Minutes - 20090210 Work Session - Laserfiche WebLink

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Commissioner Gordon asked where this would be and Laura Blackmon said that it would be where the two southernmost soccer fields are. This is very preliminary. It would be a multi-functional facility. Commissioner Hemminger said that this is exciting, but she is worried about the infrastructure costs. Clarifying questions of the County Commissioners were answered by staff. Commissioner Jacobs asked if the MI Homes proposal was in abeyance and Dave Stancil said yes. He asked if Carrboro had any kind of "exactment" that it makes from a developer to provide this kind of infrastructure. Dave Stancil said that there was a bond provision, but he does not know if there is some flexibility prior to pursuing the subdivision. Commissioner Jacobs said that if Orange County was going to be providing infrastructure and then a developer would come in and put in a subdivision and not contribute, he would like to talk to Carrboro about some way to recoup some of the public cost from the developer. Another way to look at it would be that the recreational partners could put in the road and then Orange County could pay them back over the course of time. He said that CHCCS did want a gymnasium on this site, but Carrboro was not interested in participating financially. This would be a way to meet a need articulated by the school system. He said that the worst thing he could say about this is that it would be a traffic problem. He wants to be up front about the traffic issues and how to address them. Commissioner Gordon said that she sees this proposal as creating a regional destination. She said that the realities of developing this are that road improvements would not be a reality for a long time. She asked about the pros and cons of the Millhouse property as a possible location. Commissioner Pelissier said that she does not know the history of this project. In addition, she feels uncomfortable because the master plan says one thing, and this proposal is something not in the master plan. She said that no one has raised the issue about daycare in this proposal. Laura Blackmon said that the purpose of this item tonight was to see if there was interest in a more formal presentation later. Commissioner Nelson said that the road issue is one of the key things here and Carrboro's interest is to keep two-lane roads, and he is worried that this would be walking into opposition with the Town of Carrboro. He said that the other question is about privatizing recreation in Orange County and how far the County should go with this. He does not want to back into it, but he wants to talk about it. He asked if staff had talked to anyone in Carrboro yet and Dave Stancil said that he mentioned it today when he met with Carrboro staff, but there has been no reaction. Commissioner Gordon said that the master plan should be discussed further before moving forward with this. Commissioner Pelissier agreed with the concern about privatization. She said that she would want to know what type of jobs this project would create. She wants to talk about privatizing in general. Commissioner Jacobs suggested getting a copy of the master plan, inviting John Stock to come and talk to the Board, and following up with pros and cons of privatization as well as the pros and cons of different sites. Chair Foushee asked if the Board wanted a presentation from John Stock and Recreation Partners and there was Board consensus to do this. Commissioner Gordon said to get Carrboro involved in this very early. Commissioner Jacobs said to ask the Manager to send a letter to the Carrboro Manager about this, inviting the Board of Aldermen to the meeting.