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53 <br /> Mountains to Sea Trail (MST) Community Meeting <br /> March 6, 2017 <br /> Summary Information on Identified Topical Areas <br /> ("Topics 1-4"as shown on the meeting agenda) <br /> Topic 1 — Prioritizing MST Activity (Occoneechee Mountain to Seven Mile Creek <br /> Nature Park) <br /> Staff intends to propose in the spring of 2017 to the Board of County Commissioners a <br /> two-year effort to focus on the section of the Mountains to Sea Trail (MST) from <br /> Occoneechee Mountain on the edge of Hillsborough to the County's future Seven Mile <br /> Creek Nature Park (part of the Upper Eno Nature Preserve). There are several reasons <br /> for this proposed focus: <br /> • It extends an existing segment of the MST, which coincides with the popular <br /> Town of Hillsborough Riverwalk. <br /> • It is consistent with the approach preferred by NC State Parks, which is to extend <br /> existing segments of the trail rather than construct new freestanding segments. <br /> Funding was appropriated by the Board of County Commissioners in FY 2016-17 <br /> for acquisition of trail easements and infrastructure improvements between these <br /> two locations. <br /> • This segment includes a smaller number of potential landowners with which to <br /> negotiate trail easements, some of whom already are familiar with the potential <br /> route and the MST. <br /> Topic 2 — Alternative Concepts for the MST in SW Orange County <br /> In the previous community meetings and in other venues and discussions, the potential <br /> for multiple concepts and routes for the "Segment 11" of the MST from Hillsborough to <br /> the Alamance County line have been shared. <br /> One of the stations at the September community meeting was "Trail Corridor and <br /> Alternate Routes." In this station, meeting participants were encouraged to ask <br /> questions, discuss and write down ideas, and draw trail routes on a series of maps. <br /> Staff indicated at that time that they would take the idea sheets and map sheets and <br /> use these to produce a more-refined map for the next meeting. <br /> The attached maps (Maps 1-3) are the product of that effort and previous trail planning <br /> (including the Statewide MST Master Plan). The following is a brief summary of these <br /> maps: <br /> Map 1 — This map shows the MST region, from the existing Town of Hillsborough <br /> Riverwalk to the Alamance County line. The map reflects four refined routes from the <br /> prior meetings and the September map-drawing exercise: <br />