Thomasville Council Reviews Sewer System Assessment, Approves Millions in Carver Park Grant Funding
The Thomasville City Council briefing meeting on September 14 centered on a detailed look at the condition of the city's sewer system, along with several budget actions tied to the ongoing Carver Park and Strickland Center redevelopment project.
Sewer System Assessment Shows Aging Infrastructure
The bulk of the meeting was devoted to a presentation from Aditi Kalyanam of Withers Ravenel, who walked the council through the results of a citywide Sewer Asset Inventory and Assessment (AIA), funded through a $400,000 state grant. The program is designed to help utilities move from reactive repairs to proactive, long-term asset management.
As part of the project, consultants updated the city's GIS mapping, digitized old record drawings, and collected new field data — including survey information, invert and manhole rim elevations, pipe sizes and materials — to build a complete picture of the system. According to the presentation, Thomasville's sewer network includes roughly 208 miles of gravity mains, about 125,000 linear feet of force mains, nearly 4,900 manholes, and 27 pump stations.
Using that data, the consultants evaluated each asset's likelihood of failure and the consequences if it did fail — for example, weighing whether a line runs near a waterway, under a state highway, or serves a hospital or school. The analysis found that about 40% of the city's gravity mains and manholes fall into the high or very-high likelihood-of-failure category, largely due to age, while roughly 7% of gravity mains and 5% of manholes were identified as high consequence of failure.
Combining those two factors, the team prioritized projects into tiers, recommending immediate rehabilitation or replacement for lines already known to be in poor condition based on video inspection data, and phased CCTV inspections for older lines where condition data doesn't yet exist. The plan also calls for rehabilitating roughly 50 manholes identified as being in poor condition.
Beyond the 10-year capital improvement plan, the consultants also built a long-range life-cycle model to help the city plan financially for assets that are in good shape now but will eventually need replacement. That model recommends the city set aside about $500,000 annually to keep gravity mains in fair condition over the next 50 years, and about $250,000 annually for manholes over the next 30 years.
Recommendations going forward include updating the GIS mapping and project cost estimates annually, building a preventative maintenance schedule, coordinating sewer work with NCDOT paving projects to avoid repaving streets twice, and continuing to pursue state grant and low-interest loan programs to help fund the identified projects.
Budget Amendments Approved
The council also approved a budget amendment covering several items:
Roughly $132,000 from the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation to fund $1,750 appreciation bonuses for sworn local law enforcement personnel employed as of June 30, 2026, to be paid in mid-October.
$5,000 in grant funding from the North Carolina League of Municipalities' Risk Management Services Insurance Pool Safety grant program, providing 50% reimbursement toward the purchase of 22 water-filled barricades for the Fire, Police and Public Works departments.
$4,900 transferred from General Fund contingency to cover a gift card incentive tied to the city's Climate Workplace Survey Services Agreement with the UNC School of Government, leaving a General Fund contingency balance of $495,100.
A $10,000 contribution from the High Point Jaycees to support beautification efforts at Finchfield, home of the High Toms, with thanks extended to Tourism's Cameron Marsden and the Recreation Department's Corey Tobin for coordinating the project.
Roughly $146,000 from the Recreation Reserve and approximately $362,000 from unassigned general fund balance, appropriated as the city's local contribution toward the CDBG-NR grant for construction improvements at Strickland Center and Carver Park.
$2,150 in the beautification fund from donations tied to the Light Up the Holidays event.
One council member noted the irony of repeatedly approving withdrawals from the city's unrestricted fund balance, saying they've historically been the one pushing for closer monitoring of that spending.
Carver Park and Strickland Center Project Moves Forward
Council approved a project ordinance establishing an estimated $3.7 million budget for the Carver Park/Strickland Center CDBG-NR grant project. That figure includes just under $3.2 million in grant funding for construction and administration, $200,000 set aside for additional engineering and design costs, and roughly $307,000 in contingency funds.
Council also voted to formally accept an additional $2,246,138.70 in CDBG-NR grant funding, on top of $950,000 previously appropriated for the project, bringing the total project funding to $3.19 million from the state. City staff emphasized the urgency of accepting the funds, noting the grant must be fully spent by next August and reported out by November, or the city risks losing it. Accepting the grant clears the way for environmental review to begin.
Finally, the council approved a second grant administration agreement with the Piedmont Triad Regional Council of Government (PTRC), which will now manage both tranches of Carver Park funding. City staff noted PTRC agreed to manage the second, larger tranche of funds for $60,000 — bringing the city's total obligation to PTRC to roughly $116,000, which covers the required environmental review and associated fees.
Looking Ahead
The council previewed next week's regular meeting agenda, which will include two proclamations — one for Hispanic Heritage Month and one for Breast Cancer Awareness Month — along with a presentation on the Carver Park/Strickland Center redevelopment update.
Regular agenda items next week are expected to include a lease amendment with the High Toms baseball club (prompted by a change in league affiliation that affects alcohol sales at Finchfield), a revised special event permit process, and an amendment to the Water Tower lease agreement with Verizon Wireless. Several other items — including a coin-payment policy update, Dove Park resurfacing, temporary road closures for Light Up the Holidays and the Thomasville Christmas Parade, and a resolution retiring a badge and sidearm for a retiring law enforcement officer — are expected to move forward on the consent agenda.
