Replacement of five aging lift stations serving Pinehurst came closer to reality Monday night when the Moore County Board of Commissioners acted on a tentative award resolution for construction.

The board's action is a requirement of the Construction Grants and Loans Section of North Carolina to draw down $3 million in federal stimulus money.

The resolution offers a tentative award contract to T.A. Loving Company for $2,761,430 to replace the lift stations. The vote, on a motion by Commissioner Cindy Morgan, was unanimous by the four commissioners. Chairman Nick Picerno was absent because of the wedding of his daughter.

Ben Vaughn of the Public Works Department explained that the lift stations were built more than 35 years ago and "have outlived their useful life." He said that more manpower is required to prevent overflows. Lift stations contain pumps, valves, and electrical equipment necessary to pump water or wastewater from a low elevation to a high elevation.

Funding is available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

In other business at the Monday meeting, the commissioners approved two motions affecting the roadway and bridge replacement project at the private Riverbend subdivision near Vass. The bridge was washed out by torrential rains accompanying Tropical Storm Hanna last fall, leaving residents with no access to public thoroughfares.

The Department of Planning and Community Development has secured a $600,000 Community Development Block Grant Urgent Needs Grant to cover the cost of replacing the bridge and repairing the roadway, bringing it up to N.C. Department of Transportation standards.

One motion names Hobbs, Upchurch & Associates to handle the engineering portion of the project for a fee not to exceed $98,500. The other motion selects the same firm to handle the administrative portion of the project, not to exceed $20,000.

Access is now possible through a temporary bridge replacement.

The board also approved a settlement agreement with litigants in the estate of William Andrew Jordan, who committed suicide while incarcerated in the Moore County Jail in 2007.

Under the agreement, the county pays $31,750 to the estate but admits no liability or fault. The case was discussed with the county attorney in closed sessions held at previous board meetings, and the Monday action was the first time the issue was addressed in public session.

No objections were raised, and approval was unanimous.

More details will appear in the print version of The Pilot.