Minutes 01-23-2018 - Laserfiche WebLink

Browse Search

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