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16 <br />1 <br />Stewardship of existing properties <br />2 <br />Conserve significant natural areas <br />3 <br />Establish/extend trails to link public places <br />4 <br />Continue to pursue grant funds <br />5 <br />6 <br />Priority Projects for 2018-20 <br />7 <br />Upper Eno Preserve/ Mountains-to-Sea Trail <br />8 <br />Farmland Conservation Easements <br />9 <br />Bingham Township Park <br />10 <br />Jordan Lake Headwaters Nature Preserve <br />11 <br />Wildlife and Natural Connection Corridors between New Hope Creek and the Eno River <br />12 <br />Local Historic Landmarks (aka easements) <br />13 <br />14 <br />Orange County Lands Legacy Action Plan 2018-20 (map) <br />15 <br />Commissioner Marcoplos referred to thefunding options for these projectsand said <br />16 <br />socialmedia is reporting thatthe Board of County Commissioners is blowing $5millionon <br />17 <br />parks,which is not true since they are from past bonds. <br />18 <br />David Stancil saidabout $2.4 million of the funds track back to the 2001 Parks and <br />19 <br />Open Space bond. <br />20 <br />Commissioner Marcoplos said there are alsoPayment in Lieu (PIL)funds, which are <br />21 <br />generated by development as a fair way to generate parkland and recreational opportunities. <br />22 <br />He said it would be illegal for the BOCC to use these funds for any other purpose. <br />23 <br />David Stancil said PIL funds can only be used for park and open space land acquisition <br />24 <br />or construction. He said the bond funds were converted to alternative financing, and the <br />25 <br />original prohibition from the 2001 bond may no longer be in place. He said the public approved <br />26 <br />the funds for park and recreational use. <br />27 <br />Commissioner Marcoplos said using them for alternate projects may not be illegal, but <br />28 <br />would be highly inappropriate. He said this information should be clearly explained to the <br />29 <br />public. <br />30 <br />Commissioner Jacobs said he appreciated Commissioner Marcoplos’ comments,and <br />31 <br />having the money left could be asign of frugality and caution of spending bond money. <br />32 <br />Commissioner Jacobs suggested gatheringvisitation numbersfrom the parks and <br />33 <br />facilities, and to adding themas an appendix to the plan. <br />34 <br />Commissioner Jacobs reported when he attendedthe food meeting with Wake and <br />35 <br />Durham counties, he thanked the City of Raleigh for the money spent to protect itswatershedin <br />36 <br />northern Orange County.He said he spoke with representatives from Durham, and reminded <br />37 <br />them that Durham has taken no similar action. He said further discussion can be had about <br />38 <br />municipalities contributing to the protection of water supplies. <br />39 <br />Commissioner Rich said Wake County’s contribution to protecting the watersheds was <br />40 <br />also mentioned atthe TJCOG meeting last week. She said the meeting notes may be helpful in <br />41 <br />composing any potential letter on this issue. <br />42 <br />Commissioner Rich referred to the idea of gathering data on park usage, and said <br />43 <br />Hollow Rock Park has proved far more popular than expected. She said numbers on parks <br />44 <br />would be easy to gather. <br />45 <br />Chair Dorosin said this program is very successful,but he has concernsthat acquisition <br />46 <br />is exceedingthe usage of these parklands. He said it is discouraging to the public to see land <br />47 <br />acquired and not developed as envisioned. He said he would liketo review and re-prioritize <br />48 <br />needs, which may be better done througha work session discussion. <br /> <br />