Minutes 04-04-2013 - Laserfiche WebLink

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evening hours for public activities. She said she would like information on the assessment for impacts as presented by the OCCC. She would like to have alternative spaces considered. Tinka Jordy is Co-Chair of the Hillsborough Arts Council. She said the Arts Council supports using this facility for the arts in a very low-impact and organic manner. She sees this as a temporary solution and not a permanent solution for cultural activities so that the neighborhood is not impacted so severely. Mike Kirby lives on Hassel Street. There is a parking problem there now. There are "No Parking" signs and people still park there all day and night. Steven Burke said no one can deny the importance of the arts and culture, but he can question the location of this facility. He said this is a residential area mixed in with churches and other activities. The question is whether this area can handle the additional traffic. He said without an aggressive plan that accommodates the traffic of the narrow streets, this is not a useful idea. Paul Mitchell lives across the street and said the parking lot is a washout all the time. He said one of the reasons he moved here was because there was a library that he could walk to. He is not convinced that the community has invited this event center. He suggested looking at the area at the old Wal-Mart for an event center because there is not a residential area there. Callie Conner lives a block away from this facility and is secretary of the OCCC. She has been committed to this venture. She said that this can be a transformative, cooperative venture. She said children will be served through a variety of programs here. These uses are the guiding philosophy of the board. She said one of the neighbors wrote a letter of support, and she read, "The Whitted Building has always served as a busy place for the public betterment—a school, a library, a recreation center, a senior center, health department, and social services department. As such, this spot on Tryon Street has always been a source of opportunity and life. As Hillsborough continues to thrive even with the accompanying drawbacks of traffic and noise, we might see these as tradeoffs against the stagnation that so many small towns in North Carolina experience. As for the Whitted neighbors, the OCCC will truly make every effort to support concrete, responsible plans and solutions to ensure the continuation of the tradition of vitality and community enhancement that the neighborhood has enjoyed in the past." Robert McDonald lives on W. Tryon. He said there have been issues and problems ever since the recreation department has been there. There are issues of trash, parking, and noise. Pat Revels thanked the County for entering into this dialogue. She attended the summit on Hillsborough tourism recently and she heard words like community, hospitality, rich culture, and a sense of place to describe Hillsborough. She serves on the Historical Foundation. She serves as the representative for the Hillsborough Historic Museum on the OCCC. She made reference to a letter of support in the agenda packet. She said the concerns are legitimate, but she thinks this is a rare opportunity. Andrea Riley is the Chair of the OCCC. She lives in Efland and she goes to the different events all over the Triangle, but Hillsborough has her heart. She said this place has a special draw. She works part-time at the Chapel Hill-Orange County Visitor's Bureau. She said Hillsborough has wonderful shops and restaurants. Last Friday is a wonderful event. The Whitted Center is a place people could walk to. She said the OCCC looked at the old Wal-Mart building and there are huge pillars to hold up the ceiling and there is not a clear view. They also looked at other facilities and they were too expensive or not attractive. She said this building is beautiful and would be a perfect fit for the proposed uses. Frank Miller said he went to school at Hillsborough High School, which was in this facility. He said there are four street lights in the parking lot. He has picked up dirty diapers and beer bottles. The dust from the parking lot comes into his house. He said the last thing he wants is more traffic, dust, or noise. He said employees yell to each other across the parking