Agenda - 10-12-2010 - 2 - Laserfiche WebLink

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r ac •TRIANGLE LAND CONSERVANCY f September 9, 2010. Commissioner Valerie Foushee Chair, Board of Orange County Commissioners 200 South Cameron Street PO Box 8181 Hillsborough, NC 27278• Dear Chairperson Foushee; I write to respectfully request that Orange' County award Triangle Land Conservancy (TLC) a grant of $50,000 from its Lands Legacy Program to help cover some of the costs of TLC's May 2010 acquisition of the 613 -acre Brumley Forest at the intersection of New Hope Church Road and Old NC 10 (please see enclosed map). Triangle Land Conservancy raised $4,05D,000 to purchase this traet which was identified as a prime forest area in A Landscape with Wildlife. Part 2 (Haven, Ludington. and Hall, 1999} —from private donors, the NC Clean Water Management Trust Fund, and the City of Raleigh through the Upper Neuse Clean Water Initiative. The $4;050,000 purchase price was an approximately 50% bargain sale of the-appraised $8,890,000 value, which means that the seller (The Zeist Foundation) contributed $4,840,000 in,property value. Owned by George and Julia Brumley until their tragic deaths in a2003 airplane crash, title to the land transferred to the Brumley family's private foundation in Atlanta, and it was one of the county's largest privately -held properties. Triangle Land . Conservancy purchased it because of its conservation values, including protection of water quality (a major tributary of the Eno River runs through it), healthy outdoor recreation, and wildlife habitat. As with our other conservation lands, Triangle Land Conservancy will apply for property tax exemption in January 2011, but we are faced with a pro -rated property tax liability of $50,000 for 2010 because the property was taken out of present use value taxation when the,owner sold to TLC. As a nonprofit conservation organization, Triangle Land Conservancy does not qualify for present use value. Although TLC cannot apply for present use value taxation, the land management for this 613- acretract•will not change under TLC's ownership. We will keep it in'trees, manage for wildlife, and eventually invite the public i&-visit and hike. So the property will not require more county , services than it needed under the previous owner. In addition, Orange County received $216,000 in rollback property, taxes whet; TLC purchased the land. This is $2161*000 that the .county would not have collected if the property remained in present use value. Thank you very much for your consideration cf TLC's grant request Orange County's Ieadership in conservation is inspiring, and I am grateful for a long history of TLC and Orange County partnering to protect water quality, wildlife habitat and healthy lifestyles.l would be happy to discuss the matter more fully and to make a presentation if it is helpful. Sincerely yours, Kevin Brice ' President Cc: Frank Clifton, Orange County Manager - P.S. I invite you and all county commissioners to a celebration, of the Brumley Forest acquisition on Monday October 11 at 1:30 at the property. We will recognize the project's funding partners at this event 1101 Haynes Street • Suite 205 • Raleigh NC 27604 T919.833.3662 F919.755.9356 www. tri angleland.org