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INFORMATION ITEM 1 <br /> -u+„ <br /> Department of Environment, <br /> Agriculture, Parks &Recreation <br /> MEMORANDUM <br /> To: Bonnie Hammersley, County Manager <br /> From: David Stancil, DEAPR Director <br /> Date: February 16, 2016 <br /> Re: Hollow Rock Nature Park Update <br /> Construction of the Hollow Rock Nature Park (formerly Hollow Rock Access <br /> Area) continues this winter. Despite several major rainfall events and one ice <br /> event that has slowed and complicated the work, the project is generally on <br /> schedule and plans are underway for an opening of Phase I later this spring. <br /> Hollow Rock Nature Park is a 75-acre site comprised of multiple land parcels <br /> owned separately by Orange County, Durham County, and the Town of Chapel <br /> Hill. The site straddles the Orange-Durham county line and New Hope Creek <br /> forms the western boundary. Portions of the site are protected with conservation <br /> easements held by the State of NC. Plans for a nature preserve styled park date <br /> back to the early 1990's, when Orange County, Chapel Hill, Durham County and <br /> the City of Durham adopted the New Hope Creek Corridor Master Plan, which <br /> called for preservation of lands along the New Hope Creek corridor, from central <br /> Orange County to Jordan Lake. The master plan envisioned a public trail <br /> network with a number of "access areas" at strategic locations, including the <br /> "Hollow Rock Access Area" at the intersection of Erwin Road and Pickett Road. A <br /> Master Plan for the 75-acre Hollow Rock site was developed by an <br /> interjurisdictional master plan committee and adopted in 2010. <br /> Orange County and Durham County, under an interlocal agreement signed in <br /> 2015 (with the Town of Chapel Hill as an additional signatory), will jointly manage <br /> and operate the park, with Durham County managing the area east of Pickett <br /> Road, and Orange County the portion west of Pickett Road. <br /> Construction of the initial public amenities outlined in Phase 1a (Exhibit B) for the <br /> Hollow Rock site is well underway and with anticipated opening mid spring of <br /> Orange County Department of Environment, Agriculture, Parks &Recreation (DEAPR) <br /> PO Box 8181, Hillsborough, NC 27278 <br /> Phone: (919) 245-2510; Fax: (919) 644-3351 <br />