Daniel Prince
Power Team commits money to Jonesville sewer project; vendor looks to provide broadband to Carlisle
Each month at the Union County Council meeting, Supervisor Frank Hart presents a report to council on a number of different projects and departments. While he does not go through the report comprehensively during the meeting, Hart does provide the media with a copy of his report. WBCU News will present some highlights from that report.
He says groundbreaking is still anticipated on the housing development project sometime this spring, with homes available as soon as 2023. The county is still working with the developer on that, and an official announcement should be coming in the next few weeks.
In the sewer infrastructure project from the City of Union to Jonesville, he reports that the SC Power Team has committed $800,000 to the project. The county and city are working together on the $9.7 million grant. The application has been submitted, and they should have some feedback on it sometime in June. The county and city are already exploring alternatives in case the EDA grant doesn’t go through. Hart said he has spoken with the Rural Infrastructure Authority about grants from that agency, as well.
A vendor is looking to use two towers in Carlisle to offer a fixed wireless broadband solution to the town. Initial data indicates the project could serve 375-390 homes for a capital investment of $400,000. A fiber solution to serve the same number of homes is estimated to cost as much as $4 million. Projected pricing would be $34-$39 a month, and if the household income is below two times the federal poverty level, the federal government would cover $30 of that monthly cost. Hart said there will be a proposal for council to consider by the June meeting.
The Recreation Department is working on a plan to provide weekly activities for youth at the stadium or fairgrounds during the summer.
The Sims redevelopment project is awaiting the results of the Phase 1 environmental study, which should come in this month. Hart says he expects to execute the option with the school district on the property, provided the district approves the proposed $250,000 sale price to the developer. As reported throughout the process, the developer hopes to turn the property into market value multifamily housing.
The county has applied for an ARC grant to upgrade the Buffalo Mill Pond area, and they are awaiting the next round of Brownfield grant funding to do assessments to the mill site and power plant areas.