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public transportation. They are working with the school board, the school staff, DOT, <br />Orange County Planning staff and Carrboro's Planning staff to come up with reasonable <br />alternatives, with the hope of bringing it to the Board of County Commissioners by <br />October 21St <br />Alex Zaffron said that the Town of Carrboro has worked for a while to arrive at a <br />design for a transportation corridor that emphasizes cycling, pedestrian use, and public <br />transit. Along this corridor is the J route, which is the most heavily used route. This is <br />an ideal place for the school system and the County to put into place a facility that takes <br />advantage of this. They are working with NCDOT to get agreement an this corridor. <br />Mayor Nelson agreed with Alex Zaffron. This high school site is in Carrboro's <br />jurisdiction. He said that the County Commissioners and the school board could expect <br />them to adhere to the transportation values (pedestrian, walk-ability, and biking issues) <br />as they go through the approval process of the school. He said that this is an ideal <br />location to transport kids to and from the high school in a different way. <br />Mayor Foy said that Chapel Hill is watching everyone in this process and their <br />major involvement will be through the transit system. However, the transit system costs <br />money and they would welcome any support to enhance the bus system. He said, <br />regarding Chapel Hill High School and East Chapel Hill High School, they have had <br />difficulty in providing sufficient service. Frequency is the key. He is assuming that same <br />people will be using the park and ride lat. He wants to make sure all factors are <br />considered. He has asked representatives of the school board, the County <br />Commissioners, the Chapel Hill Town Manager, representatives from Carrboro, and the <br />Chapel Hill Transit Director to meet at a transit meeting to discuss this in more detail. <br />He said that it would be easier to design this facility for transit than it would be to retrofit <br />it. <br />Commissioner Gordon said that there are some negotiations with Chapel Hill and <br />Carrboro with DOT on the corridor. She asked Carrboro what they are going to ask the <br />school system to provide in regards to transportation and then get DOT to buy into it so <br />that DOT pays for the improvements and gets them done in a timely manner. She said <br />that East Chapel Hill High School had to pay for a lot of improvements. <br />Gloria Foley said that part of the reason that the school board took so much time <br />looking at this site and part of the reason why they picked this site is because it is on the <br />J route. She said that they did look at student traffic and there were around 278 <br />students on average in each high school moving about during the day. Also, during big <br />events at both high schools, there are a lot of illegally parked cars. The school board is <br />appreciative that the Chapel Hill and Carrboro town boards are allowing them to have <br />representation. She said that they were trying to encourage use of public transportation <br />within the schools. <br />Commissioner Jacobs asked if it would help to expedite things if the County <br />Commissioners endorsed what Carrboro is proposing to DOT. Alex Zaffron said yes. <br />Commissioner Jacobs said that Division Engineer Chuck Edwards has said that <br />they are behind schedule, but that they could incorporate the improvements into the <br />school timeline. He said that the County Commissioners would be glad to make a <br />statement of support. <br />Commissioner Gordon said that she, Alex Zaffron, and Mayor Foy would be <br />happy to speak up at the Transportation Advisory Committee on this matter. <br />Alex Zaffron said that it would be helpful to quickly arrive at a consolidated <br />position an this. Doug Galyon (DOT} is interested in helping them move forward with <br />this, but he is waiting for a common voice. <br />