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32 <br />Chapter 7: Parks and Recreation Element <br />~,f.. <br />The 1988 Orange County Recreation and Park Master Plan recommended that the <br />County concentrate efforts in the provision of four types of recreation and park <br />facilities: 1) community parks (serving the more densely populated unincorporated <br />areas of the County); 2) district parks; 3) greenways; and 4) swimming pools. The <br />plan made specific recommendations for the number and locations of parks: <br />^ Six Community Parks -One each in the Efland, University Station <br />area of Eno/Chapel Hill Townships, White Cross, and Caldwell <br />communities, as well as the Northern and Fairview parks; <br />Four District Parks - One <br />Cheeks/Hillsborough Township, <br />River/Cedar Grove Township; and <br />Two public swimming pools. <br />each in .Bingham Township, <br />Chapel Hill Township, and Little <br />Since 1988, two park land purchase and development bonds totaling $26 million <br />have been approved by voters. The County has assisted with funding for pools in <br />the Sportsplex facility as well as at Homestead Park in Chapel Hill. A community <br />park has been built in the Efland/Cheeks area, and plans are' progressing for <br />improvements at the Northern and Fairview Parks. Land has been acquired for a <br />new park at the Blackwood Farm, near University Station and plans for acquisition <br />of a park site in Eno Township (North-Central Park) are in the current Lands Legacy <br />Plan. The communities of Caldwell and White Cross remain without concrete plans <br />for community parks. However, land acquisition for the White Cross-area park is <br />in the current Lands Legacy Action Plan, and the new Little River Regional Park and <br />Natural Area is in close proximity to Caldwell. <br />The 391-acre Little River Regional Park and Natural Area (which is larger than a <br />district or community park) has been developed in Little River Township and plans <br />are well under way for the Chapel Hill Township District Park, now named Twin <br />Creeks. A district park for Bingham has not been planned to date, as land <br />acquisition is still underway. The proposed Cheeks/Hillsborough District Park will <br />be met through asplit-site approach, combining the active recreation at the West <br />Ten Soccer Center with future low-impact public access areas at the Seven-Mile <br />Creek Preserve, which is located nearby. This split-site approach was confirmed by <br />the Board of County Commissioners in early 2008. <br />INTER-JURISDICTIONAL RECREATION AND PARK PLANNING <br />Orange County has taken a lead role in coordinating park and recreation planning <br />with the municipalities and other jurisdictions, such as OWASA. The following <br />historical summary charts the work of these jurisdictions to coordinate and plan <br />for parks and recreational facilities in Orange County. <br />REPORT OF THE RECREATION AND PARKS WORKING GROUP <br />In 1996, the County initiated a process to develop a Recreation and Parks Working <br />Group that developed recommendations to establish principles for coordinated <br />countywide recreation and park facility planning, foster greater cooperation in use <br />of existing facilities, and support private recreation providers and public/private <br />partnerships. The work group developed a number of recommendations <br />presented to the Assembly of Governments, including setting park standards, an <br />inventory of park and recreational facilities, and the inclusion of park facilities in <br />new school sites. <br />Ora~iCo-uv~Ly Co-v~rel~tivPii~law Page 7-2 <br />