FEBRUARY 4, 2010 ISSUE
Construction of Boone-Blowing Rock Water Connection To Begin in March
Blowing Rock Town Manager Scott Hildebran said construction of a water line connecting the water systems of the towns of Boone and Blowing Rock has been delayed by this winter’s weather, but the tentative start date is March 1.
On November 10, the Blowing Rock Town Council voted to award a contract for the construction of a 12-inch water line from Blowing Rock to Boone to Ronny Turner Construction of Hickory for $2,998,196, with a $321,404 contingency.
The project, which totals $4 million after permit, engineering, design and inspection costs are factored in, is funded through a $500,000 grant Watauga County received from the N.C. Rural Center, a $1 million grant the Town of Boone received from the Rural Center, a $300,000 grant to Blowing Rock from the Appalachian Regional Commission and a $2.2 million 20-year low-interest loan from the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources. The town raised water rates by $5 per month in 2008 to cover the debt service requirements of the loan.
Hildebran said the town expects to learn if the project has been selected to receive federal economic stimulus funds later this month. If awarded stimulus funds, $1.1 million of the principal would be forgiven and the other 50 percent would be a zero-interest loan, resulting in $1,731,250 in savings from reduced principal and interest costs, he said in November.
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