Agenda - 06-05-2012-13 (2) - Laserfiche WebLink

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there was a staff presence at the facility, whether the Center was in use or not. Initially, recreation programming for seniors was housed in the former Recreation and Parks Department, and at that time, the center was open frequently and had staff or senior volunteer presence. Coordination of senior recreation functions was transferred to the Department on Aging in 2007, along with the associated staff. From 2007 -2010, R &P seasonal staff was present at the facility during certain open hours. While this provided a physical presence at the site, this was not a financially- efficient use of time and resources, and now the facility is only staffed when in use. As such, any questions about cleaning and usage responsibilities for the facility should be addressed by the staffing changes made early in 2012. Regarding last summer's questions on the facility office, during the last decade two different Health Department grants were administered in the Efland- Cheeks community. The Health Department worked closely with a community group in administering the grants. It is my understanding that, as such, use of the office within the Center was informally approved for this purpose several years ago. Staff has confirmed with the Health Department that the grants have expired. The community group involved in the health grants still has files and office materials in the office, and indicated they have no place to store their materials. Staff has secured the office, and it is available for access by appointment whenever needed by the group. One of the other longstanding issues with this facility is that there appear to have been a number of keys made and distributed to unknown persons, and security of the facility requires re- keying of the Center. It is my understanding that the community group has informally expressed an interest in having this office dedicated for their own future use, at no cost, for other community activities that they pursue. I have seen correspondence that seems to indicate that at least some members of the group may not have understood that the informal office usage arrangement from several years ago was only for the duration of the Health Department grants. However, there are no provisions in the Facility Use Policy for long -term use of an office in a County facility. One solution might be to pursue a lease or usage agreement for the office, although it should be noted that this could preclude other uses of the office if needed (such as during the CHC YMCA joint summer camp), and may set a precedent for other such requested arrangements. Staff is not aware of any other office arrangement in a County facility of this nature. hope this information has been helpful. Since I have not been involved in the history leading up to the office and usage issues, I do plan to meet with representatives from the community group to try and better understand the issues and their interests, and will report back on my discussions. Copies: Michael Talbert, Assistant County Manager Orange County Department of Environment, Agriculture, Parks & Recreation PO Box 8181 Hillsborough, NC 27278 Phone: (919) 245 -2510 Fax: (919) 644 -3351