InformationDepartment Staff Information
Katherine H. Nunez
County Administrator
757-678-0440 ext 515
Janice Williams
Assistant to the County Administrator
757-678-0440 ext. 516
Pamela Upshur
Office Assistant
757-678-0440 ext. 517
Northampton County Administration
PO Box 66
16404 Courthouse Road
Eastville, VA 23347
Hours of Operation
9 AM - 5 PM
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Northampton County
WASTEWATER PROJECT
County Staff Contact:
Katherine H. Nunez, County Administrator
757-678-0440 ext. 515
knunez@co.northampton.va.us
Upcoming Meetings:
Regular Meetings held the third Tuesday each month, in the large conference room at new County Administration Building, 16404 Courthouse Road, Eastville (Call 757-678-0440 x 516 to verify).
General
In fall 2009, 2 wastewater summits were held on the Eastern Shore of Virginia under the leadership of Delegate Lynwood Lewis and the Virginia Department of Housing & Community Development. County and town officials attended both summits and spoke with the state and federal agency representatives about wastewater issues and means of funding solutions to the wastewater issues.
The Town of Exmore requested to meet with the County to explore a “regional” approach that would qualify for grant funding from the federal and state agencies, which the state and federal agencies were willing to consider “regional” as at least one town and one county. After the initial meeting with Exmore, the County and Exmore hosted a meeting to hear further information about Public Service Authorities (PSAs) and how PSAs might serve a role in ownership and/or management of wastewater systems. All of the towns in Northampton County were invited to attend this meeting.
Planning Grants
Through continued discussion in the northern end of the county, the Towns of Exmore and Nassawadox in conjunction with the County agreed to apply for a regional planning grant from the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (VA DHCD). An application was submitted at the end of December 2009 and the grant was awarded in January 2010 for the area identified as the “Northern Node”.
Simultaneously, conversations between the Towns of Cheriton, Cape Charles and the County, which had been occurring sporadically concerning wastewater issues, were re-invigorated as a result of the wastewater summits and the meeting to learn more about PSAs. After several meetings, these 2 towns and County agreed to apply for a regional planning grant from the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (VA DHCD). An application was submitted at the beginning of February 2010 and the grant was awarded in late February 2010 for the area identified as the “Southern Node”.
Public Service Authority
As a result of these two planning grants, the towns of Cape Charles, Cheriton, Exmore and Nassawadox and the County appointed two representatives each to serve on a group (the PSA Exploratory Committee) charged with reviewing the existing structure of the Eastern Shore of Virginia Public Service Authority and determine if this entity might be a vehicle that could eventually manage and/or own the wastewater systems serving these communities.
As background, the counties of Accomack and Northampton had formed the Eastern Shore of Virginia Public Service Authority (ESVA PSA) in 1999 to study and potential construct and own regional wastewater systems for both counties. In 2004, Accomack County petitioned to withdraw its membership from the ESVA PSA which was accepted and finalized in the fall 2005. Northampton County chose to reorganize the ESVA PSA Board of Directors and retained the ESVA PSA. The ESVA PSA did study several projects; however, no construction project materialized. After the final study project was declined to move into construction, the ESVA PSA agreed to re-allocate its 2 grant awards to the Town of Cape Charles and to curtail its activities and functions. The organizational and legal structure has been maintained by the County but no projects or studies have been assigned to the ESVA PSA since spring 2006.
The PSA Exploratory Committee examined the existing Articles of Incorporation which outline the make-up and membership of the ESVA PSA Board of Directors and have proposed a new Board structure.
On June 28, 2010, the Towns of Cape Charles, Cheriton, Exmore and Nassawadox along with the Northampton County Board of Supervisors held a joint public hearing to consider the proposed amendments to the Articles of Incorporation of the ESVA PSA. The requisite ordinances approving said changes to the Articles of Incorporation were approved by the four towns and the county.
Project Management Team (PMT) or the Towns-County Utilities Project (T-CUP)
Through the planning grants, the County and the Towns have solicited and awarded a contract to Hurt & Proffitt for engineering services, grant administration services and community facilitation services. Management Teams have been formed to work with the consultants to identify needed services, examine cost and funding options and to serve as liaisons to their respective communities on the projects.
Department of Environmental Quality -Water Division
FY2011 Application for State Assistance
Attachments to DEQ Application