Minutes - 20030125 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Commissioner Halkiotis asked who objected to artwork being placed at the Southern Human Services Center. Chair Brawn said that the installation and the maintenance of any of the art was not something that either Social Services or the Health Department felt was part of their responsibilities. There was another concern about how some pieces of art could affect some of the more unstable people that come to use the facility. Leah Rade said that this would not be a permanent piece of art; it would only be installed for a length of time. The artwork would be a patchwork, including visual art, sculpture, and pottery. Planning Board: Chair of the Planning Board Nicole Gooding-Ray went over the goals of the Planning Board. These were not in priority order because the Planning Board could not agree upon the order. The goal that was discussed the most was the issue of water resource quantity and quality. The Planning Board has also talked about the U. S. Geological Survey and getting that updated. Chair Brown said that addressing groundwater issues is also a goal of the Board of County Commissioners. Nicole Gooding-Ray said that other issues discussed by the Planning Board are rural character and agricultural preservation and how to do this within the context of planning. Chair Brown stated that the Board has a goal for this too, particularly within the rural buffer. The Planning Board is also interested in participating in the unified development ordinance. Other priorities include transfer of development rights, affordable housing, economic development, natural resource and natural area protection. Nicole Gooding-Ray said that the Planning Board would like to take a more active role in planning in the County. The Planning Board desperately needs some training because there are new members on a regular basis and many of them have no idea about the comprehensive plan for the County now. They also need regular updates and training on what they are and are not allowed to do. They also need training on potential smart growth and development tools. She would also like to have more meetings with other advisory boards, such as the environmental and economic development boards. The Planning Board is also interested in having more discretion to ask for things from developers when they came forward with proposals. They have formed a subcommittee to look at some different tools because they just voted down the special use permit process. Finally, they would like to schedule a meeting with the County Commissioners and the Planning Board to talk about potential growth, development, and planning tools for the County. Commissioner Jacobs said that there is a scheduled dinner meeting with the Planning Board for September 15, 2003. Nicole Gooding-Ray said that it would be helpful to have it earlier in the year. Commissioner Jacobs requested a list of areas where the Planning Board would like more discretion. Regarding rural character and agricultural preservation, he asked if they have ever seen the Rural Character Study and Nicole Gooding-Ray said na. Commissioner Jacobs suggested getting the copies from Dave Stancil and Gene Bell and asking them to give a presentation to the Planning Board. He said that the Board of County Commissioners is fully supportive of getting more training for the Planning Board. He suggested that they contact Richard Whisnant from the Commission for the Environment for Smart Growth training. Nicole Goading-Ray said that it has became increasingly evident that the Planning staff is very overwhelmed. It is very difficult for the staff to comply with the Planning Board's requests with all of the other requests. She suggested an additional staff person or a liaison to the Planning Board so