Winston-Salem Public Works Committee Meeting Summary – September 15, 2026

The Public Works Committee met at 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Chair Council Member Barbara Hanes Burke led the meeting; Vice Chair Scott Andree-Bowen and Council Members Robert Clark and James Taylor Jr. were present. Council Members Scippio and Joiner also attended. The committee unanimously approved the consent agenda and received two information-only presentations: the 2026 Sustainability Update and an Update on Utilities Capital Projects. The meeting adjourned at 3:06 p.m.

Consent Calendar

• C-1. Approval of the Public Works Committee Summary of Minutes from August 11, 2026: Approved unanimously (4-0) by consent vote, on a motion by Council Member Clark seconded by Council Member Andree-Bowen.

Discussion Items

2026 Sustainability Update

• Dr. S. Miller, Sustainability Department Director, presented the city’s annual sustainability report. She noted that the greenhouse-gas line within city control has declined, while Duke Energy supply emissions will not drop as dramatically. Emissions are expected to rise next year because the biosolids dryer at the wastewater treatment plant is returning online and uses significant natural gas; continued LED streetlight conversions should eventually bring that share down to approximately 8 percent.
• The city launched a GIS sustainability dashboard, publicly accessible through the city/county GIS page and the city website, to continuously track greenhouse gases, fuel consumption, recycling contamination, and links to Keep Winston-Salem Beautiful.
• Winston-Salem was awarded the only municipal investment fund ICLE grant in North Carolina from the Clean Energy Fund of the Carolinas, for $250,000, to study energy-efficiency upgrades and fund a solar feasibility study.
• Fleet and operations highlights included more than 100 hybrid vehicles, soy-based tires for police and fire after satisfactory pilot testing, four side-loader garbage trucks with improved braking systems that reduce particulate emissions, free bus passes for city employees, and recycling route optimization software cutting about 250 miles of driving per day while saving an estimated 40 to 80 gallons of fuel daily.
• Sustainability outreach included Roots Day planting a fruit arbor, 300 native tree giveaways, a stream bank cleanup that removed two truckloads of trash, the cardboard regatta recycling-awareness event, and 1,500 pounds of food raised for pantries in the first half of 2026. Keep Winston-Salem Beautiful increased legacy donations by $6,000 and received more than $15,000 in new donor support.
• Council Member Clark asked for more detail on the biosolids facility. Staff explained that the dryer at the Archie Elledge wastewater treatment plant produces fertilizer pellets sold to a farmer, that the facility failed in 2023 and was recently rebuilt and returned to service, and that sludge was landfilled while it was offline. Staff also described efforts to reuse gas and energy at treatment plants.
• Council Member Andree-Bowen asked how to receive the food partner newsletter and expressed support from his seat for a potential moratorium on data centers, citing the need to understand water usage and community cost impacts.

Update on Utilities Capital Projects

• Assistant City Manager Aaron King introduced the update and said future Public Works Committee meetings will cover engineering/DOT/streets/stormwater projects in October and a broader capital projects snapshot in November. He noted work with the GIS team and budget office on a capital projects dashboard.
• Derek Stroud, Utilities Capital Project Engineer, presented the utilities capital projects dashboard used with the Utilities Commission. Key projects included:
  • 30-inch water line extension from Thomas Water Treatment Plant to Lowry Street, with an $8.5 million budget and about $2.976 million spent, awaiting railroad permits; it will replace the 24-inch line that failed.
  • Nielsen Water Treatment Plant modernization: $122 million budget, $106 million spent, about 87 percent construction complete; expected to finish in late spring or summer 2027.
  • 15th Street pump station upgrade: nearly complete under a $3.1 million budget.
  • Archie Elledge lagoons project: cleaning and consolidating lagoons to meet current regulations.
  • Tanglewood Force Main replacement: $9.81 million budget; bids opened last month and approved by the Utilities Commission the day before the meeting.
  • Upper Peters Creek outfall phase two: delayed by brownfield and contaminated soils; a state-approved handling plan is in place, and the project is expected to go out to bid before the end of 2026.
  • Tanglewood Business Park gravity outfall with the county: $3.1 million state grant and $2.5 million current budget; construction began about six weeks earlier.
  • Wahlberg Road lift station design-build with the county: about 30 percent design, located on Union Cross Road; design completion expected in spring/summer 2027, with grant money deadline in 2029.
  • Lewisville lift station project with the Town of Lewisville to support the Great Wagon Road project.
  • Owen Thomas Park outfall: design just started with Black & Veatch; about eight to nine months of design work remain.
  • Foxcroft and Diggs neighborhood sewer rehab as part of the Collection System Improvement Program: contract just started.
  • Water distribution system improvements at nine sites: pre-construction conference held the day before the meeting, with Baker Underground starting work.
  • Northwest Boulevard water line replacement: replacing a 1929 water line and evaluating sewer and storm needs; coordinated with the future streetscape project.
• Council Member Scippio asked whether the 15th Street pump station work could have affected Liberty Street water pressure. Mr. Stroud said it was unlikely because that station is fed from a different part of the distribution system; he agreed to follow up on the station’s service area. Mr. King added that staff had found and reopened valves between the 9th Street water tower and Brown School Lofts to address pressure problems.
• Council Member Scippio asked how capital projects outside the city are funded. Mr. Stroud explained that Utilities is an enterprise fund, so projects are funded by water and sewer rates, not property taxes; county and town partners contribute funding for their projects.
• Council Member Andree-Bowen praised the dashboard’s level of detail and said it met the council’s information needs. Mr. King said the city could adapt the existing utility dashboard rather than building a new one. Council Member Scippio requested visible street labels and improved zoom capability on the public maps.

Staff Comments & Upcoming Events

• Staff announced a public meeting on the Long Branch Trail Phase 3 feasibility study on Wednesday, September 30, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at Samaritans Ministry, with alignment options for the trail from 25th Street North.
• Staff announced a public meeting on the Salem Creek Low Water Bridge and greenway improvement on Wednesday, October 21, from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. at Salem Lake Marina.
• Staff reminded the committee of the City-County Utility Commission’s 50th anniversary event on September 16 at Tanglewood Clubhouse, with meet-and-greet at 11:30 a.m. and lunch at noon.
• Council Member Clark suggested reopening a bus tour of utility facilities for newer council members, similar to a prior tour of Idols Dam, Nielsen Water Treatment Plant, and the Archie Elledge lagoons.

Key Outcomes

• The consent agenda was approved unanimously; no action was taken on the two general agenda items, which were presented for information only.
• Staff will consider using the existing utilities capital projects dashboard as the basis for the broader capital projects dashboard and will add street labels and zoom functionality to public maps.
• The committee indicated continued interest in utility facility tours and in coordinating upcoming capital project dashboards and public outreach.