Public Hearings Background Information for Savage Pumping Station Generator Frostburg Water Treatment Plant Generator Housing Buyout in Flood Plains Bowling Green Water Project Moss Avenue Water Project and Rawlings Water Project Notice was given in the Cumberland Times-News on Saturday, May 2, 2015, that the Allegany County Commissioners would sponsor Public Hearings: To obtain the views of citizens on COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND HOUSING NEEDS To offer citizens the opportunity to discuss proposed projects To provide input on other needs to be considered To offer citizens the opportunity to review an application for funds for the second phase of the BOWLING GREEN WATER PROJECT To offer citizens the opportunity to review the progress of the following projects: 1. SAVAGE PUMPING STATION GENERATOR 2. FROSTBURG WATER TREATMENT PLANT GENERATOR 3. HOUSING BUYOUT IN FLOOD PLAINS 4. BOWLING GREEN WATER – FIRST PHASE 5. MOSS AVENUE WATER 6. RAWLINGS WATER The hearings will be part of the Allegany County Commissioners’ Public Business Meeting on Thursday, May 7, 2015, at 5:00 p.m. at the Allegany County Office Building, 701 Kelly Road – Room 100, Cumberland. The Maryland Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program is a Federally sponsored program designed to assist local governments with activities directed toward neighborhood and housing revitalization, economic development and improved community facilities and services. CDBG funds are provided to the State of Maryland from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. Maryland’s CDBG program is administered by the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD). The State of Maryland’s allocation of CDBG funds for FY-2016 is $7,019,706. Funds are made available on a competitive basis to small political subdivisions not entitled to direct Federal funding. The maximum CDBG funds available per political subdivision is $800,000. The projects meet the National Block Grant objective of providing assistance to low and moderate income households; i.e., those below 80 percent of the median income for Allegany County and/or housing related projects. The projects are activities that will not result in displacement. The Allegany County Commissioners, however, have anti-displacement and relocation plans, as required. The projects are also eligible activities for CDBG funds; specifically, they are either for Acquisition of Real Property or Public Services. The activities that may be undertaken with CDBG funds are: Acquisition of Real Property Public Facilities and Improvements and Privately Owned Utilities Code Enforcement Clearance, Rehabilitation, Reconstruction and Construction of Buildings Including Housing Architectural Barrier Removal Loss of Rental Income Disposition of Real Property Public Services Payment of the Non-Federal Share Relocation Planning and Capacity Building Program Administration Costs Activities Carried Out Through Nonprofit Development Organizations Economic Development Assistance to For-Profit Business Additional Applicable Requirements-Activities Funded Under Section 105(a), (14), (15) & (17) Technical Assistance Housing Services Assistance to Institutions of Higher Education Microenterprise Assistance In-Rem Housing Homeownership Assistance Interim Assistance The first phase of the Bowling Green Water Project, the Moss Avenue Water Project, and the Rawlings Water Project are projects that received CDBG funds via HUD. For the second phase of the Bowling Green Water Project, the Allegany County Commissioners propose to submit an application to the Maryland DHCD on or before the June 5, 2015, deadline for a CDBG for $800,000. The Maryland DHCD will accept applications for CDBG’s from eligible jurisdictions throughout the State. A draft application for the Bowling Green Water Project – Phase 2 will be available for review at the Allegany County Department of Economic and Community Development, 701 Kelly Road, Suite 400, Cumberland, MD. This activity will meet the National Block Grant objective of providing assistance to low and moderate income households. The State of Maryland was also awarded $20 million under the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act of 2013. It was to be used for disaster recovery projects due to Hurricane Sandy, Hurricane Irene, Tropical Storm Lee and the Derecho. Funding was only available to those counties that received a Presidential Disaster Declaration for a specific storm event. The funding was awarded to the State through the Maryland Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program. These funds were targeted to disaster relief, long-term recovery activities, restoration of infrastructure, public facilities, housing and economic revitalization. While all needs were considered, the State prioritized applications for infrastructure projects that focused on protecting vulnerable residents and vital infrastructure from future flooding. Projects had to address direct or indirect impacts as a result of disasters. The Savage Pumping Station Generator, the Frostburg Water Treatment Plant Generator, and the Housing Buyout in Flood Plains are projects that are receiving CDBG funds via disaster recovery relief funds. Information and records for the Savage Pumping Station Generator, the Frostburg Water Treatment Plant Generator, the Housing Buyout in Flood Plains, the Bowling Green Water Project, the Moss Avenue Water Project and the Rawlings Water Project are available for review at the Allegany County Department of Economic and Community Development, 701 Kelly Road, Suite 400, Cumberland. Telephone 301-876-9513. Email: [email protected]. Advance notice is required. Savage Pumping Station Generator The Savage Pumping Station provides one-third of Frostburg’s raw water. There is currently, however, no back-up emergency power generation for this station. This is despite the Savage Pumping Station being located in a relatively remote area of Garrett County and being difficult to access following large weather events. Further, during a regional power outage, restoration to the Pumping Station would likely not be a priority. To ensure a consistent and safe source of potable water for Frostburg residents, a generator is being installed as backup power for the Savage Pumping Station. Bids were advertised in the Cumberland Times News on December 19 and again on December 31. An extensive MBE/DBE effort was made to make businesses aware of the project. A pre-bid meeting was held on January 5 and was attended by 17 people representing 9 companies. One bid was submitted and opened on February 5. Carl Belt, Inc., was the lone bidder. A resolution to award the contract to Carl Belt, Inc., was approved on February 19. Notice of award was issued on February 23. The estimated cost for this project is $110,175 with $27,662.50 from a CDBG, $82,512.50 from the FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program. $2,150.46 of the work has been completed to date. Frostburg Water Treatment Plant Generator The Frostburg Water Treatment Plant treats approximately a million gallons of water daily for 13,300 residents within the City of Frostburg and several other communities of Allegany County. The Frostburg Water Treatment Plant has been able to continue to treat water during power outages in the past with the use of a diesel generator. This 40 year old generator, however, has far exceeded its useful life, and maintenance has become increasingly difficult, as replacement parts are no longer available. To ensure a reliable source of water is available in northwestern Allegany County during power outages, a new generator is being installed as backup power for the Frostburg Water Treatment Plant. The estimated cost for this project is $139,245 with $31,229 from a CDBG, $97,271 from the FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program and $10,745 from the City of Frostburg. Bids were advertised in the Cumberland Times News on December 19 and again on December 31. An extensive MBE/DBE effort was made to make businesses aware of the project. A pre-bid meeting was held on January 5 and was attended by 17 people representing 9 companies. One bid was submitted and opened on February 5. Carl Belt, Inc., was the lone bidder. A resolution to award the contract to Carl Belt, Inc., was approved on February 19. Notice of award was issued on February 23. The estimated cost for this project is $106,350 with $27,337.50 from a CDBG, $79,012.50 from the FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program. $2,659.59 of the work has been completed to date. Housing Buyout in Flood Plains Allegany County is in the process of purchasing seven houses that are located in mapped floodplains which were impacted by Hurricane Sandy in 2012. Damages to the structures from the natural hazard ranged from basement or crawlspace inundation to roof leakage. The properties were selected from a list derived from the County’s Flood Buyout Program inventory, currently consisting of more than 60 entries. The nominated properties were selected from the Buyout Program list based on their location in a mapped floodplain, as well as their assessed values, according to the Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation. The estimated cost for this project is $300,000 with $240,000 from a CDBG, and possibly $60,000 from an application made to the MEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program. Three houses on Valley Road and one in Locust Grove were appraised in September and the appraisals were reviewed in October. The review appraisals confirmed all the original appraisals. All the appraised values were accepted by the owners, except for one. In that case, the owners paid for their own appraisal which came in higher. The owners agreed on splitting the difference between the two appraised values. Through a title search, ownership of one house on Valley Road was determined to be not legally clear. Except for this house, at the January 15 public meeting, the Commissioners authorized purchasing all the houses and advertising and accepting bids to demolish the houses. The purchase prices were $24,000 and $56,500 for two houses on Valley Road, and $12,000 for the one in Locust Grove. The closings for the first two houses were done on March 31. The closing for the last house was done April 7. Three houses on Mulberry Avenue were appraised in March and the appraisals were reviewed the same month. The review appraisals confirmed all the original appraisals. All the appraised values were accepted by the owners, except for one. In that case, the owner said the assessed value was higher. The owner agreed on splitting the difference between the two values. At the April 9 public meeting, the Commissioners authorized purchasing all three houses and advertising and accepting bids to demolish the houses. The purchase prices were $38,000, $45,350 and $42,000. The Purchase Agreements for all three of these houses have been signed. Before the closings can be scheduled, the Assistant County Attorney has to review the Purchase Agreements and conduct title searches. Bowling Green Water Project The Bowling Green Water Project is proposed to be done in two phases. The first phase has two components. The first component is the replacement of 605 feet of 4” transite pipe with 6” PVC pipe on Marigold Street. The second component is the replacement of 2,122 feet of 4” cast iron pipe with 8” PVC pipe on North Cresap Street, and extending the line another 743 feet. The extension will be on the same street, eliminating a gap. The estimated cost for this phase of the project is $802,752 with $800,000 from a CDBG, and the County providing $2,752. Advertising for bids for this phase of the project was done March 1, 4, and 8, with four bids opened March 31. The low bid was from Carl Belt, Inc., for $1,145,034. The bid exceeds the available grant funding, so the scope of the project will be reduced to the grant amount available. The Commissioners authorized the awarding of the contract to Carl Belt, Inc., at their April 23 public meeting. A fourth of the construction will likely be completed by June 5. The second phase has six components. All the components involve the installation of 6” PVC pipe. The pipes are being installed on streets or alleys parallel to Route 220, to replace galvanized pipe along Route 220. This avoids working now and in the future on the major traffic artery. The first component is the replacement of about 400 feet of 2” galvanized pipe on Mercury Street. This component will then continue down Mercury Street and then connect behind houses on Route 220 to Wright Street, going another 1,215 feet. A second component is going 2,060 feet down Alley “A”. A third component is going 1,460 feet down Alley “B”. A fourth component is the replacement of about 325 feet of 4” cast iron pipe on Bowling Street. A fifth component extends the existing 6” water line on Bunting Street another 390 feet. The sixth and last component is 920 feet and will connect from the new end of the Bunting Street water line down Alley “C.” One hundred twenty-three new water meters will be installed, 55 in the first phase and 68 in the second phase. Six fire hydrants will be installed, 2 in the first phase and 4 in the second phase. Sewer repair will also be done in the first phase with 2,100 feet of cured-in-place pipe lining. Miscellaneous sewer repairs will also be made if problems are uncovered during construction. The existing water lines to be replaced are heavily corroded in the case of iron pipes, reducing the flow and resulting in rusty water. In the case of galvanized and transite pipes, they often break. The water line on the upper part of North Cresap Street is fed by other water lines, so eliminating the gap will complete a loop. The project overall will increase volume, reliability, quality and fire protection for the neighborhood. Moss Avenue Water Project The Moss Avenue project was the replacement of 1,700 feet of a 6" cast iron water line with an 8" PVC water line. There also are 750 feet of new water laterals. Also, an alternate connection was made to a 20” water main on Route 220. The section of water line replaced runs the length of Moss Avenue. Six houses are served directly by this water line. The previous water line was heavily corroded, reducing the flow and resulting in rusty water. The project has increased volume, reliability, quality and fire protection for the neighborhood and the Allegany County Fairgrounds. The estimated cost of the project is $335,000, which besides $170,000 in CDBG funding, is to be paid for by a $150,000 Appalachian Regional Commission Grant and a $15,000 loan to be paid by users of the system. Advertising for bids for the project was done August 24, 2014, with bids being opened September 23. The low bid was from Carl Belt, Inc., for $282,790. The Notice to Proceed was given October 10. Construction was completed by the end of 2014 except for a water line relining. The re-lining was completed the week of April 13, 2015. Only punch list items are left to complete on the project. Rawlings Water Project There was a water line that originally ended at American Woodmark in the Barton Business Park. This is the starting point for this project. There are four phases to the Rawlings Water project. The first phase extended the water line further south on Route 220, going to Church Street and installing water lines on 8 side streets. The side streets were First Street, Biers Lane, Emily Street, Hawk Street, Merril Lane, Skipton Lane, Summerfield Lane and Miller Avenue. 8,893 linear feet of 8-inch diameter water line and 5,132 linear feet of 6-inch diameter water line were installed. 27 fire hydrants and 105 meters were also installed. Excavating Associates, Inc., Ellerslie, Maryland, was the low bidder for this phase in the amount of $1,556,104. A pre-construction meeting was held December 6, 2012. Notice to Proceed was given December 10, 2012. The completion date was November 1, 2013. The final cost for this phase was $1,432,162.95. $800,000 was from a CDBG, $190,000 from a USDA loan and $442,162.95 from a USDA grant. Notices were mailed October 29, 2013, to 98 houses in this completed phase saying that they could connect to the completed water system. Applications for grant assistance to connect households were included and were due December 2, 2013. 14 applications were received with 11 approved and 3 not qualifying. 8 of the 11 were connected on June 17 or 19. One was connected August 29 and another December 18. The last approved application has not yet been connected. A final notice to connect was mailed on June 25 to the 48 that still haven’t connected. The 48 were part of the 100 that were mailed to October 29, 2013. The final notice said starting August 1 they would start being billed for water whether they connected or not. Currently, 58 have connected without grant assistance. This leaves 29 to still connect, excluding the one to still be connected with grant assistance. The second phase of the Rawlings Water project was to provide water to approximately 100 households served almost entirely by the existing Rawlings Heights Water Company. This project extended the water line south on Route 220 from Church Street to Lilac Court. It also included 8 side streets. These side streets are Llewellyn Avenue, Church Street, Rawlings Lane, Lilac Court, Holly Drive, Blooming Fields Drive, Volunteer Drive and Meadow Dale Drive. Approximately 7,400 linear feet of water line was constructed. Approximately 1,450 linear feet of 8-inch diameter water line and approximately 5,740 linear feet of 6-inch diameter water line was installed. Nine fire hydrants and 98 meters were installed. Lashley Construction, Co., Inc., Frostburg, Maryland, was the low bidder for this phase in the amount of $963,527. A pre-construction meeting was held November 5, 2013. Notice to Proceed was given December 9, 2013. The date of substantial completion was August 1, 2014. The final cost for this phase was $757,154.72 which was paid out of an $800,000 CDBG awarded for this phase of the project. This left $42,845.28 in CDBG funds to be spent, which was spent for the fourth phase of this project, the pumping station. Notices were mailed August 1, 2014, to 36 houses in this completed phase saying that they could connect to the completed water system. Applications for grant assistance to connect households were included and were due August 31, 2014. 12 applications were received with 9 approved and 1 not qualifying, and 2 needing more documents. 6 of the 9 were connected by invoice dated December 18. Three have not been connected yet. Currently, 8 have connected without grant assistance. This leaves 17 to still connect, excluding the five to still be connected with grant assistance. Notices were mailed August 19, 2014, to 62 residences in the trailer park in this completed phase saying that they could connect to the water system. Applications for grant assistance to connect households were included and were due August 31, 2014. 58 out of 62 applications have been received. 26 have been approved, 3 did not qualify, 6 are under review, and 23 need more documents. The department of public works is going forward with putting out to bid to be connected the 26 that have been approved. Notices were sent on April 13 to 23 houses in phase 1 and phase 2 that have not yet connected to the new water system. The notice reminds them that they can now connect and that they will be billed for water starting August 1. The third phase of the Rawlings Water project includes 17 streets overall. There are 5 streets connecting to Route 220. These streets are Maple Lane, Rawlings Heights Drive, Sun Valley Drive, Conda Way and Hansel Drive. Conda Way splits into North and South extensions. Connecting to Maple Lane is Maple Lane Extension. Connecting to Rawlings Heights Drive is Circle Drive and Lakewood Drive. Connecting to Conda Way is Rose Hill Drive, Marion Court, and Mountain Club Avenue. Connecting Conda Way to Rawlings Heights are Woodlawn Drive and White Oak Drive. Connecting to Mountain Club Avenue is Palmer Lane and at the end of Mountain Club Avenue is Pinehurst Court and Augusta Drive. Approximately 20,750 linear feet of water line will be constructed. Approximately 5,050 linear feet of 8-inch diameter water line and approximately 14,400 linear feet of 6-inch diameter water line will be installed. A 421,000 gallon water storage tank will be constructed along with the installation of 32 fire hydrants and 159 meters. At the January 16, 2014, Public Meeting, the County Commissioners authorized the Utilities Division to advertise for bids for the third phase of this project. The advertisement was made March 23. April 22 the bids were opened. At the May 1 Public Meeting, the County Commissioners authorized awarding the project to the low bidder, Lashley Construction, Co., Inc., Frostburg, Maryland, in the amount of $3,015,229.50. Notice to Proceed was given August 1, 2014. Original completion date was July 31, 2015, but contractor will ask for an extension due to approximately 15 inclement weather days. By the end of March, 27.9 % of the third phase was completed. This phase of the Rawlings Water project does not have CDBG funds. USDA awarded a $461,000 loan and an $869,000 grant for the third phase of this project. Households that qualify, however, will be given grants to connect to the water system when the construction is over. The fourth phase of the Rawlings Water project is the installation of new pumps at the detention center pump station. These pumps will supply water to Rawlings. The project also includes new controls, tank mixing, and electrical upgrades. At the January 16, 2014, Public Meeting, the County Commissioners authorized the Utilities Division to advertise for bids for the fourth phase of this project. The advertisement was made June 29, July 6 and July 13. August 19 the bids were opened. Two bids were received. The bids were Johnston Construction Company Dover PA for $358,536 and Carl Belt for $295,000. At the September 25 Public Meeting, the County Commissioners authorized awarding the project to the low bidder, Carl Belt. Notice to Proceed was given December 1, 2014. A Preconstruction Meeting was held February 9, 2015. Completion date is May 12, 2015. The estimated cost of this project is $295,000, with $42,845.28 paid by CDBG funding, and the rest by a $252,154.72 grant from USDA.
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