Orange County NC Website
ORANGE COUNTY <br />BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br />ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br />Meeting Date: June 3, 2014 <br />Action Agenda <br />Item No. 6 -i <br />SUBJECT: Memorandum of Agreement with Town of Hillsborough to Protect <br />Archaeological Resources on Town and County Properties within the Town <br />Limits <br />DEPARTMENT: Environment, Agriculture, Parks PUBLIC HEARING: (Y /N) No <br />and Recreation (DEAPR) <br />ATTACHMENT(S): <br />Memorandum of Agreement <br />INFORMATION CONTACT: <br />Rich Shaw, 245 -2514 <br />Peter Sandbeck, 245 -2517 <br />1 <br />PURPOSE: To consider approving and authorizing the Manager to sign a memorandum of <br />agreement between the Town of Hillsborough and the County for the preservation of cultural <br />and archaeological resources. <br />BACKGROUND: In 2012 Town of Hillsborough and Orange County boards of commissioners <br />directed the staffs to work together to develop a process to provide better identification and <br />protection of archaeological and cultural resources within the Town limits. Staff from the Town <br />Planning Department and the Orange County Department of Environment, Agriculture, Parks <br />and Recreation collaborated to develop a memorandum of agreement (attached) describing a <br />process for identifying, mapping and protecting cultural and archaeological resources. This <br />agreement was reviewed by both boards at the BOCC /Hillsborough Board of Commissioners <br />Joint Meeting on February 27, 2014. Both boards provided comments at that time, which have <br />been incorporated into the final version. The Town and County attorneys have also reviewed <br />and approved the final draft. The Town Board approved the agreement at its regular meeting on <br />May 12, 2014 and a copy signed by Hillsborough Town Manager Eric Peterson is attached. <br />The proposed agreement will help protect sites located within the town boundaries on properties <br />owned by the Town and County. A major component of this agreement is a new cultural <br />resources map developed by staff in partnership with the State Historic Preservation Office and <br />the Office of State Archaeology, maintained within the County Geographic Information System <br />(GIS) system. This new tool shows the locations of all known /identified archaeological and <br />historic sites within the town boundaries on an overlay showing properties in Town or County <br />ownership. The proposed agreement directs both Town and County staff to update and refine <br />this map annually to ensure that new data and sites are added as they are identified. <br />FINANCIAL IMPACT: None. <br />RECOMMENDATION(S): The Manager recommends that the Board approve and authorize the <br />Manager to sign the attached final version of the Memorandum of Agreement, which has <br />already been approved and signed by the Town of Hillsborough. <br />