Orange County NC Website
19 <br /> 1 will be additional tenants in the future who will also pay a rental fee in the future. He said all of these funds <br /> 2 will go toward the Landfill Enterprise Fund, to assist in post closure costs and needs. <br /> 3 He said there is a proposed easement, but this is not final. He said the 60 foot easement shown <br /> 4 could be difficult and it may not be possible to have a full 60 feet. <br /> 5 Michael Harvey said, in this proposed lease, the applicant is responsible for obtaining all permits for <br /> 6 the due diligence phase. <br /> 7 Karen Kemerait is an attorney in Raleigh, representing American Tower and ATT. She said ATT <br /> 8 had initially planned to construct on another site that did have some issues, but it came to their attention <br /> 9 that there was Orange County property available. She said this was a win-win situation for ATT and for the <br /> 10 County. She noted that the propagation maps show currently available coverage. She reviewed the areas <br /> 11 of low coverage, as well as connectivity of the proposed site with other sites. <br /> 12 Commissioner Price asked if the lease is 9 or 5 years. <br /> 13 John Roberts said there is a typo on this, but the lease is 9 years. <br /> 14 Commissioner Price said when she was on the planning board there were discussion about the <br /> 15 balloon tests being in the winter versus the summer because of the trees. She asked if this might be the <br /> 16 policy for future testing. <br /> 17 Michael Harvey said it is not practical and not part of UDO to do these once a year. He noted that <br /> 18 these must be done just prior to the public hearings. <br /> 19 Commissioner Dorosin referred to the photographs and the labels for view and simulated view. He <br /> 20 asked for an explanation of this. <br /> 21 Michael Harvey said the view shows the actual blimp itself, and the simulated picture shows a <br /> 22 rendering of the actual tower. <br /> 23 Commissioner Dorosin asked if these could be marked better in the future. <br /> 24 Michael Harvey said this will be done in future submittals. <br /> 25 Commissioner Dorosin clarified that the revenue will go to the Solid Waste Enterprise fund. He <br /> 26 noted that this is a restricted fund, as far as how the money can be used, and he asked why this money <br /> 27 can't be put in general fund. <br /> 28 John Roberts said this is because the Solid Waste Enterprise funds purchased the property. He <br /> 29 said if the County chose to reimburse Solid Waste Enterprise for the cost of the property, then the income <br /> 30 for the lease could go to general fund use. <br /> 31 Frank Clifton said the Solid Waste Enterprise funds appear to be insufficient long term for <br /> 32 maintaining a landfill, so the reserves offset the demand on the general fund. He said staff felt this was the <br /> 33 best choice at this time. <br /> 34 Commissioner Dorosin asked if the easement will be paved. <br /> 35 Frank Clifton said part of it is already paved, but the additional part will be gravel. <br /> 36 Frank Clifton said, in the past, tower applications were only accepted once a year. He said that in <br /> 37 an attempt to gain wireless service countywide, companies are now being encouraged to submit <br /> 38 applications when it is convenient for them. <br /> 39 Commissioner Price referred to the paragraph on abandonment and asked if it is typical for a <br /> 40 company to wait 12 months for maintenance on a site. <br /> 41 Michael Harvey said this is typical, but the UDO requires the posting of regular bonds in the event <br /> 42 that the County has to initiate repair due to issues. <br /> 43 John Roberts said the abandonment provision is only in the event that American Towers goes <br /> 44 bankrupt. He said the County has to give a timeframe for knowing that the property has been abandoned. <br /> 45 <br /> 46 NO PUBLIC COMMENT <br /> 47 <br /> 48 Chair Jacobs asked for clarification on the photo titles that mention "Phelps". <br /> 49 Michael Harvey said this was just the original name for the project. <br /> 50 Chair Jacobs said this process requires approval of the lease first and then the other boxes are filled <br /> 51 out and staff is responsible to make sure this happens. <br /> 52 Michael Harvey said the lease gives ATT the authority to submit the application, and even with the <br /> 53 granting of the lease ATT is still required to go through the appropriate permitting process. If the permit <br /> 54 cannot be issued, the lease is null and void. <br />