MURFREESBORO – After months of haggling over regulatory delays, the town of Murfreesboro has secured the necessary permits to begin the construction phase of the waster water treatment expansion.

The town still must finalize the loan process to have their plan and specifications documents submitted to the N.C. Division of Water Quality (NCDWQ), but Finch/Boney engineer Robert Graham was optimistic about the start of the project.

&uot;I’m hopeful that we can get started by the end of the year,’ Graham said. &uot;The NCDWQ is currently reviewing the sludge removal plan.&uot;

Finch/Boney, the firm that has been hired to design and construct the expansion, is attempting to lessen the cost of sludge removal from the expansion area by applying it to existing wetlands as well as those to be created for the expansion.

Graham explained that his office had already notified County Manager Loria Williams concerning the expansion project as required by the North Carolina Division of Coastal Management (NCDCM) and was awaiting a spreadsheet from NCDWQ.

&uot;We have received an acknowledgement of receipt from the county manager,&uot; Graham said &uot;NCDWQ has a spreadsheet to help us determine how much of the sludge can be spread per acre.&uot;

In other council news:

The Murfreesboro Planning Board sent a request to the council to adopt an amendment that would create a conditional use statute for property owners looking to establish, apartments, boarding houses and boarding rooms in Murfreesboro’s central business district.

The amendment was created to fill the void in current town ordinances that have no contingency permit plan for any future request to establish such properties.

Town Administrator Molly Eubank explained that the planning board was attempting to be proactive.

&uot;Some businesses on Main Street have two stories that could possibly be used as apartments in the future,&uot; Eubank said. &uot;There are some entities such as townhouses and bed and breakfast lodges that have no current definitions in our town ordinances.&uot;

Councilwoman Gloria Odom said the planning board might be moving too fast.

&uot;It seems as though we’re putting the cart before the horse here,&uot; Odom said. &uot;How can we address this issue when the parameters are still being defined.&uot;

Councilman Lloyd Hill was not enthused about the planning board’s amendment.

&uot;Personally I’m opposed to anything that resembles a rooming or boarding house in the central business district,&uot; Hill said. &uot;We’ll end up with a flop house in the middle of town.&uot;

Councilman Bill Theodorakis suggested the council send the amendment back to the planning board for further review.