Agenda - 02-09-2006-9c - Laserfiche WebLink

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At this point, it appears likely that the Orange County portion of the MST trail would pass from Durham County to Hillsborough along the Eno River, including portions through Eno River State Park, West of Hillsborough, however, the trail route is more uncertain, One scenario is to run the trail from Hillsborough in a southwesterly direction along Seven Mile Creek, Crabtree Creek and Cane Greek to the Haw River, then (in Alamance County) follow the Haw River upstream to Burlington. A second scenario would have the trail go west from Hillsborough along the Ena River and McGowan Creek through Efland, then overland to Lake Michael in Mebane and into Alamance County along Back Creek to the Haw River. The proposed MST corridors described above were discussed at recent meetings of the Commission for the Environment (CfE) and the Intergovernmental Parks Work Group (IPWG), but neither body stated a clear preference for a recommended trail alignment. Representatives from both groups have been invited to participate in future meetings, On December 12, 2005, the Town of Hillsborough adopted a resolution recommending that the State of North Carolina select a trail alignment through Hillsborough that would incorporate Hillsborough's planned Riverwalk along the Eno River, A copy of the resolution is attached. FINANCIAL IMPACT: None at this time, if the proposed Mountains-to-Sea Trail were constructed through Orange County, the costs of developing and maintaining a trail would be shared among the various public and private landowners, Depending on the chosen trail route, Orange County might be a partner along with the Town of Hillsborough, Eno River State Park, Preservation North Carolina, Orange and Water Sewer Authority, and others, The State Recreation Trail Grant program would be one source of matching funds for future easement acquisition and trail construction. RECOMMENDATION(S): The Manager recommends that the Board receive and discuss this information about the NC Mountains-to-Sea Trail, and to provide guidance to staff for use in the ongoing discussions of where to locate future trail corridors through Orange County.