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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2003-10-20 Water & Sewer NEW HANOVER COUNTY WATER AND DISTRICT BOOK 3 REGULAR MEETING, OCTOBER 20, 2003PAGE 39 ASSEMBLY The District Board of Commissioners of the New Hanover County Water and Sewer District met in Regular Session on Monday, October 20, 2003, at 1:31 p.m. in the Assembly Room of the New Hanover County Courthouse, 24 North Third Street, Wilmington, North Carolina. Members present were: Chairman Robert G. Greer; Vice-Chairman Nancy H. Pritchett; District Commissioner Julia Boseman; District Commissioner Ted Davis, Jr.; District Commissioner William A. Caster; County Manager, Allen O’Neal; County Attorney, Wanda M. Copley; and Clerk to the District Board, Lucie F. Harrell. Chairman Greer called the meeting to order. NON-AGENDA ITEMS Chairman Greer announced that time had been reserved for anyone from the public to present an item that was not listed on the Regular Agenda. He requested all persons to limit their remarks to three minutes. No items were presented. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Chairman Greer called for a motion to approve the minutes. Motion: Vice-Chairman Pritchett MOVED, SECONDED by District Commissioner Caster, to approve the minutes of the Regular Meeting held on August 18, 2003, as presented by the Clerk to the District Board. Upon vote, the MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. CONSIDERATION OF RESOLUTION TO CONDEMN SEWER EASEMENT TAX PARCEL NO. RO4211-007-003-000 LOCATED IN GLYNNWOOD VILLAGE FOR INSTALLING A SUB-LINE OF THE BROOKFIELD/BRIERWOOD SEWER PROJECT County Engineer Wyatt Blanchard reported that the referenced parcel was needed to proceed with construction of the Brookfield/Brierwood sewer project. After investigating the title, Staff was informed by Homeside Lending, Inc. (the original lending company) that the title of ownership had been transferred to HUD. Several attempts have been made to contact HUD without any success. Since the ownership is in question, it may be necessary for the District to condemn the parcel. In closing, County Engineer Blanchard informed the District Board that Staff would continue to make an effort to contact the owner to see if this issue could be resolved instead of having to condemn the property. He requested the District Board to adopt the resolution to authorize Staff to proceed with the condemnation process if it becomes necessary. Motion: District Commissioner Caster MOVED, SECONDED by District Commissioner Boseman, to adopt the resolution to authorize Staff to condemn Tax Parcel No. RO4211-007-003-000 in Glynnwood Village for the Brookfield/Brierwood Sewer Project and authorize the Chairman to execute the necessary documents. Upon vote, the MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. A copy of the resolution is hereby incorporated as a part of the minutes and is contained in W&S Exhibit Book II, Page 39. PRESENTATION ON UPDATE OF WATER AND SEWER CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITIES/PROJECTS FOR KINGS GRANT, MIDDLE SOUND, BROOKFIELD/BRIARWOOD AND THE WATER TREATMENT PLANT County Engineer Wyatt Blanchard presented maps and a status report on the following sewer projects and NEW HANOVER COUNTY WATER AND DISTRICT BOOK 3 REGULAR MEETING, OCTOBER 20, 2003PAGE 40 activities in the District: Kings Grant Section I : The contract completion date is March 2004, but the contractor plans to complete the project prior to January 1, 2004 since the work is ahead of schedule. Kings Grant Section II : The contract completion date is August 2004, and the contractor has just started work. The contractor has provided a schedule indicating that resources and equipment are in place to complete the project by August 2004. It will be thirty to sixty days before this date can be confirmed due to permits not being received from the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers. Kings Grant Section III : The contract completion date is May 2004; however, it does not appear the work will be completed in May. Staff and the consulting engineer have met several times with the contractor, and it was necessary to notify the contractor that the company must provide a schedule or other action will be taken. At the end of September, the contractor had performed 27% of the dollar value of the work. Staff is working with the contractor to speed up the work. Middle Sound Division I : The contract completion date is March 2004. This project is proceeding well, but due to excess rain and the approaching rainy season, it appears that the completion date could be delayed 60 days. Middle Sound Division II : The contract completion date is June 2004. This contract is proceeding well and should be completed by the end of June 2004. Middle Sound Division III : The contractor awarded the bid has filed bankruptcy and the bonding company has taken over the contract. The bonding company has been cooperative and has hired another contractor to complete the work. The new contractor has already started work and the project should be completed by February 2004. Brookfield/Briarwood : The contract completion date is July 2004, and the contractor has just started the project. At this time, it is anticipated that the work will be completed on time if an unusual amount of rain is not experienced during the winter. District Commissioner Davis referenced the Kings Grant Projects and stated that he had been contacted about the lack of fire hydrants in Kings Grant. He requested County Engineer Blanchard to comment on this issue. County Engineer Blanchard responded that fire hydrants are installed when the District provides a water system to an area. He advised that sufficient funds are not available to provide fire hydrants when only sewer is being provided to a subdivision. Progress Report on the Water Treatment Plant Mr. Dan Dawson, representing WK Dickson, Inc., reported that a tremendous amount of growth has been experienced in the area to be served by the Water Treatment Plant in the northern part of New Hanover County. This growth has created a need for the engineers to review the initial capacity of the Water Treatment Plant to be sure there is sufficient capacity before the plant becomes operational. Mr. Dawson also advised that meetings have been held with the UNCW Center for Marine Science and Research regarding the discharge location. As the water is treated to a higher quality, there will be a small discharge returned that will be too hard to treat. In determining how to handle this discharge, the Center for Marine Science and Research has suggested locating the discharge further away from the Water Treatment Plant to provide a route that will allow the discharge to be used by nearby golf courses. This option will allow the County to have total use of the water and reduce the amount of groundwater removed by the golf courses. NEW HANOVER COUNTY WATER AND DISTRICT BOOK 3 REGULAR MEETING, OCTOBER 20, 2003PAGE 41 In discussion with the State regarding the Environmental Assessment, the State has urged the County to initially start using water from the Castle Hayne Aquifer in addition to the Pee Dee Aquifer because of the abundance of water in the Castle Hayne Aquifer. The water in the Pee Dee Aquifer is easier to treat than the Castle Hayne Aquifer, but the State would like for the Water Treatment Plant to be built to treat water from the Castle Hayne Aquifer. The original plan was to wait before developing wells in the Castle Hayne Aquifer, but after studying the recommendation from the State, WK Dickson feels that it would be beneficial for the Water Treatment Plant to treat water from both aquifers to better protect the environment and save water for the future. The State has also suggested that management of groundwater in New Hanover County should become more formalized and structured. The Groundwater Task Force had already made this recommendation, and the Planning Staff has been working on a Well Head Protection Ordinance and Groundwater Management Plan. When the Environmental Assessment is submitted to the State before the end of the year, the Groundwater Management Plan will have been presented to the District Board for consideration and approval. In closing, Mr. Dawson advised that he was satisfied with the progress being made on the Water Treatment Plant, and he offered to answer questions. Vice-Chairman Pritchett asked if the Groundwater Management Plan included stormwater management. Mr. Dawson responded that the plan did not include stormwater management and explained that the New Hanover County Stormwater Ordinance was in place to manage stormwater. He advised that the County’s ordinance is one of the most stringent along the North Carolina coast. Chairman Greer asked if any figures have been projected on the cost of recommendations from the State and the UNCW Center for Marine Science and Research. Mr. Dawson responded that additional capital expenditures will be associated with moving the discharge further away from the Water Treatment Plant and locating wells in the Castle Hayne area to treat water from the Castle Hayne Aquifer. He stated at this time no cost projections have been developed, and he assured the District Board that the monthly water rate would not increase. After hearing no further comments, Chairman Greer expressed appreciation to Mr. Dawson for the informative report. ADJOURNMENT Chairman Greer called for a motion to adjourn the meeting. Motion: District Commissioner Caster MOVED, SECONDED by Vice-Chairman Pritchett, to adjourn the meeting. Upon vote, the MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. Chairman Greer adjourned the meeting at 1:54 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Lucie F. Harrell Clerk to the District Board