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MOUNT OLIVE — It’s the biggest, and most expensive, problem plaguing the town of Mount Olive for years — water. Specifically, stormwater, wastewater, and the treatment of wastewater. The topic again dominated discussion during Monday’s meeting of the Mount Olive Board of Commissioners.
During one of three public hearings, engineers David Honeycutt and Cameron Long of McGill Associates, a Raleigh-based firm, presented key findings from the town’s newly completed 186-page Stormwater Master Plan Report.
The study identified three major areas in Mount Olive that experience significant flooding during rain events. Beyond property damage and safety concerns, this flooding may also be contributing to infiltration into the town’s wastewater system, which remains under a state-imposed moratorium due to repeated overflows into state waters. The moratorium prohibits any additional wastewater flow, halting both residential and commercial development until the town achieves compliance.
According to the report, bringing stormwater issues under control could be a crucial step toward resolving the wastewater treatment plant’s deficiencies. The report recommends major improvements in three flood-prone areas — near Piggly Wiggly, the Mount Olive Family Medical Center, and the 100 block of North Church Street — with estimated construction costs exceeding $34 million.
Commissioners expressed frustration that previous studies dating back to 2006 had already identified several problem areas, yet no major repair work has ever been completed. Commissioner Delreese Simmons questioned why earlier recommendations for the Maple Street area were never acted upon, while Commissioner Danny Keel noted that the town has spent substantial sums on studies over the years without seeing tangible results.
That frustration carried into later discussions, when the board was asked to both approve the new Stormwater Master Plan presented by McGill and authorize $4.7 million in grant-funded partial improvements to the wastewater treatment plant, to be completed by Bowen Engineering. The board ultimately voted to table both measures until the three newly elected commissioners take office in January.
Although Interim Town Manager Glenn Holland was absent due to illness, his written report read aloud by Town Clerk Sherry Davis revealed that Mount Olive self-reported a moratorium violation to the state in July. The report also confirmed that the town had missed two deadlines in making required repairs to specific parts of the wastewater collection and treatment system, resulting in fines of $100 per day for five days, escalating to $500 per day for continued noncompliance.
In addition, the town received a notice of violation for exceeding allowable weekly averages of Ammonia Nitrogen in treated wastewater. Mayor Jerome Newton stated that the issue was traced to illegal dumping by a company in Calypso, which discharges into Mount Olive’s wastewater system.
In other business:
In a separate public hearing, the board considered a request from Fun House Café to extend operational hours for electronic gaming businesses to 24 hours daily. Current town regulations limit gaming operations to Monday–Saturday, 7 a.m. to midnight, and Sundays, 10 a.m. to midnight.
Several residents spoke out against approving the request citing concerns that in addition to the three known gaming operations in town, several others were operating in the shadows and in violation of town ordinances. Commissioner Tommy Brown, a seasoned law enforcement officer, also spoke out against the request.
“From my experience, these businesses attract a certain criminal element,” Brown said.
The board voted to maintain the current hour restrictions on electronic gaming operations in town.
Prior to the public hearings, Town Attorney Carroll Turner made a rare request to speak during the public comment period. Turner said he made the request as a citizen and not in his official capacity as the town’s attorney.
Turner praised the town’s police and fire departments for quickly responding when his staff reported a possible fire at his office. When emergency crews arrived, they discovered the smoke was coming from an unvented stove in the next-door building, which also housed an illegal gaming operation and alcohol.
