Orange County NC Website
11-3 <br />Orange County Comprehensive Parks and Recreation Master Plan <br /> CHAPTER 11 - Issues for Further Study / Conclusion 11 <br />Now, in 2014, Orange County has acquired and <br />constructed several new parks, recreation and open <br />space facilities, as shown in this document. Other <br />development ordinance and parks projects have <br />commanded most of the available staff time to date, <br />but the time may now be prescient to re-evaluate <br />the land dedication and payment-in-lieu program. It <br />is recommended that the County make plans to en- <br />gage consultant services to conduct a thorough anal- <br />ysis and recommend possible changes to the system <br />in the next year. <br /> <br />C. SportsPlex and County Programs – Coordination <br /> <br />The Orange County SportsPlex (previously known as <br />the Triangle SportsPlex), as shown in Chapter 3 of <br />this document, is an indoor athletic complex in <br />Hillsborough owned by Orange County. The facility is <br />co-located with the Central Orange Senior Center <br />and features an ice rink, swimming pool, fitness <br />centers and exercise and activity rooms, among <br />other amenities. It is operated on the County’s be- <br />half, by Recreation Partners, Incorporated, through <br />a contractual agreement. <br />Currently, the County and SportsPlex do not offer <br />overlapping programming, and discussions have <br />been held to work toward ensuring that as future <br />expansion occurs and additional programs are <br />offered, that SportsPlex and County programs <br />complement each other, rather than compete with <br />each other. This may be done through a variety of <br />methods, such as coordinating programs by age <br />groups, time of year, or other means. <br /> <br />For example, the SportsPlex might offer a program <br />for very young children ages 2-4 to introduce soccer, <br />and these children could then “graduate” to the <br />County or other area soccer programs. <br /> <br />Regardless of the method, close coordination <br />between the County and SportsPlex going forward <br />would seem to be prudent, and the additional <br />facilities (such as the new basketball court) may help <br />alleviate space crunches at the few existing facilities. <br />The County and SportsPlex should continue to have <br />regular dialogue, and explore joint program <br />opportunities and complementary programs as <br />opportunities arise. <br />In recent years, the SportsPlex has seen tremendous <br />growth in membership, and this has occasioned the <br />County and the management firm to plan for <br />possible expansions to the facility. At present, a <br />three-phase expansion is envisioned that would add: <br /> <br />1) A pool mezzanine with new lockers and fitness areas; <br />2) A building addition to house a small (95 x 165 feet) <br />artificial turf field for indoor soccer, lacrosse and <br />other turf sports training; and <br />3) A new regulation-sized basketball court for basketball <br />and related sports. <br />127