1st project tapped to begin in 2 ½ weeks
Robbinsville – Work is in the immediate pipeline to enhance multiple segments of the town’s water and sewer network.
How immediate? Dirt will be lifted as soon as Monday, March 10, on an overhaul off Old Sweetwater Road to replace 4,000 lineal feet of 6-inch pipe and 300 feet of 2-inch water lines. A contract for $532,037.96 was signed Monday, with local contractor D.R. Phillips LLC performing the work and Asheville-based McGill Associates P.A. serving as engineer for the project.
McGill was much of the focus at Monday’s special called meeting for the Robbinsville Board of Aldermen.
Professional engineer Joel Storrow was on hand and spoke on much of the agenda, which included two concepts receiving unanimous approvals from board members Debbie Beasley and Kenneth Hyde.
* Graham County Schools has expressed interest in developing 3.53 acres of property at 85 Bud Carpenter Drive for use as a potential walking trail or playground. This comes on the heels of the district’s announcement that a new Robbinsville Elementary School will be built on a nearby property, thanks to a $42 million grant from the N.C. Department of Public Instruction. The Town of Robbinsville owns the property, which runs along Tallulah Creek and houses the inoperable Tallulah Water Plant. McGill recommended the town offer a long-term lease to the school for use of the property.
* Three bids were received in the town’s quest to replace water meter readers. The lowest bid was from Meter Install Group of Longview, Texas, which came in at $473,220. However, it was later discovered that the group’s bid would not meet the town’s needs, so the board accepted the second-highest bid from Dallas-based Fortiline Meter Solutions ($648,944.77), which does include proper equipment for the town.
* Though no action was taken, Storrow informed the board that state Rep. Karl Gillespie (R-Franklin) was going to pitch a $2.2 million appropriation to address the stormwater drainage issue on Ford and Laura streets, which has existed for decades. Standing water has led to flooding of commercial and residential lots and, as McGill’s assessment of the repair noted, Robbinsville was fortunate to have been spared the wrath of Hurricane Helene in September. “Had the storm directly impacted Robbinsville, flooding in downtown would have been significant due to the undersized storm drainage system,” reads a portion of the memorandum.
* Plans are also being discussed for improvements to lines along both Atoah Street and Dillard Orr Road, though both projects are still in the preliminary phase.