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Pine Forest PUD Could Bring Montgomery County Water to Seven Lakes
Written by Greg Hankins, Editor   
Friday, 18 September 2009

    The Pine Forest PUD proposed for an 1,800 acre tract near West Pine Middle School could wind up paying the $3 million tab for bringing water from Montgomery County to Seven Lakes and Pinehurst. Developer Bob Hansen has offered to pay the entire cost of the "Montgomery Connector."
    Running a water main from Candor, in Montgomery County, eight-plus miles down NC Highway 211 to intersect with the county water system at Seven Lakes was the number one water supply enhancement recommended in the 2008 McGill Associates comprehensive study of the county's water options. The Montgomery Connector could provide an additional 500,000 gallons of water per day to the Moore County system.
    The Montgomery County option has vied in the minds of the public and county leaders with the option of bringing water from a mothballed water plant in Robbins to users in Southern Moore County. In recent weeks, the county's Public Utilities department has been actively negotiating with Montgomery County. Public Works Director Dennis Brobst told The Times that he feels the parties are close to having a deal.

 

    In a Neighborhood Meeting held on Wednesday night, September 16, as part of his PUD Rezoning application, Pine Forest Developer Bob Hansen explained that the 800-plus unit development would rely on the Montgomery County connection to supply water to its homes and resort hotel.
    Brobst confirmed that Hanson has proposed paying the $3 million price tag for the Montgomery County connection.
    Brobst told The Times he had met with Hanson and his consulting engineers Hobbs-Upchurch & Associates more than a year ago to discuss the proposed development's water needs. Asked to certify that the county water system could meet Pine Forest's water needs, Brobst told the developer that he could not tell existing customers that he was "going to give away capacity they had paid for."
    Asked about options for increasing water supply, Brobst recommended the Montgomery County Connector. Montgomery County draws water from the Pee Dee River at Lake Tillery, giving it an ample supply.
    And that was that — until Thursday morning, when, Brobst said, he received a letter from Hansen offering to pay to bring water from Montgomery County.
    The project will involve eight-plus miles of water mains, as well as pump station and tank upgrades needed in the Montgomery County system in order to meet Moore County's need. Those upgrades account for $689,000 of the $3 million price tag.
    Brobst was quick to caution that Moore County's Board of Commissioners has not reviewed, let alone approved, Hansen's proposal to bring water from Montgomery County. A contract between the developer and the county will be necessary.
    Hanson's PUD rezoning application is expected to be heard by the Planning Board in November or December and will also need approval from the Board of Commissioners. Approval will require a certification that water is available, so it is likely that the Commissioners will be asked to consider Hansen's offer to bring Montgomery County water down NC 211 sooner rather than later.
 
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