Orange County NC Website
42 <br /> staff has begun to look at these conditions, and developed the Proposed Trail as <br /> shown on the map with these in mind. Consistent with the OWASA Board's <br /> action, the County's decisions about the MST and how to proceed with trail <br /> routing and construction will be shared with OWASA staff and the OWASA <br /> Board. <br /> If there is interest in pursuing the Multi-Modal Trail, discussions will be needed <br /> with NCDOT and NC State Parks, as well as local transportation staffs and <br /> advisory boards, as this is a different concept than the MST, as currently <br /> defined. <br /> For all of the trail segments, emergency action plans will need to be developed <br /> with the County's public safety entities for incidents that may require access to <br /> the trail and or a trail location system. No subsegment of the trail would be <br /> opened without a completed plan. Preliminary discussions about this have been <br /> held, but full action plans would be developed as different sub-segments of the <br /> trail come online. <br /> The eventual construction and opening of the MST in this part of the County will <br /> require constant and ongoing communication and coordination by a number of <br /> different agencies within and outside of County government. To help address <br /> this, an internal "MST Trail Operation and Management Team" is proposed to be <br /> established, to help provide long-term communication mechanisms and address <br /> emerging issues. <br /> 7. Conclusion <br /> The creation of Segment 11 of the MST will be a long-term effort that will <br /> ultimately yield an important component of this part of the North Carolina State <br /> Parks System. The MST will offer the opportunity for interaction, appreciation and <br /> engagement with nature and the many and varied natural resources of Orange <br /> County, as well as opportunities to recreate and offer an alternative mode of <br /> transportation. <br /> It is impossible at the outset to identify all of the opportunities and challenges that <br /> will be a result of the trail, and hopefully by taking a prioritized, incremental <br /> approach to securing the trail location and then the trail construction, the many <br /> stakeholders and interested parties in this State Park may work together toward <br /> a common goal that will provide a significant enhancement to the quality of life for <br /> County— and North Carolina — residents. <br /> The many notes, comments and documents that relate to the MST and the <br /> process of the last year are voluminous and have been treated in summary form <br /> in this memorandum. If additional information is needed or desired, please let me <br /> known and our staff will endeavor to provide what is needed. <br /> 10 <br />