Agenda - 05-01-2008-5a - Laserfiche WebLink

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J~ According to OWASA's standards for replacing wastewater pumping station related equipment (pumps, motor controls, standby power generators, etc.), the useful lifespan of this equipment is in the 15-20 year range. The equipment at the Efland system's McGowan Creek pumping station will have been in operation for twenty years this fall. Replacement of this equipment is scheduled in the operating permit-required Efland Sewer System CIP for FY 2010-11. Given the overlapping time frames for construction of the sewer collection system expansion, it may be possible to achieve economy of scale savings by including upgrading the McGowan Creek pump station as a part of the sewer expansion project. Furthermore, by having the upgrade take place during the construction project, the pumping station can be upgraded before the additional flow from the expanded service area comes on line and becomes a factor in the degree of difficulty in taking the McGowan station off-line during the upgrade process. The anticipated cost of this upgrade, assuming the installation of pumps of similar configuration and capacity, is approximately $200 - $250,000. As with the funding shortfall for the proposed sewer expansion, this additional cost can be financed through borrowing against the FY 2010-11 debt issuance. As a CIP item, debt service for these improvements may also be included in any BOCC approved revisions to the sewer use rate structure for the Efland sewer system. Inclusion of the McGowan Creek pumping station upgrades should have no effect on the project permitting or construction timeline. The BOCC has asked for additional clarification/explanation of the strategy outlined by Budget Director at the April 1St portion of the public hearing, in which the County could essentially "loan" itself sufficient funds to complete the project from the FY 2010/2011 alternative funding issues. The Budget Director has indicated that, at the BOCC's March 12th Budget Work Session, the County Manager shared with the Board tentative County debt issuance plans which contained a proposal to include the additional funding necessary to address the budget shortfall for the full sewer expansion project. The Budget Director has suggested that, should the Board decide to move forward with completion of the entirety of the Central Efland/Northern Buckhorn sewer system construction project and the upgrade to the McGowan Creek Pumping Station, that the staff recommendation would be to debt finance the unfunded portion of the project in winter 2009 after the County receives the final project bids The progress of the sewer expansion project should follow the following outline: • The County must hold a public hearing that has been advertised for at least two weeks on the draft Engineer's report (begun on April 1 and concluding on May 1, 2008. • The Engineer's report is submitted to the NC Construction Loans and Grants Section, which will review the documents and make a recommendation as to whether the project requires the preparation and submittal of additional environmental documents (a formal Environmental Impact Statement [EIS]) or receives a "Categorical Exclusion" meaning that no additional environmental documents have to be prepared.