It will mark the beginning of the end of water problems that have plagued the town for decades.

Much of the main system was installed in 1925. Clogged and broken pipes have been a neverending problem for the public works department. Discolored and bad-tasting water has bothered residents.

Thursday afternoon, town officials met with engineers and representatives of the general contractor. They went over the project that will affect virtually every area of town and made a few changes.

The project will cost more than $2.4 million and take just over a year to complete. Work crews will install many new lines and replace thousands of feet of old lines.

R.F. Shinn Contractor Inc. of Concord is the general contractor.

Where possible, crews will work on lines in sidewalk areas, disrupting traffic as little as possible.

After the pre-construction meeting at the Municipal Building, officials went to the Ketchie Street spot where digging is scheduled to start.

Alderman Vernon Johnson briefly talked about the project. Johnson, who led the effort to secure a state loan for the project, thanked board members and others for their support on the project.

He pledged to continue efforts to get state grants and loans to carry out a similar sewer project.

Board members agreed Thursday to some changes in the work schedule.

Pipe replacement on Main Street will be done near the end of the project. Johnson said one block will be done at a time to reduce disruption.

If the 8-inch pipe needed for the Ketchie Street section isn’t immediately available, construction will start on N.C. 152 with installation of 12-inch line.

Among a few glitches that surfaced Thursday is difficulty in getting new fire hydrants. Johnson said the large number of water projects under way has created a supply problem.

Public Works Director Kent Mishak said this week that the new water lines will provide better water quality as well as more consistent pressure throughout the town.

The improved pressure and flow is a key element in the state fire insurance ratings, Mishak said. He added that the town’s rating should improve, reducing fire insurance premiums.

The hardware that will go in the ground includes:

• 33,000 feet of 12-inch line. Most will be on N.C. 152, Miller Road, Main Street, Thom Street, U.S. 29, Patterson Avenue and Elm Street.
• 7,500 feet of eight-inch line. It will be primarily installed on a section of Ketchie Street and all of Franklin Street.
• 11,000 feet of six-inch line. It will be installed in areas all over town, including Stokes Street, Grove Street, Haney Street, Third Avenue, Eudy Road and other streets.
• In addition to other lines, crews will install 61 new hydrants and replace 425 service connections and 105 new valves.