Minutes 11-14-2013 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Commissioner Dorosin arrived at 6:08. Steve Brantley said Morinaga made an announcement in September that outlined the purchase of the 21 acre site and the plan to eventually employ 90-120 people, invest up to $48 million, and produce Hi-chew. He thanked the Commissioners and the City of Mebane for the public hearings and the vote in favor of the zoning. He said the next step is for Morinaga to close on the property. He said the company executives had recently made a visit and met many city and County officials. He said a commemorative candy dish has been sent to Japan, with seals from Orange County and Mebane. Steve Brantley said he just received Hi-chew t-shirts and he would be distributing those to all. He said the Morinaga announcement has created more interest in Orange County since the infrastructure is coming together. He said other interested people are inquiring about co- location on adjacent parcels, and stronger interest is predicted moving forward. Craig Benedict spoke about the infrastructure of water and sewer in this area. He reviewed a map and said there is a $4 million project under construction at this time, and $2 million of large gravity sewer is going in close to the Morinaga site. He said this was put into the ground preemptively, and Morinaga will eventually be able to tie into this line. He said there is also a $1 million line going in near Buckhorn. He said there are dividends in the entire Mebane area from this infrastructure. He said this was one of their first large projects done with the quarter cents sales tax. He said potential clients are impressed to see work already happening in this corridor. 2. Water& Sewer Availability and Future Plans Craig Benedict said there is another system in design for Efland. He said this is for the sewer flow in Efland, and the design is to flip the flow to pour into another gravity system. He said this will allow for more development around the Mt. Willing Road interchange. He said it will take several years for the flow to be changed. He said part of the inter-local agreement will be the intent of Mebane to pick up these customers in Efland. He said the County has matched the rate for Efland customers to reflect the Mebane out of town rate in order to make a seamless transition. Craig Benedict said water demand also has to be considered. He said Mebane has a joint water system with Graham, and Orange County has certain allocations with Jordan Lake. He said the County is in the process of deciding how to get water from Jordan Lake to some of their future economic development projects. He said consideration is being given to what is most financially feasible for the County and Mebane in terms of water supply. Craig Benedict said the dialogue has improved with Orange/Alamance Water Systems. He said this partnership is still an unknown, and there is still work to be done. He said the areas south of Efland that are not serviced by Orange/Alamance would be serviced by the City of Mebane. Tim Bradley asked if it was feasible to take water from the Haw River instead of Jordan Lake. Craig Benedict said that hasn't been considered but it could be an option. He said it would have to go through multiple providers, but the County is paying a consultant to look at the alternatives for water supply. Jill Auditori asked what additional costs would be incurred by Mebane for the sewer project.