Public Works
The City’s Public Works facility is home to four (4) departments:
Public Works Administration
Public Works Facility
503 Hall Street
910-276-2364 (o)
Fax: 910-276-1463 (f)
Public Works Administration is a division of the General Services Department. This division provides administrative support to all the divisions located at the Public Works facility including: General Services, Public Utilities, Information Technology and Electrical Services. This division is managed by the Public Works Director.
- Stacey McQuage, Public Works Director
- Angie Foster, Assistant Public Works Director
- Heather Jackson, Administrative Support Assistant
Fleet Maintenance
Fleet Maintenance Facility
501 Hall Street
910-276-2364 (o)
910-276-1463 (f)
The City of Laurinburg Garage is responsible for the maintenance and repair of approximately 484 pieces of vehicles and equipment. This includes 149 cars and trucks and 335 pieces of “off-road” equipment, such as tractors and lawnmowers. All service records for vehicles and equipment are maintained by the Garage. The Garage has 6 full-time employees, which consists of an Equipment Services Supervisor, Equipment Mechanic II (2), Equipment Mechanic I (2), and a Fleet Parts & Service Specialist. The Garage also assists in the maintenance of the joint City/County Fueling Facility. For more information, call Public Works at 276-2364.
- Randy Chavis – Equipment Services Supervisor
- Randy Strickland – Fleet Parts & Service Specialist
Sanitation/Recycling
The City of Laurinburg Sanitation Department, utilizing 15 full time employees and 5 part time employees, offers the following services to 5,650 residential customers: Once per week curbside garbage collection utilizing 95 gallon roll-out containers furnished by the City; and every other week curbside co-mingled recycling collection of Newspaper; Aluminum Cans; Steel Cans; All plastic containers with #1 or #2 on bottom (does not include Styrofoam); Corrugated Cardboard; Clear, Brown and Green glass bottles; used Motor Oil (secured in a plastic bottle with a tight cap and placed beside the recycle cart on the ground); Used Cooking Oil (secured in a plastic bottle with a tight cap and placed beside the recycling cart). We also provide once per week bulky item collection and once per week yard waste collection as often as possible. Cardboard will be collected every other week along with other recyclables, and used tires will be collected every week along with bulky items. For further information, please see our Solid Waste Policy. The fee for this service is $28.50 per month. In addition the department provides commercial dumpster collection to 290 customers utilizing 364 dumpsters in sizes 4, 6 and 8 cu. Yd. furnished by the customer. The fee for this service varies depending on the number and size of dumpster and the number of collections made per week. For more information, please call 276-2364.
Garbage and Recycling Collection Days by Street Name
All of the City’s solid waste routes are divided into four (4) quadrants that make up the entire City (North, South, East, and West). The yard waste collection cycle begins on the South quadrant of the City. Once that quadrant is completed, the crews complete the West, then the North, and then finally the East. Once the East quadrant is complete, the crews begin immediately on the South again and run this continuous cycle in the collection of all yard waste. Below are pictures of each quadrant with sections within each quadrant numbered for reference. If you have any questions or concerns regarding your yard waste collection service or just would like to know where the crews are currently working, please call Public Works at 276-2364 or visit our “City of Laurinburg Government” page on Facebook for weekly updates.
Recycling Program
The City of Laurinburg collects residential curbside recyclable materials on a bi-weekly collection schedule. Each residence is assigned to either the GREEN or RED recycling route. This determines which week recyclables are collected according to the Bi-Weekly Recycling Schedule 2022-2023
The recyclables are collected on the same day of the week as garbage. For example, if garbage collection day is on Monday, then recyclables collection will be every other Monday.
Newspaper; Aluminum Cans; Steel Cans; All plastic containers with #1 or #2 on bottom (does not include Styrofoam); Corrugated Cardboard; Clear, Brown and Green glass bottles; used Motor Oil (secured in a plastic bottle with a tight cap and placed beside the recycle cart on the ground); Used Cooking Oil (secured in a plastic bottle with a tight cap and placed beside the recycling cart). Everything you need to know on recyclable items and curbside collection can be viewed here: A Complete Guide for Using the City’s Curbside Collection.
For more information, please call Public Works at 276-2364.
Other Solid Waste Collection Schedules
The City of Laurinburg collects the following recyclable materials:
Corrugated cardboard is collected every other week along with your recyclables. Please flatten your cardboard boxes and place inside or next to your recycling bin on your scheduled recycling collection day.
Bulky items are collected weekly on the same day of the week as household garbage. Please place your bulky items at the curb on the same day that you place your roll-out card at the curb for collection. Bulky items include all large trash items that cannot fit in your cart, such as furniture, white goods (appliances), television sets, electronics, large toys such as bicycles and swing sets, lawn equipment and used tires. The City does not collect building materials resulting from construction, demolition, remodeling or repair work. Bulky items may not be placed at the street for more than 24 hours prior to your scheduled collection day.
Yard Waste is collected as often as possible with a goal of one pickup per week. It is not assigned to any particular day as the trucks get as far as they can each day. Please separate all yard waste into two separate piles, one containing limbs, shrubbery clippings, and/or pine cones, and the other containing leaves and/or grass clippings. Debris from tree removal will not be picked up without additional fees.
Diabetic or other medical needles should be placed in a hard plastic container with a secured lid. Once they are in a secured container, they can be placed in your green roll out garbage cart.
Fluorescent light bulbs can be placed in the green roll out cart for the regular garbage pick-up.
Electric Operations
Electric Operations Offices
503 Hall Street
910-276-2364
The City of Laurinburg operates its own electric distribution system consisting of over 72 miles of power lines. The City has been in the electric business for over 80 years providing reliable service to 5,630 customers who are offered a range of services from credits for load management to rebates for water heaters and heat pumps and Time-of-Use electric rates. The service is provided by a crew of 9 employees who perform line and switching station maintenance, SCADA operation and metering functions. The crews also maintain the City’s Fiber Optic system which provides network and internet services to other City departments and other customers throughout the City and County. Currently the fiber system consists of over 70 miles of fiber optic cable with associated electronics.
The City of Laurinburg is a member of ElectriCities of North Carolina, the North Carolina Eastern Municipal Power Agency and North Carolina Association of Municipal Electric Systems. ElectriCities is a not-for-profit government service organization representing cities, towns and universities that own electric distribution systems. Today, ElectriCities represents more than 90 members in North Carolina (including Laurinburg), South Carolina and Virginia.
Interesting and informational links:
- The NC Public Power website has comprehensive information for residential customers
- Energy Depot is an online tool that helps customers use energy wisely. You can consider it your energy information “tool box”.
- Energy Saving Tips
- Energy efficiency recommendations for renters, homeowners, senior citizens, businesses and schools: http://www.homeenergync.org
Jason Lighthall– Electric Utilities Director
Fiber Optics/IT
Fiber Optic Offices
503 Hall Street
910-276-2364
The City of Laurinburg IT Department provides technical support to all of the City’s departments and infrastructures (Water and Waste Water Plants, Public Works, North and South Fire Stations, Electric Switching Station, Police Department, and City Hall). The City’s network consists of 100 plus computers, laptops, and servers, all connected by the City’s fiber optic network ring. The IT Department also provides online utility payment support, telephony support for the City’s Voice-Over-Internet-Protocol (VOIP), as well as day-to-day computer operations.
The IT Department provides business strategies and solutions that introduce new technology that potentially improve present processes. For more information about our IT Department, contact Betty Galloway.
The City’s Fiber Optic offers fiber connection to a number of entities within the City and Scotland County area. The City’s Fiber Optic provides connections to the schools located within the City and throughout the County, Scotland County School Administration Offices, Scotland Memorial Hospital, Scotland County EMS, Scotland County Memorial Library, and Scotland County Administration Office.
For more information about our Fiber Optic Connections, contact Jason Lighthall.
Public Utilities
The Public Utilities staff strives to provide customers of the City of Laurinburg with quality drinking water, sewer service that is dependable and environmentally acceptable, safe streets through cost effective maintenance, storm drainage maintenance and construction to minimize flooding.
The staff normally handles calls on weekdays from 7 a.m. until 5 p.m. A crew is on call 24 hours a day 7 days a week. If an emergency occurs after hours call the 911 center. During severe weather such as ice storms or hurricanes, crews are on duty around-the-clock.
Streets/Storm Drainage Division
Streets Department
The Street Department maintains approximately 87 miles of paved roads and approximately 9 miles of unpaved roads. We use our pavement condition study prepared in 2016 to identify City Streets in need of repair. The study rates streets in need of repair by a score and we resurface the streets in need of repair as funds are available. Our goal is to maintain streets in the most efficient way possible. The Street Department maintains the street signs, assists other departments with demolition of condemned structures, enforces the lot cutting ordinance by requiring property owners to keep lots at a minimum standard, and administers the mosquito program during the summer months, usually between April and September. We have a street sweeper that operates year-round. We concentrate on the main thoroughfares and all streets with curb and gutters. We run a route system and the time to complete the routes depends on the leaf and debris volume.
Storm Drainage Department
The Storm Drain department is responsible for maintenance and repair of the storm drainage system in the City limits of Laurinburg that connect to our city streets. This department routinely cleans the drainage system and removes any obstacles obstructing the flow of water. This department also makes structural improvements to insure that the system is able to and reasonably handle water flow. Residents are reminded to never dispose of leaves, grass clippings, oil, or trash in to the drainage system or in a location, such as a roadway or curb & gutter lines, where debris could be swept into the system by storm water. Such actions may result in serious flooding during the next storm. Unlike the water that goes down your drain to the sewer, water that flows into storm drains is not treated and filtered for pollutants. This contaminated water flows into canals, into streams and lakes, and then ends up in the ocean. Everything other than pure rain water is a potential contaminant that degrades water quality. It’s very important that you help prevent contaminants from flowing into storm drains and never pour anything into them. Intentionally pouring water and pollutants into street gutters and storm drains is dangerous to the environment and is also illegal.
Water/Sewer Distribution
Water and Sewer Policy
The City of Laurinburg will extend water-sewer service within the City when funds are available (from the City or other sources) and costs are reasonable, and when they:
- Improve the water or sewer system or enhance future annexations, or stimulate economic development, or establish or protect territory, or have substantial benefit to citizens inside and outside the City
- The determination of whether or not costs of extending water-sewer service are “reasonable” is in the sole discretion of the City Manager, subject to appeal to the City Council, which determination shall be final.
Water Distribution
The City’s Water Distribution Department constructs and maintains approximately 200 miles of City owned water distribution mains ranging in size from 2 inch to 20 inches. We also maintain approximately 153 miles of County owned water distribution mains ranging in size from 2 inches to 10 inches. Water is transported under pressure through main distribution lines. Smaller pipes, called service lines, are attached to the main water lines to bring water from the distribution system to homes and businesses. The City maintains approximately 9,600 water taps ranging in size from ¾ inch to 12 inches.
Backflow assemblies are required to isolate hazards from the public water supply.
Wastewater Collection
The City’s Sewage Collection Department constructs and maintains approximately 146 miles of sewer collection lines ranging in size from 2 inch force mains to 36 inch gravity mains. One of our main goals is to reduce Inflow & Infiltration (I&I). I & I is defined as excess water inflowing into sanitary sewers or infiltrating sewer lines. The City has an I & I program to reduce and/or eliminate Sanitary Sewer Overflows (SSOs). Excess water may come from too much rainfall infiltrating through the ground, leaking manholes, or illegal connections such as roof drains. Sewer lines can also be infiltrated by growing tree roots. I&I is a major cause of SSOs which is an environmental and health issue. The City’s Sewage Collection Department has a sewer camera system and video recording equipment to record leaky joints, breaks in pipes, etc. We are in the process of applying for grants to help rehab some of the system in need of repair. Replacing and rehabilitating these lines and manholes reduces I & I into the sanitary sewer system, thereby protecting the public health, improving wastewater treatment plant efficiency and reducing system maintenance. The City of Laurinburg has an ordinance to reduce grease in the sewer mains that cause blockages and overflows.
The City of Laurinburg’s Fats, Oils, and Greases Ordinance requires that food service facilities install and maintain grease traps and /or interceptors to prevent grease from entering the sewer system. The City of Laurinburg encourages its residents to reduce the amount of fats, oils and grease that enters the system because there are more residential kitchens than there are restaurants.
For more information on Fats, Oils and Grease please click here.
