Okaloosa County BOCC — August 24, 2013 — Action Item Printout — reading text

BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS AGENDA REQUEST DATE: August 20, 2013 TO: Honorable Chairman and Members of the Board FROM: Jeff Littrell SUBJECT: Ft. Walton Beach 36" Force Main - Eglin Easement on Roberts Blvd. DEPARTMENT: Water and Sewer BCC DISTRICT: 3 STATEMENT OF ISSUE: Staff requests the Board of County Commissioners execute a 100- foot wide utility easement between Okaloosa County Water & Sewer and Eglin Air Force Base along Roberts Blvd. BACKGROUND: Okaloosa County and the City of Ft. Walton Beach entered into a Wastewater Service Agreement in August 2009. To briefly summarize, this agreement consolidated wastewater service in the following manner: 1) the City would no longer have a wastewater treatment plant, but still maintain their collection system, 2) the County would provide wastewater treatment and disposal of the City’s service area, and 3) the County would provide up to 1.55 MGD of reclaimed water to the City’s golf course. After the construction work was finished, the City wastewater started coming to the Arbennie Pritchett Water Reclamation Facility (APWRF) in February 2010; likewise, reclaimed water started being conveyed to the golf course at that time. Feeding the 36” force main into APWRF are 3 sewer force mains (FMs): two County 20” FMs and one City 30” FM. The two County 20” FMs are formerly effluent mains and were not designed to convey raw wastewater. In addition, they are aging un-coated ductile iron lines which will eventually require replacement. The pipes run approx 2.5 miles from the Garniers Re-pump Station (old Garniers WWTP site) to the 36” APWRF influent FM. The City’s 30” FM is an aging concrete line that has deteriorated and has about reached the end of its useful life. In addition, it is in conflict and need of replacement because of FDOT’s new Gap Creek Bridge. Therefore, the City is replacing their 30” FM from Hollywood Blvd to the point of connection with the County on Roberts Blvd. At the Aug 21, 2012 BCC meeting, the Board approved another Interlocal Agreement between OCWS and the City of Ft. Walton Beach for cost sharing a project, which generally was described as a 1.7-mile 36" ductile iron pipe (DIP) force main. At the same BCC meeting, the Board approved the use of OCWS in-house construction crews for the installation of the pipeline. The portion of 36" sewer force main along Roberts Blvd requires a utility easement from Eglin Air Force. The easement documents are attached, along with an aerial photo depicting the location of the easement. County Contract Review has been completed on the attached Grant of Easement, and the coordination sheet is attached. The term of the easement is 25 years. Because this infrastructure serves OCWS and City of Fort Walton Beach customers and not Eglin AFB, by federal regulation they have to charge fair market value (FMV). FMV has been negotiated and determined to be an up-front lump sum payment of $7,500 for the 25-year term. This amount will be split 50/50 between OCWS and the City. OCWS' payment of $3,750 will be due to Eglin after the Chairman has executed the easement, but before Eglin AFB has executed the easement. OCWS staff believes $3,750 is a fair and reasonable amount, and that the benefit far exceeds that dollar amount. OPTIONS: Approve or deny. RECOMMENDATIONS: Staff recommends BCC approval for the Chairman to execute the Air Force’s “Grant of Easement” for the Ft. Walton Beach 36" Force Main Project. RECOMMENDED BY: APPROVED BY: Ernie Padgett, County Administrator