Andrews Mayor James Reid hopes a new part-time grant writer will help the town find more ways to
address its deteriorating streets.
The town is set to receive a total of $55,037.59 within the next three months from Powell Bill funds that North Carolina municipalities receive annually, including $27,518.80 that was already distributed to the town in late September. However, Reid said Andrews’ annual allocation only covers a fraction of its much-needed street improvements.
“Obviously, if you drive from one end of Andrews to the other, about all the streets need attention,” Reid said. “One of the biggest concerns we have is our Main Street needing to be repaved from one end to the other.
“I’d say in Andrews you could spend $1 million and still not get everything done. We appreciate the state’s efforts and what they do, but we need more money just to maintain what we’ve got.”
Reid expected the Andrews Board of Aldermen to approve the hiring of a part-time grant writer during Tuesday night’s monthly meeting, which took place after the Cherokee Scout’s weekly press deadline. He said finding ways to fund Andrews’ needed street repair is a priority.
“We’re constantly going after grants and we should have a grant writer in place (now),” Reid said. “She should come aboard and start helping with that, but we’re always looking for grants or any way that we can make our dollars go further.”
The N.C. Department of Transportation is distributing more than $154.8 million in State Street Aid to Municipalities, known as Powell Bill funds, to 508 municipalities statewide. The initial allocation, or half of the total appropriation, was distributed during the final week of September, while the other half will be paid by Jan. 1, 2023.
Powell Bill funds are used primarily to resurface municipal streets but also may be used to maintain, repair, construct or widen streets, bridges and drainage areas. Municipalities can also use the money to plan, construct and maintain bike paths, greenways or sidewalks.
“Powell Bill funding allows us to complete a lot of transportation projects important to North Carolina communities from Murphy to Manteo,” State Transportation Secretary Eric Boyette said. “Municipalities can use these funds on projects that make our state a wonderful place to live, work and play.”
The amount each municipality receives is based on a formula established by state law, with 75 percent of the funds based on population and 25 percent based on the number of municipality-maintained street miles. The annual population figures are provided by the Office of State Budget and Management.
Meanwhile, Murphy will receive a total of $59,599.44, including $29,799.73 that was already paid. Town Manager Chad Simons said he expects this year’s Powell Bill funds to be used for routine maintenance.
“A few years ago we extended the sidewalk from Ivey Funeral Home all the way to the new Carquest (Auto Parts),” Simons said. “It was about 1,600 linear feet of new sidewalk construction.
“There are no big projects we have budgeted this year in the Powell Bill fund. In the near future, not this fiscal year but possibly next and the fiscal years thereafter, we may look at paving Payne Street, where the boat ramp is located.”
The Powell fund is named for Junius K. Powell, a former state senator and mayor of Whiteville. Powell was the primary sponsor of the 1951 bill to help the state’s cities with urban road problems. The first allocation of Powell Bill funds was for $4.5 million and was distributed to 386 cities and towns.
A complete list of the municipalities receiving Powell Bill funds, the amounts they are receiving and details about the program is on the DOT website. A pdf document showing the list of municipalities receiving funds (titled “2022 State Street-Aid Allocations Report-Oct”) can be found at https://bit.ly/3BMS115.