HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - 06-19-2001-8fORANGE COUNTY
BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT
Meeting Date: June 19, 2001
Action Agenda
Item No. ~
SUBJECT: Cedar Ridge High School Capital Pro~ct Ordinance _ __ __
DEPARTMENT: Budget PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) No
ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT:
Donna Dean, 245-2151
Attachment 1. Letter of Request from the
Orange County Board of Education
Attachment 2. OCS Cedar Ridge High
School Capital Project Ordinance
TELEPHONE NUMBERS:
Hillsborough 732-8181
Chapel Hill 968-4501
Durham 68$-7331
Mebane 336-227-2031
PURPOSE: To approve a request from the Orange County Board of Education to increase fire
fighting capacity for Cedar Ridge High School.
BACKGROUND:
Recently Civil Consultants, Inc. conducted a study of several fire protection system options for
Cedar Ridge High School for the Orange County Board of Education. According to the
infom~ation contained in the attached letter (Attachment 1 of this abstract), the fire suppression
capacity, as currently designed, meets minimum State requirements. The Board of Education is
interested in taking additional steps to improve safety by increasing the capacity beyond what
the State requires. The consultants identified two options:
Option #1 -Construction of a private 200,000 gallon cylindrical ground storage tank near the
corner of Orange Grove Road and Grady Brown School Road at an estimated cost of
$350,000.
Option #2 -Construction of a new 250,000 gallon elevated water storage tank at the same
location as in Option #1 at an estimated cost of $600,000.
Details regarding each option are included in Attachment 1 of this abstract.
In keeping with the Commissioner's Policy on Planning and Funding School Capital Projects,
the Superintendent has submitted details regarding the change order, in writing, to the County
Manager (Attachment 1). The District requests that the Commissioners approve a reallocation
of project savings (cun-ently budgeted in the project Contingency) to complete Option #1.
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FINANCIAL IMPACT: Currently budgeted project contingency totals $800,000. Should the
Board approve the request to complete Option #1 (an estimated cost of $350,000); the project
Contingency account would be reduced to $250,000. -
RECOMMENDATION(S): The' Manager recommends that the Board of County
Commissioners approve a request from the. grange County Board of Education to increase fire
fighting capacity for Cedar Ridge High School at an estimated cost of $350;000.
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Orange County
Board of
Education
Randy Bridges
Superintendent
Board Members:
Keith Cook, Chairman
Brenda Stephens, Vice Chair
Robert gateman
Susan Halkiotis
David Kolbinsky
Delores Simpson
Dana Thompson
200 );ast King Street
Hillsborough, NC 27278
Telephone: 919-732-8126
FAX: 919-732-8120
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MEMORANDUM
TO: John Link
FROM: Randy Bridges
RE: Cedar Ridge High School Fire Protection Water System
DATE: May 29, 2001
During the May 21, 2001 Orange County Board of Education meeting a
proposal for increasing the fire fighting capacity for Cedar Ridge High
School was presented to the Board. Please know that we meet the
minimal requirements as established by the state with the current system
of water pressure. However, we feel that to make Grady Brown
Elementary School and Cedar Ridge High School as safe as possible,
additional steps should be taken.
I have enclosed a copy of the plan to place a water storage tank on the
Grady Brown campus to meet the needs of both schools relative to fire
fighting capacity. As you are aware, Cedar Ridge High School came in
under budget. The Board has approved a request to the Commissioners to
reallocate some of the savings to cover the cost for the water tank. We are
asking that you present this information to the Commissioners for their
consideration and approval at your earliest convenience. If additional
information is needed, please let me know,
Thank you.
/ha
Enclosure
cc: Orange County Board of Education
Sandra Tinsley
Mike Parker
Tony Whitaker
Steve Halkiotis
Ricardo Gonzalez
Ken Redfoot
Orange Cnunty Schaals
"Providing educutiana! opportunities fnr successful futures. "
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April 5, 2001
Dr. Stephen Halkiatis
Orange County Schools
20D E. King Street
Hillsborough, NC 27278
Re: Cedar Ridge High School
Fire Protection Water System
Dear Dr. 'Halkiotis:
With the help of Finkbeiner Pettis and Strout, Inc., we have completed a study of several
fire protection system options for the referenced site. After assessing the basic options and a few
variations thereof, we suggest consideration of two viable fire protection options, as follows:
.QPTION #1 -Construction of a private 200,000 gallon cylindrical ground storage tank near the
comer of Orange Grove Road and Grady Brown School Raad.
The tank would be approximately 45 feet high (overflow elevation t 745'), to provide
enough system pressure to meet the necessary hydrant and sprinkler flow requirements without
the need for boaster pumps. Only the top half of the tank volume (100,000 gallons) will be useful
for meeting site fire protection requirements, since anything below elevation 725' would not be
high enough to create the minimum required pressure. The bottom 100,000 gallons of water
would only be a necessary structural support for the water above it. The tank would be fitted by
the available pressure in the Tawn of Hillsborough s public water system, but water from the tank
could not cycle back into the Town's system since the tank height would be far too law to allow
any backflow under normal condition onlAsfor fi e ~ protection ~ mgat on~ orsather non-drink nlg
contain non-potable water, usable y P
purposes.
The non-potable status of the system has the fallowing negative consequences:
a. Anew. non-potable waterline from the tank to the high school will be required,
essentially parallel to the new potable waterline already being constructed by the
project for the Town of Hillsborough.
b. The onsite looped waterline and hydrant system designed by the Architect will
require significant redesign. This onsite system is currently under construction and
is a critical path item for project completion.
3622 Lyckan Parkway Suite 3003 ^ Durham, N.C. 27707
c. The existing domestic water service line extending from the onsite loop will not be
usable as designed, but will instead require a connection to the new public
(potable) .waterline being constructed by Orange County Schools along Grady
Brawn School Road. This work has significant cost and schedule implications.
d. The water in the tank system may require periodic discharge and replacement to
maintain a bare minimum level of water quality. The water used for this purpose
would probably be billed from the Town of Hillsborough at the prevailing domestic
water rate.
In addition to the above, the ground level tank has another unappealing characteristic. The
tank overflow elevation will limit and define the available pressure and flow conditions of the onsite
hydrant and sprinkler system, at a level far less than the potential that could exist otherwise. In
other words, the Town's water system has quite good static pressure at the school site, but it
doesn't have the ability to maintain adequate pressure during high flow (fire flow) conditions, due
to various water system constraints in the area. Storing the fire protection water in a relatively low-
height tank sacrifices the "quite goad" pressure potential for more water volume at "merely
adequate" pressure. If future public system improvements are made by the Town or others, the
ground level tank option will not allow the school to benefit from the increased capacity, because
the tank overflow elevation will always govern the available pressure and flow for the site.
Despite the above complications, the ground level tank option does qualify as feasible and
adequate. The estimated cost of Option #1 is about $ 350,000, which includes the cost of onsite
waterline re-configurations. The system could be in service before the June, 2002 school
occupancy date.
OPTION #2 -Construction of a new 25D,000 gallon elevated water storage tank at the same
location as in Option #1.
This tank would be of a conventional golf ball-and-tee shape, and approximately 132 feet
high (overflow elevation t 832'). This height would match the hydraulic pressure gradient of the
Town's water system in the area, creating a fully compatible. and integrated component of the
public water system. This option would greatly increase the degree of fire protection far the
adjoining Grady Brown Elementary School, and for Town water customers in the area at large.
This compatibility with the Town's pressure gradient will allow the water in the tank to cycle with
the normal flow of water in the Town's system, maintaining a fully potable condition in the tank and
in connected lines. In addition, the proposed tank volume is large enough to be viable as a
municipal asset. For these reasons, this option assumes that the tank will be owned and
maintained by the Town of Hillsborough, as part of the Town's public utilities infrastructure.
In addition to the obvious benefits of an elevated tank as described above, Option #2 has
other meaningful benefits, as follows:
a. No parallel non-potable waterline would be required along Grady Brown School
Road.
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b. The onsite waterline loop and hydrant system can be constructed as currently
designed.
c. The domestic water service line for the school site can be constructed as currently
designed.
d. No substantial impact to the school's construction schedule or onsite construction
cast would be anticipated (assuming a timely decision to implement this option).
The total estimated cost of Option #2 is $ 600.000. The tank could be in service before
the June, 2002 school occupancy date.
Cedar Ridge High School Construction 7
Orange County Schools
Capital Project Ordinance ..
Be it ordained by the Orange County Board of County Commissioners that pursuant to Section 13.2
of Chapter 159 of the General Statutes of North Carolina, the following capital project is hereby adopted.
Section 1. The project authorized provides funds to construct a new high school, Cedar Ridge High
School, in the district, using proceeds from the Schools' portion of impact, fees, 1997 voter
approved bonds, savings from Pathways Elementary Construction, and an installment
purchase arrangement. Repayment of the installment purchase arrangement will be paid
from the District's annual portion of the one-half cent sales taxes.
Section 2. The officers of the County are hereby directed to proceed with the project within the budget
contained herein.
Section 3. The following revenue is anticipated to complete this project:
Through FY
1999-00 2000-01
Appropriation Through FY
2000-01
Sales Tax 1,564,015 (1,434,336) 129,679
Impact Fees 365,321 0 365,321
PSBF 0 0 0
rags er rom a ways
Elementary School
Construction Project
0
1,300,000
1,300,000
1997 Bond Funds 0 12,500,000 12,500,000
Installment Purchase 0 13,665,000 13,665,000
Total Project Funding T,929,336 26,030,b64 27,960,000
Section ~. The following amount is appropriated for this project:
ug
1999-00
m nation ug
2000-01
P Arch/En in Fees 1,250,000 400,000 1650,000
Site Ac uisition 679 36 0 679,336
Site Deve o ment 0 2,306 000 2 06 000
Le Fiscal Cost 0 165,000 165,000
Construction 0 19,558,190 19 558 190
Moveable E ui ment 1100,000 1,100,000
Technolo 0 1,751,474 1,751474
One-Tune Start-U 0 500,000 500,000
Con ' en 0 250,000 20,000
Total A ro riation 1,929,336 26,030,664 27,960,000
Section S. This ordinance supersedes all previous New High School Construction Capital Project
Ordinances for the Orange County Schools.
Section 6. This ordinance shall remain in effect from July 1, 1998 until June 30, 2002.
Adopted this 19th day of June 2001.