Loading...
1996-09-09 Special Meeting NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS SPECIAL MEETING, SEPTEMBER 9, 1996 BOOK 25 PAGE 592 ASSEMBLY The New Hanover County Board of Commissioners held a Special Session on Monday, September 9, 1996, at 2:00 P.M. in the Assembly Room of the New Hanover County Courthouse, 24 North Third Street, Wilmington, North Carolina. Members present were: Commissioners Sandra Barone; WilliamA. Caster; William E. Sisson, Jr.; vice-Chairman E. L. Mathews, Jr.; Chairman Robert G. Greer; County Manager, Allen 0' Neal; County Attorney, Wanda M. Copley; and Clerk to the Board, Lucie F. Harrell. Chairman Greer called the meeting to order, and on behalf of the Board, expressed appreciation to the news media for the excellent job performed in accurately informing the public about the activities before and after Hurricane Fran. Appreciation was, also, expressed to the Sheriff's Department, the Emergency Management Department and all County employees who worked in the Media Center and Emergency Operations Center for the time given to successfully carry out the emergency procedures. Chairman Greer requested the Director of Emergency Management, Dan Summers, to present an update on the latest events. Director Summers introduced Major Fred Aiken, the Wilmington National Guard Battalion Commander, and expressed appreciation to him for helping the County to obtain National Guard and Department of Defense resources. Major Aiken reported that over 700 troops from the National Guard were in New Hanover County to provide support to the area. He commented on the cooperative spirit of the local people and advised that troops would be in the area for an extended period of time. Chairman Greer, on behalf of the Board, expressed appreciation to Major Aiken for the assistance given by the National Guard. Director Summers presented the following report. Restoration of Electric Power: Carolina Power & Light Company had restored power to the following areas: Wilmington Area: Whiteville Area: Wallace Area: 40,560 residents, representing 46% 18,700 residents, representing 53% 1,907 residents, representing 15% Throughout the State, 50% of the power has been restored with 383,000 customers in southeastern North Carolina waiting to receive power. Carolina Power & Light Company has performed a superb job in restoring power to the Wilmington area. Activities: (1) There are seven feeding units from the Salvation Army placed in strategic locations. (2 ) Night time aerial fly-overs were another flight will occur tonight. to law enforcement agencies. performed last night and This has been most helpful (3) There are fifty additional volunteer firefighters from Guilford, Forsyth, and Surry counties augmenting the Volunteer Fire Departments. (4) The 911 Center has received approximately 2,800 calls per day. The increased calls have been well managed by 911 personnel. NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS SPECIAL MEETING, SEPTEMBER 9, 1996 BOOK 25 PAGE 593 (5) A structure fire occurred with complete loss of the residence from improper use of a generator. City and County fire units have been working diligently with persons using generators to be sure the machines are properly connected before use. (6) The Sheriff's Department has 30 personnel on the streets with two full patrols during the night. This coverage has greatly deterred break-ins and other criminal activities. (7) Heavy equipment, both private, public, military, and FEMA, are in the process of removing sand from the beaches. (8) One-hundred thirty additional two-way radios have been placed in the field for strategic communications. (9) EMS runs on the beaches have not been significant; however, both Emergency Rooms are busy at the hospitals with early discharges of patients. (10) The unincorporated county damage completed; however, it appears this million for business and residential should be completed today. assessment has not been figure will exceed $175 properties. This report (11) BellSouth has made progress in restoring telephone service. All central offices are on commercial power with 277 transient sites on back-up power. Approximately 2,000 customer trouble reports have been received. The damage assessment for BellSouth should be completed today. (12) Eighty percent of the wells in the County are on commercial power, and one-hundred percent of the lift stations are now operational. Four water buffalos are being placed in neighborhoods that receive water services from private utility companies. More water has been ordered, and the County Engineering Department has been working with private water companies to obtain generators to provide power to wells. (13) The number of meals served daily has increased to 18,740. The meals have been deployed from six strategic feeding locations. (14) Sites are being reviewed for the location of a FEMA Disaster Application Center. FEMA is in the process of ordering communications equipment for disaster applications and assistance. (15) A Citizens Information Hot Line will be in operation on September 10, 1996, and the United Way is working on special need situations. News releases and phone numbers will be published as soon as possible. (16) The business, residential and marine insurance adjusters have received identification permits and will be going to the beach communities today. All adjusters will be required to leave the beaches by 6:00 P.M. (17) Ten nurses from the Health Department are working in the Carolina Beach and Kure Beach area to provide tetanus immunization shots. Also, the Strike Team representatives from Emergency Management are still assisting at Carolina Beach and Wrightsville Beach. (18) With heavy rains and flooding that occurred after the storm, the U. S. Coast Guard has closed the waterways because of debris. This action serves as a notice to mariners. There will be aerial and water surveillance of the waterways for navigation safety. NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS SPECIAL MEETING, SEPTEMBER 9, 1996 BOOK 25 PAGE 594 Commissioner Caster requested a brief report on the re-entry process for the beach communities. Director Summers advised that the Wrightsville Beach re-entry had gone well; however, there was concern about power being restored to wet homes. Re-entry to Carolina Beach and Kure Beach went exceptionally well. The re-entry plan was implemented and the Sheriff's Department did an excellent job in monitoring the traffic at the bridge and reducing the length of time persons had to wait. Safety pamphlets were provided by the beach communities at the check points, which was beneficial to persons returning to the beach communities. In general, the re-entry process was carried out in an excellent manner by the beach communities. Commissioner propane tanks and inform the public incorrectly. Sisson commented on the danger of floating suggested that a news release be prepared to about how explosive these tanks are if handled Director Summers responded that news releases had been issued by the Propane Gas Association informing the public about the danger of explosions and the signs of corrosion in regulators. The gas dealers have personnel on the beaches to recover tanks as well as check regulators. Also, additional news releases will be issued on how to re-light natural and propane gas appliances or equipment. The Fire Departments are carrying out a fire watch, and a company has been identified to perform recovery or address unusual situations with propane gas tanks. County Manager O'Neal presented the following information. (1) The District Courts and Superior Courts will be closed for the remainder of the week; however, Judges will be on a rotating schedule for specific events. Discussion was held on whether the Courts being closed would create overcrowding in the jail. Sheriff McQueen responded that Judges would continue to hold the first appearance in the jail, which will keep the population under control. Also, without phone service, persons cannot be subpoenaed to serve on the jury. The Sheriff's Department feels this was a good decision. vice-Chairman Mathews commented on seeing a sightseer in his community, and he urged the media to ask people not to go into communities until trees and fallen power lines have been removed. Sheriff McQueen responded that most people were cooperative about sightseeing; however, the curfew had been beneficial in controlling this problem. (2) Schools will be closed for the remainder of the week due to a lack of power, minor damages, and safety issues that must be addressed before opening the schools. Debris Removal: Director of Environmental Management, Ray Church, reported the contract with D&J, Enterprises, Inc. had been extended to cover Hurricane Fran. Six crews are now on site with eleven coming tomorrow and more by the end of the week. D&J has two crews at Porters Neck, one crew at Myrtle Grove, one crew at Greenville Loop Road, one crew at Kings Grant, and one crew at Middle Sound Road. The other crews will be disbursed as they arrive. Contractors from around the world have called for removal of materials; however, the Environmental Management Staff is confident that D&J can provide this service. It would be helpful to discourage other contractors from coming in and soliciting contracts. D&J will be hiring small contractors to assist with the debris removal process. NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS SPECIAL MEETING, SEPTEMBER 9, 1996 BOOK 25 PAGE 595 Wilmington Materials and the Blue Clay Road recycling centers are open to serve the public. Staff is trying to secure a site at the end of Shipyard Boulevard near the State Port. Once this site is finalized, a press release will be prepared. The northern elementary school site on Gordon Road will be used and a site will be established in the Castle Hayne area to serve the public. A Storm Debris Hot Line has been established to assist the public with debris removal. The number is 763-4144 and will be operational from 8:00 A.M. until 5:00 P.M. Dead flashlight batteries will be received at the County's recycling sites located at Monkey Junction, Ogden Village, Castle Hayne, the County Landfill, WASTEC, and Communications Specialists. Due to the number of plastic water jugs, special receptacles have been set up at the recycling centers to receive plastic containers. Due to the number of cars and boats that have been damaged, lead acid batteries will be received at a separate location at the Landfill and WASTEC. The local garages and parts stores have been requested to continue receiving old batteries as trade-ins on new batteries. The major issue to address will be the handling of construction and demolition materials. The Landfill does not have enough room to receive all of these materials. After negotiations wi th Wilmington Materials, this company has agreed to charge a tipping fee of $31.50 per ton to receive the materials, process the materials, and transfer the remaining materials to the Sampson County Landfill. After contacting the Sampson County Landfill, the County has been offered a gate fee disposal price of $26.00 per ton for materials delivered to the site. This figure does not include transportation. Director Church requested the Board to decide if New Hanover County will assist the beach communi ties with construction and demolition debris removal, or will the County require the beach communities to proceed as individual units? In the unincorporated waterfront areas, there will be a considerable amount of construction and demolition materials. D&J has the capability of providing this type of service. The Board was requested to provide direction on how to proceed with handling construction and demolition debris. Chairman Greer recommended receiving the materials as done ln the past if contracts could be obtained. Director Church advised that after discussion with D&J, the company has agreed to collect construction and demolition debris at a fee of $30.00 per ton, contingent upon the weight being the same as the vegetative materials. The density should be close, and this figure will be left open until enough time has been given to measure the weight of the construction and debris materials. In closing, Director Church emphasized the importance of people being patient and understanding that a huge amount of debris has to be removed. It will take months for the debris removal process to be completed. If numerous contractors are hired, there will be too many trucks crossing the scales. In order to address this problem, residents will be allowed to use satellite sites. A flat fee has been negotiated with the disposal sites so trucks do not have to cross the scales. Chairman Greer commented on calls being received from persons living in areas that have not received debris pick-up from Hurricane Bertha and suggested that these areas be placed on the top of the list for debris removal from Hurricane Fran. Director Church advised that the Wrightsboro area, identified as Area 5, had already been given top priority by D&J. During Hurricane Bertha, Area 5 was assigned to the N. C. Department of Transportation who did not collect debris on private roads. In the NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS SPECIAL MEETING, SEPTEMBER 9, 1996 BOOK 25 PAGE 596 debris removal process for Hurricane Fran, the Department of Transportation has been assigned the public primary secondary roads with the contractors collecting debris on private roads. In closing, Director Church reported that D&J had a blanket permit to move the oversized equipment through North Carolina; however, problems could be experienced in Georgia and South Carolina. He requested the Board to contact the Secretary of Transportation, Garland Garrett, to expedite permits for South Carolina and Georgia. Director Summers responded he would be glad to handle this matter. Consensus: After discussion of the need to address disposal of construction and demolition materials, it was the consensus of the Board to authorize Director Church to negotiate a contract with D&J, Inc. to provide the service. Discussion was held on how the County would handle disposal of construction and demolition debris for the beach communi ties. Director Church reported the City had contracted separately with D&J and eight crews were arriving to perform debris removal within the City Limits. During Hurricane Bertha, vegetative debris collection was provided to the beach communities through D&J. Commissioner Sisson noted that if the County contracts with D&J for removal of construction and demolition debris for the beaches, he would suggest servicing public beach access areas before private beach areas. Consensus: After discussion of construction and demolition materials being massive at the beach communities, it was the consensus of the Board for the County to provide collection service through D&J Enterprises, Inc. for disposal of construction and demolition debris. Director Summers reported the U. S. Coast Guard and related agencies were inspecting every marina and fuel distribution site for oil spills. If necessary, the Coast Guard can utilize the Pollution Fund to use three primary EPA approved contractors to assist with a spill if an incident should occur. Chairman Greer inquired as to whether the County would receive a financial loss on the clean-up activities after Hurricane Fran because of the shortage in State funds? Director Summers responded the County would probably lose revenue in the State reimbursement. The Federal reimbursement should be 75% with State reimbursement of 25%. When the presidential Disaster Declaration was processed through the White House, the document indicated that North Carolina would provide a 25% match. This was before the preliminary assessment was performed and so many counties were impacted by the storm. The County should be prepared to split the 25% State match. Discussion was held on the total cost of Hurricane Bertha. Director Summers reported that damages assessed during Hurricane Bertha totaled $24 million. Approximately, $265,000 of County dollars were spent with the County having to pay approximately $15,000 to $18,000. The remaining balance will be appealed. Chairman Greer asked if the curfew was needed tonight? Director Summers responded the curfew was needed and he respectfully requested the Board to consider prohibiting the sale of alcohol one hour before the curfew. NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS SPECIAL MEETING, SEPTEMBER 9, 1996 BOOK 25 PAGE 597 Consensus: It was the consensus of a majority of the Board to extend the curfew from 10:00 P.M. September 9, 1996, until 6:00 A.M. September 10, 1996. Commissioner Barone stated, for the record, she was not notified of the meeting yesterday, and reported she was opposed to imposing a curfew. Discussion was held on prohibiting the sale of alcohol. Sheriff McQueen reported no problems had been experienced with alcohol at this time. Commissioner Caster stated he could not see prohibiting the sale of alcohol one hour before the curfew, particularly when it had not become a problem. vice-Chairman Mathews stated, for the record, many people had contacted him expressing disappointment about the Board not passing a Price Gouging Ordinance. He advised he was still in favor of this type of ordinance. Commissioner Sisson reported on flooding problems directly attributable to water draining from new subdivisions onto existing streets in older subdivisions. He suggested addressing this problem through the planning process for new subdivisions. Further discussion was held on when retention ponds are required in new subdivisions. Assistant County Manager, Dave Weaver, advised that if a subdivision was above a certain percentage of the impervious surface, an engineered storm water plan was required. However, in many cases, the plan does not require a retention pond. Chairman Greer asked if the County through the current storm management program could obtain money to clean out drainage ditches that are clogged because of storm debris and downed trees? Director Summers reported he would be glad to research the issue, but specific areas would have to be identified. County Manager O'Neal reported he would be glad to involve the Engineering Department with Director Summers ln seeing if resources can be found to clean out drainage ditches. Discussion was held on the sewer overflow at Bradley Creek. Assistant County Manager Weaver reported the rapid flow of water created a pressure build-up in the gravity line which blew off a bolted down manhole lid with sewer leaking into the creek. Staff corrected the problem immediately. Director Summers reported that flooding occurred at the Seagate Volunteer Fire Department with six to seven inches of rain in the building. The department was relocated to the Cooperative Extension Building with all apparatus removed. Unfortunately, some out-of-county mutual aid firefighters were in the building and their cars floated away with their personal belongings. The firefighters were from Forsyth County, and the County's insurance will cover the loss except for the deductible. This matter will be reviewed with Carlton Allegood, Executive Director of the Wilmington/New Hanover Insurance Advisory Board. ADJOURNMENT Chairman Greer adjourned the meeting at 3:58 P.M. Respectfully submitted, Lucie F. Harrell Clerk to the Board