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24 <br /> <br />Commissioner Marcoplos said in the case of the Orange Water and Sewer Authority <br />(OWASA) and the stone quarry, OWASA took the word of the residents about the blasting <br />issues and wells and septic systems. <br />Commissioner Price said she is happy with the Town of Hillsborough’s decision and this <br />evening’s presentation, she just mentioned including the Town Planning Board’s rejection of <br />this as a way to be fully transparent with the community. <br />Commissioner Jacobs said to incorporate the Hillsborough Planning board decision in <br />the narrative moving forward. <br /> <br />PUBLIC COMMENTS: <br />Billy Holloway said he feels like this is a done deal, and this project has pros and cons. <br />He said during the construction he knows there will be noise, and he lives 100 feet from the <br />property. He said he is retired and likes to sleep in, and construction starts at 6:30 a.m. He <br />asked if there are any barriers that can be put up to reduce this noise to their homes. He said <br />he and Jeff Thompson have a good relationship, and they have worked many issues out <br />already. He said now this noise, vibrations, and blasting are new concerns. <br />Mark O’Neal said he is a real estate agent, and was involved in the site selection <br />process. He said one of the sellers, Betty Tilley, could not be present this evening, and she <br />had some comments that she wanted him to share with the BOCC. He said he provided a <br />letter from Mrs. Tilley to the BOCC, which highlighted the positive aspects of the project. He <br />said Mrs. Tilley is retired from Orange County Schools (OCS) and she is proud that the County <br />is going to re-purpose her site. He said the other family members around the site have been <br />good to work with. <br />Sheriff Blackwood addressed the critical need for a new detention center. He said the <br />current one is aging, has serious challenges, and is not reflective of who Orange County is. <br />He said he is not proud of it, and his department wants to bring continued hope with this <br />project, for both the detention center staff and inmates. He said some of the current <br />challenges are structural and infrastructural. <br />Commissioner Price asked the Sheriff about the amount of traffic that will be coming in <br />and out of the jail. <br />Sheriff Blackwood said the traffic will be about the same as it is now, which is minimal. <br />He said he cannot predict traffic patterns. <br />Commissioner Price said she has heard concerns from the public that there will be <br />police cars coming and going all night with sirens blasting. <br />Sheriff Blackwood said the operations are not centrally located, and staffs do not come <br />back to the office for briefing, but rather do it electronically. He said the cars with running <br />sirens are out and about in the County. He said if an event occurs that requires all staff to <br />respond, then yes there will be sirens, but they will be leaving Hillsborough, not coming in. He <br />said the entire department is a necessary evil. <br />Commissioner McKee asked if the BOCC approves this tonight, is it only approving the <br />acquisition of the land, and not specific uses. <br />Bonnie Hammersley said BOCC approval would be approving specific uses. <br />Commissioner McKee said he is supportive of the need for a detention center, but he is <br />not supportive of a recreation or agricultural center, due to budget constraints. He asked if the <br />BOCC will have another opportunity to approve specific projects moving forward. <br />Bonnie Hammersley said this opportunity will be available during the Capital Investment <br />Plan (CIP). She said if not all of the uses are included, the economics of the project will not <br />work. She said no significant or irreversible work will be done between now and the adoption <br />of the budget on June 19th. She said these discussions can be part of the budget process.