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ORANGE COUNTY <br />BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br />ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br />Meeting Date: September 4, 2014 <br />Action Agenda <br />Item No. 7 -b <br />SUBJECT: Approval of an Easement for Two Interpretive Signs in River Park <br />DEPARTMENT: Environment, Agriculture, PUBLIC HEARING: (Y /N) No <br />Parks and Recreation <br />(DEAPR) <br />ATTACHMENT(S): <br />1) Aerial Photo of River Park Showing <br />Locations of Proposed Signs <br />2) Draft Sign Easement <br />3) Design Drawing Showing <br />Appearance and Style of Proposed <br />Signs <br />4) Final Versions of the Two Sign <br />Panels to be Placed in River Park <br />INFORMATION CONTACT: <br />Peter Sandbeck, 245 -2517 <br />Rich Shaw, 245 -2514 <br />1 <br />PURPOSE: To consider and approve an easement to permit the Town of Hillsborough to erect <br />two interpretive sign panels along the public walkway within the County -owned River Park. <br />BACKGROUND: The Town of Hillsborough has recently completed a major section of the new <br />Riverwalk, a walking /hiking /bike trail that runs along the Eno River. The trail extends westward <br />from the County -owned River Park (behind the Justice Facility) to Gold Park in West <br />Hillsborough. The new Riverwalk is also a key section of the Mountains -to -Sea Trail. The project <br />includes the installation of ten (10) new custom - fabricated interpretive signs, to be placed at <br />regular intervals along the Riverwalk. <br />Two of these signs are proposed for location on County -owned property in the River Park <br />(Attachment 1). It is standard County policy to require an easement for the placement of any <br />sign on County -owned property. The County Attorney has prepared a draft sign easement <br />(Attachment 2) to initiate this process. This document has also been reviewed and accepted for <br />form by the Town's attorney. <br />Each sign will have a special focus on a topic relating to the history, culture or natural history of <br />the Town and /or County. The content for each sign was developed by an expert committee of <br />local historians, residents, museum specialists and knowledgeable residents assembled by the <br />Town for this purpose. Committee members carried out the research and developed the story <br />lines and images. The signs are now being fabricated by a sign company that specializes in <br />high - quality outdoor signs used in many state and national parks and sites. (See Attachment 3 <br />for an example of the sign frame.) The signs proposed for location on County property will focus <br />on two themes. The first sign will relate the history of the County's courthouses with a focus on <br />