQ, will enlarge the spillway on the dam, which was built in the 1930s. 

“There is seepage occurring on that earthen side of the dam, which is very common,” he said. “The plan is to put some decorative block on that side, with some topsoil to allow for bushes and flowers to be planted, but no trees.”

The structure will extend from the base of the dam to “almost track level,” according to Harrold. 

The waterline replacement, which is estimated to cost $500,000, will likely be delayed nearly a year, due to the lack of availability of supplies, the town manager said. Engineering for the project, however, is at around the 40% percent completion mark, he added. 

Construction of a $65,000 Charlotte Street sidewalk, which will run along the fence surrounding the field at Black Mountain Primary School, is likely to begin in the spring, while $195,000 in renovations to the Grey Eagle Arena will follow the indoor soccer season, which runs from November through March. 

A location to build dedicated pickleball courts, for which the town council has set aside $120,000, will be determined after a new parks and recreation master plan has been completed, Harrold told the board. 

“The engineer doing the (master plan) is McGill Associates, which was awarded the contract,” he said. “They have already started doing the work and we’re going to meet with them next week to start rolling out surveys to citizens.”

With $1,480,000 committed to those projects, the town council shifted its focus to future allocation of the remaining portion of the $2.6 million. 

“I think that’s appropriate to bring up today, and it’s what we need to focus on as we move forward,” Mayor Larry Harris said. “I think we need another workshop where we let the public know we’re looking for public input.”

While the town is not yet ready to decide how to spend the money, he added, the meeting allowed board members to share their ideas for its potential use. 

Several town council members, including Bill Christy, made recommendations. 

“One item on my wishlist is standardized trash and recycle carts,” he said, noting the cost to provide bins capable of being lifted by the hydraulic arms on the town’s sanitation trucks would likely be around $500,000. “That’s a big number, but I think it’s an opportunity and something that would be useful for the town, and for employees in the sanitation department.”

Councilmember Pam King offered several suggestions, prioritizing two of them.

“We have two studies in the works, with a staffing study and parks and recreation study, and I don’t want to get those back and not have enough money to implement them. I think it’s important we hold back enough (funding) that we can actually do the parts of those studies we feel are important,” she said. “I’d like to see us go ahead with our already approved plan to install solar panels on all the town buildings. I see that as an investment that will pay for itself in the long run.”

King also indicated her preference to address deferred maintenance around Lake Tomahawk, renovate the public restrooms on Cherry Street and explore options to build a structure at the Dr. John Wilson Community Garden. 

Doug Hay reiterated King’s position that the funds could be viewed as a chance to invest in current town assets. 

“I’m thinking of the tennis and basketball courts at Cragmont Park, the restrooms on Cherry Street and some of our sidewalks that need to be revamped,” he said. “This is an opportunity for us to, instead of building new things, fix up some of the stuff we haven’t been able to prioritize in the past.”

Harris suggested the town consider investing some of the funding into remodeling the tennis complex in Cragmont Park. 

“I don’t think we use all of that money, although all of it might cover it,” he said. “Whatever the number is, we could try to take a giant sized step in setting aside funds to accomplish that.”

The town council will revisit the topic in future meetings to allow additional discussion and public input, Harris added. 

The topic of a stormwater utility bill collection policy was also brought before the town council, as Finance Director Tammy Holland presented potential options allowed by N.C. General Statute. That discussion will likely continue in a future special call meeting, as well, Harris indicated. 

“As we’ve tried to make sure everyone knows, the town is required to have a stormwater permit,” he said. “It goes through the state, and the federal government is the movement behind it. The permit requires us to have a plan, and execute that plan. You have to have funds to do that, and that’s why this utility was created.”