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3. BOARD COMMENTS <br />Commissioner Carey said that he has received calls from members of the APS board in <br />reference to the decision that was made last week. He understands the impact the decision of <br />the Board of County Commissioners had on the APS, but he did not have in mind the impact <br />that their decision would have on the APS board and their ability to raise funds or to hire staff. <br />He was thinking more that this Board needed mare time after the report to decide what to do. <br />He is concerned that their decision may have a detrimental affect on the APS board and he <br />encouraged the Board to reconsider this month-to-month contract. He is concerned about the <br />staff and funding of the APS. <br />Commissioner Gordon made reference to the handouts regarding TTA. She said that <br />last Friday there was a meeting with TTA staff and OPT staff, which went very well. The <br />General Manager of TTA was willing to recommend to the TTA Board that the Hillsborough to <br />Durham service not be eliminated until they could come up with an alternate service. However, <br />at the meeting on June 25t", the TTA Board of Trustees voted to eliminate the Hillsborough to <br />Durham/Duke route and delete $67,000, (which would have funded a bus operator) from the <br />fiscal year 2003-2004 budget, despite the resolution from Orange County. The TTA Board did <br />authorize the General Manager to work with OPT to provide necessary service sometime in the <br />future. The earliest that new service could begin would be the end of 2003 ar the beginning of <br />2004. The Manager was willing to leave the money in the budget, but the board was not. She <br />said that the opposition was led by the board members from Wake County. The representative <br />from Chapel Hill was not there, and one Durham representative was not there. After the TTA <br />Board concluded the deliberations, she made a statement as follows: "Given the resolution <br />from the Orange County Board of Commissioners concerning service to Hillsborough; given the <br />work done by TTA staff and Orange Public Transportation staff to address this service; given <br />the recommendation of the TTA General Manager to work with Orange County and in the <br />meantime leave $67,000 available in the budget to cover service to Hillsborough and Orange <br />County; given that $67,000 is less than '/ of 1 °10 of the TTA operating budget as defined as the <br />five funds in the budget ordinance for fiscal year 2003-2004; therefore I, as a representative <br />from Orange County and speaking on behalf of Orange County: 1} consider the actions by the <br />TTA Board of Trustees to be harsh and insensitive to the needs of Orange County; and 2} <br />sincerely hope that the TTA Board of Trustees will act expeditiously to provide service to <br />Hillsborough and the surrounding areas of Orange County as soon as possible." <br />Commissioner Gordon made reference to the lavender sheet and said that there had <br />been a recommendation to the General Manager for information related to service hours and <br />revenues by the County. She said that TTA is very rail oriented and many of the revenues go to <br />the regional rail project. She said that she was very disappointed in the budget because they <br />cut three bus positions, two bus operators, and one maintenance clerk, but they approved two <br />unallocated positions to be used for the rail project. She is the Treasurer of the TTA and <br />worked on the budget, and she was the only vote against the budget. She asked the staff to <br />take the TTA materials and develop a resolution to send forward after the break. <br />Commissioner Halkiotis said that the National Association of Counties 2003 <br />Achievement Award winner was presented to Orange County for its program -Child Health <br />Awareness. This is a program under the leadership of Health Director Rosemary Summers and <br />her staff who empowered a group of Hispanic mothers and put together the picture books <br />pointing out household hazardous materials, etc. This program did not achieve additional <br />funding from the partnership, but the County took corrective action to be sure that it would <br />continue. <br />Commissioner Halkiotis said that he is concerned about the burned out nursing home <br />on Mt. Sinai Road. This building burned out eight years ago and it is an eyesore and a safety <br />issue. He asked about the status. John Link said that he and Craig Benedict have talked about <br />this and there was a series of steps offered to the owner and it is another zoning issue where <br />