Orange County NC Website
6 <br /> <br />Commissioner Rich said that is easy enough to do. 1 <br />Bradley Saul said it is easy to do, but he wants to make sure it is permissible to do. He 2 <br />said there is no guidance. 3 <br />Commissioner Marcoplos said he is looking forward to the report on The State of the 4 <br />Environment. He said the environment is changing faster than they can react, and it may be 5 <br />beneficial to complete this type of report more frequently than every five years. 6 <br />Commissioner Marcoplos said he hopes the Commission will look into the identifiable 7 <br />signs of local climate change, such as the algae in University Lake. He said more information 8 <br />could lead to greater understanding amongst the public on environmental issues. 9 <br />Commissioner Marcoplos said he noticed the Commission’s goal to develop a plan for 10 <br />researching the potential environmental impacts of the rural buffer, and this is the 30th 11 <br />anniversary of the rural buffer. He said the rural buffer is a critical contribution to the 12 <br />community, and there are many existing impacts – sound mitigation, water quality, air quality, 13 <br />etc. – and not just potential impacts. 14 <br />Commissioner Jacobs said he has been trying to get the Planning Directors back 15 <br />together to discuss the rural buffer, and create a report. 16 <br />Commissioner Jacobs said there is a County intranet with contact information for all 17 <br />advisory board members. He said there should be a way to allow board members to access 18 <br />each other’s information to easily cross-pollinate. 19 <br />Chair Dorosin said the Commission can just bring resolutions forward, and let the Board 20 <br />of Commissioners review and decide whether to act on them. 21 <br />Chair Dorosin referred to the State of the Environment Report, and suggested replacing 22 <br />the 200-page document with a 45-minute presentation, which can be used at community 23 <br />meetings, and other organizations. 24 <br />Chair Dorosin said one of the Commission’s emerging issues is continuing to learn 25 <br />about environmental justice matters, which he greatly appreciates. 26 <br /> 27 <br />• Economic Development Advisory Board (EDAB) Vice Chair Paige Zinn 28 <br /> 29 <br />Paige Zinn said she is the Vice Chair, and Delores Bailey is with her, and she is getting 30 <br />ready to roll off the Board. 31 <br />Paige Zinn said she has served on the board for two years, and shared some updates: 32 <br />• Continue their financial support, and to increase their Article 46 funding for their Small 33 <br />Business Loan program 34 <br />• Add funds to the agricultural grant program 35 <br />• SWOT Analysis has been completed, and EDAB will be discussing this later this month 36 <br />and will then make their recommendations to the Board of County Commissioners 37 <br />• EDAB will be hosting the ED Summit in the fall 2018 and will be organized around 4-5 38 <br />topics and be broadcast by WCHL. 39 <br /> 40 <br />Delores Bailey thanked the BOCC for allowing her to serve on this board, and said they 41 <br />do own Midway Center, which was the first small incubator in Orange County. She said she 42 <br />also serves on the grant program, and listed 5 minority-owned businesses they were able to 43 <br />assist. She encouraged the BOCC to increase the funding as requested. 44 <br />Commissioner McKee said he knew several of businesses that have got off the ground 45 <br />with grants from EDAB, and it is to be commended. 46 <br />Chair Dorosin asked if the amount of applications could be identified. 47 <br />Paige Zinn said 22. 48 <br />Chair Dorosin said it is amazing how much difference a small amount of money can 49 <br />make to a fledgling business. He thanked Delores Bailey for her service. 50