Orange County gets go-ahead to contribute to Rogers Road Community Center

Orange County is finally contributing its money to the Rogers Road Community Center — two years after funding for the project was budgeted.

County Attorney  John Roberts gave the Board of County Commissioners the go-ahead Thursday to use $650,000 for improvements to the Rogers Road community.

Carla Banks, Orange County’s director of public affairs, said the money was set aside in the county's 2012-2013 budget but has not been used because of a pending investigation into Rogers Road by the Environmental Protection Agency.

Banks said the EPA has not provided a timeline for the release of the investigation’s results.

“To move forward with caution is the best course of action,” she said.

The county’s landfill was located in Rogers Road for 40 years until it was closed in June 2013. The neighborhood was promised a community center and water and sewer hookups in exchange for housing the landfill when it was first built. None of those projects have been completed.

In May, construction crews broke ground on the community center, which will be located on 101 Edgar St. It is expected to open in October.

Seven years ago, the Rogers-Eubanks Neighborhood Association filed a complaint with the EPA about conditions in the neighborhood, but the investigation was only recently completed and results have not yet been released.

Roberts said the county should be careful moving forward.

“The final decision of the EPA could substantially delay a project that may be no more risky than any other,” he said in a Thursday press release.

Banks said the county plans to allocate additional funds in the next two years to implement the Rogers Road sewer concept plan developed by the Orange County Water and Sewer Authority.

“That budget hasn't been approved yet — it's just projected dollars that are there,” she said.

“We are going to take the appropriate steps in the process and stay within the guidelines we are required to follow from the EPA.”

Rev. Robert Campbell, president of the Rogers Eubanks Neighborhood Association, declined to comment on the announcement.

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