Water coming to Ivanhoe

Sep. 14—At long last, bolstered by the receipt of a $13 million state grant, Ivanhoe will be getting a public water system.

The announcement has garnered collective shouts of gratitude, sighs of relief and calls to action from residents in the southern end of Sampson, who will see a new system designed and constructed to provide potable water service to the area. The county recently received confirmation of the state's intent to fund the Ivanhoe water project, and the Sampson County Board of Commissioners were delivered the official announcement at Monday's board meeting.

David Ross, assistant project manager for Dewberry Engineers, gave special thanks to Sampson County Commissioner Lethia Lee and Sampson County Public Works staff, including director Lin Reynolds, who he said all diligently worked to bring water to the southern portion of the county.

"I want to thank everyone, including my partners, because without them, none of this would have been possible," said Lee. "We all worked together to get this done, and we are so grateful that it happened. After 20 years of our goal being to get water in Ivanhoe, we finally made it. And we are so grateful."

"I know everyone wants to say something," Lee remarked to laughs, calling on Ivanhoe staple and community champion Russell Devane to offered comments at Monday's meeting.

"I am from the big city of Ivanhoe, North Carolina, and I'm proud to live there," said Devane. "We want to thank God first of all, and I know that God put everyone in place. We've been working on this a long time and, on behalf of all the residents of Ivanhoe, we'd like to say we thank God for putting everybody in place. A lot of folks had their hands in it. To God be the glory."

A funding application was submitted to the Division of Water Infrastructure (DWI) in the spring to request funding for the project. On Aug. 24, the Letter of Intent to Fund was sent to the county, stating that $13,283,000 of funding from the American Rescue Plan Act was awarded to Sampson County. The ARPA funding will be 100% grant on all eligible project costs.

The project will require the development of a water supply and water distribution system. Water main extensions proposed as part of the initial project will be identified to stay within the project budget with engineers anticipating that future projects will be required to build out the system and offer water service to other residents who desire a connection.

The infrastructure improvements required for the water supply system include: site preparation; well head assembly and drilling (two wells are proposed for redundancy and reliability); chemical feed system; water storage tank; back-up generator and concrete pad; associated electrical and system controls; site piping; water main extensions to connect residences within the Ivanhoe area to the proposed system; and residential water service meters and connections.

It is assumed a water treatment system will not be required, engineers said.

The need and desire for public water was one that has echoed throughout the years, however an earnest effort mobilized in recent years and months that saw public outreach peak and a bevy of Ivanhoe residents voicing their concerns at county board meetings.

Earlier this year, Ed Gillim, spoke about just how important a water supply in Ivanhoe is to its residents.

"Bringing public water to Ivanhoe would promote growth, as indicated in my presentation," Gillim continued. "It would give the community the same comforts that other taxpaying citizens are given throughout Sampson County."

"Ivanhoe may be small in size, but the people are big in heart and survival ... I pray the County Commissioners will not forget about the 'southern end of the county, because I can assure you the rest of the state has not forgotten and have heard our cry," he added.

During the public comment section at the tail end of Monday's meeting, other residents of southern Sampson County expressed their satisfaction and relief for the grant award. They also looked ahead.

"I would first and foremost like to congratulate the citizens of Ivanhoe on their hard-won fight to bring public water to their community," said Latonya Montgomery Gillim of Garland. "Now the work begins. Basking in the success of receiving the funding grant is not an option. Now's the time to get door-knockers and applications out and in the hands of the people."

Having a tab on the website is not enough, she said. Many in the elder population don't have the means or knowledge to access the website, Gillim noted.

"Face-to-face interaction will be needed to get the water flowing into each and every eligible home," Gillim implored. "No one should be left out because they do not have internet or computer access. True leadership means beating your feet on the street in order to avoid a Lakewood repeat. The word is officially out that (the state) awarded Ivanhoe over $13 million to bring water into the homes, and everybody in Sampson County is watching. And across the state, they are watching as well."

Arlene McKoy of Garland was attached to the petition for the Ivanhoe water project, and she inquired as to when the project would come to fruition.

According to state officials. the intent to fund is contingent on approval of the loan through the Local Government Commission and on meeting several milestones. A timetable was provided, giving an insight on how residents should expect the project will be phased in.

It is expected that an engineering report will be submitted by Dec. 1, 2022 and approved by May 1, 2023. A bid and design package will then be submitted by Nov. 1, 2023 and approved by March 1, 2024. The project can then be advertised, with bids received, bid information submitted and the authority to award granted by July 1, 2024. Construction contracts can be executed by Aug.1, 2024.

Editor Chris Berendt can be reached at 910-592-8137 ext. 2587.