Minutes 02-23-2012 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Margaret Hauth said that the issue with the Whitted Center is unique because of the nighttime peak issue with the recreation department next door. Night meetings paired with the recreation department would make this area potentially 100 spaces short. Commissioner Jacobs said that there is the southeast corner of where there is some parking and some open space. He said that urban legend has it that Hillsborough has prohibited the County from installing parking in this grassy area. This is what limits some of the parking capacity by the Whitted Center. Margaret Hauth said that her version of the "urban legend" was that when the old building was destroyed that the County promised the neighbors that it would not build or make a parking lot on that site. Commissioner McKee said that if this space could be shared with other entities, then he would be in favor of looking at this site. Mayor Stevens said that parking is one issue but there are reality issues in both proposed sites such as the cost benefit issues. He said that another issue is the regulatory functions of the Town and the principles. He would like to encourage his board to think about what is fair for all. The staff will look into this option further. 4. Economic Development a) Update on County Economic Development Activities Orange County Economic Development Director Steve Brantley introduced this item. Oranqe Countv's Small Business Loan Proqram Orange County Economic Development has approved seven (7) small business loans and disbursed five (5) of those loans to date. All are current in terms of scheduled debt repayments by borrowers. The 5 loan recipients are as follows: • Mystery Brewing Company • Skram • West End Depot • Phd Productions • Santosha Cleaning Service Hand-crafted beer brewer Hand-crafted, high-end furniture General store Crocheted Frisbee-type toys Commercial janitorial services Four (4) of these firms (Mystery Brewing, Skram, West End Depot and Phd Productions) are Hillsborough-based companies. The most recent loan recipient, Mystery Brewing located in the Hillsborough Business Center, held its official release party at the Wooden Nickel on February 10, 2012 and received broad statewide news coverage on February 9th (WRAL). Since a portion of the recently approved quarter cent sales tax proceeds will go to support further growth in Orange County's Small Business Loan program, there is a good potential for additional Hillsborough firms to be considered as loan candidates in the future. Piedmont Food & Aqricultural Processinq Center (PFAP) The Piedmont Food & Agricultural Processing Center located in Hillsborough is a collaborative effort between Orange, Alamance, Durham and Chatham counties and shows strong activity since its recent Grand Opening event on October 21, 2011. A summary of PFAP's current status shows the following activity by contracted clients and interested applicants: a) Clients 19 clients at present (2 are from Hillsborough)