This episode is the fifth installment in our Main Street NC series from the WUNC Politics Podcast.

Dozens of small towns across North Carolina are struggling to replace aging, often failing water and sewer infrastructure. The upgrades are needed to attract industry and residents back to places where textile and manufacturing plants have closed down.

The tiny town of Star in Montgomery County, near Asheboro, is leading the way in addressing the problem -- securing more than $35 million in state and federal funds to replace water lines that break often as well as its water tower and sewer treatment plant. To hear more about Star's plans for what its leaders hope will be a bright future, powered in part by an arts complex, WUNC spoke with Star Mayor Bill Hudson and Town Commissioner Ray Mims.