Minutes 06-05-2012 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Watershed (CUPCCW). I respectfully request that the written statement I am about to read be recorded in tonight's minutes. For over a year Cane Creek area residents have attempted to receive information identifying the path of an OWASA/Cane Creek recreational trail proposed by Orange County Land Management (OCLM) staff, and Friends of the Mountain to Sea Trail (FMST). We eventually learned that the trail is proposed on OWASA land adjacent to property and residences on Apple Mill Road, Mt. Mitchell Road and Thunder Mt. Cane Creek community efforts to work with OCLM and FMST have met with minimal responsiveness. The expressed concerns of Cane Creek area residents have clearly not been in the forefront of the planning for the proposed OWASA/Cane Creek segment of the trail. Given the lack of response by OCLM and FMST to concerns expressed regarding the placement of the proposed OWASA/Cane Creek trail members of our communities formed CUPCCW. The purpose of the group is to engage the Board of County Commissioners, Orange County Land Management, NCDENR and FMST in dialogue regarding this matter. Representatives of our group have interacted with all of the above entities and met with most of the Orange County Commissioners. We want to thank you for your time and interest. While the MST is in concept a valuable idea, the placement of specific segments of the trail should not infringe upon nearby residents basic rights such as privacy, security and in this instance protection of the Cane Creek watershed. Given that MST Executive Director has publically stated that hikers have walked the entire MST from the mountains to the sea the need for the proposed MST Cane Creek/ OWASA segment is entirely unnecessary for the goal of the MST organization to be achieved. Tonight, we respectfully ask the Board of County Commissioners to open a dialog on the proposed routing of the MST through Bingham Township. We hope that once the Board fully reviews the situation the Board will agree with CUPCCW that the proposed OWASA/Cane Creek segment presents unacceptable and unnecessary risks to Cane Creek area residents and compromises the protection of the Cane Creek Reservoir, a major water supply for greater Chapel Hill. We specifically request that the Board require OCLM staff to stop working on the proposed OWASA/Cane Creek segment and that this segment be removed from further consideration. We ask the Board to advise OCLM to focus on segments of the MST in other parts of Orange County allowing the exploration of viable alternatives to the proposed OWASA/Cane Creek segment. We understand that OCLM staff and FMST have scheduled an educational meeting on the MST for the end of June. This meeting will be helpful for individuals who seek general information about the trail.