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3 1 Chair Dorosin, Distinguished Commissioners: 2 I am representing a group of local MST advocates which includes names familiar to you -Glen 3 Greenstreet, Greg and Linda Smith, Terri Bruckner, Ed Johnson, Carl Shy, Luther Livermon 4 and Karen Frey. We have a joint response to Dave Stancil's memo MST –Next Steps, dated 5 October 27.As outlined in this memo, Orange County's "Next Steps" continue to be 6 inadequate, incomplete, and do not reflect the prior clear direction of the BOCC to DEAPR staff 7 to develop a plan for the completion of Section 11. 8 9 The plan to route the MST from the Haw River to Occonochee Recreation Area has a long 10 history.As far back as 2009 theOWASA board approved the concept of traversing the 11 OWASA property.It was an element in our Orange County P&R Master Plan and the NC State 12 Parks MST master plan.Two years ago, in response to our local group petition,Chair Dorosin 13 and the BOCC requested that P&R staff submit a plan by Jan, 2016 for the Orange County 14 Section of the MST that would connect the Haw River in Alamance county with the Eno River 15 section in Durham county.Commissioner Dorosin actually proposed a list of specifics: 16 17 Identification of a route –lines on a map 18 Securing easements from OWASA and private landowners 19 Allocating / securing funding the purchase of easements 20 Working with partners for the use of their properties 21 22 I had, and I believe you had, every expectation that at the next meeting you would be asked to 23 approve an MST route connecting existing public lands with interim road routes creating a 24 continuous trail from Saxapahaw to the Eno River. Instead you were presented with a "plan for 25 a plan" involving community meetings, OWASA negotiations, trail surveys, and development of 26 a process for obtaining easements.The timeline, which had been requested by Commissioner 27 McKee at the previous meeting,had a July, 2016 completion date. 28 29 I cannot say nothing has been accomplished.There is work underway on the 7-Mile Creek 30 section of the trail and OC residents are better informed about the MST corridor.But as of 31 tonight (a) no Orange County trail route has been presented for your approval; (b) No 32 easements have been negotiated even though OWASA has (again) approved trail passage, 33 and a number of property owners are ready to give easements (c)Youhave not been 34 presented with a budget containing funds for MST easements, and (d) there is no work in 35 progress with willing partners. 36 37 During this same timeframe, Hillsborough has completed the MST section along the Riverwalk, 38 and Alamance county has planned and is well on the way to completing the Haw River trail 39 down to Saxapahaw.Terri Buckner, one of our following speakers, will present a petition for 40 your approval to get Orange County back on track. 41 42 Thank you, 43 Allan Green 44 45 Carl Shysaid he here representing three landowners that want to donate 46 easements to the MTS, all of which border the present Orange Water and Sewer 47 Authority (OWASA) property. He said this offer is being extended at the north and south 48 ends of the property, and it is hoped that this will be acted upon in the near future. 49 Terri Bucknerpresented and reviewed the followingMTS petition: 50