Orange County NC Website
<br />of Orange County, with all of this accomplished in a way that maximizes the use of available <br />funding. <br />A motion was made by Commissioner Gordon, seconded by Commissioner Nelson to <br />approve the above recommendation with the six points. <br />Commissioner Foushee said that she would like to hear from staff about the deadline <br />with the LGC and SunTrust since they have already put a package together. <br />Finance Director Ken Chavious said that May 3rd is the drop-dead date and Laura <br />Blackman said that the projects must be specified. It cannot say that it is just for saccer fields. <br />Ken Chavious said that the alternative financing is different from bonds in that the LGC <br />authorizes the County to release the band money and the security of the financing is with the <br />actual projects. <br />Commissioner Jacobs said that he would like to offer a substitute motion. He said that a <br />false dichotomy has been articulated, and it has been portrayed as north-south, but this was not <br />by accident. He thinks that some people purposely tried to use the north-south dichotomy to <br />achieve whatever they wanted to achieve, and this is unfortunate. He said that one thing that <br />has been missing from this discussion is that the County is working with Chapel Hill to build <br />three full-size soccer fields at Southern Park. These will come online way before Twin Creeks. <br />One of the other things that has not been mentioned is the issue of timing, which is that the <br />West Ten Soccer Complex is totally within Orange County's purview and that is why it is moving <br />so quickly. Twin Creeks has to go through the Town of Carrboro's planning process. He said <br />that he has been involved with this issue since 1999, and the County has been trying to develop <br />a plan that is balanced, fair, and prudent, and it includes 14 new fields throughout Orange <br />County -three at Southern, four at Twin Creeks, five or six at West Ten, and one at the <br />Northern Center. He said that when they did the Soccer Symposium and solicited comment <br />around the County, the one thing the Board heard was that soccer fields should be throughout <br />the County and no matter how many were built, it would not be enough. He said that it is very <br />equitable to develop saccer fields throughout the County. He said that there is already a <br />partnership that has been offered with by the county with Sports Endeavors at West Ten. This <br />might free some money from West Ten that can be shifted somewhere else. On the other hand, <br />there are eight years of offers to collaborate, without any funds coming forward, from other <br />entities. <br />Commissioner Jacobs proposed a substitute motion to approve the staff <br />recommendations far alternative financing, which are to formally adapt the listing of projects to <br />be included in the proposed alternative financing scheduled for action on May 3, 2007; direct <br />the Manager and the Recreation and Parks Director to meet with representatives of the soccer <br />community and the Town of Carrboro to see about putting an artificial sun`ace on the field at <br />Smith Middle Schoal,~ ask CHCCS if it wants to participate on the second field at Smith; and to <br />direct any savings achieved by the Sports Endeavors partnership to Twin Creeks, <br />Gommissioner Foushee seconded this motion. <br />Laura Blackmon said that the County has $1.6 million set aside from the bond for Twin <br />Creeks and that will only build two fields. She said that $3.5-4 million would be needed for four <br />soccer fields there. This is not an immediate project, and the estimate right now is that it would <br />open in 2010. <br />Commissioner Nelson said that there is a lack of assurance far the public that this will <br />actually happen. He said that there are already other projects vying far this money. <br />Commissioner Gordan said that she has the same level of discomfort and she crafted <br />her proposal to try and figure out between now and May 3rd if there is anything that can be done <br />to create awin-win situation. She said that if the six fields were built without the bleachers and <br />some of the concession amenities, then money can be saved and two fields could be built at <br />Twin Creeks. She just wants to take a few extra days to try and come up with a win-win <br />