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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - 10-21-2003-8kORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT Meeting Date: October 21, 2003 Action Agenda Item No. SUBJECT: Confirmation of Funding Commitments for Homestead Aquatics Center and Southern Community Park Projects DEPARTMENT: County Manager/Budget PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) No ATTACHMENT(S): Proposed Resolutions INFORMATION CONTACT: Rod Visser, ext 2300 Donna Dean, ext 2151 TELEPHONE NUMBERS: Hillsborough 732-8181 Chapel HiIN 968-4501 Durham 688-7331 Mebane 336-227-2031 PURPOSE: To consider approving two resolutions that would confirm the remaining amounts pledged by the Orange County Board of Commissioners for the Homestead Aquatics Center and Southern Community Park projects. BACKGROUND: The Town of Chapel Hill and Orange County are collaborating on the planning, design, and construction of two major recreation amenities -the Homestead Aquatics Center and the Southern Community Park. The accompanying resolutions would indicate the BOCC's intent to fund these two projects at the designated levels. Town staff have indicated their view that the accompanying resolutions would provide a solid basis, beyond the BOCC's bond sale schedule, for the Town to make financial commitments related to planning efforts and contracts. The accompanying resolutions provide that to the extent applicable, both projects would be administered in a manner consistent with 1) the provisions of the joint process approved for the development of Southern Community Park, and 2) the four-phase appropriation process outlined in the County's "Policy on Planning and Funding School Capital Projects". County staff would follow up the adoption of these resolutions with the presentation (at a subsequent Board of Commissioners' meeting) for BOCC approval of capital project ordinances authorizing the appropriation of funds. Such appropriations would be made consistent with the aforementioned policies, to cover what Town staff at this early stage believe would include project "soft" costs (such as architectural and engineering, value engineering, testing, etc.). FINANCIAL IMPACT: As noted in the accompanying resolutions, the BOCC has previously earmarked a total of $4.5 million in County bond funding to the Homestead Park/Aquatic Center capital project and $3 million in County bond funding to the Southern Community Park capital prolect. RECOMMENDATION(S): The Manager recommends that the Board approve the attached resolutions. 3 ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS A RESOLUTION CONFIRMING THE INTENT TO PROVIDE AN ADDITIONAL $4,355,000 TO THE TOWN OF CHAPEL HILL FOR THE PURPOSE OF BUILDING AN AQUATICS CENTER AT THE TOWN'S HOMESTEAD PARK WHEREAS, in 1996, the voters of the Town of Chapel authorized the sale of general obligation bonds for a number of park projects including construction of an aquatics center; and WHEREAS, the Town of Chapel Hill built Homestead Park with a site identified for an aquatics center and the parking, water and sewer infrastructure to support it; and WHEREAS, approximately $1,160,000 remain from the Town's 1996 Parks bond that can be used for the Homestead Park Aquatics Center; and WHEREAS, in 1997 the voters of Orange County authorized the sale of general obligation bonds for a number of parks projects including $1,000,000 for the construction of the Town's Homestead Park; and WHEREAS, in 1998, the Board of County Commissioners approved the use of $145,000 for extension of utilities and construction of a restroom/concession building at Homestead Park, leaving $855,000 that could be used for the aquatic center facility; and WHEREAS, in 2001 the voters of Orange County authorized the sale of general obligation bonds for a number of park projects including $3,500,000 for the construction of an aquatics center in the Town of Chapel Hill; and WHEREAS, both the Board of Orange County Commissioners and the Town Council have adopted a conceptual plan for the Homestead Park Aquatics Center; acid WHEREAS, both the Board of Orange County Commissioners and the Town Council have appointed members to an Aquatics Center Project Planning Committee; and WHEREAS, in 2003, the Town Council and the Board of Orange County Commissioners agreed to an "Approval and Construction Process for Southern Community Park"; and WHEREAS, the provisions related to the "Approval and Construction Process for Southern Community Park" have thus far been observed by the Project Planning Committee in its discussions about Aquatics Center plans; and WHEREAS, both the Board of Orange County Commissioners and the Town Council recognize the importance of formal assurance from the Board of Orange County Commissioners that design and construction funds from County bonds will be made available to the Town when funds are needed to make timely project payments to contractors, vendors, and the like, consistent with applicable County policies on planning and funding major capital projects; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Board of Orange County Commissioners that the Board confirms its intent that additional funds totaling $4,355,000, beyond the $145,000 4 previously appropriated for this project, will be provided to the Town for the design and construction of the Homestead Park Aquatics Center, and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Board of Orange County Commissioners intends to make funds available to the Town on a time schedule and in a manner that will allow the project to be designed and constructed without delays due to securing funding, consistent with applicable County policies on planning and funding major capital projects, and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that it is the expectation of the Orange County Board of Commissioners, to the extent that revenue sources other than Orange County bonds are or may become involved in financing the Homestead Aquatics Center project, that those other revenues will be expended prior to the expenditure of Orange County bond funds for the stated project purposes, if the scheduled availability of those other revenues makes that possible. This, the 21St day of October 2003. 5 ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS A RESOLUTION CONFIRMING THE INTENT TO PROVIDE AN ADDITIONAL $2,655,000 TO THE TOWN OF CHAPEL HILL FOR THE PURPOSE OF DESIGNING AND BUILDING THE TOWN'S SOUTHERN COMMUNITY PARK WHEREAS, the Town of Chapel Hill purchased approximately 78 acres of property for $1,725,000 for the purpose of building a community park in the southern portion of Chapel Hill; and WHEREAS, in 1997 the voters of Orange County authorized the sale of general obligation bonds for a number of parks projects including $1,000,000 for the construction of the Town's Southern Community Park; and WHEREAS, in 1998 the Board of County Commissioners approved the use of $105,000 for irrigation and lighting of the soccer field at Scroggs School and $100,000 for planning and design of the park, and in 2003 approved the use of $140,000 for the special use permit process, leaving $655,000 that could be used for the Southern Community Park; and WHEREAS, the Town has spent approximately $38,000 on the site analysis and design of the park through the conceptual plan stage and encumbered a total of $23,900 for land surveying needed to proceed with the final design, and WHEREAS, in 2001 the voters of Orange County authorized the sale of general obligation bonds for a number of park projects including $2,000,000 for the construction of the Southern Community Park in the Town of Chapel Hill; and WHEREAS, in 2003 the Town Council and the Board of Orange County Commissioners agreed to an "Approval and Construction Process for Southern Community Park"; and WHEREAS, both the Board of Orange County Commissioners and the Town Council have adopted a conceptual plan for the Southern Community Park; and WHEREAS, both the Board of Orange County Commissioners and the Town Council have appointed members to a Southern Community Park Project Planning Committee; and WHEREAS, both the Board of Orange County Commissioners and the Town Council recognize the importance of formal assurance from the Board of Orange County Commissioners that design and construction funds from County bond funds will be made available to the Town when funds are needed to make timely project payments to contractors, vendors, and the like, consistent with applicable County policies on planning and funding major capital projects; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Board of Orange County Commissioners that the Board states its intent that additional funds totaling $2,655,000 will be provided to the Town for the design and construction of the Southern Community Park on a time schedule and in a manner that will allow the project to be designed and constructed without delays due to securing funding; and 6 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that it is the expectation of the Orange County Board of Commissioners, to the extent that revenue sources other than Orange C"ounty bonds are or may become involved in financing the Southern Community Park project, that those other revenues will be expended prior to the expenditure of Orange County bond funds for the stated project purposes, if the scheduled availability of those other revenues makes that possible. This, the 21S` day of October 2003.