Agenda - 02-15-2018 Item 1 - Park Construction and Funding Update

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estimates prepared to date for a comparable park of the size and type, or by actual cost estimates created for the park in question. In some cases, land for an identified park need has been acquired using previously-approved general obligation bond funds. This “land-banking” program was a conscious and deliberate component of the Lands Legacy Program (created in 2000) to identify, evaluate, secure and protect good park sites while they still existed, in the aggressive real estate boom years before 2007. Acquisition of future park sites is but one of five areas of activity for the Lands Legacy Program. There are two projects where land acquisition is still needed – Bingham District Park and the Mountains to Sea Trail (MST). Funding for land acquisition is included within the Lands Legacy Fund or in the park project account, and work is underway to secure these lands at present. Looking at the timing of planned park construction projects, two significant projects are currently slated for funding in the upcoming FY 2018-19 (pending further Board discussion of the CIP later this spring). Construction of many of the planned facilities at Blackwood Farm Park is scheduled for next fiscal year, upon completion of infrastructure improvements needed. This infrastructure work (parking, turn lanes, entrance road) has been delayed pending the decision of the location for the Parks Operations Base, which was originally slated for this site. The Board will see an updated master plan in March as a prelude to the hiring of engineering and design consultants later this spring. The second phase of Cedar Grove Park is also scheduled for construction beginning in FY 2018-19. This would involve new baseball/softball fields, tennis courts, parking and other amenities. An update to this master plan will also be forthcoming to address a possible change in the type of ballfields planned, to help replace several small fields in Hillsborough that will be lost to development in 2020. On a smaller scale, funds are also proposed next fiscal year for Little River Park (to address the Laws House near the park entrance) and a waystation/trailhead for the MST at Seven Mile Creek Nature Park. Funding Sources Historically, funding for County parks has come from: • General obligation bonds approved by voters in 1997 and 2001; • State grants from sources such as the Parks and Recreation Trust Fund and the Regional Trails Program, and federal grants from the Land and Water Conservation Fund; • Funding from partner entities, including Durham County and the Town of Chapel Hill; • Payment-in-Lieu funds collected and used by district for park projects; and • Other general fund appropriations made by the Board These sources are expected to continue to be an important part of funding for parks, especially for the MST (which may also include the bond funds available from the State). FINANCIAL IMPACT: There is no financial impact associated with receiving the update. As noted above, the bulk of park construction funds to date have come from voter-approved 2