Orange County NC Website
0 <br />Orange County Comprehensive Parks and Recreation Master Plan <br />CHAPTER 1- Summary of the Plan <br />maintains the Jones Creek Greenway (which is also <br />Phase I of Twin Creeks Park), and two recreation/ <br />community centers in Hillsborough and Efland (the <br />Central Recreation Center in Hillsborough also <br />includes a playing field and playground). Orange <br />County further owns an indoor sports facility in <br />Hillsborough, the Orange County Sportsplex, which <br />includes ice rink, swimming pools and a fitness <br />center and is operated contractually by a <br />management firm. <br />Recreation Programs /Services <br />Orange County has provided local recreation <br />programs long before the County owned and <br />operated any parks, dating back to the 1960's. Cur- <br />rent areas of program offerings include: <br />• Instructional programs <br />• Youth Athletic programs <br />• Adult Athletic programs <br />• Summer Enrichment programs <br />• Special Populations programs, and Special <br />Events <br />The special events include traditional community <br />events such as the annual Egg Hunt, Halloween <br />Spook - tacular, Daddy- Daughter Dance and Fishing <br />Rodeo as well as newer activities such as Movies in <br />the Park and Earth Evening. <br />There are additional future park sites that have been <br />acquired for future use. Two of these have had park <br />master plans prepared (Blackwood Farm Park and <br />Twin Creeks Park) and a master plan has also been <br />adopted for the Hollow Rock Access Area (another <br />joint multi- jurisdictional venture) within the larger <br />New Hope Preserve. Another nature preserve, the <br />Upper Eno Preserve, has substantial land acquired <br />and informal plans for two Access Areas. <br />Finally, there are two additional park sites <br />(Northeast Park and Millhouse Road Park) where <br />parkland has been acquired, pending master plans <br />and future construction. <br />In 2013, there were over 4,800 participants in <br />Orange County recreation programs and events. <br />Most of the programs at present are targeted to <br />children and youth (ages 5 -17), as has been histori- <br />cally the case, although there are some adult <br />programs and activities. <br />The County also offers a variety of recreation and <br />leisure facilities that are available for reservation by <br />the public, including community centers, picnic <br />shelters, gymnasiums and sports playing fields. In <br />2013, over 2,000 reservations were scheduled for <br />County facilities. <br />It is important to note that recreation offerings for <br />As noted in the inventory, several of the existing seniors is not a part of this plan, and is coordinated <br />parks also have future phases, or will need facility by the Orange County Department on Aging through <br />improvements, in the coming years. two existing senior centers. Orange County <br />Sportsplex also offers a wide variety of recreation <br />opportunities, including many options not otherwise <br />available in the County. <br />1 -3 <br />