Orange County NC Website
ORANGE COUNTY <br />BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br />ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br />Meeting Date: December 14, 2004 <br />Action Agenda <br />Item No. ~_ <br />SUBJECT: Contract Approval: Coulter, Jewell and Thames for Consulting Engineering <br />Services Related to the Expansion of Sewer and/or Water Utilities into Areas <br />Defined by the 1997 Efland Sewer Bond and the EPA Grants for the Buckhorn <br />EDD/Community <br />DEPARTMENT: County Manager <br />PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) No <br />ATTACHMENT(S): <br />Engineering Cost Proposal Letter <br />Engineering Task/Cost Breakdown <br />INFORMATION CONTACT: <br />Pam Jones, Purchasing Dir 245-2650 <br />Paul Thames, Cnty Engineer, 245-2300 <br />(no relation to consultant) <br />Efland/Buckhorn Utility Layout Map TELEPHONE NUMBERS: <br />(under separate cover) Hillsborough 732-8181 <br />Chapel Hill 968-4501 <br />Durham 688-7331 <br />Mebane 336-227-2031 <br />PURPOSE: To consider approving a contract that will provide for: <br />1) Construction design, project administration/management, construction/easement survey <br />and constnaction oversight far the Efland and Buckhorn utility expansion project, <br />2) Master planning the utility layout of the Buckhorn EDD, <br />BACKGROUND: Since the mid-1980's, Orange County has been involved in the process of <br />planning for or developing utility service areas in specific portions of the US 70/ Efland/I-85/40 <br />corridor. The utility service that the County has caused or allowed to be developed has to date <br />been primarily limited to wastewater collection intended to address serious pubic health issues <br />related to failing on-site wastewater treatment systems and to enhance the availability of <br />affordable housing. <br />Since 1997, Orange County has passed a sewer bond intended to address public health issues <br />and fi~lfill sewer system expansion commitments in the central Efland area and secured EPA <br />grant funding intended to: a) enhance development opportunities for the Buckhorn Road EDD; <br />b) provide sewer utilities for a new Efland middle school; and c) address environmental <br />justice/public health issues in the Buckhorn Road community. Although the initiation of the <br />project to be funded by the bond issue and grants has been delayed by a number of practical <br />as well as procedural concerns related to the availability of finding resources and land use, the <br />BOCC has - as of .June 2, 2004 -directed staff to move forward with the utility expansion <br />project, Since the Board's project approval, a number of important tasks -acquiring additional <br />EPA grant funding, finalizing a utility extension/annexation agreement with the City of Mebane, <br />