Minutes 01-29-2013 - Laserfiche WebLink

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increase in cost per lot, thus cost for house. He said he is concerned that while these are admirable goals, the unintended consequences of newer technology, is an increased housing cost that some citizens have a very hard time bearing. David Neal said thought has been given to this. He said one issue is how to line it up better. It costs more up front, but it saves money over time on power bills. The builder does not have the incentive that the future occupant of the house does. The rebates mentioned earlier were to make it more affordable and find ways to ensure that lower and middle income people could take advantage of those opportunities. Commissioner Dorosin said he was encouraged to see that the Commission for the Environment advocated for the half cent sales tax referendum. He noted the conservation focus and asked if the board talked about environmental justice and the impacts for low wealth and communities of color. He mentioned the issues of solid waste and access to services. He questioned whether this was out of the scope of the Commission for the Environment. David Neal said those issues are not beyond their scope. The Commission for the Environment currently has three vacancies and a priority is to get more diversity and better representation of minorities in Orange County on the board. Chair Jacobs said that, given the ten minute time frame to present the entire work plan for the year, this memo would have been better presented in a different forum. David Neal noted that the topic in the memo is a high priority issue. Historic Preservation Commission ( HPC) — Todd Dickinson, Chair, and Peter Sandbeck, Cultural Resources Specialist Todd Dickinson introduced himself and Peter Sandbeck. Reference was made to the 2013 goals- -Action Agenda 1 page 25 - The HPC expects to continue working with the Hillsborough Historic District Commission and the County Attorney on an approach for handling the further protection of historic sites in the Town's extra-territorial jurisdiction - The HPC will remain active in advising the County in the care and repair of its historic buildings and offer suggestion on potential new used for buildings that outlived their original purpose - The HPC will monitor the findings of an archaeological survey (Phase 11) of the County's Hollow Rock/New Hope Creek Preserve property and advise the County on how it might use this information to interpret the history of land use at this location. There is a move to get their files on the web. There is also a concern with helping the historic homes in the areas and specific green historic preservation homes. He noted that there is nothing greener than slightly modifying historic structures to make them more energy efficient. This is much more efficient than tearing them down and starting fresh. Peter Sandbeck said as a certified local government they get to apply for federal grant funds. A $15,000 grant was given to them to do conduct an archaeological study at Hollow Rock. This follows up on a productive study done in 2008 where some important Indian sites were identified on that property, as well as some historic period sites. Since there is a low impact trail and parking area being developed, it is important to make sure they are being good custodians of the property. Excavation and exploration has been done and good evidence of Native American occupation of the site has been found. Mr. Sandbeck said this is an important historic site for the area and for the state and there is a good opportunity for further excavation and education there. Chair Jacobs asked, with regard to green building in relation to existing historic structures, has there been cooperation with Durham Tech. He noted that they have a