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091785Minutes Randolph County Board of Commissioners September 17, 1985 The Randolph County Board of Commissioners met in a special call meeting at 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, September 17, 1985 in Courtroom B, County Courthouse, Asheboro, NC. Commissioners Frye, Langley, Davidson, Petty and Comer were present. The purpose of the meeting was to further discuss the Randleman Dam issue. Chairman Frye stated that the Board had been asked to make its position official so that other agencies could make their decisions, as certain time elements in fund- ing were becoming critical. He noted that the three areas for concern for the Board have been the quality of water on Deep River, the cost to Randolph County for a water supply, and the amount of land to be taken for the project. Recent study results from the State indicate that the water quality has improved remarkably in the past year. Results from a study done by Black & Veatch for an in -county water system indicate that the Randleman Lake project would be about $6 million cheaper. Henry Darr, Mayor of Archdale, stated that Archdale is in dire need of a permanent dependable water supply and feels the Randleman Dam is in the best interest of Archdale. Water will determine the amount and quality of growth in the northwest part of the county. Elizabeth Swaim, Mayor of Randleman, stated that she had been involved in the Piedmont Triad Council of Governments water study and the Randolph County Water Task Force study and that she feels the Randleman Dam i the best choice of all the alternatives. Joe Trogdon, Mayor of Asheboro, stated that water is necessary for the progress of the whole county and he feels the Randleman Dam is the least expensive choice. Walter Sprouse, Executive Vice -President of the Asheboro -Randolph Chamber of Commerce, stated that the Chamber supports the Randleman Dam for the future and progress of the county. Bob Reece, ex -mayor of Asheboro, also speaking as a private citizen, mentioned the county's need for raw water and treatment of solid waste. He said that every industry thinking of coming into the county asks about the water supply. Kemp Davis, Deep River Citizens Coalition, Randleman, said his concern now is not with the need for water, but with the displacement factor. He asked the Commissioners to take issue with the amount of land to be taken for flood control and recreation. Mr. C. M. Frazier, Deep River Citizens Coalition, Randleman, questioned the quality of water on Deep River and said that there are other water supplies in various creeks in the county that are clean. Edith Coltrane, Deep River Citizens Coalition, Randleman, stated that their organization had obtained thousands of signatures from citizens opposing the Randleman Dam. They have paid to get information from the Corps of Engineers and learned that it would take 12 years to complete the project and that the Corps would not maintain the project once the reservoir was built. The Corps could stop the project at any time. Overspending could bring a depression. She asked the Commissioners to consider other sources in the county. Sherrill Shaw, Randleman, said that water is paramount to the entire county and that to have progress some people usually are hurt. He pointed out that the Randleman Dam would cost $24,500,000, while the Polecat Creek option would cost $31,000,000, with another $3.2 million to upgrade the Asheboro water treatment plant. While being more costly, Polecat would produce only 10 million gallons per day, not 48 million. Mr. Shaw stated that $3 million of the taxpayers' money has already Commissioners Minutes September 17, 1985 Page 2 been spent and that the project could go ahead without the approval of the County Commissioners. He said the Board should vote for the project that would provide the most water for the most people. Thelma Adams, Deep River Citizens Coalition, Randleman, pointed out the following: What will happen to the displaced people? Representative Cobey was elected for opposing the Randleman Dam. What do we gain by destroying dairy and farming to bring in other industries? More industry means more waste; recreation means more crime. Local projects cost in roads, protection, etc. Davidson County has a 30 -year contract to supply water to Archdale and their reservoir is only 27 acres. Sonny Davis, Deep River Citizens Coalition, Randleman, pointed out the following: Some facts presented by NC Dept. of Natural Resources and Community Development at last week's meeting were only suppositions and projections, especially concerning the quality of the water in Deep River. Non -point pollutants were not studied. The project would bring in more pollutants. The Corps of Engineers say we need 20 million gallons per day --can we afford 48 million gallons per day? Tax- payers paid $300 million for Jordan Lake and in less than 5 years $13 million was added to this for control and keeping it clean. Guilford has other options and sources of water, but this is cheaper for them because of the shared cost. Chairman Frye then asked for individual comments from the Board of Commissioners. Floyd Langley said perhaps he could relate better to the farmers than the other commissioners because he is a farmer himself. They will not only be losing their land, but their way of living. Water is only 1/3 of the project and it bothers him to lose that much land; the quality of water also bothers him. Mr. Langley said that the cost of the project will be twice what we think because we will pay for it through state and federal taxes. He said he had talked to Chatham County Commissioners about Jordan Lake and they said it was a liability, not an asset. He pointed out that Randleman Lake would be a joint agreement with boards and board members can change. Another problem he has is that the Corps of Engineers are the ones to determine the value of land to be taken. For all these reasons, Mr. Langley stated he is opposed to the Randleman Dam. Richard Petty stated that he has served on the Board of Commissioners for 7 years and he has studied this more than any other project. He said that he repre- sents the district land is being taken from, but he represents other citizens, too. Seven years ago the government said it would pay the whole bill; the commissioners agreed to the 3,500 -acre project, but no recreation. Then they changed their minds and said the cities would help pay. Mr. Petty pointed out that N.C. is one of the 5 fastest growing states and he said we should take advantage of this and be prepared for this growth. Therefore, he votes for the water, but is opposed to the acquisition of all the proposed land. Clinton Comer stated that he has served on the Randolph County Water Task Force and had studied the problem. This is a painful situation, but we must have water. He is opposed to all the land proposed to be taken, but he votes for the water. People will be upset wherever a reservoir is built. Kenyon Davidson said he has thought a lot about this issue and studied it and the Randleman Dam seems to be the best source. He said he must vote for what seems to be the best for the most people. Commissioners Minutes September 17, 1985 Page 3 Chairman Frye said that the 1600 acres quoted for the Polecat Creek Reservoir does not include buffers or zoned protection areas. The total would be 3,500 to 4,000 acres. One significant plus for the county,, he said, is that a 1969 study said that the county would never reach its potential until it had its own water source and that a water project should be done jointly. Mr. Frye said that this Board will not know the impact of its decision --that will be recorded by history. When they went into office, they didn't say they would run away from difficult decisions, and they won't. On motion of Richard Petty, seconded by Clinton Comer, the Board of Commissioners voted to go on record as supporting the Randleman Dam as a water supply, but to oppose the amount of proposed acreage for recreation and flood control, and to work to reduce the total acreage as much as possible. Commissioners Davidson, Frye, Petty, and Comer voted in favor of this motion. Commissioner Langley voted against this motion. Chairman Frye noted that this action in no way insures any funding for this project. On motion by Petty, seconded by Davidson, the meeting adjourned.