Boone adopts bond

order for

$25 million

toward new

water intake
By Frank Ruggiero

The Boone Town Council adopted a bond order for $25 million toward its new water intake near the Watauga and Ashe county line.

Expected to cover the cost and any unforeseen charges associated with the acquisition of property, the construction and equipping of facilities for the new intake on the South Fork of the New River and the upgrading of current facilities, the order will be brought to Boone voters by way of referendum Nov. 4.

At the council’s regular meeting Aug. 21, council member Janet Pepin addressed what she saw as a common misconception that the town was hastily rushing through the process.

“A lot of people are still not sure … about the length of this process and all the steps that are involved in getting there,” Pepin said. “If we don’t get all this now, we’re just delaying two to three years or even more.”

Prior to the adoption of a bond order, the council had to adopt numerous resolutions pertaining to Local Government Commission approval for a bond referendum. “This is not quickness because we wanted it to be quick – this is quickness because we’re planning two to three years out,” she said.

Mayor pro tem Lynne Mason explained that the town is still five years away from having a new water source online.

The permitting process is lengthy, she said, starting with an environmental assessment.

Pepin reiterated a statement the council has repeatedly expressed during the bond approval process.

“Our intent is to have (water) sales cover this burden and that it would not be a tax burden on our citizens,” she said.

Mason moved to adopt the bond order, and council member Rennie Brantz seconded.

Before voting, council member Stephen Phillips asked if bonds would be made available for purchase to Boone citizens, provided the referendum passes, and town manager Greg Young said they would.

The council next adopted the referendum date of Nov. 4. According to the resolution, the referendum puts the question to voters, “Shall the order authorizing $25 million of bonds secured by the pledge of the full faith and credit of the town of Boone, North Carolina to provide funds to pay the capital costs of acquiring, constructing and equipping facilities for a new water source along the South Fork of the New River, including the costs of related studies, plans and design; acquiring land and rights of way in land and installing water transmission lines related to the acquisition of the new water source; renovating the town of Boone water treatment plant in order to increase its daily capacity, including improvements to and the acquisition and installation of plant equipment, and a tax to be levied for the payment thereof be approved?”

The council also adopted a contract for the project with W.K. Dickson Community Infrastructure Consultants, though members only approved a portion of the grand total at $640,150.

Rick Miller, director of Boone Public Utilities, explained that the contract was approved with the option to complete the project in phases. “A lot of this work’s not going to need to take place if the referendum doesn’t pass,” he said.

Work within the $640,150 includes the preliminary design phase ($370,150), environmental assessment ($45,000), preliminary engineering report ($15,000), water treatment plant, intake and booster pup station preliminary design process narrative ($30,000), reclassification assistance ($25,000), reimbursables ($35,000), property right survey ($40,000), partial controlled access right-of-way negotiations with the N.C. Department of Transportation ($10,000), geotechnical services ($25,000), fish and mussel survey ($20,000), permitting assistance ($10,000), and bond referendum public education technical assistance ($15,000).

The project totals $1,745,435 with all additional services included, though Brian Tripp, vice president and branch manager with W.K. Dickson, said the actual total is $1,675,435 excluding work not in the project’s scope.

Tripp said the project could be suspended by the owner with seven days’ written notice to the engineering, and the town would be responsible only for the costs performed to date. The contract could be terminated by either party on 30 days’ prior notice.

Young warned that the numbers may fluctuate, depending on the actual construction cost.

“This is all predicated on a cost estimate that is several years out, so it may change,” he said.