Minutes 06-02-2015 - Laserfiche WebLink

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7. Regular Agenda a. Interlocal Agreement for the Hollow Rock Nature Park The Board considered approving an interlocal agreement for the development and operation of the planned Hollow Rock Nature Park located along New Hope Creek and authorizing the Chair to sign the agreement. BACKGROUND: In 1992 Orange County, Chapel Hill, Durham County and the City of Durham adopted the New Hope Creek Corridor Master Plan, which called for preservation of lands along the New Hope Creek corridor from central Orange County to Jordan Lake. The master plan envisioned a public trail network with a number of"access areas" at strategic locations, including the "Hollow Rock Access Area" at the intersection of Erwin Road and Pickett Road. The planned Hollow Rock Access Area is a 75-acre site comprised of multiple land parcels owned separately by Orange County, Durham County, and the Town of Chapel Hill. The site straddles the Orange-Durham county line and New Hope Creek forms the western boundary. Portions of the site are protected with conservation easements held by the State of North Carolina. The site was acquired in a series of separate land transactions from 2001-2014. The Triangle Land Conservancy (TLC) purchased the first two acres in 2002, and then advocated for further acquisitions. Orange County purchased four parcels from 2005-07 with the help of state grants. A 43-acre tract was acquired by Durham and Orange counties and the Town of Chapel Hill in 2008 with funding assistance from the City of Durham, the State, and the Erwin Area Neighborhood Group. Orange County acquired the two-acre TLC property in May 2014. In 2006 the four local governments signed an interlocal agreement for the acquisition and planning of the planned Hollow Rock Access Area, and also established a Hollow Rock Master Plan Committee, co-chaired by Commissioner Barry Jacobs and including then- Commissioner Alice Gordon. The master plan was adopted by each of the four local government partners in 2009-10. Orange County adopted the plan on April 20, 2010. Construction of the initial public amenities for the Hollow Rock site will occur in the latter half of 2015 with help from a $200,000 NC Recreational Trails Program grant awarded to Durham County in collaboration with Orange County. Orange County's share of this Phase 1 a construction is $50,000 from the adopted 2014-19 Capital Investment Plan (CIP). The CIP identifies an additional $120,500 from Orange County for Phase 1 b construction in 2016-17. A phasing plan for development of the site is provided as Attachment 4. The Department of Environment, Agriculture, Parks and Recreation (DEAPR) worked closely with the Durham County staff to develop a draft interlocal agreement for the development and operation of the Hollow Rock portion of the larger New Hope Preserve. The agreement describes the property ownership, existing encumbrances (conservation easements), and allowed uses consistent with the adopted master plan. The agreement also addresses how the parties would share in the cost of future improvements, the operation and maintenance of the site, and development of a joint management plan. An initial draft agreement was presented to the Board on March 3, and the Board referred the draft agreement to the Durham-Chapel Hill-Orange County Work Group (DCHOWG) for consideration on March 11. Since then DEAPR has worked closely with Durham County staff to incorporate recommended edits from the DCHOWG as well as separate technical edits received from Town of Chapel Hill, Durham County, and the Orange County Attorney.