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f [ <br /> I. Executive Summary <br /> The Orange County Assembly of Governments discussed equity and efficiency issues related <br /> to the delivery of local government services and focused on the area of recreation and park <br /> services. The consensus of this group was..."That the local government staffs make <br /> recommendations to their governing bodies about opportunities for joint planning for and use <br /> of capital improvements for recreation and park services. And, that both school systems be <br /> involved in any cooperative venture." A Recreation and Park Work Group was formed with <br /> representatives from the local governments of Carrboro, Chapel Hill, and Orange County and <br /> both the Chapel Hill-Canboro and Orange County School Boards. The Town of <br /> Hillsborough administration chose to not actively participate at this time. This report entails <br /> the issues considered by all parties and assigned to the Recreation and Park Work Group. <br /> To succeed in mutual planning for recreation and parks, planning requires needs assessment <br /> and developing uniform standards across the jurisdictions. In setting standards for recreation <br /> and park needs in the coming years, it is necessary to recognize the unique impact of the <br /> University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on this process. This is because the institution <br /> accounts for a large part of the population of Orange County, while at the same time offering <br /> a range of facilities and services to its shidents and employees. Thee are, for example, about <br /> 8,000 students living in dorms and another 3,000 living in fraternities and sororities whose <br /> recreation and park needs are largely met by the University. <br /> A related factor to consider is that the portion of the projected growth in population for <br /> Orange County that comes from the University will continue to decrease steadily. Put <br /> differently, a growing proportion of the population in Orange County will come from in- <br /> migrants whose jobs are located throughout the Triangle Area and this group of residents will <br /> look to the three governmental jurisdictions to meet their needs for recreation and parks. <br /> Another factor to consider is that the population growth that is projected for Orange County <br /> will come primarily from the towns of Carrboro and Chapel Hill. At the same time, the <br /> unincorporated areas of the county are becoming more urbanized with the additional <br /> subdivisions that are being approved. This means that the demand for recreation and parks <br /> will increase as the population becomes more urbanized across Orange County. With our <br /> population growing, land is becoming more scarce and recreation demands are increasing. <br /> Taken together, these factors point to the need to expand recreation and park facilities and <br /> services at an accelerating rate over the coming years. <br /> The Recreation and Park Work Group's initial goals focused specifically on the tasks <br /> assigned and agreed upon by the governmental jurisdictions convening as the Orange County <br /> Page 1 <br />