Milton officials plan next water improvement project
Milton officials are beginning to plan out the next major project in the town’s overhaul of its water infrastructure: a $1.7 million water main upgrade primarily in the northern section of town.
The project essentially combines two into one: replacing water mains on Atlantic Avenue and on Chestnut Street from Front Street to Coulter Street, and replacing water lines from Atlantic Street to the intersection of Cave Neck Road and Front Street.
Town Manager Kristy Rogers said the town is weighing where to seek funding from, either the U.S. Department of Agriculture or the state Water Infrastructure Advisory Council. She said the town will compare interest rates and then begin the process of applying for funding. Rogers said the borrowing will be subject to a public referendum.
Public Works Manager Greg Wingo told the town’s Water Committee Aug. 12 that the town is in the top two in terms of priority with the Water Infrastructure Advisory Council. The project is scheduled to be debated by the council in October, Wingo said.
Preliminary plans call for the town to upgrade its current four-inch water mains to an eight- to 10-inch main, although Rogers said those details will be worked out in the bidding process.
Besides improved efficiency on the north end of town, the project will also allow for tie-ins to two upcoming developments: Cannery Village Part IV, to be built near the intersection of Cave Neck Road and Front Street, and Tidewater’s new wastewater treatment plant on Sam Lucas Road.
Rogers said the developers of those projects will be financially responsible for the tie-ins to the town’s water system. But widening the water lines will allow the town’s water infrastructure to better handle the increased water use once those developments are built.
The town last went to referendum on major water upgrades in 2018, when voters approved borrowing $895,000 for improvements, including a new water main connecting Wagamon’s West Shores, and a new well and treatment facility at Shipbuilder’s Village.
The last of those projects is the water treatment facility at Shipbuilder’s, which is expected to begin construction later this year and take three to four months to complete.
