The Daily Southerner, Tarboro, NC

Local News

January 30, 2013

Edgecombe gives update on Princeville water, sewer

Board invites LGC back for open citizen meeting

The Daily Southerner Calvin Adkins

TARBORO — PRINCEVILLE — If you see a little smoke coming up in various areas in town,  don’t fret. It’s Edgecombe County performing a test of the town’s sewer system. The test which was scheduled to start Jan. 21, began Tuesday according to Michael Matthews, utilities director for Edgecombe County. Matthews was giving an update to the Princeville Board of Commissioners Monday night.

Matthews said smoke could come from houses’ vent stacks or holes in the ground. He reiterated strongly that the smoke is non-toxic and harmless. He also said the smoke should not enter the homes unless there is defective plumbing or dried up drain traps.

If smoke enter homes, homeowners should contact the Edgecombe County utility department.

Information gained from the test will be used to check for leaks, which will help reduce the cost to operate the system.

At the request of the Local Government Commission, Edgecombe County took over Princeville’s system in December. The town had serious problems with the upkeep of the system as well as a poor bill collection rate. A payment plan established by the town allowed water and sewer customers to run up huge account balances.

Edgecombe received a matching grant to perform the study. Matthews said the study should be completed within two weeks if the weather permits.

Matthew also reported the system appears to be in decent shape and is not losing enough water to cause any concerns.

On a down note, Matthew reported that service to 80 customers was cut off in December and another 95 are on the cut off list for January. Cut offs were scheduled to start on Tuesday.

In other business,

• Interim town manager Maggie Boyd announced that T. Vance Holloman, deputy treasurer of the N.C. Department of Treasurer, will call another meeting to update the citizens on the status of the town since the Local Government Commission took over its finances in July. Holloman and his team’s first meeting was in August at Princeville Elementary School. Boyd, mayor Priscilla Everette-Oates and commissioner Isabelle Purvis-Andrews did not attend the meeting.

Boyd said she invited Hollmon to attend Monday’s meeting at the town hall, but he deferred.

• Eddie Stock, Edgecombe-Martin County Electric Membership Corp. vice president of membership and industrial development, informed the board that his company will move its substation on Ridgewood Road in Princeville to a site at the intersection of Hwy. 64 alternate and N.C. Highway 111. Stocks said the Ridgewood site was built in 1947 and a new substation is needed.

• Announced the hiring of new police officer, Brandon Hollifield, Hollifield is a seven-year law enforcement officer veteran. He began work on Tuesday.

• Town attorney Chuck Watts attended the meeting for the first time since LGC took over the town finances. During previous meetings he listened in via telephone. 

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