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10 <br /> 1 Commissioner Jacobs said it would be preferable to avoid humiliation at an open <br /> 2 market, and perhaps vendors would be willing to exercise some charity. <br /> 3 Commissioner Rich asked if there is a telephone number on the card. <br /> 4 Nancy Coston said yes, but the number is for the EBT call center only. She said the <br /> 5 client would be told the benefits have been terminated, and they must call the local DSS office; <br /> 6 it will not replenish the card at that point. <br /> 7 Commissioner Burroughs referred to the DSS report and asked if DSS is indeed <br /> 8 continuing to see increases in the number of people needing services. <br /> 9 Nancy Coston said it varies by service, but the numbers of people needing public <br /> 10 assistance are not decreasing. <br /> 11 <br /> 12 • Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitors Bureau: Rosemary Waldorf, Chair <br /> 13 Rosemary Waldorf said the County gets 2.5 million overnight visitors per year, and each <br /> 14 one spends between $255.00 and $348.00 per visit. She said in 2014, tourism contributed <br /> 15 $181 million to the local economy and provided 1,800 jobs. She said there is a wonderful staff <br /> 16 at the Visitor's Bureau, including an excellent, high-energy new sales director, Marlene <br /> 17 Barberra. <br /> 18 Rosemary Waldorf provided an update on new hotels: the Hyatt Place at Southern <br /> 19 Village, which should be accepting guests in spring 2017; and the AC Marriott in downtown <br /> 20 Chapel Hill, which has been approved. She noted a boom in hotel building in the area and said <br /> 21 the Board will stay on top of that. <br /> 22 Rosemary Waldorf said Jeff Stickler has agreed to serve on the Board, pending BOCC <br /> 23 appointment. She said he works in health care and will be a helpful addition to the Board as <br /> 24 healthcare is a growing industry in the area. <br /> 25 Rosemary Waldorf said discussions have begun about whether to move the Visitor's <br /> 26 Center to the old InterFaith Council facility, and the Visitor's Bureau has deemed this to be a <br /> 27 matter between the Town of Chapel Hill and Orange County. She noted that should the <br /> 28 Visitor's Bureau move to this location, it will be a first class operation. <br /> 29 Rosemary Waldorf said one issue the Board has been pondering is the potential need <br /> 30 for an expanded multi-purpose meeting space, as a lot of business has been lost due to the <br /> 31 lack of such a facility. She said several consultants have given proposals for consideration, and <br /> 32 the Board would welcome input from the BOCC as this idea is considered further. <br /> 33 Rosemary Waldorf said agricultural tourism is growing, and she is thinking about <br /> 34 overnight packages connecting to this area. <br /> 35 Laurie Paolicelli, Orange County Community Relations Department Director, said a <br /> 36 potential multi-purpose meeting space is a three-prong process: local needs assessment, <br /> 37 outside market analysis assessment, and site selection review and process. <br /> 38 <br /> 39 • Commission for the Environment (CFE): Lydia Wegman, Chair <br /> 40 Lydia Wegman said the Commission has excellent support from staff. She reviewed the <br /> 41 following information: <br /> 42 <br /> 43 Highlights/Accomplishments <br /> 44 o Initiated a series of articles on environmental issues featured in SOE report (2015) <br /> 45 <br /> 46 Recommendations: <br /> 47 o The CFE will continue to advocate for an expansion of the County's commercial food <br /> 48 waste pickup and composting services to reduce food waste in the solid waste stream <br /> 49 <br /> 50 o The CFE remains interested in developing incentives for increasing energy efficiency in <br />