Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
a <br />Potential Measures to Expedite County Construction Projects <br />This paper will attempt to outline the processes currently used for County <br />construction projects, and offer a potential menu list of changes or strategies that <br />might expedite the development of Ccunty construction projects. In so doing, <br />staff is not necessarily advocating these possible changes ,but providing them <br />for Board discussion and consideration. <br />Before considering changes to the current process, it may be instructional to <br />review it from start to finish. A County construction project taken from design <br />through construction is likely to go through basically five phases: <br />• Pre-Design <br />• Project Design <br />• Legislative Process <br />• Bid Solicitation and <br />• Ccnstruction <br />and Regulatory Approvals <br />Pre-construction <br />Pre-Desiyn Phase <br />This includes such activities as the notice to proceed with the design from the <br />Board, the drafting and adoption of a charge ar~d mission statement to a <br />project committee, appointments (including solicitation and public notice of <br />same) to a committee, adoption of a Preliminary Concept Plan (which serves <br />as a guiding framework for the upcornir~g design), topographic, biological, <br />cultural/archaeological, stream identification and ether surveys needed for the <br />design, and any regulatory approvals that are needed in advance of the <br />design work. <br />Project Design <br />Many construction projects that are to provide important public functions <br />(such as senior centers, government-service buildings and parks) operate <br />with a Master Plan Committee appointed by the Board and including one to <br />two Ccmmissioners. This phase includes a number of meetings with the <br />planning committee, Commissioner representatives and staff to provide <br />explanation of mission/charge, followed by meetings that include site analysis <br />and exploration, design (sometimes including hands-on "charettes"), <br />refinement of the design and eventual adoption of a proposed master plan. <br />Legislative Process and Reyulatory Approvals <br />Once the committee has completed a master plan, it is conveyed to the Board <br />of Commissioners for consideration, and after needed revisions, approval. If <br />the project is multi-phased, decisions about facilities to construct in the <br />immediate phase would also be decided at this time, and related issues such <br />as operation, maintenance and start-up costs are also deliberated. <br />