Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
2 <br /> taxpayer funds. She said residents deserve to see the same information as decision-makers and <br /> to be part of the process. Instead, she said residents are on the defensive and fighting for their <br /> homes and families' health and safety. She said she and other residents would prefer to be on <br /> the offensive and on the side of Solid Waste Management in understanding the need for a new <br /> consolidated site and to have been part of the governmental process. <br /> Mary Lawrence said her property is adjacent to the proposed site for solid waste <br /> convenience center. She said the center would be located on 7.7 acres carved from the northeast <br /> corner of a 56-acre plot owned by OWASA. She said about 30 acres is currently wooded, and the <br /> rest is open and used for land application of biosolids. She said the proposed site already bears <br /> the environmental burden of biosolids from OWASA and the surrounding community has already <br /> absorbed the numerous risks associated with this practice and a solid waste convenience center <br /> would add additional burden. She said to build the center would require removing hardwood trees <br /> that stand between the site and neighboring properties, which neighbors need to absorb the water <br /> runoff from the biosolids site and filters wells. She said a representative from the engineering firm <br /> involved in the project said he could give no guarantees that contaminants from the site would <br /> not infiltrate the neighbors' wells, which means the center could double the risk of well <br /> contamination. She said the proposal is lose-lose for 70 homes and asked the Board to withdraw <br /> support for the project. <br /> Joshua Setzer said an NC-54 corridor study was presented at the last meeting, and there <br /> were findings shared that are relevant to the solid waste facility issue. He said Highway 54 is well <br /> beyond its carrying capacity resulting in congestion and accidents. He said solutions will take <br /> years and, in the meantime, the population will continue to grow, and it will get worse on Highway <br /> 54 before it gets better. He said despite this, Solid Waste Management has proposed <br /> consolidating two convenience center sites into one at the corner of Orange Grove Rd. and <br /> Highway 54, which would make even more people have to use Highway 54. He referenced the <br /> census block data presented by Nishith Trivedi at the last meeting which showed that there is a <br /> community of concern along Orange Grove Rd.that meets three environmental justice thresholds. <br /> He said this section of Southwestern Orange County at the junction of Orange Grove Rd. and <br /> Highway 54 is already overburdened by traffic and underserved by roads and is burned by waste <br /> byproduct from the biosolid treatment program which is now known to contain PFAS and is under <br /> EPA study. He said the proposed waste and recycling center would bring more traffic and potential <br /> contamination. He urged the Board to ask Solid Waste to look for other sites. <br /> b. Matters on the Printed Agenda <br /> (These matters will be considered when the Board addresses that item on the agenda below.) <br /> 3. Announcements, Petitions and Comments by Board Members <br /> Commissioner Portie-Ascott said she attended the ribbon cutting for Innovate Carolina <br /> Junction on September 27'. She said she appreciated that there was a moment to acknowledge <br /> the women who worked at that location and made their living selling flowers and a carnation was <br /> provided to all who entered. She said the Junction is a hub for innovation and entrepreneurship <br /> at UNC Chapel Hill. She said she also attended the Local Government Housing Collaborative <br /> meeting. She said the group has put a pause on the RFP because the previously identified funds <br /> can't be used for county-wide housing plan, only for a plan focused on the four priority populations. <br /> Commissioner Richards did not have any announcements. <br /> Vice-Chair McKee said there is a lot of activity along the roads in northern Orange County. <br /> He explained that this is a result of the broadband initiative the Board started two years ago, and <br /> multiple crews are hard at work laying conduit. He said the plan is for this work to be done by the <br /> end of 2024. <br /> Chair Bedford thanked Vice-Chair McKee and Commissioner Greene for serving on the <br /> Broadband Task Force, which led to the work Vice-Chair McKee mentioned. She said she and <br />