Minutes 11-17-2015 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Commissioner Pelissier said to those that submitted the petitions that the item will be sent to agenda review process to review and to respond. Commissioner Pelissier said her property is part of the proposed trail and she wants the MST in her backyard. She thanked the citizens who came to speak this evening. Commissioner Burroughs referred to the State bond and asked if it is likely that local money would need to be leveraged in order to receive the State money. Carol Tingley said previous bond monies were used to purchase adjacent properties to the trail to allow it to be furthered by local entities. She said she anticipates a similar scenario with the upcoming bond funds, noting that options that provide the most bang for their buck are optimal. Commissioner Burroughs asked if there are currently barriers with OWASA. David Stancil said there are several things: OWASA is supportive of the MST idea but is unwilling to be a contributor financially to the project. He said there are certain segments of the MST that are considered low hanging fruit and other areas that are challenges. He said North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) had been instructed to allow the MTS to be in the right of ways of certain roads. Commissioner Burroughs said the Parks and Recreation Council (PARC) sent a letter to the Board, which notes a reordering of priorities, which may place the MST in front of the Millhouse Road Park. David Stancil said DEAPR has been in touch with the Town of Chapel Hill and there may be the flexibility to realign some projects and schedules; but they need to talk with the Manager about this, who the stakeholders are, etc. Commissioner Dorosin asked if David Stancil could help the BOCC itemize what needs to be done in list form. He said he saw the list as follows: - Draw the lines on a map- Identification - Secure easements for access-acquisition (OWASA, private land owners, DOT, etc) - Money to purchase easements - Work with partners to allow use of their properties David Stancil noted that the segment east of Hillsborough has been mostly secured. He said the portion of the trail in question is really from Occoneechee Mountain south towards the Orange-Alamance County line. Commissioner Dorosin said the next step is to build the trail. He asked to see the slide from the PowerPoint presentation regarding the responsibilities for maintaining the trail. David Stancil said the main steps are identification, acquisition or permission, construction, and maintenance. Commissioner Dorosin asked if the State takes care of signage. Carol Tingley said the State will provide signs. Commissioner Dorosin asked if the $500,000 currently in the CIP is limited to one of the main steps identified by David Stancil. David Stancil said these funds are currently listed for construction but there is time each year to change and adjust the CIP. Commissioner Dorosin asked if Lands Legacy money could be used. David Stancil said yes, and it is anticipated that it would be. Commissioner Jacobs noted that citizens came to speak in support of this item tonight, when in the past people had spoken against it. He is glad to see this change in perspective. Commissioner Jacobs said he hears the public saying that waiting until 2019 to start this project is too long. He asked if David Stancil could clarify the intent for staff to return with a proposal to get started in the next fiscal year. David Stancil said yes, adding that the idea is to take stock of this project and to bring back a proposal to the Board of County Commissioners at a later date.