Orange County NC Website
Document management portal powered by Laserfiche WebLink 9 © 1998-2015 Laserfiche. All rights reserved.
<br />CREATING AN OPEN SPACE MASTER PLAN FOR THE BOLIN CREEK CORRIDOR <br />Presentation to the Orange County Board of Commissioners (February 17, 2003) <br />Summary of presentation to be made by Dave Otto, Chairman of the Friends of Bolin <br />Creek; Doug Nicholas, Liaison from Triangle Land Conservancy; and Julie McClintock, Public <br />Relations Chairman for FoBC. <br />We want to make you aware that the Friends of Bolin Creek have initiated a campaign to <br />preserve this special corridor which runs from the northern transition area of Carrboro through <br />the Horace Williams Tract and then eastward through Carrboro and Chapel Hill to merge with <br />Booker Creek east of the 15-501 bypass. The Bolin Creek Corridor includes one of the last <br />stretches of significant native forest habitat left in southern Orange County. At several public <br />meetings last year, we were encouraged by the enthusiasm of many citizens who also desire to <br />help us save this creek and the lands around it. <br />We believe that creating a Bolin Creek Corridor Open Space Master Plan is the next <br />appropriate step in our community's effort to save and preserve Bolin Creek. We envision a <br />process similar to that used in developing the New Hope Creek Corridor Master Plan more than <br />ten years ago. In that case, the governing boards of Chapel Hill, Orange County, Durham and <br />Durham County passed a common resolution recognizing the value of the New Hope Creek <br />Corridor. The governing boards appointed an Advisory Committee representing each of the <br />jurisdictions that worked with planning staffs and a consultant to prepare an Open Space Master <br />Plan. <br />On February 17 we will be presenting an overview of our concept and asking Orange <br />County to join with Chapel Hill and Carrboro to begin a similar process for the study of the <br />Bolin Creek Corridor. We propose that the three governing bodies appoint an Advisory <br />Committee representing each of the jurisdictions and other key stakeholders along the following <br />lines. We recommend that the Advisory Committee be composed of 15 members, four each <br />appointed by Chapel Hill, Carrboro and Orange County, and one each appointed by key <br />stakeholders including UNC-Chapel Hill (Horace Williams Committee), Duke University (Duke <br />Forest interest in the northern reaches of the corridor) and OWASA. We suggest that the <br />governing bodies appoint representatives asfollows: an elected member of the board or <br />designated representative; amember of agovernmental environmental advisory committee; a <br />member of the Friends of Bolin Creek Steering Committee residing in that jurisdiction; and a <br />landowner in proximity to Bolin Creek residing in that jurisdiction. <br />The Advisory Committee will be charged with hiring a consultant and working with that <br />consultant and planning staffs to conduct a thorough biological examination of this valuable <br />regional resource, leading to recommendations to guide its protection. A significant aspect of <br />this study will be to integrate current planning processes initiated by the three jurisdictions and <br />other key stakeholders. <br />Additionally, we ask the County to assist in funding or in identifying funding sources to <br />hire a consultant to develop the Open Space Corridor Master Plan described above. (Possible <br />funding sources outside operating budgets include Orange County Open Space bond funds, the <br />