ROCKINGHAM — A new water tank will be coming to Greenbriar Lane, off of Airport Road between Rockingham and Hamlet, as part of the Energy Way Industrial Park water system upgrades.
The Richmond County Board of Commissioners approved the lowest bid of $6,259,200 for a 1 million-gallon composite water tank to Louisville, Kentucky-based Caldwell Tanks during its meeting on Oct. 6.
Public Works Director Jerry Austin said the new tank would increase above-ground storage capacity by approximately 20%, from 4.65 million to 5.65 million gallons.
“This tank is not solely for Amazon, for those who think it is,” Austin said. “This tank would provide water for our residents, it will be redundancy on Airport Road. It’ll also help with any kind of pressure issue we’ve had because we’ll have a tank right there that maintains a steady height.”
According to a letter from LKC Engineering, included in the agenda packet, five companies submitted bids on three types of tanks: a 1 million-gallon composite tank; a 1 million-gallon pedesphere tank; and a half-million-gallon pedesphere tank.
“A composite tank features a concrete stem and steel bowl, while a pedesphere tank is made entirely of steel,” LKC notes in the letter. “Generally the pedesphere tank will have a lower upfront capital cost, but the composite style tank will have a lower life-cycle cost mostly because the composite tanks are less expensive to repaint.”
Amazon — not the county — would be paying for the tank through a water services agreement, according to Austin.
Austin added that there are several other projects in the works that would be paid for through the agreement: two additional pump stations; and a 20-inch water line running southeast from the Greenbriar tank to past Gin Mill Road.
Interim County Manager Cary Garner said later in the meeting that Amazon is paying “every penny” of the needed water infrastructure improvements, in excess of $32 million, with the county retaining ownership of the asset.
“Also … we were able to work out a cash-flow demand with them so that they’re actually funding construction on a quarterly basis,” Garner said. “So we’re essentially limiting the amount of money that we are using to pay the contractor before we are reimbursed by them (Amazon).”
Garner said the wastewater project and soon-to-be water tank “seems to be moving as planned.”
Commissioners also approved a measure to write off $8,556.26 in bad debt from patients of the Richmond County Health Department.
Health Director Heather Horne said the debt is from January-June of this year.
A breakdown by services shows that a majority of the debt was accrued in the family planning ($4,377.68) and maternal health ($2,842.24) clinics.
“This is debt that is not able to be collected, and we are not able to withhold services,” Horne said, adding that this is the lowest six-month amount in several years.
The board also adopted a proclamation recognizing October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month, as well as a resolution in honor of Cordova Fire and Rescue’s 70th anniversary.
