Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
4 <br />ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br />RESOLUTION <br />Approval of Agricultural Conservation Easement between <br />Orange County <br />and the <br />Sykes Family Limited Partnership <br />WHEREAS, agriculture in Orange County is an important facet of the economy and time <br />honored way of life in the County; and <br />WHEREAS, Orange County has an adopted goal promoting the preservation of farmland in <br />the County; and <br />WHEREAS, one component of the Lands Legacy Program is the acquisition of conservation <br />easements on prime farmland within water supply watersheds; and <br />WHEREAS, the Sykes dairy farm includes approximately 160 acres in the Cane Creek <br />protected watershed, consists entirely of prime agricultural soils, and is located in an <br />agricultural community with good access to farm markets; and <br />WHEREAS, Orange County intends to accept an agricultural conservation easement that <br />would help to conserve the natural and scenic values of this farmland; and <br />WHEREAS, a matching grant was awarded to Orange County from the federal Farm and <br />Ranch Land Protection Program to help purchase the conservation easement; and <br />WHEREAS, a conservation easement on this 160 acres would ensure the preservation of this <br />farmland for future generations and help to compensate the owr~ers for this long-term <br />commitment: <br />NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Orange County Board of Commissioners <br />does hereby 1) accept on behalf of Orange County the agricultural conservation easement to <br />protect prime farmland owned by Sykes Family Limited Partnership; 2) approve the execution <br />of this conservation easement agreement with Sykes Family Limited Partnership, in <br />accordance with the terms of the proposed easement agreement, subject to final review by <br />staff and the County Attorney; 3) authorize the Chair and the Clerk to sign the easement <br />agreement on behalf of the Board, with a closing to occur on or about June 30, 2011; and 4) <br />authorize County staff to sign any and all closing documents upon consultation with the <br />County Attorney. <br />This the 3rd day of May, 2011. <br />Bernadette Pelissier, Chair <br />Orange County Board of Commissioners <br />Donna Baker, Clerk to the Board <br />