Lenoir seeks funds for weakened bridge and failing generator

Between the demolition and reconstruction of a bridge that can no longer support the weight of a school bus to a water treatment plant generator that struggles at the best of times, Lenoir is seeking about $5.85 million in Community Development Block Grant–Disaster Recovery funding.

Top of the list was the Arrowood Street SE bridge replacement, between N.C. 18 and Panther Trail, for which the council held a second public hearing before approving the resolution of support for the nearly $1.36 million application for Community Development Block Grant–Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funds.

$1.11 million will go toward demolition of the existing bridge and reconstruction, while the remaining approximate $248,000 will go toward grant administration costs associated with federal funding.

Constructed in 1960, the Arrowood Street bridge earned a “Poor” rating in 2024 from the National Bridge Inventory, a Federal Highway Administration database that contains the location, design, classification, and safety inspection data.

According to a memo from Kyle Case, community & economic development manager of the Western Piedmont Council of Governments (WPCOG), a load-rating analysis in July 2026 found deterioration in the bridge’s structure, which reduced weight capacity from a recommended load of 40 tons to 4.

For reference, the average midsize family sedan weighs about 1.6 to 1.8 tons.

The load-bearing capacity decrease also affected local school operations, as typical school buses exceed the lowered rating, with fully-loaded buses weighing about 12.5 to 18 tons.

Both Hibriten High School and William Lenoir Middle School have had to reroute buses since the beginning of the school year to different entrances on their campuses.

The bridge has been on the council’s radar for at least five years, working with Mattern & Craig Engineers and Surveyors to develop a FEMA grant application for the replacement back in 2021, then requesting $525,000. That application and a subsequent application in the fall of 2022 were not funded.

The city filed two new grant applications in 2025 for the project, according to city records, but Lenoir Public Works Director Jonathon Hogan said the project has not received any grant funding to date.

The cost has more than doubled in that time “due to inflationary factors such as material cost, engineering services, etc., but the scope really hasn’t expanded,” said Hogan.

Case later explained that he believes this is competitive for funding now because it checks off several of the NC Department of Commerce’s (NCDOC) priorities, such as its location in a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)-designated Most Impacted and Distressed county in relation to Helene as well as being in an NCDoC-designated Tier 1 county.

Tier 1 designation marks Caldwell as one of the 40 most economically distressed counties in the state.

GENERATOR REPLACEMENT

Minutes after approving the formal application for the bridge replacement, the council moved on to another application for just over $4.49 million for a new backup generator at the George L. Bernhardt Water Treatment Plant on Lake Rhodhiss.

Lenoir provides water for most of the county — more than 25,000 residential and commercial customers across Lenoir, Granite Falls, Hudson, Sawmills, and the Baton Water Corporation, according to Case.

A memo to the council from Case says that during Helene, the water treatment plant went without power for two days, relying solely on the backup generator.

While the generator held out, its age and outdated controls forced operators to cycle it on and off to synchronize it with the electrical grid, impacting the functionality of the pumps and creating a high-pressure zone in the system.

According to the memo, cycling led to greater wear and tear on the pumps and other components of the plant.

“The generator at the water treatment plant — the existing generator — is about 20-plus years old and it has some issues,” Case told the council at their meeting on Oct. 6. “It actually failed again, recently. As we were writing the application, they had some issues with it. Fortunately, it was not during a disaster, and it was not a critical failure.”

The new generator will not fully replace the old one but will serve as the first line of defense in case of power outages, while the old generator will remain as a back-up.

At least 45% of the funds will benefit low- and moderate-income people — a requirement of CDBG-DR grants — and will be filed as an “Urgent Need.”

PAVING THE CHURCH

First Baptist Church of Lenoir’s parking lot needs repaving in some spots, and the city and Caldwell County are chipping in to make it happen and then maintaining it for the next 20 years.

In return, the city gets public parking anytime the church is not in use on Sundays or during other special services through 2046.

The lease agreement states that the property is owned by the church, but that the city and county will “share all costs and expenses equally, on a 50/50 basis, up to $16,500 toward the costs of … repairing the low spot located at (the) stormwater infrastructure filling major cracks that exist at the time of execution of this agreement, and sealcoating and striping the parking area.”

The city will pay a contractor up to $15,975 for most of the work, with the county reimbursing Lenoir up to $8,250. The city will repair the low spot and be credited $525 toward its half of the funding. The city and county will share the costs of normal maintenance and upkeep.

Should the church terminate the agreement within the two decades, per the lease, it must repay the city and county 5% of the funds for each year that has passed since the agreement.

The city and county have historically leased the property, but the lot will remain the property of the church, and it reserves the right to designate parking spaces for church staff and handicapped spaces.

Mayor Joe Gibbons and Councilmember David Stevens are both active members in the church and requested to be recused from the vote.