Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
goal has always been to protect the watershed area and to keep it a beautiful rural <br /> gateway to both Carrboro and Chapel Hill. They gave written viewpoints about what <br /> should happen to this area. From these findings, the Chapel Hill Town Council made a <br /> decision to protect this area by not allowing the urban services to be brought through <br /> their lands. Under Mayor Rosemary Waldorf, the Council gave them Meadowmont and <br /> Southern Village and they put the urban services boundary where it is today. The public <br /> was promised that the high density would be Southern Village and the low density would <br /> be where she lives. She encouraged the County Commissioners to go out and look at <br /> this land. She said that this area is the last for meadows, big trees and for wildlife. <br /> Chair Jacobs clarified that the discussion of the SAPFO will be on the November <br /> 19`h agenda. This item, 9-a, came on the agenda review subsequent to the last high <br /> school planning meeting and this is why it was not brought up. He said that the County <br /> Commissioners have been working to communicate as fully as possible. He pointed out <br /> that there have been other times when they felt like it was a two way street. He said that <br /> we would all try to do better in communicating with each other. <br /> Commissioner Brown asked about "looking for the best site" and coming to the <br /> Board of County Commissioners to pay for it. She wonders why the school board would <br /> want to go through this process of trying to find a school site and knowing what the <br /> process would be to undo all of the legislation and probably being turned down. She <br /> does not understand why the school board would want to do this. She said that it is a <br /> little disingenuous criticizing this Board because she knows Mrs. Snipes, a neighbor in <br /> this area, has had phone calls from the school board's representative on two occasions <br /> who told her that they were going to condemn her property. This, to her, is a decisive <br /> action on the part of the school board. She said that she could not support the purchase <br /> of land that has been condemned, especially when people are living on it. She said that <br /> she is sure that there are sites out there and that we can work together to find a good <br /> site. She asked Julie Coleman to enlighten the Board about this process of gaining <br /> access to the properties outside of the water and sewer boundary. <br /> Julie Coleman said that Mrs. Womble felt that she was being harassed. Mrs. <br /> Snipes said that she had a call about her land being condemned and taken for a school <br /> site. She said that, upon hearing this from her neighbor, she immediately called Mr. <br /> Steven Scroggs, because this woman has been under a lot of duress from D. R. Bryant <br /> because he wanted her land for the Southern Village Extension. This was the final <br /> straw. Mr. Scroggs said that he does not know who made this final call, and that he had <br /> asked his staff not to make any more calls. She said that she has not received any calls, <br /> but both of her neighbors have and they have been very upset. <br /> Commissioner Brown said that Mrs. Snipes' land has been coveted by the <br /> developer of Southern Village as an access road to be cut through to Smith Level Road, <br /> right into the University Lake Watershed. Mrs. Snipes has no intention of selling the <br /> property. She thinks that any plan for a high school site that includes a cut-through road <br /> from Southern Village to Smith Level Road is out of the question and would be an insult <br /> to the democratic process. <br /> Chapel Hill-Carrboro City School Superintendent Neil Pedersen responded to <br /> Commissioner Brown's questions. He made reference to utility costs and said that they <br /> are not even asking that this issue be discussed. The property that is in question has <br /> public facilities (sewer and water) that adjoin the Womble property and run up to the <br /> boundary of the property. No extensive extension of the line would be required. There <br /> is no sewer within a mile of the Old NC 86/Eubanks Road site. He said that he does not <br /> know who is calling Mrs. Snipes. He said that perhaps six months to a year ago, as they <br /> were discussing sites, her site as well as Mrs. Womble's was identified and they <br /> contacted the owners and asked permission to walk on the property to look at it. <br />