2011-097 DEAPR - Robert S. Jones for Boundary Survey and plat for Breeze Farm Conservation Easement $1,800

Browse Search

ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT Meeting Date: June 15, 2010 Action Agenda Item No. SUBJECT: Acceptance of Two Grants for Purchasing an Agricultural Conservation Easement at the Breeze Farm DEPARTMENT: Environment, Agriculture, Parks PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) No and Recreation ATTACHMENT ADFP Contract (Draft) FRPP Cooperative Agreement INFORMATION CONTACT: David Stancil, 245-2510 Rich Shaw, 245-2514 PURPOSE: To consider accepting a state grant from the NC Agricultural Development and Farmland Preservation Trust Fund and federal matching funds from the federal Farm and Ranch Land Protection Program for the County's purchase of an agricultural conservation easement on the Breeze farm in Orange County. BACKGROUND: The acquisition of agricultural conservation easements to help preserve prime farmland is a longstanding goal of the Board of Commissioners and a priority of the Lands Legacy Program. During the first ten years of the program, Orange County has helped to protect 1,550 acres of privately owned farmland and natural areas with permanent conservation easements. In December 2009 Orange County applied for state matching funds from the NC Agricultural Development and Farmland Preservation (ADFP) Trust Fund. The funds would be used by the County to complete the planned two-phased conservation easement on the Breeze farm located on Schley Road (Cedar Grove Township). In 2008 the County acquired an easement on a 141-acre portion of Breeze farm (Phase I). Phase II will be on the adjacent 153 acres. The County's grant application anticipated the possibility of obtaining up to $172,000 in federal matching funds for this project from the federal Farm and Ranch Land Protection Program (FRPP). The County applied for those federal matching funds in March. DEAPR was notified in early April that the County's Breeze farm application was selected to receive $150,000 from the ADFP Trust Fund. Then on May 21 DEAPR was notified that the County was awarded $172,000 in federal FRPP matching funds for the same project. Over the next several months DEAPR will work with the landowners and the grant agencies on the details of the easement and bring it back for Board for approval at a future meeting. Draft agreements for the grant funds are attached for the Board's consideration. The ADFP Trust Fund has provided a model contract that is to be completed in order to obligate the state grant funds by July 1. The federal FRPP requires that the County amend an existing Cooperative Agreement that the County entered with the US Commodity Credit Corporation for an earlier farm easement project in 2009. The agreement is needed to obligate the