Agenda 6-a - Blackwood Farm Park – Proposed Revised Master Plan

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Orange County Department of Environment, Agriculture, Parks & Recreation PO Box 8181, Hillsborough, NC 27278 Phone: (919) 245-2510 Fax: (919) 644-3351 animal housing and animal waste disposal on the farm. To introduce beef cattle at Blackwood Farm would require a farmer to move and rotate the cattle off and on the fields. The animals would need to have housing, and an animal waste system would need to be constructed and installed. If there is no local farmer to take on these duties, someone would need to be hired to manage the animals. There is also the potential for cattle and human interaction, which brings public health concerns. In summary, the introduction of beef cattle was found to create significant increases in cost and create the potential for public health issues at the park. Having animals from other locations demonstrated at the park for short periods of time was noted by the staffs as a possible alternative. Within a few growing seasons, the former hay fields could be put back into grass production with the needed soil amendments (typically, the addition of lime and fertilizer). Agricultural staff feels that this is the most practical use of these fields and one that will reinvigorate the scenic vista on the property. One local farmer has expressed interest in managing the fields for hay if this option is selected, although other farmers would be solicited as well. Staff remains interested in creating a wildflower meadow and perhaps a “Piedmont Prairie” in a portion of the former fields, both as a pilot project and another park amenity. Information on Piedmont Prairies is provided as Attachment 3. Organizations with strong conservation backgrounds and ethics, such as Duke Forest, Triangle Land Conservancy and the NC Botanical Garden, all use prescribed burns that are carefully managed and well-planned as a forest and field management technique. Staff in the County’s Parks Division have been trained in the proper techniques and the County Forest Ranger has also indicated a willingness to help with a prescribed burn. Staff would propose to begin with a small area on the interior of the park as a pilot project in 2018. 4. Farmhouse Renovations The historic farmhouse, now known as the Strayhorn-Blackwood House, is a vernacular frame dwelling built in 1827, enlarged in 1840 and again ca. 1910. It has a present floor area of approximately 1,800 square feet of heated space on two floors. The house is currently in stable condition but has undergone numerous exterior and interior alterations between the 1950s and 1980s that have marred its historic character. Significant work is now required to prevent deterioration that will be costly to repair in the future. Existing mechanical and electrical systems are outdated and inadequate. Staff has assessed the structure and developed an RFQ to restore the house to return the exterior and interior appearance to the period of about 1920-1930. Current plans call for it to be used as a historic house museum and history exhibit facility, to complement the numerous historic farm buildings restored between 2007 and 2010. Proposals will be obtained from qualified architectural 11