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Chair McKee said the Community Center being constructed on this property may cause <br /> the priority of this park work to move up. <br /> Commissioner Jacobs said he agreed. He asked if the relationship with OWASA has <br /> changed. He asked if the County may be able to take over recreation at Cane Creek or if it is <br /> possible that more land will become available. <br /> David Stancil said yes there has been some change. He said the recreation facility at <br /> Cane Creek is still a possibility and may offset some costs at Bingham Park. He said OWASA <br /> did a report on sludge and stated intention to pull back but the Board of Directors seems to <br /> have stopped short of doing so; therefore, some of the potentially interesting properties are still <br /> in limbo. <br /> d.) Conservation Easements (Page 48) <br /> The Conservation Easement component of the Lands Legacy program was initially <br /> funded in July 2002, and provides matching funds for State and federal grants to <br /> acquire conservation easements to conserve prime or threatened farmland, sensitive <br /> natural areas, or important water quality buffer lands in keeping with Board goals and <br /> Lands Legacy priorities. Generally, these lands have conservation values or <br /> agricultural operations to be enhanced and protected, and the land stays in private <br /> ownership and is not publicly-accessible except upon landowner consent. Over 2,000 <br /> acres of prime farmland and natural areas have been conserved to date, with millions <br /> of dollars in state/federal grants leveraged. It is anticipated that additional matching <br /> funds of approximately 50 percent would again be leveraged for these projects, as <br /> reflected in the grant funds above. This project would provide $250,000 each year for <br /> conservation easements, including $125,000 in County funds and an expected match <br /> amount of$125,000 from state/federal grants. <br /> Commissioner Jacobs said Congress is looking to sell public lands, thus limiting <br /> conservation easement and park funding. He said federal funds should be aggressively <br /> pursued while they are still available. <br /> David Stancil said the County is in a position to do so. <br /> Chair McKee said the BOCC approved funding for the Lands Legacy on April 7th, 2015, <br /> and he asked how those funds play into this item. <br /> David Stancil said historically there have been separate accounts, due to the inability to <br /> mix funding streams from the 2001 bond funds. He said it is his understanding that some of <br /> the funds approved for the Lands Legacy could be re-tasked to assist with conservation. He <br /> said keeping a separate conservation account is still preferable. <br /> Chair McKee said he thought that if a portion of the Bond Lands Legacy funds was not <br /> accessed that it would lapse. <br /> Paul Laughton said $2.4 million did lapse. <br /> Chair McKee said because those monies did lapse, he thought the funds approved two <br /> nights ago would be kept separate and that it would not be bound by the same restrictions as <br /> Bond fund money would be. <br /> Paul Laughton said on page 51 it shows that the $2.4 million in the Lands Legacy <br /> project is kept separately. <br /> e.) Upper Eno Nature Preserve (Page 49) <br /> The Upper Eno Nature Preserve includes approximately 400 acres of sensitive natural <br /> heritage lands, wildlife habitat and prime forests along the Eno River and its main <br />