Agenda - 09-20-2016 - 6-a - Minutes

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20 1 VOTE: UNANIMOUS 2 3 b. County Landholdings Without Public Access 4 The Board reviewed a list of County landholdings that are not currently open for public 5 use, review actions that would be required before allowing pubic access and provide feedback 6 and direction to staff as needed. 7 David Stancil reviewed the following information: 8 9 BACKGROUND: 10 This spring a Board petition requested information about the status of County-owned properties 11 that are not open for public access. The petition asked staff to review the status of these 12 properties, determine opportunities and/or obstacles for public access and whether there is 13 adequate and appropriate signage for public access. Over the summer DEAPR and Solid 14 Waste Management staff reviewed a list of County owned lands to identify those of sufficient 15 size and potential interest by members of public to enter for such things as walking, hiking, 16 nature study, etc. In addition to the properties landbanked for future parks and preserves 17 through the Lands Legacy program, staff included the Greene Tract (104 acres; owned jointly 18 with Carrboro, Chapel Hill), the adjacent Neville Tract (15 acres; associated with the former 19 County landfill), and the County's 60-acre portion of the former Greene Tract (with a proposed 20 new name of"Headwaters Tract" to distinguish it from its former designation). 21 22 DEAPR met with the County Attorney and Risk Manager to discuss the potential opportunities 23 and obstacles (including legal and risk issues) for public access to these properties. For each 24 site, staff outlined the status of the property and listed the changes that would be needed to 25 either a) make the property available for use by the general public (which may require both staff 26 and financial resources), or b) allow access (without invitation)with signs posted warning of the 27 site conditions and that persons "enter at your own risk," or c) identify the property as closed to 28 the public with adequate signage indicating the reason for it being closed. 29 30 Most sites will require additional posting of property boundaries and the design and installation 31 of carefully-worded signage at likely entry points to warn people of what to expect and not 32 expect and to reduce the risk of injury. DEAPR staff will work with the County Attorney and Risk 33 Manager with the anticipation of having signs posted by fall or early winter. Some locations may 34 not be appropriate for public access because they pose hazards (known or unknown) or they 35 are being used for special purposes, such as the Neville Tract (Eubanks Road) that is used for 36 soil excavation and storage associated with landfill operations, and the future Northeast District 37 park property (Schley Road) that is leased for agricultural use by the adjacent farm operation. 38 39 David Stancil put the map in the Board's packet on the screen, and reviewed a 40 PowerPoint presentation for the Board's discussion, noting that a list of these properties, etc., is 41 in the agenda packet. He said staff did discover that more signage is needed whether public 42 access is opened or not. He said there are three categories: 43 - places where there is an open park/facilities/amenities, and signage exists. Here the public is 44 invited, and there are operational and maintenance costs 45 - properties are land banked for future use, but are being accessed by the public. Here 46 acknowledgement of the use needs to occur, and signage prepared 47 - land where public access is not recommended 48 49 David Stancil asked the Board for its thoughts on these properties.