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wants to pursue this. He said that there should be alternatives to the Herald Sun printing the <br />Senior Times. The Board agreed to pursue this. <br />Commissioner Halkiotis said that one of the members of the Friends of the Central <br />Orange Senior Center brought up the fact that Durham Tech has a printing department, and so <br />does Cedar Ridge High School. He wants to explore every opportunity. <br />John Link said that the new director of the Visitor's Bureau has branding expertise. <br />Commissioner Gordon said that at the TTA meeting tomorrow they would talk about <br />alternatives. In December TTA got unsupportive letters from Senator Dole's and Senator Burr's <br />office concerning FTA's evaluation of the TTA regional rail project. Since then TTA has been <br />told by FTA that they will work with TTA on further evaluation of the project. A final decision has <br />not been made yet. <br />Chair Jacobs thanked the staff for the entrance upgrades to the Whiffed Building. <br />Chair Jacobs said that he was going to suggest that staff give an update on the <br />courthouse expansion project, including some preliminary thinking about how to accommodate <br />the public and employees during the construction. <br />Chair Jacobs said that he received a call from a senior yesterday who was concerned <br />that the lease on the Galleria expires at the end of June. John Link said that he sent <br />correspondence to the owner to address their desire to extend the lease for the amount of time <br />needed to stay there. He anticipates a positive response. Chair Jacobs suggested keeping the <br />seniors informed about the process so that rumors will not flourish. <br />Chair Jacobs said that he met with the property owners in the Durham Economic <br />Development District on December 29t" along with Commissioner Foushee and a number of <br />staff. He said that they had a good two-hour meeting and people expressed concerns. They <br />promised the property owners that they would try and meet with the City of Durham <br />representatives before the end of February and this meeting is scheduled for February 27t" <br />Chair Jacobs said that the Chair, Vice-Chair, Manager, and several other staff members <br />met on January 3rd with OWASA Chair, Vice-Chair, Executive Director, and Orange County <br />representatives. There will be a report on this meeting shortly. <br />Chair Jacobs said that he attended a Land for Tomorrow group meeting and they are <br />trying to put out a statewide initiative for $1 billion over four years for land acquisition and <br />historic preservation. There are 117 sponsors, and Orange County is still the only county that <br />has signed on as a sponsor. <br />Chair Jacobs made reference to the expansion of the Shearon Harris Nuclear Power <br />Plant, and he suggested putting together a group that does not involve the Commissioners and <br />this could include partners in other jurisdictions. It is supposed to be a public process. He <br />wants to articulate their concerns as soon as possible. One issue that he would like to see <br />brought up is an evacuation plan beyond the ten-mile range around the power plant. He knows <br />that NC WARN has identified safety issues there. He wants to give the public a forum that they <br />may not get anyplace else except through the County. <br />Chair Jacobs reported that the Agricultural Summit is on February 14t" from 9:00 a.m. - <br />1:30 p.m. at the Schley Grange Hall. There will be experts on several topics including setting up <br />agricultural centers, bio-diesel, and different options for marketing local produce to specialty <br />markets. There will also be some outreach from the Agricultural Center Work Group. <br />4. County Manager's Report <br />NONE <br />5. Items for Decision--Consent Agenda <br />A motion was made by Commissioner Halkiotis, seconded by Commissioner Foushee to <br />approve those items on the consent agenda as stated below: <br />