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MINUTES OF THE ORANGE COUNTY ~.~G,J
<br />BDARD OF COMMTSSTONr~tS
<br />October 1, 1973
<br />The Board of County Commissioners of Orange County mat in regular session
<br />on Monday, October 1, 1973, at 10 o'clock A,M, in the Conference Room of the Social
<br />Services Building.
<br />Members Present: Chairman C, Norman Tdalker and Commissioners Flora Garrett,
<br />Henry S. Walker, Richard E. Whitted and Melvin Whitfield.
<br />Members Absent: None
<br />Minutes of the previous meetings were read and approved after corrections.
<br />The Chairman recognized Mra. Alioe Welch, Member of the Chapel Hill Board of
<br />Aldermen. Mrs. Welch read the following Resolution:
<br />"WRr~tEAS the North Carolina State Highway Commission and the U. 5.
<br />Department of Transportation have proposed to cpnatruat a link of Interstate
<br />40 from Hillsborough, North Carolina, to the Research Triangle Park, and
<br />• WHEREAS these parties, in an khvironmental Impact Statement prepared
<br />by the North Carolina Highway Commission, have selected what has become
<br />known as Alternate ~1 as the route Por this link, and
<br />WHEREAS the entire portion of this route that runs through Orange
<br />County consists of rural and park-like areas and serves as residences
<br />for many persons associated with the two universities, Duke and UNC, and
<br />for many who have sought, over the years, to preserve the natural character
<br />of the area, to the advantage of both academic communities and to the
<br />City of Durham and the Town of Chapel Hill, and
<br />WHEREAS, the said route would come very close to a portion of the
<br />Duke Forest, a priceless nature preserve, necessarily doing some damage to
<br />its character; and would be bridged over the headwaters of New Hope Creek,
<br />a tiny creek in its natural state which has been utilized far forty ('40)
<br />years by the two universities for research in the life saiencea, and,
<br />moat recently, has been a part pf the International Biological Program;
<br />and would be close to the newly formed Rio State Park, and
<br />WHc-'REAS the area already has a multiplicity of major highways: US 7p,
<br />I-~.0, US is-SO1, z-85 and the Durham A[presaway; and the proposed link of
<br />I-1~0 would further the process of making the area & corridor of highways,
<br />- thereby disrupting normal living and communication and destroy forever a
<br />park and greenbelt area, indispensable to the life of the area and
<br />irreplaceable once destroyed, and
<br />WHEREAS if the highway moat b® built, it should be built in an area
<br />more suitable for such construction,
<br />NOW, THEREF'DRE, 8E IT RESOLVED that the Board of Aldermen of Chapel
<br />Hill opposed the construction of I-l~.0 along the Alternate ~`1 Route. Also,
<br />it is further resolved that copies of this resolution be sent to the Town
<br />of Carrboro, Hillsborough, and to the Orange County Commis~ionera together
<br />with a request that they join Chapel Hill in expressing opposition to the
<br />project as now planned.
<br />Adopted this, the 2LFth day of September, 1973."
<br />Mrs, tdelah stated that she hoped Orange County s~rould endorse the
<br />Resolution.
<br />Charles Johnston, Chairman of the County Planning Board, advised the Board
<br />that he had polled five (5) of the six (6) members of the Planning Board by
<br />telephone and that he was unable to reach one (1) of the six (6) members, but
<br />that the five (s) members that were contacted were unanimously against the
<br />proposed Alternate 1 of I-~.0.
<br />John G, Parks, representing the New Hopa Improvement Association, stated that
<br />the membership voted unanimously to oppose the routing of I-!}0 through Orange County
<br />as defined by the construction of Alternate 1. Hs filed a petition from the
<br />Association with the Clerk. Said petition reads as follows:
<br />To: County Commissioners of Orange County, N. C.
<br />From: President of New Hope Improvement Association, Inc.
<br />At a regular meeting of the New Hope Improvement Association on September
<br />11, 1973, the members voted unanimously for strong o osiosit__i_o~n to the routing oP
<br />Interstate 1~0 through Orange County as defined by the orN th Carolina State
<br />Highway Commission as Alternate On®.
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