Agenda - 02-24-2011 - 4 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Or-1 : Justification for the Project Fairview Park Development (Phase 1) Orange County / Town of Hillsborough Orange County is working in cooperation with the Town of Hillsborough on the development of Fairview Park —a community park that has been in the planning stages for 25 years. The park will be constructed on a site owned by the two jurisdictions, and will be managed by the Orange County Parks and Recreation Department consistent with an interlocal agreement.. The idea for the park was conceived in 1983 when Orange County acquired 42 acres from the Town as part of a Northern Fairview Community Redevelopment Plan. A conceptual plan for a community park was completed in 1986 and was included in the County's 1988 systemwide parks and recreation plan. A small picnic area with playground and gravel parking was developed in 1990. Further construction of the park was halted, however, when a series of severe storms struck Hillsborough over a 10 -year period (1990 Tornado, 1996 Hurricane Fran, 2000 ice storms). A portion of the park property was used as a staging area for the storage and handling of storm debris (organics only). The Fairview community would have to continue their long wait for the construction of their park. In 2001 Orange County and the Town of Hillsborough decided to collaborate on the planning and design of Fairview Park. They formed a Master Plan Committee that included elected officials from both local governments and residents from the Fairview community. The committee held a series of public meetings in 2005 -06 to develop a park master plan, which would locate new facilities on the adjoining government parcels. Both the Town and County elected boards adopted the Fairview Park master plan in late 2006. Fairview Park will feature a combination of active and passive recreational facilities that were selected based on a survey of community needs and residents' participation in the master plan. The park will be co- located with an existing Hillsborough police substation, which is already used for community meetings. Fairview Park will be an easy walk for many Fairview residents and easy biking distance from downtown Hillsborough. It will also help to implement the Town of Hillsborough's Parks and Recreation Master Plan (adopted 2007). The estimated cost for completing Phase I construction is $1,213,500. The requested PARTF grant of $500,000 would be matched with County bond funds budgeted specifically for Fairview Park development. The County has completed a cultural /archaeological survey of the.property and has received development permits from the DENR Division of Land Resources (November 2008) and the Town of Hillsborough (December 2008). The Fairview community has waited a very long time for the development of this park. Residents have urged County and Town officials and staff to make every effort to proceed with park construction. The park will establish a new gathering place for leisure, exercise and organized recreation. it will also strengthen on -going community.building activities by the town, county, Habitat for Humanity, and others in this lower- income section of the town. Local churches and civic groups have also offered their volunteer services to help with the project in any way that they can. Volunteers might be used for help with the nature trails. The County and Town commissioners both have identified Fairview Park construction as a high priority, and they are hoping to begin Phase I of the park development in FY 2009 -10.