Surveyors begin work in Groseclose

By DAN KEGLEY/Staff

Groseclose residents will receive visitors this week as surveyors go door-to-door gathering information to support a grant to help pay for a new sewer line in the area. The household survey begins tomorrow and will continue through Feb. 29 between the Merillat plant and Exit 54 at Groseclose, said Sally Morgan, Smyth County’s economic development planner.
The survey will gauge the community’s eligibility for a state grant for part of the estimated $4 million installation of public sewer line in the area. The project would extend the Atkins sewer line that currently ends where U.S. 11 passes beneath Interstate 18 near the Merillat plant.
“The purpose of the survey is to determine if the area is eligible for a Community Development Block Grant from the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development,” Morgan said.  “If it is determined by the survey results to be eligible, we would still have to submit a proposal that will compete with many other projects from across the state for a limited amount of funds.”
Morgan said to be eligible, at least 51 percent of the area’s residents must be low and moderate income. The grant proposal must document a strong need for the project.
“If we can show significant problems from failing septic systems in the area, this will help provide a more competitive proposal,” she said. Health Department records may be used in addition to data about conditions collected by the survey.
Local matching funds “should be in place” or officials must demonstrate “at least a very strong possibility of receiving them in a timely manner,” Morgan said.
Morgan said the county will likely apply for CDBG’s maximum grant amount, $1 million.
The planner said the county faces a “significant funding gap” for the project “because we have been unable to obtain a federal grant that we applied for last year.  Our current funding plan would require the $1 million CDBG grant.  If we cannot qualify for this grant, we will continue to seek other sources.”
In 2007 Smyth County applied for a $2 million federal Economic Development Administration grant for the project that was based on growth needs in the east Smyth County area.
The Economic Development Administration grant application addressed potential commercial growth in the east-central area of the county. The application said, “Additional opportunities for industrial growth and recruitment are vital for the long-term economic health of the region, and the Exit 54 area is a priority area for industrial and commercial development in the county. Currently, the lack of public sewer service at Exit 54 has resulted in the inability of existing businesses to successfully serve the public. Existing businesses that will receive immediate benefits from this project include two convenience stores, a motel, a manufacturing business, and a restaurant. The project will also result in the opportunity for industrial reopenings and expansions, as well as the ability to recruit new industries to the county.”
Employees of the Mount Rogers Planning District Commission and students from Emory & Henry College will be conducting the survey during daylight hours, Morgan said. She will ask MRPDC to make sure the surveyors have “some kind of documentation on them” to prove their identity.
The surveyors will contact residents that could be eligible, based on their home’s location, for sewer service. Most of the houses in the survey lie along U.S. 11, but a few are situated along side roads.
“Just over 100 residential structures were identified in the preliminary engineering report,” Morgan said. “Some of these will be vacant, so the number of surveys to be done will be less.”
The typical survey visit will take about five minutes.
The questions at each stop will ascertain the size of the household, the range of household income. Morgan emphasized income information will remain confidential and the income data from the community will be “aggregated together… to determine if the area qualifies for the grant.” For each resident, only an income range is indicated. No specific dollar figures will be collected, she said.
The surveyor will document each household’s type of water supply and wastewater disposal and problems experienced with either water or sewer, Morgan said. 
“Of course, we are particularly interested in whether their septic systems are malfunctioning as this documentation will help build the case for need for public sewer,” she said.  Residents’ willingness to connect to a public sewer system will also be factored in, including the availability of complete indoor plumbing systems.
“I assume that most of the residents are on the county water system, but private septic systems,” Morgan said. 
County Engineer Scott Simpson predicted a year ago the project would take six months to secure permits followed by nine to 12 months for actual construction.
“The survey taker will ask the questions and complete the survey and then ask the resident to sign it after going over it if they need to,” Morgan said.
Respondents will be expected to answer surveyors’ questions truthfully. In fact, residents queried will be asked to sign the questionnaire on a line above this statement: “I certify that the information contained in this survey is true and accurate to the best of my knowledge.” That certification is followed by an explanation: “It is a Federal offense to make willfully false statements or misrepresentations when participating in the Virginia Community Development Block Grant program.”
A flyer announcing the coming survey said, “We appreciate your cooperation and help. If you have any questions, please contact Lynn McKinney at 783-5103, Ext. 319.”
Last October, the Southern Rivers Watershed Enhancement Program awarded Smyth County a $1 million grant from to be used on the sewer construction project. The award was part of a more than $7 million package announced by Gov. Tim Kaine for water improvement projects in 12 localities and a planning district.
SRWEP is designed to improve the water quality of Virginia’s non-Chesapeake Bay watersheds and is funded through Virginia’s Water Quality Improvement Fund.