Orange County NC Website
3 <br />• 1991-1997 Throughout the 90s, memos from the County Engineer were written regarding <br /> cost estimates for expansion of the system and the pursuit and study of vazious <br /> funding strategies, including Community Development Block Grants, financing <br /> through customer rates or assessments and a district sewer tax. None of these <br /> ideas proved fruitful. <br />• 1997 County issued a bond of $1.2 million to expand sewer service in Efland. <br />• 1998-2002 Discussions in memos from the County Engineer focus on steps required to use <br /> the bond money for expanding service in Efland and defining the scope of the <br /> project so a consultant could be hired to begin engineering design work. <br />• 2002-2003 Scope was expanded to include the Buckhorn Economic Development District <br /> and North Buckhorn community, in addition to the Central Efland expansion. By <br /> this time, the costs to construct the system expansion in Central Efland were faz <br /> above the original estimates prepared in 1996 by the County Engineer. Federal <br /> grants were sought and earmarked in the form of EPA Special Appropriations <br /> Grants (SPAP). (2003 and 2005). <br />• 2004 Engineering consultant, Coulter, Jewell, Thames, hired to design the Buckhorn <br /> and Central Efland sewer expansion projects and Gravelly Hill water and sewer. <br />• 2005-2006 Gravelly Hill is sepazated from North Buckhorn and Central Efland projects. <br /> When it became cleaz that regulatory hurdles due to the EPA SPAP grant would <br /> delay water/sewer service provision to the new Gravelly Hill Middle School, the <br /> portion of the project related to the school was separated from the lazger project. <br />• 2007-2008 Rate study commissioned. Raftelis Financial Consultants concludes that revenues <br /> from customer's monthly rates only cover 20-25% of system costs. Staff develops <br /> and BOCC approves afour-year rate increase plan to increase revenues and make <br /> the system self-funding. <br />• May 2008 Environmental Assessment and Engineering Report for North Buckhorn/Central <br /> Efland project is submitted to the State's Construction Grants and Loans division <br /> for review. <br />• July 2009 Rates raised first time in 20 years. This was the first of four increases over the <br /> next four yeazs. <br />• Sept 2009 Craig Benedict, Planning Director, and Kevin Lindley, Staff Engineer, attend EPA <br /> workshop on applying for and administering the EPA SPAP grants. <br />• Dec 2009 State Construction Grants and Loans division approves the Engineering Report <br /> and recommends a Categorical Exclusion (i.e., environmental cleazance) to the <br /> EPA Regional office in Atlanta. <br />• Dec 2009 EPA Grant Application draft is submitted to State Construction Grants & Loans <br /> section for review. <br />