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ORANGE COUNTY <br />BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br />ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br />Meeting Date: February 16, 2006 <br />Action Agenda <br />Item No. 4 <br />SUBJECT: Buckhorn Road EDD/Community Water/Sewer Project -Project Completion <br />& Timing Issues <br />DEPARTMENT: County Manager/Budget PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) No <br />ATTACHMENT(S): <br />2/14/06 County Engineer Memo <br />Project Timeline Chart <br />Proposed/Existing Infrastructure Maps <br />2/15/06 Budget Director Memo <br />2/02/06 ERCD Director Memo <br />INFORMATION CONTACT: <br />John Link, County Manager, <br />919-245-2300 <br />Paul Thames, County Engineer <br />919-245-2303 <br />Donna Dean, Budget Director <br />919-245-2151 <br />PURPOSE: To update the BQCC as to issues affecting County efforts to provide an August <br />2006 completion of the portion of the Buckhorn EDD/Community utility project that will provide <br />water and sewer service to the Gravelly Hill Middle school, and to discuss options/strategies to <br />overcome those challenges. <br />BACKGROUND: The Construction Loans and Grants Section (CLGS) of the Division of Water <br />Quality (DWQ), NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is the <br />regulatory/review agency charged with permitting projects funded by Environmental Protection <br />Agency (EPA) State and Tribal Assistance Grants (STAG). The STAG grant process calls for <br />the Grantee to submit an Environmental Assessment (EA), an Engineer's Report (outlining <br />existing project conditions and proposed improvements) and construction documents (plans <br />and specifications) to CLGS for its review and approval prior to submission to the EPA for final <br />approval. <br />This review process has created two sources of delays in the County's effort to get the <br />Buckhorn Road EDD/Community project underway: <br />• Delays in CLGS reviews of the EA and Engineer's Report have extended the overall state <br />and federal review/approval process (more than 8 weeks, to date) to a point where it is <br />possible that project construction cannot begin until the time when it needs to be completed; <br />and <br />• CLGS engineering review staff (construction documentation review) has ruled that the City <br />of Mebane's existing wastewater utility infrastructure has insufficient capacity to accept an <br />additional wastewater flow, including flow from the Buckhorn EDD/Community project. Their <br />position, at least currently, is that they will require upgrades/modifications to Mebane's <br />existing infrastructure before they will allow the Mebane system to receive wastewater flow <br />from the Buckhorn Road EDD/Community project. <br />