Minutes 10-12-2010 Work Session - Laserfiche WebLink

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3 1 Commissioner Jacobs acknowledged what a great success this program has been and 2 he commended the staff of DEAPR. He said that he is supportive of the direction regarding 3 the limited resources, but the Bingham Township Park is the last park from the 21-year old 4 master plan. He would like Dave Stancil to work with the Manager about whether or not staff 5 can update the master plan internally as far as payment-in-lieu funds. He said that it would be 6 good to put something on the website about the status of some of these properties. He said 7 that he would also like to engage partners in talking about conserving their own water supplies 8 instead of Orange County doing it all. The City of Raleigh is the only entity that is working with 9 Orange County in trying to protect the Upper Neuse. He would like to take a more proactive 10 stance in this. 11 Commissioner Hemminger agreed with Commissioner Jacobs on discussing the 12 updating of the master plan. 13 Frank Clifton said that staff may be able to provide an annual update for this master 14 plan and pick apart the areas that can be targeted as priorities. 15 Commissioner Gordon said that the County may be further along than everyone thinks. 16 There is a coordinated parks plan put together by the Intergovernmental Parks Work Group, 17 which is fairly recent. 18 Frank Clifton said that the philosophy of park use has changed in 20 years. 19 Commissioner Jacobs said that since 1989, the Lands Legacy Program came into 20 existence, there was an in-depth soccer report, and some of the standards of usage have 21 changed in regards to soccer. He said that if staff just looked at what has changed and what 22 the Board has adopted over that period of time, there will be a much more contemporary view 23 of what the plans are before doing anything too complicated. He pointed out that the most 24 telling number is that Orange County has protected more than 2,500 acres and the acreage 25 has cost the taxpayers of Orange County less than $4,000 an acre. 26 Commissioner Yuhasz said that it is important to provide for the future, but it is equally 27 or more important to provide for the present with the completion of the current projects and 28 stewardship of our lands and parks. He said that there is land that the County has purchased 29 but is still not accessible to the public and he would like to focus on developing the land they 30 currently own. 31 Chair Foushee said that she supports the direction that has been given to the Board 32 but she is more supportive of Commissioner Yuhasz's comments and the amount of land the 33 County has acquired but has not developed. She said that the public does not know which 34 properties are accessible to them. 35 Frank Clifton said that in the past Board of County Commissioners has been 36 enthusiastic about the Lands Legacy projects, but there has not been enough follow through 37 on these projects. He said that it is great to pursue a property, but better to be able to tell the 38 public when a piece of property is going to be open and who will be in charge of it. 39 Commissioner Gordon encouraged everyone to look back at the coordinated parks 40 plan. She thinks that it can all come together in a positive way. She congratulated Dave 41 Stancil and his staff on their work on the Lands Legacy Program in the past ten years. 42 Dave Stancil said that these topics are the same ones that the staff has been 43 discussing as well. 44 Commissioner Hemminger said that she is not sure if an update will be enough to 45 satisfy grant requirements. She thinks that a new master plan has to be adopted. 46 Frank Clifton said that staff could bring it forward as an item for the Board to take action 47 on. 48 Commissioner Pelissier said that she is proud to serve in a county that has a Lands 49 Legacy plan. She said that she does not see the agricultural conservation easements as