SOUTHERN CITY QUARTER 2 2022 16 Brevard’s other two ARP expenses will also go towards critical infrastructure: the repairing of the 55-year-old Railroad Avenue Bridge, and the expansion of residential waterlines to serve the town’s growth. “[ARP] is going to allow us to do projects that would be otherwise beyond the scope of our being able to do,” said Mayor Copelof. “It’s really going to allow us to leverage our funds.” Administration Focus on need. Stormwater repairs are not a peripheral agenda item for Brevard. Rather, it’s an absolute necessity, both for the city’s residents and businesses. According to the National Centers for Environmental Information, and as reported by Blue Ridge Public Radio, roughly 413 inches of rain fell in Transylvania County from January 2017 to December 2021, making it the wettest county in the state for that period. “If it there’s a heavy rain, you’re walking through a couple of inches of water in Times Arcade Alley,” said Mayor Copelof. Through ARP, that problem will be put to rest. Two birds, one stone. To get the most our of their funding, Brevard tied in ARP uses with other long-term strategic plans. While digging to complete its stormwater repairs, the city will provide to residents new greenspaces, new greenways and other amenities. HAVELOCK INVESTS IN INFRASTRUCTURE, SETS UP ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Havelock, NC Population: 16,621 Funds Received: $3.32 million Plan •Highway 70 sewer outfall project •Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) project, upgrading the city’s water meter system •Sewer plant well project •Sewer SCADA System installation •Emergency management employee shelter upgrades •Improve building ventilation systems •Personal protective equipment Strategy •Align projects with city’s strategic economic development goals. •Focus on water and sewer upgrades and repairs—the city’s biggest area of need. •Meet the needs of the city’s biggest stakeholder: the military base. •Use one-time money to upgrade technology, thus reducing future resource strain. The City of Havelock is using its ARP distribution primarily to meet its water and sewer needs. This is not a priority that arose overnight. Rather, it’s been a long-term goal of the City’s leadership, and using ARP funds towards the Highway 70 sewer outfall makes strategic sense for a number of reasons. It resolves a much-needed infrastructure problem, it allows Havelock to exit a sewer SOC (which is the mechanism of the NC Department of Environmental Quality to identify and mandate specific system repairs, fines, and a timeline schedule for repairs), and, being a one-time expense, it fits nicely within the recommendations surrounding the one-time ARP dollars. Perhaps most notably, it will provide a significant economic development boost. This project resides along U.S. 70, one of primary east-west corridors across eastern North Carolina and a major connection from the Triangle to the coast. Between Raleigh and Morehead City, U.S. 70 is undergoing upgrades and will soon become Interstate 42. Havelock is included in that stretch. Local leaders expect that highway upgrade to increase both passenger and freight movement in the area. At the moment, due to the lack of sewer infrastructure, Havelock could be unable to provide adequate services to new or expanding businesses that hope to take advantage of that growing market. The ARP investment will change that. Through the Highway 70 project, Havelock will lay the foundation needed to serve the anticipated growth. Havelock’s two other main investments—AMI and sewer SCADA projects—represent large upfront costs that will yield long-term dividends. The former introduces smart metering technology, and the latter allows Havelock both electronic controlling of its sewer plant and the ability to collect data, which furthers its ability to target efficient investments in the future. Both provide significant forward-looking benefits, especially as it pertains to the prudent use of resources. The city’s final three projects are geared towards critical operational needs: emergency management and ongoing pandemic preparedness. continued from page 15 The American Rescue Plan in Action
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