Milton looks for federal grant for Sam Lucas Road facility

Milton Town Council is set to debate and possibly vote on a proposal by the town to seek federal funding for a new public works facility on Sam Lucas Road.

The measure will be discussed at the council's Monday, June 2 meeting. 

The idea of a new public works facility on town-owned land on Sam Lucas Road has been in the works for some time, with funding being the main issue. The town sought money for the project in 2023. Sen. Chris Coons and then-Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester requested $2.5 million in federal funds, mostly from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development Program, but other funds were part of the federal agriculture bill. 

However, that funding never happened after House Democrats balked at a version of the agriculture bill that included severe cuts to social programs such as the supplemental nutrition program for women, infants and children; renewable energy programs; and inserting riders related to abortion access. Then-President Joe Biden ended up signing a version of the 2018 agriculture bill that did not include funding for the Milton project. 

Now, the town is seeking $2 million from the USDA Rural Development Program with a matching $1.7 million in funds from the state Community Redevelopment Reinvestment Fund, which the town has applied for for fiscal year 2025. 

The most recent proposal for the facility is to have two buildings: one would serve as office and meeting space, while the other is intended for equipment and materials storage. Town officials have said the reason for moving the public works headquarters is because the department has outgrown its current facility on Front Street and has increased storage needs.

The land for a new public works facility was acquired in 2018 when Loblolly LLC gave the town 10 acres of an 80-acre tract of farmland it owns. The original deal was that 5 acres would be used for a new wastewater treatment plant and the other 5 acres would be given to the town for a then-unspecified use. 

Since then, Artesian Wastewater has purchased Tidewater Utilities, the town’s wastewater provider since 2007, and is building a new plant at its Sussex Regional Recharge Facility on Route 30. Artesian has expressed its intent to pump Milton’s wastewater to that plant. As part of a negotiated settlement with Artesian related to that Tidewater purchase, the land originally slated for Tidewater’s plant will revert back to the town, and Artesian will provide sewer service to the new public works building free of charge. 

In addition to a new public works facility, the town is also laying the groundwork for a new police station and municipal meeting room to be located on newly acquired town land on Magnolia Street. At one point, town officials had discussed the possibility of putting the new police station on the Sam Lucas Road land, but council decided it’s too far out of town.