Minutes 10-16-2014 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Chair Jacobs said these are good points. He gave some history of the past school building process. He said the school systems are a huge part of the community's value. He said the schools are trying to promote the fact that they can add capacity and age in place. He said all of the past bonds have been approved by the voters. Commissioner Gordon said the County has an obligation to build schools. She said there are a few new schools and then some much older schools, and this difference is what is being addressed. She said one proposal for this bond is to renovate the older schools to make them equivalent to the new schools, and this will also allow for the addition of capacity in several schools. Commissioner McKee said there is a normal escalation in cost for household expenses and County expenses, and this helps somewhat offset the tax increases that are not discontinued. Commissioner porosin said if you get to the end of the bond, you still have continuing costs associated with what was purchased. Clarence Grier said when staff has done any debt issuance in the past, they have worked hard to prevent a tax increase. He said staff has done financial models going forward if there is a bond, and they would work hard to do what is prudent for the residents of Orange County. 5. Update on Oranqe County Bus and Rail Investment Plan (OCBRIP) Status Chair Jacobs said he talked to the County manager about this, and the Board stands ready to work with Carrboro to better coordinate transit planning with them. Craig Benedict said this project was passed by referendum in 2012, and the monies for this are from the half cent sales tax, as well as increases in registration fees. He said these monies came in 2013. He reviewed the following summary of projects: Summary of Orange County Bus and Rail Investment Plan (OCBRIP) Status Liqht Rail Transit (LRT) -Accepted by FTA into the `project development stage' to be complete by Feb 2016. Triangle Transit will be holding workshops in November to provide information and collect comments on the environmental work that's underway. The November 1 gtn workshop will be held from 4:00-7:OOpm at the UNC Friday Center, Chapel Hill. North-South Corridor Study—A transit service planning initiative being completed by Chapel Hill and its consultant for the corridor linking Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, South Columbia Street and US Highway 15-501 South. The study will identify and evaluate improved accessibility, capacity, convenience and travel-time for riders. Amtrak Train Station in Hillsborouqh —A capacity study on the rail corridor to help determine future needs, which could impact the station or its location, is underway and anticipated to be complete by the end of this year. Following the capacity study, the Town and Triangle Transit will pursue environmental documentation. Bus Services: Triangle Transit— • On August 18, 2014, Triangle Transit initiated Phase I (Hillsborough to Durham) of the Orange-Durham Express (ODX) service and Phase II (extension to Mebane) is expected to commence in early 2015. • Introduce Saturday night and Sunday service for first time on routes serving and connecting Chapel Hill to other Triangle Area destinations - Starting August 2014 - 1,442 FY 2015 service hours in Orange County