The town of Lake Waccamaw took steps toward securing aid from the state for storm water drainage and sewer improvements at last night’s meeting. Commissioners gave their approval for town manager Damien Kempski to file for a $12.5 million dollar grant to fund projects in the area. The town has been working closely with an engineering firm to build a list of services and needs to ensure the area meets the criteria to gain approval for endowments.
The application process is the next step in securing federal aid, and Lake Waccamaw still holds $223,000 from the American Rescue Fund that has yet to be spent.
Commissioners also gave approval for the purchase of a golf cart for the use of grading ballfields at the Lake. Columbus County Parks and Recreation is only responsible for the lawn maintenance at parks, and it is up to the town to maintain the clay and sand playing areas.
Resident Joey Clewis has been volunteering his time and his own equipment for the upkeep of the fields even though he has no children involved in recreation programs.
At last month’s meeting, the board discussed purchasing Sand Pro equipment with a price tag of $12,000-$16,000, but were hesitant to give approval until the matter was thoroughly researched. They did, however, give Kempski the go-ahead to find and compare prices.
Mayor Matt Wilson managed to reduce the cost significantly by finding a $5,000 gas powered golf cart to pair with grading equipment the town already owns. Insurance through Dixie Youth softball and baseball programs will cover the machines and any operators that use them.
The well site and substation at Lake Waccamaw will be receiving a face lift. A timber company will clear out trees and clean up the landscape located near the Wooded Acres community. The cost will be around $6,000, but roughly 7-12.5 acres of land are included in that price. The motion was made and approved to move forward.
“It just makes sense to do so,” said Commissioner Terry Littrell.
The use of off-road utility vehicles on town roads in the area will be discussed at a later date. Police Chief Scott Hyatt was able to shed some light on the state law surrounding the use of these vehicles at the meeting.
“UTVs can be driven on roadways, but they must have a license plate, insurance, and must be driven by a licensed driver just like a car does,” said Hyatt.
North Carolina passed the law on June 17, 2020 regarding their use on state roadways, but it is unclear rather or not a municipality can decide if they want Utility Terrain Vehicles on city streets. More information must be presented before the town can make any decisions regarding the matter.
The new Lake Waccamaw newsletter website should be up and running very soon, Kempski said.
“We are waiting on images to be uploaded to the website, and we want to make sure it’s user friendly and ready to go before we go live,” said Kempski.
The town emails the “Lake Link News” at the beginning of every month to subscribers. A timeline regarding the launch will be announced soon.
