PINK HILL — Kim Miller, a U.S. Department of Agriculture area specialist responsible for 13 Eastern North Carolina counties, grew up in Pink Hill.
But she admitted that Wednesday’s groundbreaking for a $1.87 million water improvement project in her town was a special occasion for her.
“My house is two minutes up the street, so it’s good to see things happening in my backyard that’s going to help a lot of folks,” Miller said with a wide smile. “This is going to provide better water service and better access to folks in the area.”
The project received a $688,000 grant from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and a $151,500 grant from the USDA’s Rural Development center. The town secured a $372,000 loan from the ARRA and $661,000 from the USDA. The $1.06 million of loans will be repaid by the town’s residents over the next 40 years.
All the funds will be used for the replacement of undersized water lines, to loop a majority of the existing dead end lines and to install 53 fire hydrants. Crews will also improve or replace 240 water services in the southern Lenoir County town.
In all, 365 users in Pink Hill will benefit from the improvements. Engineers predict the improvements will be completed by June 2014.
Pink Hill Mayor Carol Sykes said Wednesday’s groundbreaking completed a five-year process.
“It’s going to improve our water quality and it’s going to mean better fire protection,” Sykes said. “These waterlines have been in the ground since 1954. … The folks in town who have 2-inch waterlines are going to have much better water pressure once the new lines are in place.”
A variety of town officials, bankers, USDA officials and residents attended a small ceremony held at Harper’s Landing in Pink Hill Wednesday morning to celebrate the groundbreaking. USDA Rural Development State Director Randall Gore was the keynote speaker.
“Any time we’re able to deliver good, clean, quality water to the citizens of any rural part of North Carolina, it’s a good day for us,” Gore said after the ceremony. “We believe the folk all over North Carolina, especially in places like Pink Hill who are out here working hard for us every day, deserve quality water just like the folk in the urban parts of the state or anywhere in the country, for that matter.”
Lenoir County Commissioner J. Mac Daughety predicted the improvements would help bring growth to Pink Hill.
“It’s a huge investment in the infrastructure of Pink Hill that is badly needed,” Daughety said. “It gives Pink Hill an opportunity for future growth as we work on projects like the Pink Hill bypass. … This is the kind of infrastructure we’re going to need in the future.”
Bryan C. Hanks can be reached at 252-559-1074 or at Bryan.Hanks@Kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter at @BCHanks.
Breakdown of funding for the Pink Hill water improvements project:
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act loan: $372,000
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grant: $688,000
U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Rural Development loan: $661,000
U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Rural Development grant: $151,500
Total of loan and grants to complete project: $1,872,500
Source: USDA