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Commissioner Foushee said that she wanted to highlight this and the Board's commitment <br />to preserving the rural buffer. She asked staff to comment on the efforts that were made to <br />preserve the plans far this facility while protecting the rural buffer. <br />Rod Visser said that the County was able to acquire some additional land next to the solid <br />waste operations center and this will allow them to run the building on a well and septic system. <br />Commissioner Halkiotis said that for 18 years John Link has served as the guardian of the <br />rural buffer along with the County Commissioners. He said that he was one of the original <br />signatories to the rural buffer agreement. He said that with the Manager retiring, they need to <br />pull out the history of the rural buffer, package it up, and give it to all candidates for the County <br />Manager position. He said that this is Orange County's Central Park. <br />Commissioner Gordon agreed with the previous comments and said that she is glad the <br />County is taking this action and using well and septic systems. She said that preserving the <br />rural buffer has always been important to her. She made reference to Alice Ingram, farmer <br />chair of the Chapel Hill Planning Board, who died recently. Her obituary mentioned how much <br />she valued the rural buffer and its protection. When Commissioner Gordon was chair of the <br />Orange County Planning Board, she worked with Alice Ingram to formulate the planning <br />principles on which the JPA (Joint Planning Area} rural buffer agreement was based. <br />A motion was made by Commissioner Foushee, seconded by Commissioner Halkiotis to <br />adopt a resolution indicating the intent of the Board of County Commissioners to construct the <br />new Solid Waste Operations Center on Eubanks Road using a well and a septic system, rather <br />than pursuing water and sewer connections to the Orange Water and Sewer Authority systems. <br />A RESOLUTION DETERMINING THE INTENT TO USE WELL AND SEPTIC <br />TO SERVE THE NEW SOLID WASTE OPERATIONS CENTER ON EUBANKS ROAD <br />WHEREAS, Orange County is in the process of designing a new Solid Waste Operations <br />Center that is tentatively slated to open in mid-2007 an County owned property on Eubanks <br />Road, just inside the Rural Buffer; and <br />WHEREAS, Orange County deems the Solid Waste Operations Center to be an essential public <br />facility; and <br />WHEREAS, the interlocal Water and Sewer Management, Planning, and Boundary Agreement <br />between the County and its municipalities permits the extension of water and sewer lines into <br />the Rural Buffer to serve an essential public facility; and <br />WHEREAS, the County Commissioners adapted a resolution in May 2005 reflecting the <br />County's intent to pursue extension of water and sewer lines to this essential public facility, and <br />in keeping with the spirit of the interlocal agreement, solicited comments on the resolution from <br />other partner governing boards; and <br />WHEREAS, elected officials of the Towns of Carrboro and Chapel Hill raised concerns at the <br />September 29, 2005 Assembly of Governments meeting about Orange County's consideration <br />of extending water and sewer lines to the planned Solid Waste Operations Center; and <br />WHEREAS, the Orange County Board of Commissioners remain firmly committed to the <br />preservation and protection of the Rural Buffer, and acknowledge the difference of opinion that <br />may exist regarding the definition of an essential public facility; and <br />