Agenda - 11-08-2012 - 5a - Laserfiche WebLink

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13 1 INTRODUCTION 2 3 In 1972, the north side of Eubanks Road became the site of a solid waste landfill operated by 4 the Town of Chapel Hill. Orange County assumed operational control of the landfill as the result 5 of an August 17, 1999 agreement between the Towns (Chapel Hill, Carrboro, and Hillsborough) 6 and the County. The Historic Rogers Road Community has lived with this landfill for 40 years. 7 Over many years, residents representing the Rogers Road area have voiced concerns about 8 various operational elements associated with the landfill and the impact on the Rogers Road 9 Neighborhood. The Neighborhood is geographically split by the Town of Chapel Hill Joint 10 Planning Transition Area and Town of Carrboro. Orange County, as the current owner/operator 11 of the landfill, is taking the lead to make remediation improvement to the Historic Rogers Road 12 Community. 13 14 A number of local government initiatives have been implemented to improve the quality of life in 15 the Rogers Road Community and they are as follows: 16 17 1. The Solid Waste Fund paid $650,000 to extend public water service by the Orange 18 Water and Sewer Authority (OWASA) to the Rogers Road area. 19 2. Solid Waste installed gas flares to reduce odors. 20 3. The Town of Chapel Hill initiated bus service on Rogers Road. 21 4. Orange County initiated a no-fault well policy to deal with failing drinking water wells 22 remaining in the adjoining neighborhoods. 23 5. The Orange County Board of Commissioners approved the appropriation of$750,000 24 from the Solid Waste Fund Balance in the Fiscal 2011/12 Annual Budget to establish 25 a Rogers Road Remediation Reserve Fund and established a $5.00 tipping fee 26 surcharge per ton as long as the landfill is operational to fund the Rogers Road 27 Remediation Reserve Fund. The surcharge generated $216,462 for Fiscal 2011/12 28 and is estimated to create $222,500 for Fiscal 2012/13, which will bring the total 29 amount available for the Rogers Road Remediation Reserve Fund to $1,188,962. 30 6. A partnership with Orange County and the University of North Carolina created a Landfill 31 Gas to Energy Project that commenced operation on January 6, 2012 and will have 32 an immediate and noticeable impact on the odor created by the operation of the 33 landfill. The project will further provide a long-term renewable energy source to UNC, 34 reducing dependence on increasingly expensive fossil fuels, and reduce carbon 35 emissions. 36 7. On October 4, 2011 the Orange County Board of County Commissioners authorized 37 staff to proceed with a "one-time" effort to clean-up illegal dump sites within three- 38 fourths of one mile of the landfill boundary, at no cost to the individual property 39 owners. 40 41 At the January 26, 2012 Assembly of Governments meeting, the Orange County Board of 42 Commissioners and the Town Boards discussed the extension of sewer service and a 43 community center for the Rogers Road Community. County and Town Attorneys have 44 concluded that use of Solid Waste reserves to extend sewer service to the Rogers Road 45 Community is not consistent with North Carolina General Statutes and would subject the local 46 governments to legal challenges. Funding for a community center does not have a relationship 47 to Solid Waste and could not be funded from Solid Waste reserves. Therefore, funding for 48 either the extension of sewer services and/or a community center will have to come from the 49 County's and Towns' other general revenue sources. There was also significant discussion on 50 January 26 regarding the creation of a task force to address the issues.