Agenda - 09-26-2005-2 - Laserfiche WebLink

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~~°""r''s~, ®rauge ~ouutp ~t~jour~ 3 ~ ~ 200 ~a~t ~iug street °~ ~` iCCsborou ~C 27278 ~ g a~yr. ~ 9~1, ~ Pr. Shirley Carraway Superintendent September 21, 2005 Mr. Moses Carey, .Jr., Chair Orange County Board of County Commissioners P.O. Box 8181 Hillsborough, NC 27278 Dear Mr. Carey and Board Members, (919) 732-8126 Telephone (919) 732-8120 Fax www.orange.kl2.nc.us The construction of Middle School #.3 is progressing beautifully, and is beginning to look like a school. The steel has been erected, the slabs have been poured, and the widening of West Ten Road is nearing completion.. The Board of Education is currently in the process of arranging for electric power to the site.. We have run into a problem in our negotiations with Duke Power, however, and we are hoping the Board of County Commissioners can help us address it.. Here is the situation: In order to keep construction on schedule, we need power on the property by 7anuary 1, 2006.. Most of the middle school site is in Duke Power's territory, although a small portion, including the pump station, is in Piedmont Electric's territory. In fact, Piedmont Electric is currently supplying temporary power to an irrigation pump. Duke Power has the ability to provide electric service to the school within our time frame if a decision is made immediately, However, they are requiring that we grant them an easement across the property to provide for future development of three-phased power to the east of our site. Unless we allow the easement, they will not provide power to the school. The Board of Education is willing, of course, to grant Che easement, buC we disagree wiCh Duke's provisions about the type of power lines Chey will supply. The Special Use Permit that allowed us to build the school requires us to place utilities underground, and, in fact, the Board of Education wants the power lines to be underground.. Duke Power views overhead power lines as standard service, and underground lines as a customer option for which the customer must pay. Because the easement would provide no benefit to Orange County Schools and is required only to meet Duke Power's future needs, the Board believes that Duke should install the lines underground across the easement at no cost to the district. Duke maintains that the district must pay for the underground lines.. Piedmont Electric has indicated that they can provide underground service within our required time fiame at a fraction of the cost that Duke Power is charging because they realize that over the years, they will recoup any investmenCS they make in our property. With Chis offer in hand, the