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ORANGE COUNTY <br />BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br />ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br />Meeting Date: March 17, 2009 <br />Action Agenda <br />Item No. (o - b <br />SUBJECT: Consideration of Official Name for Northern Park (working title) <br />DEPARTMENT: ERCD, R&P PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) No <br />ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT: <br />Recommendation from RPAC Laura Blackmon, 245-2300 <br />Listing of Names Submitted by Public David Stancil, 245-2590 <br />Adopted County Property Naming Policy Lori Taft, 245-2660 <br />PURPOSE: To consider a report from the County Manager on a recommendation for approving <br />a name for the Northern Park project, currently under construction on NC 86 northwest of <br />Hillsborough. <br />BACKGROUND: The Parks and Open Space Bond of 2001 included funding for the <br />construction of a park adjoining the Northern Human Services Center on NC 86 North six miles <br />north of Hillsborough. This park is identified in the adopted Parks Element of the <br />Comprehensive Plan (1988), and a master plan for the park was completed in 2005. A North <br />Carolina Parks and Recreation Trust Fund grant in the amount of $500,000 was awarded to this <br />project in summer 2007. Construction began in early 2008 and is nearing completion. <br />During the master plan process the name "Northern Park" was adopted as the working title for <br />the park, which will serve northwestern Orange County. In early 2008, the Board authorized staff <br />to solicit public opinion on potential names for the park for subsequent Board consideration. In <br />late-spring, flyers were distributed in the community and suggestion boxes placed at the <br />Northern Center Branch Library and another site within the Northern Human Services Center. <br />Names were collected over a period of 3 months (by drop box, mail and email) and forwarded to <br />the Recreation and Parks Advisory Council (RPAC) for a recommendation. <br />A total of 20 names were suggested by the public for the park (please see attached list). Of the <br />46 votes cast, the high vote-getter was "Cedar Grove Park" (with some including the word <br />"Community"), and this is the name recommended by the RPAC. <br />On March 3, 2009 the Board approved a new property naming policy for the County. The <br />approach taken for this naming (Board direction to staff to solicit name suggestions) is <br />consistent with the policy (Section 2.4.c). Following the creation of proposed names, the policy <br />calls for a recommendation from the County Manager on the name. The recommended name, <br />