Burke County gets stimulus money for water system

By: Sharon McBrayer | Morganton News Herald
Published: October 14, 2009

Morganton --

Burke County will benefit from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
The Burke County Board of Commissioners recently agreed to accept a $573,800 loan of stimulus-act funds to improve the county's water system.
According to information from the county, half of the loan — $286,900 — will be repaid at zero interest over a 20-year period. The other half will be forgiven if the county has the work under contract by Feb. 17 and completed by Nov. 30, 2010. The county also will pay North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources a 2 percent administrative fee for the contract — $11,476, according to the application.
Carson Fisher, director of general services for the county, said he's confident the county will meet the deadlines.
The money will be used to switch county water customers from manual water meters to automated meters, Fisher said.
The county currently has 1,700 water customers.
County employees have to open each manual meter's box and verify its serial number, Fisher said.
Having automated meters will allow a county employee to drive by the residence of a water customer and, using a laptop computer, read the meter, he said.
The county will save about $30,000 a year in manpower and gas, he said. That's because it now takes four people and two vehicles about three and a half days to read all 1,700 meters, Fisher said.
With the new meters, he continued, it will take one person less than a day to check the meters of all of the county's water customers.
The new meters also will give more reliable readings, he said.
The stimulus money will be used to buy the meters, laptop computers and billing software. Fisher said the county is looking for a company that will supply the new meters, take out and replace the old ones and also supply radio transmitters. A different vendor will have to supply the software, he said.
Fisher hopes to have the contracts out for bids late this year or early next year. He said he hopes to have the new meters up and running by summer.
In addition to replacing the current 1,700 meters, he hopes to buy an additional 30 to 50 meters for any new customers.
Commissioners also approved a $50,000 engineering contract for Cavanaugh & Associates to prepare bid specifications for the project. Fisher said that money will come out of the loan.

Burke County gets stimulus money for water system

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