By Susan Dickson
Staff Writer
Orange County will submit an application on Friday for a block grant to fund water and sewer hookups for eight homes in the Rogers Road neighborhood.
The N.C. Department of Commerce’s Division of Community Assistance invited the county to apply for $75,000 in Community Development Block Grant funds for an Infrastructure Hook-Up program. The Orange County Board of Commissioners held two public hearings on the grant application, one on Tuesday and the other earlier this month. Members of the Rogers Road community spoke at the first public hearing to urge the board to consider using the potential grant funds to provide water and sewer connections for homes in their neighborhood.
“This $75,000 grant would fit right into the Rogers Road neighborhood,†said Robert Campbell, a leader in the community. “We have several homes that have contaminated water. We have families that have been affected by the contaminated water.
“We want to try to improve our community as development is occurring around our community but is leaving us behind. This is the opportunity to move us forward with development,†he added. “We’ve watched funds pass us by to other programs.â€
The neighborhood has been home to the Orange County Landfill for more than 35 years.
“With determination, dedication and collaboration we have slowly accomplished our goal of infrastructure in our community many times, one house at a time,†Campbell said. “After all these years, with your help we can … see the light at the end of the tunnel.â€
County staff worked with members of the Rogers Road community to identify low- and moderate-income households in need of water and/or sewer connections, and included eight such homes in the grant application.