AGENDA #5A
MEMORANDUM
TO: Mayor and Town Council
FROM: W. Calvin Horton, Town Manager
SUBJECT: Preliminary Report on the 2000-2005
Capital Improvements Program
DATE: March 29, 2000
We
attach the Preliminary Report on the 2000-2005 Capital Improvements Program.
The
attached resolution would refer the document to the Town’s Bicycle and
Pedestrian Advisory Board, Community Design Commission, Greenways Commission,
Historic District Commission, Housing and Community Development Advisory Board,
Library Board, Parks and Recreation Commission, Planning Board, and the
Transportation Board for their review and recommendations. Advisory board recommendations would be
included in the Council’s materials for the May 10 public hearing.
Introduction
We
are pleased to present the Preliminary Report on the Capital Improvements
Program for 2000-2005.
The
Capital Improvements Program traditionally has identified capital projects that
may be funded in five or fewer years.
In addition, this year’s Program begins to move the Town toward the goal
of developing a fifteen year Capital Improvements Program.
The
Capital Improvements Program is a financial plan for the Town’s major capital
and infrastructure needs. Drawing from
the Comprehensive Plan, special studies, and Council, citizen and staff ideas,
the Capital Improvements Program identifies capital needs, establishes
priorities, and identifies potential funding sources.
The
Capital Improvements Program is comprehensive in scope. It includes all identified capital projects
and a range of funding sources. It
includes projects that are funded through the Town’s capital repair and
maintenance fund, and also those projects that are funded through bonds, state
and federal grants, and other sources.
However, the Capital Improvements Program does not include the capital
needs of the school system, the Orange Water and Sewer Authority, or solid
waste management projects.
This
Preliminary Report provides a summary of the proposed Capital Improvements
Program for the years 2000-2005. We
have used a set of priority ranking critieria to evaluate projects (please see
Attachment 1). The highest priorities
are given to those projects which have a Council mandate for funding, those which
are needed to meet a legal requirement, those for which we have a contractual
agreement, and those that would repair existing facilities. Projects are listed in priority order; then
ranked by whether each project is a Maintenance, Improvement, or Expansion
project.
This
Preliminary Report consists of five tables:
·
Capital
Repair and Maintenance Fund – Funded Projects:
Table 1
includes a projection of recommended funding levels over a five-year
period. We have included brief
descriptions of each project in the summary table. In addition, we have assigned priorities to each project, and
have identified whether each project is a Maintenance, Improvement, or
Expansion item.
This table includes five renovation
projects recommended for ten-year installment financing. The amount shown in the table is the annual
installment payment needed. The five
buildings are the Interfaith-Council Shelter building on W. Rosemary Street, the
Old Post Office facility on E. Franklin Street, the Glenwood Fire Station, Hargraves
Center, and the A.D. Clark Pool and Bathhouse.
Total renovation costs are about $1,355,000, including funds for
architectural/engineering costs and construction management.
·
Capital
Repair and Maintenance Fund – Unfunded Projects: Table
2 lists other capital repair and maintenance projects submitted by Departments
which are not recommended for funding in this preliminary recommendation. We have included brief descriptions of each
project, its priority rating, and whether each project is a Maintenance,
Improvement, or Expansion item.
·
Summary
of Bond Projects: Table 3 shows the schedule for issuing
$13,500,000 in authorized 1996 bond projects, as adopted by the Council on
September 8, 1997.
·
Grant/Other
Projects: Table 4 summarizes the capital projects
funded by grants or other sources for which funding is available or
anticipated.
·
Long
Range Projects: Table 5 was prepared to give the Council
a list of projects that we anticipate will be needed beyond the scope of the
five-year Capital Improvements Program.
This table forms the beginning of our work on preparing a fifteen year
Capital Improvements Program as requested by the Town Council.
This
plan proposes that $783,000 from the Town’s capital improvements fund be
allocated for capital projects in the 2000-2001 fiscal year. The total amount of funding proposed in this
five-year period through the capital improvements fund is $4,217,000.
This
year’s Capital Improvements Program will include reappropriated funds from
previous program years. Reappropriations
will be recommended as the current fiscal year progresses and projects are
completed or scheduled. These funds
will be included in the Manager’s Recommended Capital Improvements Program to
be presented on April 24.
Descriptions of
Project Categories
Following
is a description of each project category included in the Preliminary Capital
Improvements Program:
Public Buildings and
Facilities: This category
includes a variety of improvements to facilities owned and maintained by the
Town of Chapel Hill. This
category includes projects that affect the quality of the Town’s service
operations.
Communications, Technology
and Information: This category includes projects which
support the communications, technology, and information functions of the Town.
Public
Works and Infrastructure: This
category deals with improvements to Town infrastructure, such as sidewalks,
drainage, bike paths, and cemeteries.
Public Safety
Improvements: This category includes projects that
provide maintenance or improvements to the Town’s police, fire and emergency
management services.
Parks and Recreation and
Greenways: This category includes projects that
develop or improve recreational facilities in the Town. It may include enhancements to existing
parks and open areas, or development of new recreational facilities such as
greenways.
Citizen
Comments
On
Monday, January 31, 2000, a public forum was held regarding the Town budget.
The Council received several comments and requests regarding Capital Improvements
Program funding. Following is a list of
projects that were requested, along with a staff comment:
¨
Sidewalks
on Mason Farm Road.
Several
citizens spoke in support of additional sidewalks in the Mason Farm area. A separate staff report on this request was
presented at the March 27 Council meeting.
¨
Sidewalks/bikepath
on Estes Drive from Seawell School Road to Airport Road.
Funding for sidewalk construction is
proposed in this Capital Improvements Program through the Sidewalks and Bicycle
Facilities project. Each year, the Town
Council authorizes funding for specific sidewalk and bikepath projects
throughout the Town. Town staff will
include this sidewalk request for the Council’s consideration as part of a
report on sidewalk and bikepath priorities later this spring.
Future
Steps
The
Manager’s Recommended Capital Improvements Program will be submitted to the
Council on Monday, April 24. On
Wednesday, May 10th a public hearing will be held to receive citizen
comments on the Recommended Capital Improvements Program. The Town Council is scheduled to consider
adopting the proposed budget and Capital Improvements Program on Monday, June
12, 2000.
We
recommend that the Council adopt the attached resolution referring this
document to Town advisory boards.
1.
Priorities for Selecting Capital Improvements Projects
1.
Capital
Repair and Maintenance Fund – Funded Projects
2.
Capital
Repair and Maintenance Fund – Unfunded Projects
3. Bond Project Summary
4. Grant/Other Funds – Funded Projects
5. Long-Range Projects