PEMBROKE — The Pembroke Town Council voted unanimously Monday to apply for a grant that would pay for increasing the capacity of the town’s sewage plant.
The council approved applying for an Economic Development Administration Disaster Supplemental Grant, which would pay 80% of the estimated $6.7 million cost for expansion. The grant is a supplemental grant for communities recovering from disasters. The grant requires the town to pay the remaining 20%, which is about $1.34 million.
“This is a conservative number from the Wooten Company,” Town Manager Tyler Thomas said.
The expansion would increase the plant’s treatment capacity from its current 1.3 million gallons per day to 2 million gallons a day, Thomas said.
The state requires the town to not use more than 80% of the plant’s capacity, a limit the town is close to hitting if the town’s keeps growing, Thomas said. The plant has been treating an average of about 1 million gallons a day.
“We’re closing in on that 80%,” Thomas said.
The town’s Water and Sewer Fund has the available money for such a project, he said.
“That is the reason the council has been building these funds — for capital projects like these,” Thomas said.
“Growth is a two-edged sword,” Councilman Channing Jones said. “It’s good growth.”
Also on Monday, the board unanimously rejected rezoning 10 acres of land from a Residential District to a Multi-Family Dwelling District after hearing several complaints from neighbors during a public hearing.
Evergreen Construction Company, of Raleigh, made the request in order to build a 60-unit family rental complex on N.C. 711. Vice President Tim Morgan said the units were not student housing.
The zoning board’s recommendation was for the board to reject the zoning request.
“If it’s not for students, I don’t really see a need for that in our town,” Councilman Ryan Sampson said.
Bryan Maynor, a lifelong resident of the area, said he supports housing but it is not needed in his community. He cited water runoff, an increase in tax values, foot and vehicle traffic, and safety as potential problems.
“We embrace housing. We feel like housing is important, but I personally feel this property doesn’t warrant commercial housing,” Maynor said. “We want to see Pembroke grow, but I think sometimes it’s best to say ‘No’ and maintain what we got.”
Jones suggested Evergreen look at other areas of the town.
“I don’t think that this particular area is the place for this type of development,” Jones said. “This is too inconsistent with the surrounding area.”
