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<br />and serious things in life. He said that the young architect that designed the Southern Human <br />Services Center, Mark Zack, was in a motorcycle accident and is in serious condition at Duke <br />Hospital. He asked everyone to please keep him in their thoughts and prayers. <br />Commissioner Halkiotis gave all his recycled Christmas cards to the recipients far <br />keeps. He has kept these cards for 20 years. <br />Commissioner Halkiotis spoke very highly of each Commissioner and said that they all <br />care for people. He asked the County Commissioners to continue to care about people the way <br />they have always done. <br />Commissioner Carey congratulated his counterparts on the election and he also <br />congratulated Commissioner Halkiotis for the last 20 years. He said that the County <br />Commissioners would miss him more than he will miss them. He said that he will also miss his <br />humor and vivid memory of events. <br />Commissioner Carey thanked all of the people that served on the District Elections <br />Referendum Education Task Force and the voters that supported it. He said that people want to <br />be inclusive in Orange County government. <br />Commissioner Carey said that six former County Commissioners have been appointed <br />to the Legislative Task Force to study the fiscal relationship between county government and <br />state government. The task force will make a recommendation back to the legislature by May of <br />next year. <br />Chair Jacobs said that the Board of County Commissioners will hold a reception to <br />honor retiring Commissioner Halkiotis and to welcome Commissioner Elect Mike Nelson and the <br />new County Manager Laura Blackmon on Monday, December 4th at 6:00 p.m. at the Jahn Link <br />Government Services Center. There is a regularly scheduled meeting at 7:30 p.m. Everyone in <br />the public is welcome to attend. <br />Chair Jacobs said that he received a call from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission <br />regarding the two resolutions passed by the County Commissioners. The NRC called him to <br />find out the County's position and he refused to do that until he shared it with the Board. He will <br />get the County Commissioners an email that he sent to the staff and others. He was asked if <br />Orange County wanted to be an active petitioner regarding fire safety compliance or just receive <br />information as Chapel Hill and Carrboro were. The NRC wanted to know if Orange County <br />wanted its resolution about evacuation route parameters considered as part of the fire safety <br />petition or separately. He distributed the email around. He said that the Board might want to go <br />ahead and at least indicate that it does consider the evacuation planning resolution to be in <br />support of the fire safety petition. He said that he could be in touch with the person at the NRC <br />and then prepare a letter from the Board. The Board agreed. <br />Chair Jacobs said that at their last meeting he discussed a meeting with N. C. State <br />about the Breeze property that had been given to N. C. State as a research farm off Walnut <br />Grove Church Road. There is interest in a collaborative effort with Orange County on <br />sustainable agriculture and same incubator projects to get people involved in farming at a basic <br />level. There have been two people from N. C. State appointed to work with the County on this. <br />It occurred to him that there should be a Memorandum of Agreement with N. C. State. He will <br />work on this MOA and bring it back on a consent agenda and forward it to N. C. State. <br />Chair Jacobs said that Bill Hallman, Director of the Clean Water Management Trust <br />Fund, is resigning to take a fellowship at the Nicholas School at Duke. There will be a lot of <br />changes at Clean Water Management Trust Fund. He thinks that the environmental and the <br />land preservation community in North Carolina owes him a debt of gratitude for his time. <br />Chair Jacobs said that the Board will also be getting information about a business that <br />the County has been trying to work with in the economic development areas that has been <br />purported to be very friendly to the community and family-oriented. In the middle of making <br />these assurances, the company cleared the property without any kind of permits and has <br />cleared some stream buffers without any notification to anybody. <br />