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b. Mountains to Sea Trail (MST) Master Plan-Update. In response to a question, it <br />was noted that Riverwalk travels east and meets with some private land and <br />private corporation land. Heading west, the MST travels towards Gold Park, (near <br />Hillsborough Barbeque), then goes towards Occonneechee Mountain and the trail <br />connections to the southwest. There was some discussion following a question by <br />Daniel about the upcoming “Heritage Day” event planned for Hillsborough and <br />whether it would involve River Park. Stancil said it was planned for Town Hall <br />and would not involve RiverPark or the MST. The MST master plan has recently <br />been released by State Parks, and there are new trail segment designations in <br />Orange County. Segment #11 has now been designated as “near term” and <br />Segment 12 has also been deemed “near term”. The first phase from Occoneechee <br />Mountain to Eno River is the lowest hanging fruit and the easiest to address, <br />Stancil pointed out. The areas further south will connect next. Green thinks the <br />area near OWASA could be easy to develop. Stancil noted that there was much <br />“public” land around the lake owned by OWASA. He added that some of this <br />land is very narrow and thus the trail is close to some private property with <br />landowners being very vocally against this trail in recent years. Massai asked <br />about the section including the old Occoneechee Race Track not allowing bikes <br />through there. Stancil says this segment would in the Town of Hillsborough and <br />up to their rules. There may be a proposal for addressing the orange County <br />segment of the MST by October. <br />c. Review of Discussion-Orienteering Group. Green met with several members of <br />the Backwoods Orienteering Klub (BOK), a Raleigh group. He discovered that <br />orienteering as he knows it is not the same as how they look at it. This group <br />develops a detailed map and the competition is to get to different points on the <br />map. This involves map reading, terrain reading and learning how to measure by <br />pacing off areas. His interest in official orienteering has now diminished as a <br />result. This aside, would Orange County be interested in having such a course? <br />Green posited, maybe. This group does not use trails in their orienteering events. <br />Green added that their plans for off trail and full site usage overwhelmed our Park <br />Superintendent. However, Green still says there are still areas of concern for the <br />county. He says it’s a fight for another day. Stancil added that he found the <br />group’s scope of needs to be substantial and included some risks. Stancil stated <br />that he thought staff would be more comfortable with Green’s initial compass <br />course approach. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />VI. Report of the Director (Stancil) <br />a. New Disc Golf Inquiry/Upcoming Staff Recommendation. The Council has asked <br />staff, after a presentation from a local enthusiast late last year, where could a disc <br />golf course go on County parks? Stancil noted that the staff owes a report on this. <br />He also noted that Ultimate Frisbee organizers have also contacted him about <br />locations. By October, Stancil plans to bring forth a staff report.