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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - 03-16-2010-13 (1)= n -Foy rnQ -I-'io n .~~- e m ORANGE COUNTY HILLSBOROUGH NORTH CAROLINA l~¢na9er's C~~~ce Memorandum To: Orange Cou~y ~oard of Commissioners From: Willle Best Date: 03/04/2010 Re: America Recovery and Reinvestment Act Funding Report ~s1~6ls~ed17s2 Attached is the most recent report of Orange County Federal Requests from the America Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Orange County continues to seek funding the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act as provided through the Obama Administration which has been awarded to many surrounding counties and municipalities; Orange County continues to be limited in obtaining significant amounts of funding due to its perceived affluence and its designation as a Tier 1 County. Moreover, the County has been limited in seeking an outside consultantto assist with some of these funding requests due.: to budget constraints however; staff time has been used tremendously and has proven valuable. in developing and submitting these lengthy grant applications. If you have any questions. concerning this information, please :give me a call at {919) 245-2308 or Dave Stancl at (91.9) 245-2522. AREA CODE (919) 245-2300 688-7331 FAX (919) 644-3004 Ext. 2300 America Recovery and Reinvestment Act Funding for Orange County The State Energy Office has recently released Requests for Proposals for "Energy Efficiency for County and Municipal Buildings Block Grants (EECBG). There were four closing dates for proposals. • December 14, 2009 ($953,000) • December 31, 2009 ($953,000) • January 15, 2010 ($953,000) • February 1, 2010 ($5,244,000) Two-thirds of the total funding was designated for January 15 and February 1 cycles. There was a $200,000 maximum grant award. Eligible projects for this funding included: • Lighting retrofits; • Installation of lighting control technology, including occupancy sensors; • Steam trap survey, repair and /or replacement (excluding boilers*); • Retro-commissioning of HVAC equipment and energy management systems; • Basic weatherization; • Installation of premium efficient motors and/or drives; • Heating and air conditioning analysis, optimization and repair. *Boilers require National Environmental Policy Act approval which may cause a 1-2 year delay. Orange County Current Status • An Energy Efficiency/Renewable Energy Team was created this summer to identify potential projects. Data on energy consumption and efficiency was compiled and a list of potential projects completed. • Building energy assessments were completed by a State Energy Office recommended firm for three County Buildings: 1. Orange County Jail 2. Whiffed Center 3. Southern Human Services Center • Meetings were held with local electrical utilities, other non-formula local governments and both school systems to discuss joint proposal possibilities. • On September 21, 2009, Orange County and the two school systems submitted a joint Renewable Energy Proposal for a separate Request for Proposal (RFP), for solar water heaters in the Orange County Jail, McDougle Middle School and Stanford Middle School. • An Energy Strategy Subgroup has met to develop plans for developing the required Strategic Energy Plan. • Concurrent with the State Energy Office's release of an RFP for technical assistance (free), a list of approved firms were requested: 1. Strategic Energy Plan Development 2. Building Assessment-306 Revere Road (including EMS #1) 3. Building Assessment-Piedmont Food and Agricultural Processing Center (PFAPC) • In conjunction with Alternative Energy Solutions and Duke Energy, a more detailed assessment is being prepared for the three previously-evaluated buildings (Whiffed Building, Orange County Jail, and Southern Human Services Center). Note; Since this grant is targeted specifically to building energy efficiency for local governments, a separate RFP was issued for school systems. It appears a joint submittal with the schools in this area will not be possible (as was previously expected from SEO workshops this summer or fall of 2010). The grant is also limited to building efficiency and not renewable energy (this is a "nuts and bolts" type of grant cycle). Potential scope for the PFAPC improvements includes installation of additional insulation and upgrades to the existing HVAC units. This project is under consideration because it is expected to begin construction in the first quarter of 2010, with completion anticipated in third quarter of2010, which would allow for the expedited energy savings required with this submittal. By the close of the EECBG application cycle, Orange County has applied to the State Energy Office for several possible stimulus projects from the ARRA funds. • $200,000 for solar hot water heaters at the Orange County Jail, Stanback Middle School and McDougle Middle School (grants awards pending). • $177,675 for three energy efficiency projects (matched by County funds) as part of the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants (grant awards pending): Emergency Services Base Station #1 (ground-source heat pump, high performance HVAC, solar hot water heater, T5 lighting, high-efficiency and dryers); 2. Piedmont food and Agricultural Processing Center (ground-source heat pump, high-efficiency hand dryers); 3. Triangle SportsPlex (Low-emissive ceiling, solar hot water heater, T5 lighting, high-efficiency hand dryers). Broadband Funding The Broadband funding application is for submission has been extended until March 29, 2010. This is the final round for application submission. Orange County is completing an application to the Broadband Information Program (BIP) grant/loan request to the Rural Utilities Service branch of the USDA to fund up to eight different cell tower locations, including one to service the rural library. The purpose of the grant/loans is to extend broadband services into rural, un-served portions of Orange County. The County is applying for two grants/loan programs; one for service to the Northern Human Service Library and another application for up to four collocation of American Tower facilities. Transportation Proiects The Widening of Old Fayetteville Road (State Road 1107) in Carrboro by 0.5 miles in Carrboro from N.C. 54 to McDougle Middle School will allow NCDOT to build a turning lane, bicycle lanes and sidewalks along that section of roadway. The $1.2 million contract was awarded to Atwell Construction Co. Inc. of Greenville. Work is expected to begin as early as March 1, with final completion set for September 15, 2010. This project was selected for economic recovery funding because: Pedestrians and bicyclists frequently travel along this section of roadway. Adding sidewalks and bicycle lanes will help enhance their safety while improving traffic flow for motorists; The Town of Carrboro considers the project a priority; however, the department did not have the funding to proceed with it for at least five more years. By using recovery money, NCDOT avoids delays and can move forward with these important improvements; The project was considered "shovel ready." The traditionally funded projects in Orange County include: • Replacing the existing bridge on St. Mary's Road (S.R. 1002) over Stroud's Creek northeast of Hillsborough. The $653,032 contract was awarded to Dane Construction Inc. of Mooresville. Work is scheduled to begin as early as March 1, with final completion set for Dec. 31. The bridge was built in 1953 and has a sufficiency rating of 40.5 out of 100. That does not mean the bridge is unsafe. It means that, after studying a number of factors including bridge inspection results, traffic volumes and road widths, engineers used a standard formula to rate the bridge's ability to remain in service. Based on those calculations, they consider the bridge "functionally obsolete" and in need of replacement. Building a new bridge better help accommodate traffic in the area, while extending the life span of the county's transportation network. • Improving the pavement along 12 miles of I-40 from the I-40/I-85 split in Orange County to the Durham County line. The $2.7 million contract was awarded to Safety Grooving & Grinding L.P. of Napoleon, Ohio. Work is scheduled to begin as early as March 1, with final completion set for September 1. Crews will use special machines to grind out the rough spots in the pavement, which will make the ride smoother for motorists. T hey will also make repairs to this section of heavily traveled interstate to help it last longer. • Resurfacing 15.5 miles of roadway in Orange County, including N.C. 54 from west of Greenwood Drive to the county line and 11 sections of secondary roads. The $2.9 million contract was awarded to S.T. Wooten Corp. of Wilson. Work is scheduled to begin as early as April 26, with final completion set for September 3.