Agenda - 06-02-2004-9b - Laserfiche WebLink

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developing a comprehensive small area plan far Efland; and addressing the water shortage issues related to the role of the Orange-Alamance Water System in providing water to the area] and defining a utility service district for the Efland area. Over the years, all of these goal elements have been addressed in some fashion or as far as is practicable, by activities such as: 1) acquiring an EPA grant to fund extension of sewer service into the Buckhorn Road EDD/community; 2) BOCC approval of Orange County/Mebane annexation and utility extension agreements; 3) the update/modification of the County's land use plan currently in process; 4) Orange-Alamance actions to secure new water purchase agreements and reduce water demand by removing Swepsonville from its system; and 5) formal BOCC approval of the Efland sewer service district in 2003. There are a number of near-term timing and funding challenges that remain to be addressed in the effort to extend sewer service to central Efland and water and sewer service to the Buckhorn Road EDD and community: a The Efland Sewer Bond was passed in 1997. To be in compliance with the rules of the Local Government Commission (LGC), the County must either sell the bonds or request that the Local Government Commission approve an extension to the standard seven year bond sale requirement, ® The adopted timetable for the opening of Orange County Schools' Middle School #3 in Efland demands that the process to extend the water and sewer utilities necessary for that opening be initiated now. • The EPA grant which will pay for the extension of sewer utilities to the school is a matching fund grant (55% EPA/45% local), the County must either tie the Efland Sewer Bond project to the Buckhorn project so that the bond funds serve as the grant match or acquire another source of funding to serve as the match, a If the Bond and Grant projects are to be tied together, the simultaneous design and bidding of both projects will be required (although actual construction may be accomplished in two or more time-sequential phases). • No existing funding sources have been identified to address the $500,000 to $1.25 million dollar costs of extending water service to the southern portion of the Buckhorn community, the southern portion of the EDD, the middle school ($500,000) and the northern portion of the EDD ($750,000), ® The County has or will have available approximately $2,15 million in bond and grant funds to address $3,35 million in identified sewer infrastructure needs, ® The total funding shortfall in combined water and sewer infrastructure needs approaches $2..5 million, ® Although the County has formally requested that Congressman Price help the County get additional no-match grants that will be necessary to fund all identified water and sewer infrastructure costs, the outcome of the request and timing of funding availability is uncertain. The BOGC is asked to consider the following steps to initiate the Buckhorn EDD/community and Efland Bond project: approve a scope of consultant design work that includes all of the identified water and sewer development needs (as indicated graphically on the attached maps); and