Orange County NC Website
ORANGE COUNTY <br />BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br />ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br />Meeting Date: November 18, 2014 <br />Action Agenda <br />Item No. 7 -a <br />SUBJECT: Proposed Orange County Parks and Recreation Master Plan 2030 <br />DEPARTMENT: Department of Environment, <br />Agriculture, Parks and <br />Recreation (DEAPR) <br />ATTACHMENT(S): <br />Supplemental Report <br />Draft Master Plan — Under Separate Cover <br />Also Available <br />at http: / /oran ecountync. ov /deapr /park <br />sandfacilities. asp (Note: Summary of <br />the Plan is Chapter 1) <br />PUBLIC HEARING: (Y /N) No <br />INFORMATION CONTACT: <br />David Stancil, 245 -2510 <br />P &R Master Plan Team <br />Parks and Recreation Council <br />1 <br />PURPOSE: To consider adoption of the Orange County Parks and Recreation Master Plan <br />2030. <br />BACKGROUND: In July 1988, the County adopted its first Recreation and Parks Master Plan <br />(also known as the Parks and Recreation Element of the Orange County Comprehensive Plan). <br />Designed as a 20 -year plan, the 1988 Master Plan identified a vision and plan for a parks <br />system in Orange County, which included the acquisition and construction of parks and <br />recreation centers at strategically- identified locations around the County. While the County <br />continued to offer recreation programs for County residents, the acquisition and construction of <br />planned parks did not begin in earnest until the late- 1990's. Bond referenda passed by County <br />voters in 1997 and 2001 funded many of the planned improvements and park site acquisitions <br />envisioned in 1988. Most of the parks identified in the 1988 plan have now been constructed <br />and /or acquired. <br />In late 2008, the Orange County Comprehensive Plan 2030, which included the goals and <br />objectives for the plan, was adopted. This document set the stage for the process to update the <br />1988 Plan. While many of the values and basic precepts of the 1988 Master Plan remain valid, <br />there have been substantial changes in the County since that time, requiring a new <br />comprehensive review and assessment. Additionally, having a recent master plan is a vital <br />consideration for grant agencies such as the NC Parks and Recreation Trust Fund; and for <br />addressing possible changes to the County's payment -in -lieu system. <br />After delays due to the economic downturn and other pressing projects, work toward the new <br />master plan began in earnest in the spring of 2012. The new master plan process was <br />