Agenda 08-14-2001 - 9c - Laserfiche WebLink

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16 1 ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT Meeting Date: August 14, 2001 Action Agenda Item No. _9- C' SUBJECT: Recommendations from Little River Park Advisory Committee Interim Report DEPARTMENT: ERCD PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) No ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT: Map of Park Property David Stancil, 245-2590 LRPAC Interim Report Rich Shaw, 245-2591 TELEPHONE NUMBERS: Hillsborough 732-8181 Chapel Hill 968-4501 Durham 688-7331 Mebane 336-227-2031 PURPOSE: To consider the interim report of an advisory committee charged with determining the appropriate uses for the Little River Regional Park and Natural Area. BACKGROUND: Orange County and Durham County have acquired a 391-acre property for the new Little River Regional Park and Natural Area. Most of the land was purchased in November 2000, including all 136 acres located in Orange County. Durham County acquired the remaining 85 acres on July 31, 2001. As proposed, the park will offer low-impact recreational opportunities including walking trails, picnic areas and nature study, while also maintaining water quality in the Little River (a source of drinking water for Durham County residents) and preserving an important upland wildlife habitat in an area that is rapidly losing its open space. Acquisition and development of the Little River Park is a cooperative project among the local governments - Durham County and Orange County - and two non-profit land trusts, the Triangle Land Conservancy and the Eno River Association. All four partners contributed funds for land acquisition. The two land trusts raised over $170,000 in private donations and also participated in negotiating the purchase of land from the Triangle Community Foundation. Additional funds were received as grants from the NC Clean Water Management Trust Fund and the NC Parks and Recreation Trust Fund. The new regional park will be jointly owned and managed by Orange and Durham counties via an inter-local agreement to be developed. In November 2000, the project partners established the Little River Park Advisory Committee (LRPAC) to help develop plans for the future use of the parkland and the facilities that will be provided to accommodate the public. The attached interim report from the Committee contains a set of recommendations on what uses should be allowed within the new park. These recommendations are based on seven meetings held to date, during which members toured the park property, evaluated the property values and site limitations, received input from different user group representatives, and gathered citizen input on desired park uses and facilities.