Orange County NC Website
APPROVE 11/17/2015 <br /> MINUTES <br /> BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br /> REGULAR MEETING <br /> October 20, 2015 <br /> 7:00 p.m. <br /> The Orange County Board of Commissioners met in regular session on Tuesday, <br /> October 20, 2015 at 7:00 p.m. at the Southern Human Services Center, in Chapel Hill, N.C. <br /> COUNTY COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Chair McKee and Commissioners Mark Dorosin, <br /> Barry Jacobs, Bernadette Pelissier, Renee Price and Penny Rich <br /> COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ABSENT: Commissioner Mia Burroughs <br /> COUNTY ATTORNEYS PRESENT: John Roberts <br /> COUNTY STAFF PRESENT: County Manager Bonnie Hammersley, Deputy County Manager <br /> Travis Myren and Clerk to the Board Donna Baker (All other staff members will be identified <br /> appropriately below) <br /> Chair McKee called meeting to order at 7:05 p.m. <br /> 1. Additions or Changes to the Agenda <br /> - PowerPoint slides for item 8a: North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) <br /> Assessment of Orange Public Transit (OPT) <br /> - PowerPoint slides for item 8b: Orange County Detention Center Project Update <br /> PUBLIC CHARGE <br /> Chair McKee dispensed with the reading of the public charge. <br /> 2. Public Comments <br /> a. Matters not on the Printed Agenda <br /> Terry Rekeweg read the following statement: <br /> First, I believe the Durham-Orange LRT project is headed for failure for a large number <br /> of reasons. <br /> Second, if tax money is left over to begin redesign efforts, the project could be <br /> redesigned to take more passengers to where they really want to go. It could be safer, more <br /> cost efficient and faster. 11 minutes faster from Chapel Hill to downtown Durham. <br /> The current light rail plan does not really connect Chapel Hill eastward to the rest of the <br /> Triangle Region. Who in this room would consistently ride a transit system from Chapel Hill to <br /> RTP or Raleigh going 13 miles out of your way? This extremely slow and winding track <br /> alignment would add 26 miles and 1 hour to your work commute. No way! Passengers would <br /> instead take a direct bus or drive. <br /> There are many smart citizens in Orange County who get the problem and have made <br /> comments on this rail project. I will pick one of these comments from many: "In its current <br /> form, I do not believe we should spend the money to build the D-O LRT for the reason that <br /> ridership patterns do not indicate the proposed routing will significantly reduce car trips into or <br /> out of Chapel Hill. The majority of car trips into or out of Chapel Hill do not start or end in north <br />