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7 <br />..SOWN OF H I LLSBOROUG f1 <br />November 29, 2017 <br />Ms. Bonnie Hammersley <br />Orange County Manager <br />P.O. Box 8181 <br />Hillsborough, NC 27278 <br />RE: Utility Service to Potential County Facility Sites <br />Dear Ms. Hammersley, <br />On behalf of the mayor, town board, and staff, thank you for requesting feedback regarding utility service options for the <br />two sites Orange County is considering for a potential new facility! I want to sincerely thank you for hearing the concerns <br />the town has raised about this project and for encouraging your staff to work with us in such a proactive manner. Town <br />staff has been working with Director of Asset Management Services Jeff Thompson to assess the viability of providing <br />water and sewer service to two different sites Orange County is considering for a future facility. Mr. Thompson, along with <br />consulting engineer Tony Whitaker, have been professional, helpful, and easy to work with on this matter. The town has <br />involved key utility staff, as well as Planning Director /Assistant Town Manager Margaret Hauth in evaluating these two <br />options. I've also participated in my capacity as town manager and interim utilities director. <br />Executive summary: While acknowledging each site has advantages and drawbacks, the town strongly favors the Highway <br />70 West location. From the town's perspective, it's superior for water and sewer service availability, less expensive to <br />install and maintain water and sewer service, has potential for a positive economic development impact, and is the more <br />accessible site from a traffic management perspective. <br />Overview of Two Options <br />Highway 70 West <br />1. Excellent location for sewer and water service. <br />2. Sewer service is almost adjacent to the site, only about 300 feet away from the 'Lakeshore Drive sewer. In addition, a <br />review of the topography indicates the site elevation is higher than the nearby sewer outfall, thus making it an easy <br />connection to the town's system that does not require a sewage pump station. Pump stations, as we'll discuss later <br />are expensive to operate, prone to break downs that risk service interruptions, and are major consumers of electricity. <br />Even before the town adopted its commitment to go carbon -free by 2050, it has taken major steps to eliminate pump <br />stations. Adding new pump stations is counter to the carbon -free resolution. Being able to connect to a nearby gravity <br />fed sewer outfall is a major plus for this site. <br />3. Water mains are currently located on the north and south sides of the property, one running along Highway 70 and <br />another down West Hill Avenue. It would be relatively easy to install a connecting line between these mains to provide <br />an even higher level of service din terms of pressure, reliability, and redundancy) to this site. <br />