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6 <br />proceed and what it would look like. Some of these questions have lingered <br />unanswered for many years, and resolution or direction to these questions (if <br />possible) would help frame the type of plan and the constraints that might be <br />faced in tackling a new document: <br />1) What is the ultimate vision for the sco a of Orange County parks and <br />recreation facilities? <br />a) A wide range of county programs exist, from extensive and <br />comprehensive, to limited and targeted. <br />b) The answer could be determined via the Plan process (public input}, or by <br />parameters identified by Board up front if known. <br />c) This matter is closely linked to the issue of how to work with towns/schools <br />A summary of several county parks, recreation and open space systems and <br />has been compiled by staff. This includes-counties inside North Carolina and <br />some selected counties with similar attributes in adjoining states. <br />Orange County's starting point for such a conversation is different from many <br />counties, as a relative latecomer to parks, open space and trails. In fact, prior <br />to the opening of Efland-Cheeks Park in 1999, Orange County did not own or <br />operate any parks. It did own and operate three recreation centers, numerous <br />recreation programs, and isolated playing fields at some locations prior to that <br />time. But the 1997 Parks and Open Space Bond (and its 2001 successor, <br />along with a series of plans and reports by the County) ushered in a new era <br />of commitment to parks and open space provision for County residents. The <br />actions to create the parks system were built around the 1988 Plan, which <br />used service area modules, with travel time and demographic assessment, to <br />identify parks and recreation facility needs. The 1988 Plan uses a system of <br />district and community parks areas as the basis and framework of the <br />planned system. <br />As of this writing, many of the facilities envisioned in the 1988 Plan have now <br />been acquired and/or constructed. Some new opportunities have been <br />pursued, and some of the concepts from 1988 have been superseded. With <br />acquisition of a park site in Bingham Township in the works, the basic <br />framework of the 1988 plan (in terms of district parks especially) can be <br />deemed completed. <br />2) How should the Orange County Comprehensive Master Parks and <br />Recreation Plan address the municipalities? <br />a) What population should the County (and its parks plan) strive to serve? <br />Should it explicitly include residents of the municipalities, or only those <br />areas and members of the public not served by the towns? With some <br />towns running out of land for new parks, is it time to consider a <br />coordinated parks and open space land acquisition strategy? <br />4 <br />