Fiscal Court OKs plan to bring city water to Hurricane Hills development near Boston
By JIM BROOKS
Nelson County Gazette / WBRT Radio
Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024 — The residents of the Hurricane Hills development near Boston will finally be able to have access to city water, thanks to an agreement county government has reached with the development’s homeowner’s association.
Since taking office, Nelson County Judge-Executive Tim Hutchins has been working to extend city water and internet access to unserved areas of Nelson County, including the Hurricane Hills development.
Hurricane Hills is located on a private road, which complicates providing city water to the homes there, since government money generally won’t pay for water lines to traverse a privately owned road. But thanks to the county’s ARPA funds and funds from the property owners, the entire cost of the project will be covered, Hutchins told Fiscal Court Tuesday morning.
Fiscal Court will contribute $450,000 in ARPA funds, and Hurricane Hills residents will contribute just over $148,000 for their part of the project.
Current residents have committed $120,000 of their needed money. Hutchins said a resident has agreed to pay the additional money needed to cover the residents’ share of the water line project.
The HOA will collect the resident’s contributions and then write a single check to county government. Any cost overruns will be the responsibility of the HOA.
Once completed, the water line will belong to the HOA, and additional customers who wish to connect to city water will have to pay a fee to the HOA.
As part of the deal, the HOA must grant an easement for the new public utilities.
The court unanimously granted Hutchins the power to sign agreements with the HOA to finalize the project.
RECYCLING TRAILER UPDATE. The court approved a resolution to accept a $230,236 recycling grant, which will pay 100 percent of the cost for 12 new recylcling trailers.
Six of the new trailers will be devoted to cardboard recycling; the other six are intended for use collection other recyclables like plastic and paper.
The county will partner with the local school systems to provide additional education in support of recycling.
BATTERY RECYCLING. The court also approved a resolution regarding a $21,000 grant that will be used to place battery recycling bins in the local schools.
The batteries will be those used in consumer electronics, not automobiles or commercial applications.
The goal is to reduce the number of batteries that are sent to the county landfill.
SPECIAL MEETING. Hutchins announced that Nelson Fiscal Court will meet at 9 a.m. Friday,, Dec. 27, 2024, to open bids on a project that will remodel the first floor of the Old Courthouse, which houses the visitor center, NCEDA, the chamber of commerce, the Mainstreet program and the tourist commission.
The project will use ARPA funds, which have to allocated to a specific use by Dec. 31, 2024.
NEXT UP. The next regular meeting of Nelson Fiscal Court is 6 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024, in the second floor meeting room of the Old Courthouse.
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