Water questions

flood next Boone

council meeting
By Frank Ruggiero
frank@mountaintimes.com

The Boone Town Council will dive into its regular meeting Thursday, facing an agenda loaded with water issues.

First, the council is expected to approve grant project ordinances for water system interconnections between Boone and Appalachian State University and Boone and Blowing Rock.

The town received a grant award of $168,000 – half the estimated project cost – from the N.C. Rural Center for the ASU-Boone emergency interconnection, contingent upon Appalachian’s commitment of the remaining funds.

The project was estimated at $336,000, including design, construction, maintenance and operation of the interconnection, and is set to be established off Hardin Street and accessible through Durham Park on the Appalachian campus.

Concerning the Boone-Blowing Rock emergency interconnection, the town was awarded a grant of $1 million, contingent upon the commitment of the remaining funding.

With a cost estimated in July at $3,998,000, the project will be funded by the town of Boone’s $1 million, Blowing Rock’s $300,000 grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission, and Watauga County’s grant of $500,000 from the Rural Center.

Blowing Rock is expected to pay the remaining sum through the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources emergency loan program.

The council will also consider adoption of a bond order resolution for the authorization of $25 million in general obligation bonds to finance a new water intake on the South Fork of the New River near the Watauga and Ashe county line.

The $25 million would cover construction of the new intake facility, a transmission main back to town, the purchase of associated right-of-way easements, potentially a booster pump station between the intake and the town, and the high-rating of the current water treatment facility from 3 million gallons a day to 4.5.

Town manager Greg Young said the town’s intention is to finance debt service through revenues from the water system, a point council members wished to make clear at a July meeting that set the bond process in motion.

Next, the council will next consider adoption of a resolution to schedule a special bond referendum, which would come before Boone voters during the general election on Nov. 4.

The project’s contract, between the town and W.K. Dickson Community Infrastructure Consultants, is also up for consideration. The probable construction cost is estimated by W.K. Dickson at $21,710,500.

Other matters
The council will also act on several cases introduced at last Thursday’s quarterly public hearing, including a rezoning request from Appalachian State University to convert property near Poplar Grove Road from R-1 (single-family residential) to U-1 (university).

Other cases include a conditional district zoning request from Joseph Sykes and updates to parking requirements, density and dimensional requirements, and the sign ordinance.

The council will meet Thursday, Aug. 21, at 6:30 p.m. in council chambers, located at 1500 Blowing Rock Road.

Other meetings
The council and water study committee will host a meeting Wednesday, Aug. 20, at 3 p.m. in council chambers to discuss and review Ordinance 05-01, as well as drought issues and conservation trigger levels.

A meeting between the council and Watauga County commissioners will immediately follow at 5 p.m., with water, sewer and recreation issues on the agenda.

Both meetings will be held in council chambers.