Orange County NC Website
Document management portal powered by Laserfiche WebLink 9 © 1998-2015 Laserfiche. All rights reserved.
<br />The documents are then reviewed by the staff and County Attorney and <br />released for signature by the Chair to the Board, after which the Notice to <br />Proceed for the project may be issued. Thus begins the construction project. <br />Contractors are generally interested in carrying out the work in a timely <br />manner because their profitability on the project depends on their ability to <br />complete the project within the contract period upon which the bid was based. <br />Pre-construction meetings during which responsibilities and expectations are <br />outlined are generally held soon after the Notice to Proceed is issued. <br />If the contractor, sub-contractors, designers and owners maintain open and <br />frequent communication the project is more likely to be completed on time <br />and within budget. Strong project management and construction oversight is <br />a key to ensure success on this front. <br />Possible Alternative Strategies for Expediting the Process <br />Given the current process, some of the activities are required or needed to <br />ensure that the project is constructed as designed and to the standards and <br />expectations of the County. However, it may be possible to modify or eliminate <br />some steps and maintain the intent of the outcome, while streamlining the <br />process and reducing the amount of time and effort expended. As noted earlier, <br />staff is not advocating these measures but rather providing a menu list of <br />possibilities for discussion as requested: <br />Siting the Project <br />Alternatives to consider: <br />If multiple sites for a project are available, and if sites are equal as it respects <br />the appropriateness for the project in question, site the project in areas where <br />regulatory approvals can be attained in a shorter timeframe. <br />Plannincr Committees <br />While public input is highly desirable, the very nature of committees requires time <br />considerations when scheduling meetings, preparing agendas and follow up <br />reports and in general, managing the educational process for committee <br />members to learn about the project. In a planning group of 15-20 people, as is <br />often the case with County projects, the process of trying to coordinate multiple <br />schedules in an attempt to find an acceptable date/time for a single meeting may <br />consume weeks of a schedule. <br />Alternatives to consider: <br />• Utilize ad hoc committees, not specifically appointed by the BOCC to <br />eliminate tt~e need for public notice and meeting minute requirements; <br />Consider alternative methods of idea gathering from the public at large to gain <br />broad based information that can then become a basis of discussion for the <br />