By a unanimous vote, the Macon County Board of Commissioners bought three tracts of land next to the Nantahala School to build a septic system.
A combined 3.09 acres, the county is paying $90,000 for the three tracts, plus $4,000 for title fees, insurance, and attorney fees. The purchase price is below the assessed value of $106,120, according to Macon County GIS. Robin Morgan Cochran owns all three tracts.
County Attorney Eric Ridenour noted there’s a house on one of the properties, and there are still negotiations on removing the metal from it. Ridenour said the county hopes to complete due diligence by May 30, and the county will close on the sale by June 30 at the latest.
Commissioner Paul Higdon thanked the Cochran family for their patience. Once acquired, Higdon said the consultants would look at the property to see what septic system would best go on it. Higdon mentioned there’s another neighboring piece of property that would fit better, but to go ahead and get this done.
“This was a gift to us,” Higdon said. “This system has been failing for years, let’s get it fixed.”
This motion to purchase comes 16 months after Macon County Schools listed replacing the Nantahala School sewer system as an emergency. The outdated system is at risk of failing at any time, school system maintenance workers told the school board. The county and school system have debated solutions and spoken with potential contractors and consultants. In September 2023, the school board got a quote from Harper General Construction for $657,864.50 and approved sending it to the commissioners, but the liaison committee declined to have the commissioners vote on it.
Higdon has pushed for this land purchase for months, saying replacing the system would get away from discharging into Nantahala Lake.
Ridenour said that the school system should take over working with the soil consulting company to get this project rolling.