Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
APPROVED 11/19/2002 MINUTES <br /> ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br /> October 1, 2002 <br /> The Orange County Board of Commissioners met in regular session on Tuesday, October 1, 2002 at 7:30 p.m. at <br /> the F. Gordon Battle Courtroom in Hillsborough, North Carolina. <br /> COUNTY COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Chair Barry Jacobs and Commissioners Margaret W. Brown, Alice <br /> M. Gordon, Stephen H. Halkiotis, and Moses Carey, Jr. <br /> COUNTY ATTORNEY PRESENT: Geoffrey Gledhill and Sean Borhanian <br /> COUNTY STAFF PRESENT: County Manager John M. Link, Jr., Assistant County Manager Rod Visser, <br /> Assistant Manager Gwen Harvey and Clerk to the Board Donna S. Baker (all other staff members will be identified <br /> appropriately below) <br /> NOTE: ALL DOCUMENTS REFERRED TO IN THESE MINUTES ARE IN THE PERMANENT AGENDA FILE <br /> IN THE CLERK'S OFFICE. ALL RECORDINGS OF THE MEETING WILL BE KEPT FOR 5 YEARS. <br /> 1. ADDITIONS OR CHANGES TO THE AGENDA <br /> Item 5c was deferred until the meeting of October 15, 2002 because the representatives could not attend this <br /> evening. <br /> The Board accepted two additional applications for the Jury Commission (pink sheets) from Bob Hall and <br /> Tice Brown. <br /> PUBLIC CHARGE <br /> The Board of Commissioners pledges to the citizens of Orange County its respect. The Board asks its <br /> citizens to conduct themselves in a respectful, courteous manner, both with the Board and with fellow <br /> citizens. At any time should any member of the Board or any citizen fail to observe this public charge, the <br /> Chair will ask the offending person to leave the meeting until that individual regains personal control. Should <br /> decorum fail to be restored, the Chair will recess the meeting until such time that a genuine commitment to <br /> this public charge is observed. <br /> 2. CITIZEN &AUDIENCE COMMENTS <br /> a. Matters not on the Printed Agenda <br /> Etta Pisano said that she was speaking on behalf of the Citizens Advocating for the Third High School. <br /> She said that she attended the meeting last week of the County Commissioners and the two school boards. She is <br /> grateful that the Board of County Commissioners found money for the third high school for Chapel Hill-Carrboro <br /> City Schools. She appreciates the creativity in finding this money. Regarding the Southern Community Park, she <br /> is here to formally request, on behalf of CATS, that the park site planning be pushed back to the Chapel Hill Town <br /> Council for another month or two because CATS has formally petitioned the Town Council in late August to reopen <br /> discussion at the town level of a potential swap of that land for other sites that are now available for school land, <br /> but which might not be suitable for a school. If the County moves forward on this park, it will take that site out of <br /> consideration for a school site. She said that the school board has clearly indicated that they really want a site on <br /> the southern end of town. She pointed out that Assistant Superintendent Steve Scroggs has outstanding data to <br /> show that the growth is in the southern end of the town. <br /> Chair Jacobs said that this issue would be discussed in item 9-a. <br /> Commissioner Brown said that she has read about this and the word "swap" confuses her. She asked <br /> where the other piece of property was that would be swapped. Etta Pisano said that there are three pieces of <br /> property in the southern end of town that were evaluated by an architect. No public entity owns these pieces of <br /> land. The proposal is that the school board would purchase the land and then make a swap with the County so <br /> that the park could be built on the land that is not suitable for a school. <br /> Commissioner Carey asked what Ms. Pisano was asking the Board to do specifically. Etta Pisano said <br /> that the town has asked the Board to move forward on the production of the Southern Park. She is asking the <br /> Board to send it back to the town for discussion, because this has never been discussed publicly. <br /> Commissioner Halkiotis asked Ms. Pisano if she formally asked the Town Council to respond back to <br /> her and she said yes. She has received no response yet. <br /> b. Matters on the Printed Agenda (These matters were considered as the Board addressed the items <br /> on the agenda below.) <br />