Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
22 <br /> <br />Council Member Stegman asked if it would be possible to schedule an additional tour <br />since the Council just found out about it this afternoon. <br />Donna Baker said the invite went out to the Board of Aldermen and the Town Council a <br />month ago, as well as to the Clerks and the Managers. <br />Craig Benedict said staff will do its best to schedule an additional tour. <br />Commissioner Rich said the BOCC asked for comments from the Town by May 1, and <br />asked if this is possible. <br />Roger Stancil said it can be, but he not sure about all of this. He said it can be put on <br />the agenda for that request. <br />Commissioner Rich said the BOCC really wants to move forward on this, as the Greene <br />Tract has been discussed for years. <br />Roger Stancil said all the Managers are discussing this topic, and Town staff can <br />provide a tour to Council members who may not be able to attend tomorrow. <br />Mayor Hemminger said she plans to attend tomorrow, and asked if it is possible to walk <br />the roadbed that connects down to Merin Road. She said it is her understanding that there is <br />a connection that goes out of Rogers Road over to Eubanks, and asked if this could be <br />included in the tour as well. <br />Craig Benedict said he would try to incorporate these elements into the tour. <br />Commissioner Marcoplos echoed Commissioner Rich’s comments, and said the <br />Greene Tract is an incredible resource, especially for affordable housing. He said he hopes all <br />would be working collaboratively on affordable housing on the Greene Tract, and County staff <br />is looking into what it would take to have community solar as part of an affordable housing <br />project there. He said it is also wise to think about having agreed upon building standards, <br />such as energy efficiency, resource efficient, maintenance efficient, etc. <br />Mayor Hemminger said she is excited about this process, and the Town’s housing <br />partners are also eager to be a part of this discussion. <br /> <br />g) Orange Water and Sewer Authority (OWASA) Policy <br /> <br />Travis Myren reviewed the following information: <br />A nine member Board of Directors governs the Orange Water & Sewer Authority (OWASA). <br />The Chapel Hill Town Council appoints five members, the Carrboro Board of Aldermen <br />appoints two members, and the Orange County Board of Commissioners appoints two Board <br />Members. The OWASA Board adopts the annual budget; sets rates, fees and charges; <br />approves bond issues to fund capital projects; makes policy decisions; and appoints the <br />Executive Director, General Counsel and independent auditor. The fees associated with <br />connecting to OWASA infrastructure have been cited as one of the barriers to constructing low <br />cost, affordable housing. This item is intended to serve as a point of discussion for how the <br />appointing Boards could work with their appointees to the OWASA Board of Directors to <br />potentially reduce the cost of the connections for affordable housing developments. <br /> <br />Karen Stegman left at 9:43 p.m. <br /> <br />Travis Myren said the OWASA management provided a three-page handout, which <br />provides the trajectory for OWASA’s fees. <br />Mayor Hemminger said the Chair and Mayors met to discuss approaching OWASA <br />together about opportunities, and this is a result of those conversations. <br />Mary Tiger, OWASA Sustainability Manager, reviewed the following information: <br />