The latest phase in the Town of Lockhart’s ongoing effort to upgrade its infrastructure had its formal conclusion Wednesday afternoon and the town is already looking at securing funding for the next phase.
The town held a public hearing Wednesday afternoon at the Lockhart Town Hall to review Lockhart’s most recent infrastructure improvement project. Since 2002, Lockhart has used a series of Community Development Block Grants from the S.C. Department of Commerce to help finance the upgrade of its water and sewer systems. Each grant requires a local match.
Mayor Ailene Ashe said Wednesday that when a project is completed a public hearing must be held to review its results. She said the project just completed primarily involved the upgrade of the sewer systems running from North 1st Street to North 5th Street and from Lockhart Drive to Summit Drive. It also involved the upgrade of the six-inch water line running along North 3rd Street from Lockhart Drive to Summit Drive.
The grant the town received for the project totaled $500,000 and was matched with approximately $160,000 in C-Funds the town received for the repair of sidewalks and roads affected by the sewer and water system upgrades.
Ashe said that since it received its first grant in 2002, the town has been able to upgrade almost its entire water system. She said that with water system upgrades nearly complete, the town is focusing more on the upgrade of it sewer system. With the completion of the most recent project, Ashe said the town is already looking forward to its next upgrade project and will apply for a grant for that in April 2014.
By Charles Warner, Staff Reporter with The Union Daily Times