Ottaray Mill Village hurdle cleared

Funding is on the way for the Ottaray Mill Village Renaissance Project.

During last Tuesday’s Union County Council meeting, Ted Trantham, representing the Ottaray community, asked about the status of a $500,000 grant for the project.  He said people in the community are interested in cleaning it up.

“If you’re asking do we get the grant, I’m pretty comfortable we will,” supervisor Tommy Sinclair said.

The project has been in limbo for more than three years.  Surveys were taken, committees were formed and the project was awarded a $500,000 Community Development Block Grant from the state in April of 2013.

The environmental review of the project has been awaiting approval from the Army Corps of Engineers’ wetlands division.  Although there are no wetlands in the neighborhood, the project is close enough to a wetland area that it could have an impact, according to officials with the Catawba Regional Council of Governments, which handles grant applications for the county.

The Corps of Engineers finally approved the project three weeks ago, Sinclair said.  That cleared the way for the S.C. Commerce Department to release the money, he said.

“This has been as frustrating for us as it has for you,” he said.

Bids will be opened on Nov. 13 for the first phase of the project, Sinclair said.  Plans for the first phase include sewer line and storm drain improvements on portions of Second and Third streets and repaving of portions of those streets.

By Graham Williams, Staff Reporter with the Union County News