Newton Grove officials are staying optimistic despite a paperwork setback that has temporarily delayed a major infrastructure grant aimed at modernizing the town’s water and sewer systems.
Mayor Craig Warren confirmed during Monday night’s town board meeting that the town’s long-awaited $1.2 million state grant, which will fund new electrical control panels and an expanded SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) monitoring system, has hit an unexpected pause in the approval process.
According to Warren, the delay stemmed from a transition within the Mid-Carolina Regional Council, the agency assisting Newton Grove with the grant paperwork.
“The gentleman who was handling our paperwork took it home and never got it forwarded to Raleigh,” Warren explained. “We were under the assumption that it had already been sent in. When we found out it hadn’t, we immediately started making calls.”
The paperwork, he said, is now in the hands of a supervisor in Fayetteville, and a new project manager has been assigned to take over. The mayor and the town’s contracted water and sewer director, Glenn Holland, have already been in touch with the replacement official to ensure the process gets back on track.
“I didn’t know what the holdup was, because we had done everything required on our end over a month ago,” Warren said. “They told us everything was acceptable in Raleigh — it was just a matter of getting it submitted and waiting on the release of the money.”
Even with the setback, Warren said he remains confident that the town will ultimately receive the grant.
“I’m optimistic,” he said. “We haven’t been told anything different. It’s just taking time, and any time you’re dealing with the state and money, it’s slow. But I still feel good about it.”
The funds are crucial for Newton Grove’s utility operations, where aging infrastructure continues to strain daily maintenance. The town’s SCADA system—a digital network that monitors water levels, pumps, and treatment equipment—has been partially offline for months.
“Our SCADA is down,” Warren said. “The company that originally put the system in has patched it just enough to keep us from being totally manual. It’s got electrical issues, and it’s just not a good repair. We’re running, but it takes more manual work to keep everything up.”
Holland, who also oversees Mount Olive’s water and sewer operations, has continued to manage Newton Grove’s system with the help of backup monitoring.
“When SCADA is working right, it sends an alarm if the water level in the tank drops too low or if a pump runs too long,” Warren explained. “It goes straight to Glenn’s phone, and he can act right away. Without that, we’re depending more on manual checks, and that slows everything down.”
The mayor said he believes part of the delay may be related to broader gridlock in state government.
“There’s been a lot going on in Raleigh lately, kind of like what you see in D.C., people not agreeing with each other,” Warren said. “I don’t know if that’s affecting us, but when you’re talking about a grant this size — more than a million dollars — and with so many other towns in line for the same type of funding, it just takes time.”
Despite the frustration, Warren emphasized that communication with Mid-Carolina Regional Council and the new project lead has resumed, and Holland has been asked to coordinate directly with them as the town awaits formal release of funds.
“We’ve done our part,” Warren said. “Now it’s about being patient, staying on top of it, and making sure nothing else falls through the cracks.”
The wastewater plant upgrades are part of Newton Grove’s broader effort to modernize its municipal operations—from digital transparency to infrastructure rehabilitation. Warren reiterated that while progress may be slow, the town remains focused on long-term improvement.
“This is about getting Newton Grove where it needs to be for the next 30 years,” he said. “We’re updating, modernizing, and doing things the right way. It might take longer than we hoped, but we’re not stopping.”