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ORANGE COUNTY <br />BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS <br />ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br />Meeting Date: November 17, 2009 <br />Action Agenda <br />Item No. 4 - h <br />SUBJECT: Authorization to Resubmit Grant Application to N.C. Agricultural Development <br />and Farmland Preservation Trust Fund <br />DEPARTMENT: ERCD PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) No <br />ATTACHMENTS INFORMATION CONTACT: <br />Application Guidelines David Stancil, 245-2590 <br />Rich Shaw, 245-2591 <br />PURPOSE: To consider authorizing staff to re-apply for a grant from the North Carolina <br />Agricultural Development and Farmland Preservation Trust Fund. <br />BACKGROUND: The North Carolina General Assembly has appropriated $2 million in FY <br />2009-10 for funding assistance from the N.C. Agricultural Development and Farmland <br />Preservation (ADFP) Trust Fund. The mission of the Trust Fund is to preserve NC's working <br />family farms. Funding is available for agricultural conservation easements and enterprise <br />programs. In 2007 Orange County was awarded $132,000 for the regional Shared Use Food <br />Processing Center. Applications for this upcoming grant cycle are due December 4, 2009. <br />In 2008 Orange County submitted an application to the ADFP Trust Fund for matching funds <br />to purchase a conservation easement for the Breeze farm (Phase II). That project was not <br />selected for funding, however. The ADFP Trust Fund staff has advised that the chances of <br />funding Orange County's application would improve with adoption of a county farmland <br />protection plan. The Board will consider adoption of the County's new Agricultural <br />Development and Farmland Protection Plan on this same November 17, 2009 meeting <br />agenda. Approval of that plan would lower the County's local match requirement from 30% <br />to 15%. <br />ERCD would like to re-submit the application for state matching funds to complete the <br />planned two-phased conservation easement on the Breeze farm on Schley Road. In 2008 <br />the County used a grant from the federal Farm and Ranch Land Protection Program to <br />purchase an easement on a 141-acre portion of the Breeze farm (Phase I). Phase II would <br />be on an adjacent 153 acres of the farm. <br />If the County were successful in completing this project, there would be over 560 acres of <br />contiguous farmland protected along Schley Road. Grants will be announced in June 2010. <br />FINANCIAL IMPACT: The grant, if awarded, would provide up to $300,000 toward the <br />purchase of a conservation easement for the Breeze Farm. The grant would be matched <br />with up to $200,000 in County funds to complete the project, although that amount could be <br />considerably less if the County leverages some additional matching funds from the federal <br />