Orange County NC Website
~~~ ~q~~. <br />ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br />RESOLUTION <br />~,~ ~S -oZG0.3 - O ~D <br />~~ <br />Approval of Agricultural Conservation Easement between <br />Orange County and Everett and Lewis Cheek <br />WHEREAS, Orange County has an adopted goal promoting the preservation of farmland in <br />the County; and <br />WHEREAS, agriculture in Orange County is an important facet of the economy and way of <br />life in the County; and <br />WHEREAS, one component of the Lands Legacy Program is the acquisition of conservation <br />easements on prime or threatened farmland within water supply watersheds; and <br />WHEREAS, the Cheek farm includes 82.6 acres in the University Lake protected watershed, <br />consists of a majority of prime soils, and is adjacent to other natural resource lands already <br />protected by conservation easements; and <br />WHEREAS, a grant in the amount of $235,255 was awarded to Orange County from the <br />federal Farm and Ranch Land Protection Program to protect the future of this farm with an <br />agricultural conservation easement; and <br />WHEREAS, a conservation .easement on this farm provides awin-win scenario -ensuring the <br />preservation of this farmland for future generations and providing return on the property for <br />the Cheek family: 1 <br />NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Orange County Board of Commissioners <br />does hereby 1) accept on behalf of Orange County the farmland preservation conservation <br />easement in the property owned by Everett and Lewis Cheek that is described in the <br />conservation easement agreement; 2) approve the execution of this conservation easement <br />agreement with Everett and Lewis Cheek, in accordance with the terms of the attached <br />easement agreement, subject to final review by staff and the county attorney; and 3) <br />authorize the Chair and the Clerk to sign the easement agreement on behalf of the Board, <br />with a closing to occur on or about January 31, 2004. <br />BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Board accepts the grant award of $235,255 from the <br />federal Farm and Ranch Land Protection Program, and- authorizes the Chair to sign the grant <br />agreement. <br />This the 9th day of December, 2003. <br />Barry Ja hit ' <br />Orang County <br />Donna Baker, erk to the Board <br />missioners <br />