Orange County NC Website
Commissioner Halkiotis said that he and Chair Jacobs went to Georgia to visit a <br />site and the buffering was very extensive. He said that when he was driving back from <br />Washington, D.C. he was stunned by the number of tractor-trailers on I-95 heading to <br />Virginia because the netting systems on these trucks were not good. There were plastic <br />bags flying off onto I-95. He said that he does not want to become disrespectful of the <br />citizens and he hopes that they start buffering this site early so that there is at least five <br />years of growth. He wants to think creatively about how to minimize the visual impact. <br />He asked how many trucks would be coming out of there per day and Gayle Wilson said <br />anywhere from 7-8 to 14-15 on heavy days. This would be 5 '/2 days a week. He said <br />that the additional traffic generated by this site would be so minimal, that he does not <br />think that the Town of Chapel Hill will require them to do a traffic analysis. <br />Chair Jacobs asked why it was necessary to have a separate entrance for the <br />occasional pickup truck and Gayle Wilson said that it was far safety and efficiency <br />reasons, and they try to keep the customers out of the way of the big trucks. <br />Chair Jacobs asked when the County last talked to any neighboring jurisdiction <br />about partnering on a transfer station and Gayle Wilson said that they spoke with <br />Durham about 2-3 years ago. <br />Chair Jacobs said that when he, Commissioner Halkiotis, and John Link had <br />lunch with Durham's Mayor, Mayor Pro Tem, and Manager, the issue was raised and <br />they seemed interested. Gayle Wilson said that they would be glad to talk with Durham, <br />but the Durham facility is inadequate for what it is even handling now. They will explore <br />this. <br />Commissioner Foushee said that the fact that Durham City's facility was <br />inadequate would lend itself more to the opportunity to partner. Gayle Wilson said that <br />their facility was a temporary transfer station. The plan was to eventually build a <br />permanent, more capable facility. They are still using the temporary facility and have <br />even made same improvements to it. <br />Commissioner Carey asked if there was a reason for the transfer station to be in <br />close proximity to the landfill and if the SWAB considered other options. Gayle Wilson <br />said that it is not essential but does offer advantages such as easier State permitting, <br />existing haul patterns, the new operations administrative center is close by, and if they <br />try to preserve some landfill space, then they can use the same crew. <br />Commissioner Carey asked how long in the future this facility would serve the <br />County and Gayle Wilson said that it should last 25-30 years with minimal upgrades. <br />Commissioner Carey asked some clarifying questions about traffic flaw and the <br />map. <br />Chair Jacobs said that he would like to see the result of ca-locating with Durham <br />City and to have this discussion and a cost analysis before they endorse a final plan. <br />Gayle Wilson said he would be glad to meet with them. Chair Jacobs asked John Link <br />to call the City Manager about this, too. Gayle Wilson said that one of the key things to <br />that conversation is how quickly the County can move or abandon the landfill space. <br />Commissioner Gordon asked how much time was left in the present landfill <br />space and Gayle Wilson said that it would reach capacity in mid to late 2010 and the <br />minimum time to design and construct a transfer station would be about three years. <br />Commissioner Carey asked the staff to explore options to not locate the transfer <br />station in this community and to look at other possible locations in Orange County to <br />give them more flexibility. <br />Gayle Wilson asked for any exclusionary criteria for other options. <br />Commissioner Halkiotis asked Gayle Wilson how much revenue would be lost for <br />the first year if the transfer station were in Durham and Gayle Wilson said that the overall <br />