Minutes 05-09-2017 - Laserfiche WebLink

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14 Commissioner Marcoplos asked if there was a purpose to the email from the Carrboro Mayor. Commissioner Rich said the email was to advise the Board that the conversation is continuing within Carrboro, and that there are residents that have been waiting for a long time. She said she brought it up this evening to assure the public that the BOCC and the two Managers are talking about the issue. Chair Dorosin said the BOCC ought to be looking at the CIP to further reduce costs. He said there are several small ticket items that may not make an overall difference if removed. He echoed Commissioner Jacobs about the Durham Tech project, and said it does need more clarification. Chair Dorosin said the Environment and Agriculture Center (EAC) is $3.4 million in year 1, and he recollected that the BOCC was going to get more information about options. He said moving this project, or part of it, by one year may make a big difference. Chair Dorosin said he would suggest further discussion about the fiber connectivity, totaling $1.1 million in year one. He asked if it is critical to do in year 1. Travis Myren said this project is with the Town of Hillsborough to connect County and Town facilities with publicly owned fiber, as opposed to paying Time Warner for these connections. He said the Town is ready to move on this item next year, and staff could talk to the Town about deferring it for a year. Chair Dorosin said he would like to know the significance of that possible delay. Chair Dorosin referred to "Parks and Open Spaces", and said there is a $1 million for conservation easements in years 2 and 4, and he said there is still money in Lands Legacy program. He asked if the distinction between these two funding sources could be identified. He also asked if one of these projects was moved back a year, and another project arose in the interim, would there be other funding sources that could cover the conservation easements. David Stancil, Department of Environment, Agriculture, Parks and Recreation (DEAPR) Director, said previously the conservation easement fund was an annual appropriation of $500,000. He said conservation easements tend to take a while, so the CIP was shifted to an every other year approach. He said there are existing funds in the Lands Legacy fund, but there are also a few outstanding projects that will be coming up shortly. He said the conservation easement fund was set aside in 2002 to fund things that the 2001 bond money could not fund. He said the conservation easement fund is down to about $100,000 currently, and is one that could have a lot of projects outstanding. Chair Dorosin asked if David Stancil's recommendation is to leave as is, or is there room for flexibility. David Stancil said next year the conservation easement fund will not have any extra funds, and Lands Legacy funds would be used if need be. He said this will cover any shortfalls until year 2, when the conservation easement fund is replenished. He said he would leave this the way it is. He said the Lands Legacy fund will not be replenished for another two years, so next year includes no new funds for conservation projects. Chair Dorosin asked if the total in the Lands Legacy fund could be identified. David Stancil said it is about $3 million, and $101,000 in the conservation easement fund. Commissioner Rich said she believed the County fiber project to be important and would not want to push it off. She said the County is behind on this issue, and it is time to be independent of Time Warner. She said she hopes this will make it easier to get service to rural areas. Chair Dorosin said he is not suggesting removing any items, but just delaying them by a year.