Minutes - 11-27-2000 - Laserfiche WebLink

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covered loads. He made reference to the conditions about the road - 45, 46, 5Q, 51, 52, and 54 - and the letter from Kimley-Horn saying that bike lanes should not be put in. He is not satisfied with leaving this with NCDOT. He asked that the County consider working with other traffic engineers in getting a comprehensive analysis. He does not think that NCDOT is very interested in traffic- calming devices, but Orange County is. He would like the staff to work on the mitigation fund that OWASA may pay into if a certain well repair is necessary. He would like the staff to work an the possibility of requiring that fund annually, regardless, which would be administered by the County far mitigation purposes for the quarry operation and that OWASA would contribute to in the same way that it contributes payment in lieu for fire services around the Cane Creek reservoir. Commissioner Halkiotis made reference to condition #8 and said that he would like information on how much of the area was affected by the 5Q-foot buffer. Regarding condition #18, "American Stone Company shall attempt to notify by telephone," he said that this language was loose. Regarding condition #21, he asked if a 2Q-foot high berm was high enough. Regarding condition #23, with respect to the concerns of Carrboro, he would like to know how the staff came up with seven years versus three. He would rather it be three years. He suspects that it is a political issue. Regarding condition #28, he said that he, Commissioner Jacobs, and Commissioner Brown visited the quarry several months ago and he said that 9$°~ of the trucks going in to get rock have the necessary equipment to cover the loads but the drivers da not take the time to flip the lever. He said that covered loads should be required. Commissioner Gordon made reference to page 33, #4 and the joint planning area land use plan that has been amended to expand the area designated for extractive use to include certain parcels, which were purchased by OWASA on September 7, 2000. She asked if this made any difference to the environmental impact. Craig Benedict pointed out the areas that OWASA had recently acquired. He said that it did not make any difference with the environmental impact statement. Commissioner Jacobs made reference to condition #49, the biological assessment. He asked who would pay for the consultant and what the purpose was of the survey. The applicant will answer this question. Chair Carey made reference to condition #15 and asked if the problems were going to manifest themselves at the same time the mining ends. He asked if there should be an opportunity for the residents to submit claims after the mining ends in 2Q30. He said that the timing of the return of anything remaining in the fund should be reworked. Applicant Comments Peter Gordon, Chairman of the Board of Directors of OWASA, spoke about OWASA's support of the quarry expansion. Far OWASA, the major issue is the water needs. They have done a very extensive analysis of the projected water needs for their customers and believe that their existing sources will take them through the year 2030, but at that point, they will need an additional source of water. OWASA believes that using an expanded stone quarry to capture the excess water from Cane Creek and University Lake is the best way to supply the additional water needed. The bottom line for OWASA is water needs and water quality. He said that OWASA has been part of the attempt to address ways in which the project can go forward in a way that is the least disruptive possible to the surrounding community and most beneficial to the surrounding area. He said that OWASA has now completed a comprehensive assessment of the farmer Nello Teer asphalt plant, where there is some groundwater contamination from petroleum hydrocarbons and trace amounts of chlorinated hydrocarbons. Reports on this assessment are available. A detailed on-site inventory of the biological resources on the current site has also been conducted. Also, OWASA has completed the purchase of the 1 QQ-acre plot from Mrs. Alice Durham and is in the process of submitting to the County a draft conservation easement. This means that when the mining is done, the land can never be used for anything but public water supply and open space. In conclusion, he said that OWASA and various political bodies in Orange County have worked hard on this project for many years because they believe that expanding the stone quarry is the best thing to do for the overall community.