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" ~ A~I'a~, ~e~ ~ ~ <br />Memorandum <br />O <br />To: Board of Orange County Commissioners <br />From: Solid Waste Advisory Board <br />Jan F. Sassaman, PhD, Chair <br />Subject: Summary SWAB Discussion Regarding Millhouse Road Proposed WT Site <br />June 3, 2009 SWAB Meeting <br />Date: June 5, 2009 <br />At its June 3, 2009 meeting, the SWAB devoted a significant portion of two hours to receiving <br />and discussing Olver, Inc.'s draft analysis of the Millhouse Road site with respect the county <br />site-selection ranking system, and with respect to a to comparison of its merits compared to <br />other sites, particularly the Howell Site. In addition to discussing the Olver presentation, SWAB <br />members (two of whom live in the Roger's Road neighborhood) provided their own views. <br />The SWAB discussions focused on three areas of concern -operational and technical <br />considerations, environmental issues, and that group of issues associated with the local residents <br />in the immediate vicinity of the site and in the Roger's Road neighborhood. <br />With respect to the operational and technical considerations, the SWAB generally agreed that the <br />Millhouse Road site was a superior site for a number of reasons. It is close to the county's <br />projected population centroid, as well as to major highways and a railroad right-of--way. It is <br />close to current ongoing solid waste operations, thus providing for operational efficiencies and is <br />also close to where both Chapel Hill and County solid waste operations trucks park, thus <br />reducing the number of truck round trips. It is close to existing utilities at the Chapel Hill <br />Operations Center, and utility services could presumably be provided as extensions of those <br />facilities. Some of the money saved by the governments on the extra hauling to Millhouse over <br />the Howell Site could be directed to neighborhood mitigation. Overall, with respect to <br />operational and technical considerations, it just makes sense. <br />While there are several potential environmental issues that may need to be resolved, including <br />the as yet unknown possible extent of wetland areas, the SWAB focused on the environmental <br />pluses of the Millhouse Road site. These include a significantly lower carbon footprint associated <br />with a location close to traffic corridors and the waste centroid, resulting in fewer miles traveled. <br />There are a number of environmental aspects of the Millhouse Road site that would need to be <br />considered further, including a more detailed wetlands analysis, endangered species analysis, <br />specific traffic analyses that include new development and facilities along Eubanks Road, and <br />permitting needs. <br />The SWAB discussed the issues associated with people at length and collectively expressed a <br />concern that people along Millhouse Road adjacent to the proposed site could be adversely <br />impacted. It was noted that the Millhouse Road site is located in an area that is considered by <br />residents to be a part of the historic Roger's Road community. In addition, it was noted that the <br />Emerson-Waldorf School is located nearby on Millhouse Road and there are properties backing <br />