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2� <br /> As previously noted, substantial work is underway to stabilize and secure the <br /> existing farmstead buildings — and substantial further work will be required to <br /> use the buildings as part of the park. <br /> The Committee considered the role of the farmstead within the park - whether <br /> the complex was seen as a group of buildings to be preserved and <br /> experienced as external exhibits or whether they should be utilized as part of <br /> the park facilities. <br /> Engineering estimates to date indicate that the cost of renovating buildings for <br /> public use such as the farmhouse and barn may run into the hundreds of <br /> thousands of dollars. Future decisions about whether to commit this level of <br /> resources will need to be made by the Board of County Commissioners. <br /> As those discussions occur, the committee offers the following ideas about <br /> the farmstead: <br /> • Keeping the farmstead as a focal point of the park is important...we <br /> should not fence people out. <br /> • Consider what the historic fencing pattern might have been for the farm <br /> and perhaps replicate that. It is unlikely that the house would have <br /> been within the same enclosure as the barn, for example. <br /> • A sequential or gradual restoration of the outbuildings, in accordance <br /> with available funds and possible uses, would be preferred. <br /> • The farmstead could represent or replicate the 1920's agricultural <br /> heritage of the County, within the context of other Orange County <br /> farming practices at other times. <br /> • Discuss with State and federal agency partners the potential for <br /> collaboration on future farmstead exhibits and demonstration areas. <br /> 18 <br />