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purchase this property. The second grant was for the proposed Little River Regional Park and <br />Natural Area in conjunction with Durham Triangle Land Conservancy and the Eno River <br />Association. Also, 60 acres of the Greene Tract was preserved. Depending on the amount of <br />acreage required and the amount of grant funds received, the location of property, and other <br />factors, the priority list could range from two million to five million dollars. This is without grant <br />funds. The staff will continue to pursue grants to fund these projects. <br />Commissioner Gordon made reference to page 10 of the packet, "Report on the Parks <br />Bond and other Parks Related Projects," and said that the facilities that have been developed from <br />the bond coupled with the proposed projects provides far good geographic coverage around the <br />County. <br />David Stancil said that at this point there is 1.9 million dollars remaining that has not <br />been appropriated from the bond. In terms of the three million dollars for parkland acquisition, the <br />County has acquired land at the Northern Human Services Center. <br />Commissioner Jacobs said that Carrboro proposed that the cost of the small acreage <br />that was purchased for $500,000 be divided This park is a neighborhood level park. He <br />commended David Stancil on the plan and what has been done. He would like to know what <br />signage is planned for the property that the County acquires and David Stancil said that that <br />information would be ready soon. <br />Commissioner Brawn noted that a lot has been accomplished with the 1997 parks band. <br />She said that the money has been spent efficiently and the citizens should understand this. This <br />Lands Legacy Program sets the foundation far the future. <br />Commissioner Jacobs made reference to the soccer symposium held last week and <br />said that it was pointed out that new fields were now available. He made reference to the bond <br />referendum in New Hanover County (the purple sheet) that did not pass. He read a quote from <br />one of the members of the committee that says, "People really wanted tangible projects, and we <br />couldn't do that. I think people just generally wanted mare details." He said that the Lands Legacy <br />Program is a great foundation to continue to address the taxpayers of Orange County and the <br />voters who are committed to these kinds of concerns {i.e., the environment, open space, natural <br />area protection, and recreation). <br />Commissioner Halkiotis said that there were people who think this whole plan is a waste <br />of time and money. He said that these people were very short sighted with their vision and were <br />not looking to the future. He said that this was a plan that could ensure something far Orange <br />County 25, 50, and 100 years from now. <br />Commissioner Gordon commended the staff who worked on this project: David Stancil, <br />Rich Shaw, Craig Benedict, and Bob Jones. <br />A motion was made by Commissioner Gordon, seconded by Commissioner Brown to <br />adopt the Interim Action Plan, and instruct staff to begin inquiries for the acquisition priorities, as <br />outlined in the Plan. Staff will bring information on potential acquisition of priority areas back for <br />BOCC consideration at a future meeting. The Interim Action Plan as written would allow for land <br />banking efforts in conjunction with municipalities and other partners, with the County taking the <br />lead in identifying and acquiring sites. <br />VOTE: UNANIMOUS <br />c. Establishment of School Funding Parameters <br />The Board considered providing direction to the County Manager regarding school <br />funding parameters based on a report by the Schaal Funding Options Task Force. <br />Commissioner Jacobs distributed a recommendation dated May 3, 2000 written by him <br />and Chair Carey. <br />Commissioner Jacobs said that he and Chair Carey were recommending adopting a <br />series of benchmarks to guide spending decisions. These are listed in the draft report that is dated <br />March 23, 2000. It is also recommended that the Board endorse 48.1 % as a target rate of the <br />overall County budget for annual spending for both school systems, which is the most recent five- <br />year average. He listed some of the issues that still need to be resolved. These unresolved issues <br />are listed below: <br />