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15 <br />Services Center renovation project; and, authorizing the Purchasing Director and Public Works Director <br />to negotiate an appropriate reduction in the contract with Environmental Air Designs, Inc. to reflect a <br />credit to the County for any of their contracted work that will instead be carried out by Wildlife Nuisance <br />Control, Inc.; and, authorizing the Manager to approve and staff to execute any WHSC project change <br />orders, not to exceed a cumulative total of $100,000, that may become necessary through August 19, <br />2003. <br />Commissioner Jacobs said that he had a concern about the bats in the clock tower. John <br />Link said that his understanding is that there are no live bats in this situation. <br />Public Works Director Wilbert McAdoo said that there are some live bats. There is a process <br />where netting will be put up where the bats are coming in. The bats can fly out, but they cannot come <br />back in. There is no extermination involved. <br />A motion was made by Commissioner Halkiotis, seconded by Commissioner Jacobs to: <br />1) authorize the Purchasing Director and Public Works Director to negotiate and execute a <br />contract and any related documents with Wildlife Nuisance Control, Inc. in the approximate amount of <br />$50,000 to carry out environmental remediation work essential to completion of the Whitted Human <br />Services Center renovation project; <br />2) authorize the Purchasing Director and Public Works Director to negotiate an appropriate <br />reduction in the contract with Environmental Air Systems, Inc. to reflect a credit to the County for any of <br />their contracted work that will instead be carried out by Wildlife Nuisance Control, Inc.; and <br />3) authorize the Manager to approve and staff to execute any WHSC project change orders, <br />not to exceed a cumulative total of $100,000 that may become necessary through August 19, 2003. <br />VOTE: UNANIMOUS <br />9. ITEMS FOR DECISION -REGULAR AGENDA <br />a. Housing Bond Program <br />The Board considered awarding funding to the recommended affordable housing bond <br />projects and to authorize the Manager to issue a Letter of Commitment to each funded agency detailing <br />the conditions of the award. <br />Tara Fikes said that the total available funds for the housing bond are $1,040,000. <br />Applications were due at the end of December 16, 2002 and five applications were received by the <br />deadline. These applications were reviewed by the Project Review and Selection Committee. The <br />committee is recommending funding for three projects -Empowerment, Inc., Habitat for Humanity, and <br />Weaver Community Housing Association. The recommendation regarding Empowerment, Inc. is <br />conditional pending approval of a concept plan by the Town of Chapel Hill. The committee does not <br />recommend funding at this time for the two other projects (OPC Foundation and Affordable Rentals) due <br />to incompleteness of those applications. Both of these applicants have been in touch with the staff to <br />work on the applications. <br />A motion was made by Commissioner Halkiotis, seconded by Commissioner Carey to <br />approve the recommendations of the Project Review Committee -Empowerment, Inc. for $90,000; <br />Habitat for Humanity for $170,000; and Weaver Community Housing Association for $270,000. <br />Public Comment: <br />Susan Levy from Habitat for Humanity said that because their project is in the joint planning <br />area and they are requesting a rezoning, it would come before the Board in October at a joint public <br />hearing. She pointed out that this project plays into the Greene Tract and the portion of the Greene <br />Tract that the task force recommended be approved for affordable housing. This project is going to <br />extend the existing sewer that Habitat developed at New Homestead Place up to Purefoy Road. This <br />has been a complex negotiation. <br />Mark Chilton from Empowerment, Inc. thanked the staff and committee members for <br />recommending their project. He introduced Jefferson Parker from the OPC Foundation. He said that <br />they wanted to talk about the OPC project that is not being recommended. He said that the proposal is <br />for OPC to purchase a pair of duplexes on Johnson Street in Chapel Hill from Empowerment to use for <br />affordable rental purposes. Empowerment used money from the Catholic Church and from a bank to <br />