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2013 plans. The bottom line is if the Board of County Commissioners has any comments about <br />the regional priority list, they need to be in by the September 14t" TAC meeting. <br />The Durham-Chapel Hill -Carrbora Transportation Advisory Committee also discussed <br />the 15-501-corridor study. There is some controversy about the best route to get from Durham <br />to Chapel Hill. The proposed preferred alignment hugs the I-40 right-of-way, which is more <br />expensive because it is longer. Instead of approving the alignment, they sent it back to Durham <br />County, the City of Durham, the Town of Chapel Hill, and Triangle Transit Authority to review <br />and comment. <br />Commissioner Gordon said that they also discussed the possibility of a Wal-Mart right <br />over the county line in Chatham County. The TAC requested that Division 8 delay action on the <br />driveway permit request until an application far development is submitted to Chatham County. <br />They also requested that Chatham County and NCDOT be informed if the development would <br />conflict with the long-range plan. <br />Commissioner Gordon said that TAC also adopted a resolution criticizing the inclusion of <br />language in the State budget requiring the construction of the extension of T. W. Alexander <br />Drive. There is a provision in the State budget that would have asked for this road to be <br />included. The TAC thought it was a bad precedent to have the State legislature da this, since it <br />would circumvent the MPO process. <br />Commissioner Halkiotis requested an update at the next BOCC meeting on the <br />proposed Facilities Use Agreement with the OCS. He thought the plan was supposed to be <br />brought back to this meeting. He said that it seems to take forever to get community use of <br />facilities. Commissioner Jacobs agreed. Commissioner Halkiotis said that he noticed in the <br />Manager's memo that there was a meeting on June 30t" regarding these issues and also about <br />timers on the lights at the tennis courts at Orange High School. He said that there have been <br />timers on the lights there for 25 years and time should not be wasted on it. <br />Commissioner Halkiotis said that citizens have asked him what both school systems <br />actually received this school year in funding. Superintendent Neil Pedersen sent out a memo of <br />what the Board of County Commissioners did for the CHCCS and the fact that they did not have <br />to let any staff go, especially teacher assistants. He found this helpful. He asked the Manager <br />to contact the Superintendent of the OCS to see if she would be doing the same for the OCS. <br />He thinks the citizens need to know what both school systems have received this school year <br />from all sources -federal, state, and local -and how they will use it and what they were able to <br />fund. He said that citizens need to know that the Board of County Commissioners assumed the <br />debt for Cedar Ridge and that there was a cast overrun far the OCS Middle School #3 and the <br />CHCCS High School #3. <br />Chair Carey said that he would like to request this information from both school systems. <br />Cammissianer Halkiotis said that he read in the Chapel Hill Herald this morning that the <br />OCS is thinking about buying the old St. Mary's School campus far $1.8 million. He read a <br />quote from Superintendent Carraway, as follows: "I think we might be able to make a request <br />from the County Commissioners for some startup money far the middle school." He said that if <br />they have $1.8 million to buy an abandoned school campus, he does not understand why they <br />would be asking for startup money for a middle school. He said that at the January 24, 2005 <br />meeting Cammissianer Foushee had asked a representative of the OCS about startup costs. It <br />was answered that OCS would probably use fund balance. He is confused about haw much <br />money will be needed far the middle school. He wants to know exactly what is needed to open <br />the middle school. <br />Commissioner Halkiotis asked if anyone in Orange County government knows what the <br />developers are planning in this area. He was called by a reporter to comment on proposed <br />movie theaters for the old truck stop in Hillsborough. This was the first he had heard of this. He <br />would like to know these things because he was amazed that a reporter knew about it and the <br />elected officials did nat. <br />