Minutes 03-19-2015 - Laserfiche WebLink

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• Arts Commission -Ashley Nissler, Vice Chair/Martha Shannon, Support Staff Ashley Nissler thanked the Commissioners for their support in making it possible to provide art grants in Orange County. She said this year the Arts Commission will mark their 30th anniversary with several special events, and she specifically invited the Board to the commission's birthday celebration on September 3�a Chair McKee thanked the Arts Commission for their work. • Board of Adjustment - Michael Harvey, Support Staff Michael Harvey said he does not have a formal presentation but he would be happy to answer any questions. Commissioner Pelissier said she did not understand the concern expressed by the Board of Adjustment. Michael Harvey said there is a misspelling in the listed concern. He said if the Board is going to look at processes with respect to changing how land uses are reviewed, the Board of Adjustment would like to be part of that discussion. • Board of Health The Board of Health had requested that their work plan be discussed at the Joint Dinner Meeting with the Board of Commissioners on 4/14/15. • Board of Social Services - Tamara Dempsey-Tanner, Vice Chair Tamara Dempsey-Tanner said there were some accomplishments that she wanted to highlight. She said over the past year staff was challenged with many issues, including dealing with the rollout of federal marketplace insurance, new eligibility requirements related to Medicaid, and the implementation of NC FAST. She said the staff has done a remarkable job with all of this. She noted that there have also been some legislative changes regarding childcare subsidies, primarily with regard to census rebasing, which has an impact on their subsidy allocations, and she thanked the Board of County Commissioners for their support. Tamara Dempsey said the priorities for next year will be looking at childcare, and continuing to support those families in Orange County. She said new initiatives will include youth employment and veteran services, as retail spaces are developed • Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitors Bureau -Visitor's Bureau Director Laurie Paolicelli Commissioner Rich said Chair Anthony Carey sent her a note saying he was ill and would not be able to attend. She said Visitor's Bureau Director Laurie Paolicelli would be presenting tonight. Laurie Paolicelli said that, in terms of total revenue, Orange County now ranks 24th out of 100 counties. She said the County has 1,623 hotel rooms and is outperforming the regions and the state in terms of occupancy and rate. Laurie Paolicelli said there is a lot of interest from hoteliers and builders in Orange County, and there is a lot of growth in tourism. She said the only declining metric is the walk-ins at their visitor center. She said when a visitor's center has a connection to an attraction in a town, such as trolley or train station, there is an increase. She said the three fastest growing segments for travel in Orange County are gay weddings, a greater demand from disabled travelers, and the foodie market.