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