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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - 19711104 MINUTES OF'THE ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS November 4, 1971 ~ . , ~ 40~? The Board of County Com¢nieaionera of Crange County met in ad~ovrned session in the Commiasionera Room at the Courthouse in Hillsborough, North Carolina at 8 o~oloak P.M. on Thursday, November !F, 1971. -. Members Present: Chairman Harvey D. Bennett, and Commissioners William C. Raq, Henrq S. Walker, Ira A. Ward and C. Norman Walker. Members Absent: None FY~ed S. Cates, Mayor of the Town of Hillsborough, Fred T. Claytor, Arthur. Crabtree, Allen Lloyd, Jack Martin and John Roberts, Members of, the Rillsborough Board oP Aldermen, Jim Yarborough, Representative of the Whittaker Corporation, Pearson Stewart and Mark Burnham, Representatives oP the Reaearah Triangle Regional Planning Commission and Bohn Pridgen, Engineer for the Town of Hillsborough were present. This.meeting was held for the purpose of disausaing with all persona present the memorandum prepared by Dr. Arthur Cooper of the State Department of Nature]. and Economic Resources. Said memorandum concerned the location of a "wet" industry in the Hillsborough area. Chairman Bennett presented the following letter and memorandum to the members present: "Mr. Harvey Bennett, Chairman Orange County Board of Commissioners chapel sill North Carolina 27y7Ja. 17ear Mr. Bennett: I am enclosing a copy oP a statement aP our Findings relative to water supply and waste treatment problems asaoaiated with the poaeibility of loaation of Whittaker Corporation in $illaborough. This statement has been discussed with the industry and we urge that any further negotiations between you and Whittaker take into account the points raised in our statement. We particularly direst pour attention to point 3 regarding the need for qualified supervision of anq new waste treatment facilities. If Y may provide ycu further information, please do not hesitate to aontaat me. sincerely yours, /a/ Arthur W. Cooper Assistant Searetarq Por Reaovrae Management" "T0: Orange County Board of Commissioners Harvey Bennett, Chairman Bq waq of reporting to qou our stand relative to the Whittaker Corporation plans Por Hillsborough, please understand the Following: 1. We are satisfied that suPPinient water reaovraes are developed to serve Hillsborough and Whittaker, pprov~~ided__ gout control oP the Lake Orange waters x311 be exercised to release to Hillsborough during ueriods of low flow and/or low storage is the Hillsborough reaevoir auPfiaient water to maintain safe flow aonditiona in the Eno at and below the point oP treated waste discharge. Onr understanding and assessment of available water resources strongly su~geats that Hillaborough~s industrial Bevel nt in a ~, Po eseeable Suture not include the further addition of et induatriea after the arrival of Whittaker. We foresee the need of Hillsborough--during low Plow periods--to call on Lake Orange and we urge qou to carei'ully aonaerve and limit this water resource in the future to general aavntq needs and the development of employment through "dry" induatriea. We also encourage the development of additional water storage facilities ouch as Seven Mile Creek. ._ ~~`- 2. The beat engineering advise at the present suggests that the addition oP ohemical and biological treatment to the present Hillsborough waste treatment plant will enable that treatment plant to deal effectively with both the present demand and a projected demand by Whittaker of 250,OOD gallons per day We would remind you that below the point of discharge the kho earns an A-2 clasaiPiaation and that no discharge Prom the municipal treatment plant that would jeopardise t~iis weter quality will be permitted. We also would remind you that in order to properly treat and discharge more than 250;000 gallons per day Prom Whittaker, a broadly expanded, enlarged, and upgraded - treatment plant will be required. Whittaker will be limited to 250,000 gallons per day of waste until such time ae an enlarged treatment plant is approved by our N. C. Department of Natural and Economic Reaouraea. Ovr Office of Water and Air Reaouraea has been put on notice to oarefully monitor both the waste volume and quality discharged from the Hillsborough waste treatment plant. 3, We strongly believe that the success of the waste treatment system depends not only on its design but also on its operation and maintenance. An expanded plant with strict responsibility for high purity waste requires highly qualified personnel, and we urge Hi.llaborough and Orange County to employ operating and maintenanoe people .who possess.the skills and evidence the qualifications for these nritical jobs. We also believe that an open and frank discussion among Whittaker, Hillsborough Engineers, Orange County, and Fred Cates should take place immediately in order to establish an understanding as to how any curtailment or interruption oP sewer aerviae would be handled. ZP for any reason the Hillsborough treatment plant Pails to perform and/or maintain the required degree oP waste purity, the demand on that plant must be reduced; and Whittaker should know in advance that curtailment or interruption could be.neaeasary in order to avoid a municipal treatment plant discharge that would violate downstream standards. 'Arthur W. Cooper, Ph., D„ Assistant Secretary for Resource Management ~i N. C. Department of Natural and Economio Resources" Discussion ensued `relative to the items contained in Dr. Coopers memoranda. Various other letters relating to the ability and the inability oP the Hillsborough area to saaommodate a "wet" industry were read and quoted. Chairman Bennett then presented a letter addressed to himself as Chairman of the Board from the Whittaker Corporation. Said letter stated that the Whittaker Corporation desired to ereot a t the dyeing and finishing plant that woguld employ in5.tially seventy-five ('j~ persons and ultimately would require 500p,O00 gallons oP water and sewerage treatment capacity per day. The latter stated that at peak operation oP this plant could employ as many as one hundred and fifty persona (15D) and that the capital investment would be approximately $1,500,000• Chairman Bennett requested that each member of the Town Board and each County Commissioner make comments about the proposed industry. Arthur Crabtree, Member of the Town Board of Aldermen, stated that the Town was not in a finanaisl position to satisfactorily operate its water plant and its sewerage disposal system and that the proposed revenues, which would be received from the Whittaker Corporation, would enable the Town to finance and operate a satisfactory water and sewerage system. Allen Lloyd, Member of the Town Board of Aldermen, stated that he agreed with the position taken by Mr. Crabtree. Fred Claytor, Member of the Town Board oP Aldermen, stated that ha had _ been led to believe that the County Board of Commissioners shared the same opinion about the Whittaker Corporation sa did the Hillsborough Town Board _ and that he was ahoaked to learn that there did exist a difference oP opinion - on the conatruation of said plant. r" _ . ~~v r John Roberta, Member of the Town Board of Aldermen, stated that the Town oP Hillsborough needed the additional revenue that would be received Prom: the Whittaker Corporation in order to finance and operate the water and sewerage plants and that he heartily endorsed the Whittaker Corporation plans to locate in the Hillsborough area. -- Jack Martia,.'Member_.oP_the Town Board of Aldermen, inquired of Jim Yarborough, the proposed Plant Manager, as to exaatlq how much water would be needed to operate the plant. Mr. Yarborough stated that in the beginning the plant would need 250,000 gallons of water per day, but that in about two years the plant would be using 500,000 gallons of water per day. -- John Pridgan, Town Engineer, stated that even iP the Whittaker Corporation did not legate in the Hillsborough area that the Tawas of Hillsborough ' definitely needed to enlarge its sewerage plant and that when the plant is altered that the Board oP Air and Water Resouroea would require the Town to install a very expensive type oP treatment plant. He stated that the Town, in all probability, could not afford the needed type of treatment system uglesa a substantial water user looated in the area. Commissioner Henry 3. Walker stated that iP the Whittaker Corporation plant could locate in the area without poluting the Eho River he 'would like to have the plant proceed with its plena. Commissioner Ira A. Ward stated that he felt the location oP the Whittaker Corporation, in the Hillsborough area, would produce a tremendous strain on the available natural resouxaea. That any industry which used as much as 3,300 gallons of water per day per job and that hared atlah a small number of people and passesaed suoh a small taxable property valuation was not a desirable industry and he was opposed to the plant locating in the Hillsborough area. Commissioner Norman Walker stated that he waulfl be willing to have the Whittaker Corporation locate in the Hillsborough area as he felt that a i sufficient water supply was available and that the Eno River would nut be polluted by the effluent. ~i Commissioner W311iam C. Raq stated that the Fhginaera study had comrinced him that the Whittaker Corporation would not pollute Eno River and that the County had empounded water in Lake Orange to aid in the industrial development of the County, therefore, he favored the location of the Whittaker Corporation in the County. Chairman Harvey Bennett stated that he felt the memorandum received Prom the Natural and Eaonomia Resources, set forth severe implications as far as both water and sewerage services which could be rendered by the Town was concerned and that ha felt it was further unwise to allocate moat oP the natural resouroea oP the area to .one industry, therefore, he was opposed to the proposed plans of the Whittaker Corporation to locate in the Hillsborough area. Fred Cates, Mayor oP the Town oP Hillsborough, stated that the Tawas badly needed to improve its current water and sewerage facilities and that the Town was not financially able to make the needed improvements unless :.. substantial new water and sewer revenues are obtained. Mayor Cates atatad that the Department oP Natural and Econamio Resources are satisfied that a sufficient water supply is available to serve the Whittaker plant and that both he and the State Department are satisfied that s modern well equipped sewerage plant can adequatelq treat the effluent produced by the Whittaker Corporation, therefore, he was strongly in favor of allowing the Whittaker Corporation to looate in the Hillsborough area. Dissuasion ensued between the Board and Mr. Yarborough relative to the aonstruation of a sewerage line Prom the'.Whittatier-0erporation plant site to the Hillsborough treatment plant. The Board suggested to Mr. Yarborough that the Whittaker Corporation should esaume the coat of constructing said line to the towns treatment plant. Mr. Yarborough replied that he was not empowered to answer this suggestion and that he moat confer with the management oP his company prior to making any committment. Chairman Sennett advised Mr. Yarborough that iP the.Whittaker Corporation could not accept the proposal made by the acrd then the Board would be willing to have a counter proposal from the Whittaker Corporation. _ ~~ - L. There being no further business to some before t~Baard the meeting was adjourned. Harvey D. Bennett, Chairman 8. M. Gattis, Acting Clark ~/ ,