Minutes 04-23-2015 - Laserfiche WebLink

Browse Search

Eric Hallman said Laurie Paolicelli is to thank for any success within the realm of Hillsborough tourism. He said the 1 percent food and beverage tax as well as the 3 percent occupancy tax are both being managed by volunteer boards. He said there is no Town staffing to those boards. He said the upcoming budget includes a proposal to add Town staff that will staff those Boards and give a more professional strategy to tourism. He said tourism in Hillsborough has been overwhelming in the past year, and it is time to take advantage of the attention the Town is now enjoying. Eric Hallman handed out materials and shared some information on the North Carolina Mountains to Sea Trail. He said this trail is extremely popular. He said one can get on the trail in Clayton in Johnston County, walk on the trail through Wake and Durham Counties; but when one arrives in Orange County, one must get off the trail and go out on the road. He said to the west, in Alamance County, more trail miles are being added than in any other County in the State. He said Hillsborough currently has three miles of trail. He said the Eno River Association and the Friends of the Mountain to Sea Trail are working hard to connect the trail so that it is complete. He encouraged all to support the "bridging the gap" in this trail. He added it is important to Hillsborough because it will be one of the few trail towns offering potential revenue. He said Durham did a before and after study of the completion of the American Tobacco Trail Bridge over 1-40. He passed out a handout reviewing this study which showed the results of finishing the trail and the staggering economic impact of doing so. Kathleen Ferguson asked if there is an impediment to Orange County completing this gap in the trail. David Stancil said the trail completion is in the master plan and the Capital Investment Plan (CIP). He said the biggest issue is that once the trail corridor leaves Hillsborough going southwest, there is a stretch that connects into the Seven Mile Creek Preserves Lands. He said the trail then enters into its most complex stretch in the State going to Cane Creek and the Haw River. He said this is one of the very few places that the trail goes completely cross country on private land. He said there will be at least 100 to 120 trail easements to negotiate with property owners. Kathleen Ferguson said she appreciated hearing the background and bigger picture of the issue. Commissioner Jacobs said there is a series of public hearings regarding the Mountain to Seas Trail coming up; with one being in Burlington, NC. David Stancil confirmed this meeting and said it will occur on May 6, 2015 from 3:00- 5:00 p.m. He said the State is working on a Mountain to Seas Trail Master Plan. He said the draft is due out around May 1, 2015. David Stancil said awaiting the completion of the State's master plan has delayed Orange County's progress. He said there is currently a "swath" on the master plan, showing a corridor that goes from Hillsborough down to the Cane Creek Reservoir and Haw River. He said the challenge is to determine where the line goes within the "swath"; using roads or going cross country. He said a lot of those decisions will be made using the State's master plan. Commissioner Jacobs asked if that will include southwest Orange County. David Stancil said yes. Commissioner Pelissier said her property is on that red "swath". She said many of her neighbors are in opposition to the trail while she is very supportive of it. Mayor Stevens said this trail is very important to Hillsborough and the Town is very supportive of it. He encourages the County to be persistent in their pursuit of bridging this gap in the trail. 3. Planning/Development