Orange County NC Website
BOARD OF ORANGE COUNTY COMMISSIONERS (BOCC) <br />GOALS — 2015 UPDATE <br />FOR DISCUSSIONS PURPOSES <br />43 <br />GOALS/PRIORITIES <br />ONGOING EFFORTS <br />SPECIFIC ACCOMPLISHMENTS <br />annual hosting of the well- attended <br />Agriculture Summit. <br />• Agricultural - themed economic <br />development has gained in momentum <br />with the annual hosting of the Farm to Fork <br />event, the annual farm tour program, the <br />promotion of `agri- tourism" by the Orange <br />County Visitors Bureau, and the County's <br />annual hosting of the well- attended <br />Agriculture Summit. <br />• In 2012, Article 46 funds began to fund an <br />Inter -local Agreement between Orange <br />County and the Town of Chapel Hill to <br />support the monthly lease requirements of <br />the "LaUNCh Chapel Hill" innovation <br />center, located on Rosemary Street. <br />• Over the initial 3 1/2 year lease period, the <br />County will provide a total of $140,000 in <br />economic development funding to support <br />"LaUNCh Chapel Hill ". This new <br />incubator, with over 20 full -time promising <br />firms, has received significant financial <br />support and financial backing from the <br />University and key private donors. Several <br />successful tenants have since expanded <br />into their own office locations and hired <br />additional staff. In 2014, the BOCC <br />approved the combination of two part -time, <br />County- funded and vacant staff positions <br />in Agriculture (tied to Cooperative <br />Extension, and Economic Development), <br />to form a new full -time "Agriculture <br />Economic Development" specialist <br />