Three of five utility projects totaling more than $11.2 million are already under construction in the village of Pinehurst.

In a presentation to the Moore County Board of Commissioners last week, Public Works Director Dennis Brobst said replacement of the five aging lift stations at Lake Pinehurst is scheduled for completion by Oct. 8. The $3.2 million project is being financed largely through federal stimulus funding.

"Hopefully, we're moving things forward," Board Chairman Tim Lea said during the April 6 meeting.

Lea recognized Village Councilman Doug Lapins and Village Manager Andy Wilkison, who were present in the audience. He also thanked Wilkison for helping to clear the way for the projects.

Later in the meeting, during the comment period for board members, Commissioner Nick Picerno expressed concern about misinformation and misinterpretation of county efforts to upgrade utilities in Pinehurst. He mentioned in particular the comments made by computer bloggers.

"I want it on the record that the county is spending money on Pinehurst," Picerno said.

The Old Town sewer rehabilitation project, at $5.5 million the most costly of the five, has been slowed down by some unresolved issues, Brobst said.

Brobst said the project design is about 95 percent complete and was presented to the Village Council in August 2008. He said the village engineer has not made any comments directly to the county agency but has conferred with the county consultant.

However, the comments quoted from that conference include an opinion that the project is not covered by the existing encroachment agreement and that the Old Town water system should be replaced at the same time. The county is in the process of replacing 35 hydrants and modeling the water system to determine how to make the improvements.

Design of the lake area sliplining is about 95 percent complete, but Brobst said the county plans to bid this project along with the Old Town sewer project "to achieve an economy of scale." He said this project cannot begin until the lake area pump stations are complete.

"We don't want two contractors working on the same site at the same time," Brobst said.

Sliplining is a form of trenchless rehabilitation of existing pipelines.

Closest to completion is construction of wells 5a and 9, for which a $51,985 contract was awarded later in the Tuesday meeting. The contract went to Bill Reaves Construction, which submitted the lowest of three bids.

The overall project is expected to cost $225,000, but the remainder of the work will be handled by the in-house staff of Moore County Public Utilities and an electrical contractor.

The Reaves contract covers construction of treatment facilities.

This project is to be operational by August.

One other well, 3a, will be drilled at the new tank site once the tank is complete next January. Brobst said that the county must first secure a Certificate of Appropriateness because the site lies within the village historic district.

Work is well under way on the elevated tank, costing $1,227,000.

Brobst's PowerPoint presentation included photographs of several projects, including the elevated tank site and the pump station work at the lake.

Contact Florence Gilkeson by e-mail at florence@thepilot.com.