Town Council Special Meeting Summary - Monday, March 25, 2024

The Lake Lure Town Council held a special meeting on Monday, March 25, 2024 at 10:00 AM.  The meeting was held in the Lake Lure Municipal Center (Town Hall) at 2948 Memorial Highway, Lake Lure, NC 28746.

The following is a summary of the meeting for those who could not attend.  Note that these are not formal minutes, which will be included in the following month's meeting packet.  You may download the meeting packet for additional information.

I. Call to Order: Mayor Carol Pritchett called the meeting to order.

II. Hold Discussions with Ruby-Collins in Regard to the Status of the Subaqueous Sanitary Sewer System (SASS) Replacement Project

• Town Council and staff had a detailed discussion with LaBella Associates and Ruby-Collins in regard the SASS replacement project.
• Brian Houston with LaBella Associates advised that they collectively decided with Ruby Collins he should give the presentation.  
• Scott Collins and Gary Johanik were present representing Ruby Collins and participated in the discussion. 
• You may download the presentation by Brian Houston. 
• The SASS is as old as the Lake and is past its useful life.  Unfortunately, it is inaccessible to repair unless the Lake is down. 
• The Town and NCDEQ negotiated a Special Order by Consent (SOC) in 2020.  The SOC paused penalties and the Town agreed to complete Phase I of the collection system by 9/26. 
• The group reviewed previous discussions on other options which were all ruled out for various reasons.  It was decided that the SASS was the best option for the Town.
• There was a discussion about the viability of the plan and if Ruby Collins could complete the project, given the variables. 
• They believe they can and advised that they have learned and are learning how to build in the back-shore which has never been done before.  
• Because of the limitation of the drawdown and competing projects (constructing the reservoir dam), Ruby Collins has had limited access on the back-shore to complete Phase I of the project. 
• It was noted that costs have gone up significantly since the beginning of the project.
• There was consensus to continue discussions and to look for opportunities to expedite progress on this critical project.  

III. Consider Approval of Reservoir Drain Electrical Design Package: 

• Schnabel Engineering will prepare design and bid documents for upgrades/modifications to the Hydroelectric Plant electrical system that is currently the Town’s responsibility under the existing Reservoir Drain Project contract.
• Work will include all electrical design for upgrading to a 480 volt electrical system, which is necessary to operate the Knife Gate Valve and Jet Flow Valve with their associated actuators, and modifications/upgrades to bring the electrical system into compliance with regulatory standards and/or improve the safety and functionality of hydroelectric plant operations.
• The deliverable will include design documents (drawings and specifications) and bidding documents.
• The Electrical Design Package shall not exceed $200,000.00.
• Due to the length of the earlier discussion, this item will await discussion at a later meeting. 

IV. Ordinance No. 24-03-25 Amending the Capital Project Ordinance for the Lake Lure Dam Reservoir Drain and Approving Budget Amendment #369: 

• Ordinance No. 24-03-25 amends the Capital Project Ordinance for the Lake Lure Dam Reservoir Drain to account for the reservoir drain electrical design costs.
• Due to the length of the earlier discussion, this item will await discussion at a later meeting. 

V. Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned.