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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - 05-17-2005-6aORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT Meeting Date: May 17, 2005 Action Agenda Item No. ~-Q SUBJECT: Resolution of Intent to Connect OWASA Public Water and Sewer Service to the Proposed New Solid Waste Operations Center DEPARTMENT: Planning/Solid Waste/Attorney PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) No ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT: Draft Resolution Craig Benedict, 245-2585 Eubanks Road Area Map Gayle Wilson (919) 968-2885 Geof Gledhill, 732-2196 TELEPHONE NUMBERS: Hillsborough 732-8181 Chapel Hill 968-4501 Durham 688-7331 Mebane 336-227-2031 PURPOSE: To consider approving a resolution of intent to connect the planned Solid Waste Management Operations Center (to be constructed in 2006 on Eubanks Road) to OWASA's water and sewer system. BACKGROUND: The University of North Catalina is requiring the Town of Chapel Hill to vacate their current Public Works site on Airport Road at the expiration of the lease in December 2006. That will likewise necessitate the relocation of the County's Solid Waste Management Department, which is currently housed in a modular building at the same location. The planned building to house the relocated department will be sited on Orange County property immediately adjacent to the west of the County landfill on Eubanks Road. The Board of Commissioners discussed and endorsed the conceptual planning for this facility at their April 12, 2005 meeting, and approved an agreement for architectural design services of the building at their April 19, 2005 meeting. During both meetings, the Board indicated a preference to have the building design accommodate expanded meeting space that would be on the order of the size of the public meeting room in the Government Services Center in Hillsborough. That space would serve not only as training space for Solid Waste departmental staff, but would also provide additional community meeting space and enhance opportunities for environmental education offerings to school children, community groups, and the like. Commissioners noted that with those uses in mind, it would be prudent for this building to be connected to public water and sewer rather than to rely on a well and an on-site septic system or alternative wastewater treatment system. The parcel on which this building will be constructed is in the Rural Buffer. Extension of public water and sewer service into the Rural Buffer is governed by the Water & Sewer Management, Planning, and Boundary Agreement between the Towns of Carrborc, Chapel Hill, and Hillsborough, Orange County, and the Orange Water and Sewer Authority (OWASA). The Agreement contemplates the possible extension of water and sewer service into the Rural Buffer to serve essential public facilities, but does not specify the process far doing so, Therefore, the Attorney and staff recommend that the Board indicate to the other partners to the Agreement, by means of the accompanying resolution, the Board's intention to connect the new building to OWASA water and sewer under the provisions of the agreement that authorize such service extensions for essential public facilities. Elsewhere on this May 17 agenda, the BOCC will consider authorizing design of a force main and gravity sewer connection from Landfill property to the OWASA sanitary sewer system to eliminate the need to pump and haul landfill leachate. If that system is approved, a sewer connection from the new pump station to the Solid Waste Operations Center could be designed into the Rural Buffer entirely across County owned property (as reflected on the accompanying aerial photograph of the landfill area), OWASA water is already provided to the Landfill, and could likewise be extended into the Rural Buffer across County property to serve the new Operations Center, Therefore, the contemplated utility extensions could be constructed so as not to promote development of other properties in the Rural Buffer. If the Board approves the accompanying Resolution, staff will transmit the Resolution to the Towns and OWASA so that the respective governing boards can provide comments, if any. FINANCIAL IMPACT: There is no direct financial cost associated with the approval of this resolution. The April 19, 2005 approved architect's cost proposal for the Operations Center project design fees assumes that the County will connect to nearby OWASA water and sewer lines, If the County were to pursue an onsite septic system design, the quoted fee would increase by $1,500 to $126,300. Staff assume that design fees would be unaffected by a decision to use a well instead of connecting to OWASA water, While the Operations Center has not yet been designed and a specific project budget has not been formally established by the BOCC, staff have been using a preliminary working assumption of a building design and construction budget on the order of $1 million (which would be financed through the Solid Waste/Landfill Enterprise Fund). If the Board determines that it would like to proceed with connecting the new facility to the OWASA water and sewer systems, staff assume that the water extension will approximately equal the cost of using a water well. Preliminary engineering estimates are that construction of the sewer extension from the new pump station mentioned above to the new Operations Center would be in the range of $175,000 - $200,000 (that amount would also be financed through the Enterprise Fund), RECOMMENDATION(S): The Manager recommends that the Board adapt the accompanying resolution of intent and distribute it for comment to the governing boards of the other parties to the Water & Sewer Management, Planning, and Boundary Agreement. DRAFT 3 ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS A RESOLUTION OF INTENT TO CONNECT OWASA PUBLIC WATER AND SEWER SERVICE TO THE PROPOSED NEW SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT OPERATIONS CENTER, TO BE LOCATED IN THE RURAL BUFFER Whereas, extension of public water and sewer service into the Rural Buffer is governed by the Water & Sewer Management, Planning and Boundary Ageement (herein known as the Agreement); and Whereas, The Town of Canboro, The Town of Chapel Hill, The Town of Hillsborough, Orange County, and the Orange Water and Sewer Authority (OWASA) are parties to the Agreement; and Whereas, Orange County intends to construct a new Solid Waste Management Department Operations Center on Orange County Tax Parcel 7.18. Z7C, a 4A5 acre parcel of land owned by Orange County; and Whereas, the parcel contains a site with Environmental Health Division approval for a septic system suitable for a typical 6,500-sq. ft, office building; and Whereas, the Operations Center is planned to include a community meeting room and educational facility that would generate sufficient visitors/occupants, perhaps up to 75 at one time, as to likely overburden the available septic system site; and Whereas, the parcel on which the Operations Center is to be constructed is located in the Rural Buffer of the Joint Planning Area, located in the Long Term Interest Area of OWASA as described in the Agreement, borders and is directly adjacent to the current Orange County Landfill, which is located in the Town of Chapel Hill's Transition Area of the Joint Planning Area and located in OWASA's Primary Service Area; and Whereas, the parcel on which the Operations Center is to be constructed is situated such that an extension of public water and sewer service to serve it would touch no other non-County owned property and thus not provide any likelihood or opportunity for further extension of these services into the Rural Buffer; and Whereas, the Agreement does not prescribe the method by which public water and/or sewer service is to be extended to serve an essential public facility located in the Rural Buffer. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that Orange County hereby notifies the Town of Canboro, The Town of Chapel Hill, The Town of Hillsborough, and OWASA that it intends to apply to OWASA for public water and sewer service to serve only Orange County Tax Parcel 7.18..270 and that this application will be made under the provisions of the Agreement authorizing public water and sewer service in the Rural Buffer to serve an essential public facility. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Orange County welcomes comments, respectfully requested to be received on or before June 7, 2005, from The Town of Carrboro, The Town of Chapel Hill, The Town of Hillsborough, and OWASA regarding Orange County's intention to serve Orange County Tax Parcel 7.18..270 with public water and sewer provided by OWASA. This, the 17th day of May, 2005 Moses Carey, .Jr. Chair, Orange County Board of Commissioners ATTEST: Donna Baker Clerk to the Board of Commissioners /~l r Summary ~ Building r Land t- Documents ~ Prior Owners ~ Addresses Create Print Data Page