AGENDA 4j

 

MEMORANDUM

 

TO:                  Mayor and Town Council

 

FROM:            W. Calvin Horton, Town Manager

 

SUBJECT:       Dedication of General Utility Easement at Meadowmont Park Pump Station

 

DATE:             March 24, 2003

 

 

The attached resolution would authorize the Town Manager to execute a blanket utility easement to serve the sewer pump station located on Town park property about 40 feet from the boundary of the Rashkis Elementary School property.  Please see Attachment 1 the location.

 

BACKGROUND

 

During the process of designing the new elementary school in the Meadowmont development, engineers determined that the best way to serve the school and some of the residential area with sanitary sewer was to build a pump station about 40 feet east of the school property on the Town’s park land. 

 

Sanitary sewer and pump station easements related to the pump station have previously been dedicated to OWASA, but it is not clear that these easements dedicated to OWASA would be sufficient for Duke Power and Southern Bell lines that are needed to serve the pump station.  George Krichbaum of Planned Community Development has suggested that the Town dedicate a blanket easement to accommodate the running of power and communication lines necessary to serve the pump station.

 

DISCUSSION

 

The area in question is already encumbered by several overlapping easements, including easements for a pump station, sanitary sewer, reserve storm drainage and vehicular and pedestrian access.  The requested general utility easement would lie almost completely on land already covered by other easements. (Please see Attachments 2 and 3 that reflect the existing easements.)  Exceptions would be a triangle of about 90 square feet surrounded by the utility easements and another 60’ strip varying in width from 5 to 10 feet, which lies adjacent to the west side of one of the utility easements.

 

We believe that, even if this general utility easement were to be completely cleared, it would not result in the loss of any trees that would not be otherwise cleared for development of the school, its parking lot, sewer service and the pump station.  In any case, power and communication lines are required for a pump station

 

RECOMMENDATION

 

That the Council adopt the following resolution that would authorize the Manager to execute a general utility easement in the location indicated on Attachment # 3.

 

ATTACHMENTS

 

  1. Location Map (p. 4).
  2. Existing Utility Easements (p. 5).
  3. Proposed General Utility Easement (p. 6).

 

A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE TOWN MANAGER TO EXECUTE A GENERAL UTILITY EASEMENT FOR THE MEADOWMONT PARK SANITARY SEWER PUMP STATION (2003-03-24/R-6.2)

 

WHEREAS, the Town of Chapel Hill has dedicated easements to OWASA for the construction of a sanitary sewer pump station on Meadowmont Park land, adjacent to the Rashkis Elementary School, and

 

WHEREAS, it is not clear that the existing sanitary sewer and pump station easements are sufficient to accommodate the Duke Power and Southern Bell lines that are needed to operate the pump station, and

 

WHEREAS, the Council has dedicated easements for the construction and operation of a sanitary sewer pump station,

 

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Council of the Town of Chapel Hill that the Town Manager is authorized to execute a general utility easement needed to serve the pump station on Town park land next to the Rashkis Elementary School.

 

This is the 24th day of March, 2003.