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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - 06-30-1999 - 8cORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT Meeting Date: June 30, 1999 Action Agenda Item # ~S', SUBJECT: Connection of the old Redman Mobile Homes building to the Efland sewer system DEPARTMENT: County Manager PUBLIC HEARING: Yes No ATTACHMENT(S)• BUDGET AMENDMENT: Yes No County Engineer's memorandum INFORMATION CONTACT: Buckhorn Road Economic Development County Engineer Extension 2303 District! West Efland-Cheeks sewer map (under separate cover) TELEPHONE NUMBERS: Hillsborough - 732-8181 Durham - 688-7331 Mebane - 227-2031 Chapel Hill - 967-9251/968-4501 PURPOSE: To present the BOCC's with: 1) information related to a proposed extension of the Efland sewer system as necessary to serve the existing Redman Mobile Home building, located on Redman Crossing in the western end of the Efland-Cheeks community;.and 2) a recommendation that the Boazd agree - at least in principal - to: a) allow the Redman Mobile Home building to be provided with sewer service from the Efland sewer system by means of a wastewater pumping station and force main; and b) enter into an agreement or agreements as necessazy with the Bazber & Ross Company (proposed occupant of the Redman Mobile Homes building), Norfolk-Southern Railroad/NC Railroad Company and NCDOT whereby the County accepts ownership/maintenance responsibility for approximately 3000 feet of wastewater force main to be constructed by Barber &. Ross in the railroad and NCDOT rights-of--way between the Redman Homes building (along Redman Crossing and Hwy 70) and the western end of the gravity portion of the Efland sewer system. BACKGROUND: The Redman Mobile Homes building is a large unoccupied structure owned by the Town of Mebane and located on Redman Crossing, adjacent to the south side of the Norfolk-Southern Railroad, in the western end of the Efland-Cheeks community. Barber & Ross, a lazge millwork company headquartered in Virginia, proposes to buy the building and convert it for use in manufacturing and assembling millwork. Currently the facility is served by an off-site (on an adjacent and contiguous tract) septic system of questionable capacity and reliability. Barber & Ross have approached Orange County about extending sewer service from the Efland sewer system to the facility. z~ The Redman Homes building lies approximately one-half mile south west of the western-most end of the gravity portion of the Efland sewer system. Furthermore, the topography of this area is such that sewer service extended from the existing configuration of the Efland system must be provided by means of an on-site pumping station and small diameter force main. The pumping station would be constructed oa the northern or front side of the building. The force main would extended northward or northeastward from the pump station, along Redman Crossing, under the Norfolk-Southern/NC Railroad Company rail line, under Hwy 70, and eastward along the north shoulder of Hwy 70 to the western-most sewer manhole in the Efland sewer system (just east of Redman Road). The portion of the force main in the northern shoulder of Hwy 70 would run parallel and adjacent to the existing Hancor force main. NCDOT typically requires that water and sewer utilities constructed within its rights- of-way be owned by a public utility or other governmental agency. The NC Railroad Company and Norfolk-Southern Railroad often have similar requirements of water sewer utilities crossing or otherwise located within their rights-of--way. At the very least, Orange County will have to accept ownership of and maintenance responsibility for the portion of the force main lying within the rights-of--way for Redman Crossing and Hwy 70. The County may have to assume ownership and maintenance responsibility for the portion of the force main crossing the railroad right-of--way as well. Success of the Barber & Ross Company's plans for the Redman Mobile Homes building requires the provision of public sewer service to the site. The County's agreement, at least in principal, to allow extension of sewer service from the Efland system and to accept the necessary ownership of portions of the force main is an essential step in Barber & Ross' planning and permitting process for the facility. The County's agreement on these issues reassures the Barber & Ross Company that its project is viable and encourages it to move forward with its plans. RECOMMENDATION: The Manager recommends that the BOCC agree in principal to: a) allow the Redman Mobile Homes building to be serviced by the Efland sewer system via an on-site pumping station and force main, which Barber & Ross will construct to the applicable standards and approvals of the NC Division of Water Quality and Orange County; and b) accept ownershiplmaintenance responsibility as required for the portion of the force main lying within public roadway and railway rights-of-way. MEMORANDUM TO: County Commissioners John Link, County Manager FROM: Paul Thames, PE, County Engineer DATE: June 21, 1999 SUBJECT: Wastewater infrastructure serving the proposed Bazber & Ross Company and the existing Hancor manufacturing facilities 3 The purpose of this memorandum is to address several questions raised by the BOCC in its discussions relative to extending sewer service from the Efland sewer system to the proposed Barber & Ross Company facility at the old Redman Homes building west of Efland. The Redman Homes building lies approximately 2000 feet west (along US Hwy 70) and 1000 feet south (down Redman Crossing and across the Norfolk-Southern railway) of the western-most end of the gravity sewer collector portion of the Efland sewer system. A small two inch diameter wastewater force main serving the Hancor facility (which is one mile further west along Hwy 70 from the Redman Homes building) does lie along the northern shoulder of US Hwy 70 and passes 1000 feet north of the Redman Homes building. Although sewer service extended to the Redman Home building must be provided by means of a wastewater pumping station and force main, it is not proposed to have the force main from the Redman Homes building tie into the existing Hancor force main. The proposed system for the Redman Homes building will consist of a small pumping station on the north side of the site with a small diameter force mavn extended to the north, passing under the railroad, in the shoulder of Redman Crossing. The force main will then pass under Hwy ?0 and will run eastwazd along the north shoulder of Hwy 70 and parallel to the Hancor force main for approximately 2000 feet. At that point, the proposed force main will connect to and dischazge into the western-most gravity sewer manhole in the Efland sewer system. The Hancor force main discharges into the same manhole. There aze a number of reasons why it has not been proposed for the Redman Homes force main to tie or be tapped into the existing Hancor force main. Several of these reasons aze technical issues related to the efficacy of tapping sewer force mains, sizing and re-sizing of the Redman Homes and Hancor force mains, and the use and maintenance of mechanical components in a wastewater environment. These issues and concerns have been resolved from an engineering design standpoint in discussions between the design engineer for the Barber & Ross Company and myself. I will be happy to expound on these issues in detail if necessary. Other reasons for not tying the force mains together are policy issues relating to County land use strategies for extending sewer service and the BOCC's adopted rules of operation for the Efland sewer system. These rules expressly prohibit the tapping of sewer force mains to provide sewer service. The BOCC is asked essentially to make two decisions relative to the Redman Homes sewer system: 1) to allow the extension of sewer service from the Efland sewer system; and 2) to agree to accept ownership of the portion of the wastewater force main system which will be installed in NCDOT rights- of-way (an NCDOT pre-requisite for allowing the installation of a utility service in its rights-of--way). The County may also be asked to accept ownership of the portion of the force main crossing the NC Railroad Company/Norfolk-Southern Railroad right-of--way. At this time it is not know if the railroad 4 companies will make County ownership of the force main a prerequisite of permitting the installation of the force main under the railroad and across the railroad right-of--way. Public sewer service at the Redman Homes building cannot be made available, at least in the near term, without the BOCC's acquiescence on the extension and ownership issues. It is highly unlikely that the Barber & Ross Company could proceed with the project it is planning without access to public sewer service. If I may provide additional information relative to this issue, please advise.