Purpose

The purpose of this task is to analyze the public utility infrastructure serving the primary study area. In particular, this task recognizes that growth at Redstone Arsenal will stimulate growth around it and may necessitate improvements or expansions of utility systems. The Consultant Team will also assess Redstone Arsenal’s utility infrastructure and make recommendations regarding system improvements.

The evaluation of public utilities will include public water and sanitary sewer systems, electric power, natural gas and telecommunications services. If necessary, stormwater management systems will also be included. Although this task heading refers to public utilities, private utility providers, if any, serving the general public will also be included.

Research

Public utility infrastructure is complex, particularly in a multi-county region. The technical nature relevant to utilities combined with heightened security concerns fosters an environment of sensitivity. Therefore, the Consultant Team will use the Public Utilities and Infrastructure Task Force (PUI Task Force) stipulated in this RFP as a primary information gathering and management tool.

Within thirty days of the notice to proceed, the Consultant Team will meet with the Advisory Committee to determine which directors and staff personnel from the public and private utility providers would be appropriate to meet with and enlist on the PUI Task Force. The PUI Task Force will then be established within forty-five days of the notice to proceed. It will include representatives from each of the public utilities operating in the primary study area.

The Consultant Team will take maximum advantage of work recently prepared by the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County and/or its consultant, The Wadley-Donovan Group. We will augment this information through the use of a utility system data collection form designed to provide standardized information about the utility systems in the primary study area. This will be a variation of a form used in many similar utility system evaluations by one of the Consultant Team members.

The Consultant Team will collect the following necessary information using the most efficient collection process with the PUI Task Force:

• Existing utility system service territories and available capacity.
• Planned utility system improvements in the vicinity of Redstone Arsenal.
• Necessary utility system improvements in the vicinity of the Arsenal within a ten-year-timeframe. This will reflect anticipated development and changing land uses identified in TASK 3 – REGIONAL LAND USE AND GROWTH PATTERNS.
• Most efficient and cost-effective strategies to address identified utility system improvements including previously unused forms of regional collaboration.
  Estimated costs of needed utility improvements and possible funding sources.
• If necessary, the Consultant Team will meet with utility representatives not participating on the PUI Task Force to obtain relevant information for this task.

Work Products