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7 - 4 <br />Orange County Comprehensive Parks and Recreation Master Plan <br /> CHAPTER 7 - Linkages with 2030 Comprehensive Plan and Other County Plans 7 <br />Mebane <br />Mebane adopted its first <br />comprehensive Recrea- <br />tion and Parks Master <br />Plan in January 2014. <br />The City inventoried its <br />existing parks and recre- <br />ational facilities, and <br />determined what additions are needed to meet the <br />expected demand over the next 10 years. <br /> <br />The master plan recommended collaborating with <br />other nearby recreation providers, including Orange <br />County, Alamance County, City of Burlington, and <br />City of Graham. The plan also recommended <br />strengthening the City’s agreements for the joint use <br />of school and municipal recreation facilities, and <br />building new relationships with Alamance Communi- <br />ty College and Alamance Regional Medical Center. <br /> <br />Finally, Mebane will consider developing a greenway <br />master plan to complement the findings of the City’s <br />new Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan. <br /> <br />D. Public School System Fields and Facilities <br />The 27 public schools within Orange County’s two <br />school systems have a variety of recreational <br />facilities including playgrounds, playing fields as well <br />as courts and gyms. Policies indicate that organized <br />groups may rent school facilities. There are several <br />examples of the County co-locating recreation <br />facilities with or adjacent to school facilities. One <br />such example is the Efland-Cheeks Park and Commu- <br />nity Center. This 11-acre park is co-located with <br />Efland-Cheeks Elementary School. Facilities include <br />picnic shelters, a multi-purpose field, a playground, <br />a community center, trails and basketball courts. <br />Additionally, the Eurosport Soccer Center near <br />Efland features six lighted playing fields located next <br />to Gravelly Hill Middle School. Finally, the future <br />Twin Creeks (Moniese Nomp) Park includes a <br />segment of the Jones Creek Greenway (completed <br />2011) that links the nearby residential communities <br />to Morris Grove Elementary School and future <br />school facilities. <br />Hillsborough <br />Hillsborough’s Recreation and Parks Master Plan <br />was updated in 2009. The Town’s Parks and <br />Recreation Board is responsible for implementing <br />the master plan, including cooperating with Orange <br />County to facilitate shared use and responsibility for <br />publicly-owned land. <br /> <br />The current plan identifies the following concerns or <br />deficiencies the Town intends to address: <br /> Uncertain relationship with school board for use <br />of school property <br /> Town does not have a parks and recreation <br /> department <br /> Lack of existing town-owned and -maintained <br />recreation facilities <br /> Many population groups in need of recreation <br />facilities <br /> Very limited funding for recreation resources <br />from town <br /> Loss of open/green space as land is developed <br /> No official coordination between town and <br />county for recreational needs <br /> <br />Priority recommendations for Hillsborough’s parks <br />system include improving pedestrian/bicycle <br />connectivity throughout the town to improve access <br />to parks via sidewalks, road improvements, or <br />greenways, consistent with Town’s 2009 Community <br />Connectivity Plan. Other recommendations involve <br />strengthening partnerships with Orange County and <br />coordinating with other municipalities to address <br />regional connectivity and recreation issues. <br /> <br />82