ELIZABETHTOWN — This month’s town council meeting was highlighted by PFAS level water testing results, upgrading lodging to keep tourists in, and townwide maintnence.

The afternoon meeting gave the rundown of things going on in town and how future investment will impact the growth of Elizabethtown.

Clean drinking water has been a nationwide issue, but fortunately that isn’t a problem here locally. The 5 wells in the area were tested for PFAS and results came back at normal levels. PFAS is a human-made chemical that can be found in numerous substances such as cleaning products, waxes, paints, food packaging and several other products. These chemicals are considered dangerous due to its inability to break down which increase the risk of birth defects and chance of cancer.

PFAS was discovered in 1 of the 5 wells but it was well below the national average and can be traced back to fire-fighting equipment. The local drinking water was deemed safer than neighboring Brunswick County. Town officials actively monitor drinking water twice a year to keep pace with national standards.

The town manager Dane Rideout says the process for adding an additional well is currently ongoing. Estimated cost for an additional well will cost upwards to half-a-million dollars to $700,000. Another hot topic at this month’s meeting was the need for additional lodging to keep visitors in the town.

Elizabethtown and the surrounding area is a hotbed for specialized events that bring visitors from around the state but the lack of lodging has forced tourists into staying overnight elsewhere. This issue is finally being addressed in the form of new lodging near Tory Hole Park. According to the chamber of commerce tourism is up 30% from 2018 and there’s been a trend of a younger crowd making the journey to Tory Hole.

“More lodging will be good for bringing people back to Elizabethtown and keeping them here”, said Elizabethtown mayor Sylvia Campbell. Campbell and Rideout propose collaborating and leasing with an investor in the area in order to get the project up running. More lodging will benefit the local economy in the long run and Rideout stresses the importance of capitalizing on tourism that these special events attract.

“Our town is unique because the river runs through it,” said Campbell. “We should look to clear the treeline and make the river more of a focal point for tourism.”

Investment was the common theme at this month’s meeting and that includes town wide maintenance. Lights for highway 701 is currently a work in progress and the Department of Transportation is helping with resurfacing the runway at the local airport. The resurfacing project for the airport cost around $420,000 but the county has offered $300,000 in assistance.

A few of the town council members sat down with state Senator Danny Britt to discuss allocation of state funds in order to prioritize 3 different road projects. These projects include a road extension by industrial park, finishing the road by Bordeaux property, and paving over divots on the airport runway. The town council has submitted an application to the state for an $86,000 grant to help assist in the Storm Water Project. Rideout believes there’s a 50/50 chance that the application will be accepted.