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APPROVED 2/5/2002 MINUTES ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS Board Work Session November 29, 2001 6:00 p.m. The Orange County Board of Commissioners met for a work session on Thursday, November 29, 2001 at 6:00 p.m. in the Government Services Center in Hillsborough, North Carolina. COUNTY COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Chair Stephen H. Halkiotis and Commissioners Margaret W. Brown, Moses Carey, Jr., Alice M. Gordon and Barry Jacobs COUNTY ATTORNEY PRESENT: Geoffrey Gledhill COUNTY STAFF PRESENT: County Manager John M. Link, Jr., Assistant County Manager Rod Visser and Clerk to the Board Beverly A. Blythe (All other staff members will be identified appropriately below} NOTE: ALL DOCUMENTS REFERRED TO IN THESE MINUTES ARE IN THE PERMANENT AGENDA FILE IN THE CLERK'S OFFICE. 1. OPENING COMMENTS FROM THE CHAIR Chair Halkiotis welcomed everyone to the meeting. 2. REPORT ON PARKS FROM ENVIRONMENT AND RESOURCE CONSERVATION DEPARTMENT AND RECREATION AND PARKS DEPARTMENT Environment and Resource Conservation Director David Stancil made a powerpoint presentation. He said that in the spring, the County Commissioners asked that the Manager and staff prepare a report which looks at the continuum of park planning and development, the relationship between ERCD and Recreation and Parks, and design, maintenance and stewardship issues related to the new era of parks acquisition and development that is now upon us. The County has only one open park which is the Efland-Cheeks park which opened May 2000 an land leased from Orange County Schools. The total acreage of `Parklands" owned is 281 acres. The changing conditions include: • New parklands awaiting planning and facilities • Continued acquisition via Lands Legacy and 2001 Bond -whittling parks deficit • Two departments with primary responsibilities, ERCD and R&P • County's lack of parks to date presents challenge & opportunity •:• Chance to develop a program "outside the box" of traditional parks • Need for process to provide framework for future parks planning and development The Players in the continuum could include the Board of Caunty Commissioners and Caunty Manager, staff parks design team, advisory boards, county engineer and others as needed. Commissioner Jacobs made reference to page 10 and asked if we envision that the person we are going to hire will be able to do construction drawings. David Stancil said that possibly we could do some portion of the construction drawings but we may also contract out some of this work. David Stancil made reference to resource needs and said that in order to do park design we will need the Open Space Design Specialist position that was approved last year. This needs to be someone who is environmentally sensitive and has landscape architecture experience and is capable of doing park designs for active and low-impact.