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1 <br />2 <br />3 <br />4 <br />5 <br />6 <br />7 <br />8 <br />9 <br />10 <br />11 <br />12 <br />13 <br />14 <br />15 <br />16 <br />17 <br />18 <br />19 <br />20 <br />21 <br />22 <br />23 <br />24 <br />25 <br />26 <br />27 <br />28 <br />29 <br />30 <br />31 <br />32 <br />33 <br />34 <br />35 <br />36 <br />37 <br />38 <br />39 <br />40 <br />41 <br />42 <br />43 <br />44 <br />45 <br />46 <br />47 <br />48 <br />49 <br />50 <br />we <br />At the December 12 BOCC meeting, the Board discussed a petition received at its December 4 <br />meeting. As a result of that discussion, staff was directed to bring back the Proposed Trail route <br />map for possible Board action at the January 23 meeting. <br />The North Carolina Mountains to Sea Trail is a part of the North Carolina State Parks system, <br />and work is actively underway in many parts of the state to complete the unfinished segments <br />of the MST. On September 19, 2017, the Board received a report on the trail planning process <br />authorized in 2016, which included a map with a Proposed Trail route for "Segment 11" (from <br />Occoneechee Mountain State Natural Area to Alamance County). At that time, the Board <br />provided direction to the County Manager and staff on next steps for work on this project. The <br />attached December 12 information item memo contains a summary of these steps. <br />Note: There are two segments of the MST in Orange County. Segment 11 from the Statewide <br />Master Plan begins at the Alamance County line and continues to Occoneechee Mountain State <br />Natural Area. Segment 12 begins at Occoneechee Mountain and continues east through <br />Hillsborough and into Eno River State Park to the Durham County line. In preparing the <br />attached map of the proposed MST route, staff has added "Segment 12" of the trail (from <br />Occoneechee Mountain through Hillsborough to Durham County) to the original Segment 11 <br />map, in consultation with State Parks officials. Segment 12 of the MST was not part of the trail <br />planning public process, since almost the entirety of the MST in this part of the county will be <br />either the Hillsborough Riverwalk, adjoining public trails on properties owned by Classical <br />American Homes, or within Eno River State Park. As such, the trail corridor for Segment 12 has <br />been known for some time, and no trail routing was needed. It should be noted that the <br />proposed MST route through Eno River State Park is subject to revision and alteration as State <br />Parks finalizes which of its network of trails within the park will host the MST. For current <br />purposes, the MST is shown following the Eno River. Funding for the few acquisitions needed <br />for Segment 12 will come from State funds. <br />The attached map continues to show the Proposed Route (Segment 11) from the September <br />19, 2017 BOCC report, with one addition to reflect a proposed second access point into <br />Alamance County. The Proposed Route, from northeast to southwest, begins at Occoneechee <br />Mountain State Natural Area and crosses Interstates 85 and 40 to connect to the Seven Mile <br />Creek Nature Preserve (part of the Upper Eno Nature Preserve). This phase of the project is <br />the first scheduled for activity and funding, and work is now underway based on prior Board <br />direction. The trail continues southwest towards the upper reaches of Cane Creek and thence <br />to Orange Water and Sewer Authority (OWASA) owned land and other properties north of <br />Cane Creek Reservoir. Finally, the Proposed Trail connects along NC Highway 54 and would <br />cross that highway at the Oaks intersection (which is to be signalized in the next few years), <br />before heading west toward Saxapahaw in Alamance County. <br />As has been noted in many prior discussions, the stretches of the Proposed Trail that would <br />traverse private property will be negotiated with willing landowners along the route. Since this is <br />a multi -year project, it is possible or even likely that the trail route may shift from the identified <br />line on the map based on landowner interest. Trail easements or other acquisitions for the MST <br />will be conducted only with willing landowners. In some cases, stretches of the trail may remain <br />incomplete for a period of time, with hikers using nearby roads to connect to sections of the trail <br />(as is currently the case in other parts of the state). <br />The December 4, 2017 petition to the Board — in addition to asking the Board to adopt a trail <br />route — also asked that the County accept offered easements in the Cane Creek Reservoir <br />