After waiting almost 20 years, the town of Vass will soon see progress toward expansion and upgrade of sewage treatment facilities.

The Moore County Board of Commissioners voted Tuesday to award a $1.6 million contract to Terry’s Plumbing & Utilities to build the first phase of what is officially known as the Little River regional lift station project.

“I think it’s way overdue,” said board Chairman Nick Picerno, who then acknowledged Vass Town Board member Paulette Elliott in the audience.

Commissioner Tim Lea reminded everyone that a legal commitment to improve the Vass utilities was made in the early 1990s when the now-defunct Moore Water and Sewer Authority (MoWASA) was administering the county’s utilities. The town donated its water and sewer systems to MoWASA with the legal understanding that the town facilities would be improved to meet local needs.

“We needed to go back and correct a wrong,” Lea said.

The county received nine bids for the project, with the highest one at $2.2 million.

Michael S. Apke, director of the Pinehurst office of the McGill Associates engineering firm, recommended that the contract go to the Asheboro firm.

The first phase covers construction of two lift stations, about 32,600 linear feet of eight-inch C-900 PVC force main piping and all related facilities to transfer wastewater from Vass to the county’s existing No. 4 lift station in Southern Pines.

The second phase will involve construction of sewer lines to innumerable homes and businesses within town limits that have been unable to hook onto the system because the existing plant is operating at capacity.

The N.C. Rural Economic Development Center awarded the town a $1 million grant, which Vass leaders turned over to the county to be applied toward the construction cost. Other grants were also received to cover planning and related expenses.

In two other utility matters, the board approved contract amendments for the Old Town and Lake Pinehurst sewer project and approved change orders for the Lake Pinehurst lift stations replacement project.

It took two separate motions to cover the contract changes for the Old Town and Lake Pinehurst project. One adds $884.25 to the Hydrostructures contract, the other adds $19,541 to the Atlantic Coast Contractors’ contract.

Public Works Director Randy Gould explained that the amendments address a sewer main on Magnolia Road that was originally thought to be a dead end. Instead, the road continues beyond that point and branches into three additional mains, one of which is located directly below a large oak tree.

The village of Pinehurst is making plans to install a new storm drain along the shoulder of Magnolia, according to Gould.

The amendments bring the contract totals to $5,095,498 for Atlantic Coast Contractors and to $374,314 for Hydrostructures.

The change orders approved for the Lake Pinehurst lift stations replacement reduce the contract by $51,024.17. The contract with T.A. Loving now totals $2,450,405.83.

Gould explained that the change orders shift the inspection portion of the project from the contractor to the engineer.

Contact Florence Gilkeson at florence@thepilot.com.