County hears detailed discussion on Duke Energy easements at Park East Industrial Park; conveyance made contingent on manager and attorney approval

The Wayne County Board of Commissioners discussed a staff request to convey two access easements to Duke Energy across Lot 6 and Lot 7 in the Park East Industrial Park so Duke crews can access power lines near a new railroad spur.

County staff explained the context: the North Carolina Railroad is building a spur to serve a new Alianza facility at Lot 7, and construction bids have come in. Duke Energy requested easements on the west and east sides of Lots 6 and 7 to preserve truck access to power lines and the substation area. Staff said the west-side easement crosses the county property near an existing drainage and a gas line and that the county asked Duke to move the easement as close as possible to existing utility corridors to limit impacts on Lot 6—s future development and marketability.

The east-side easement was described as potentially needing minor adjustment because Duke believed it earlier had other access across Thoroughfare Road that staff said may not exist; county staff asked that the conveyance be subject to approval by the county manager and county attorney so final alignment can be resolved. Staff also noted there are other utilities on the site (a Wayne Water line, gas line and drainage ditch) and encroachment agreements with utility providers that Duke will need to coordinate, so the easement location could shift slightly.

Commissioners asked whether the easement would affect Lot 6—s marketability; staff responded that the proposed west easement would not meaningfully affect marketability because it sits adjacent to existing gas and drainage easements. Commissioners and staff discussed the practicalities of access for Duke trucks, how the easements relate to the railroad spur, and the need to preserve county crossing rights; staff also noted the county retains ownership of the land and would only be granting access rights.

Staff asked the board to approve conveyance of the two easements to Duke Energy, subject to final approval by the county manager and county attorney. The motion on the agenda specified the conveyance would be "subject to approval by the county manager and county attorney." Staff said the east-side alignment "may move just a little bit," and requested the conditional approval to allow those technical adjustments.

No formal final vote is recorded in the transcript excerpt on the motion; staff emphasized the conditional approval and suggested the county manager and attorney would finalize the exact easement descriptions prior to recording any conveyance.