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3 <br /> <br />Additionally, the property owner listed part of the arboretum for sale for a few months that <br />included separating out a home site on Tract A – please see your packet of information. <br />Was the County aware of this? <br /> <br />As you will hear from the speakers following me, there has been community mistrust <br />building with the property owner over the past several years. Now there is a level of <br />mistrust building with the County over what is seen as non-enforcement of easement <br />violations. This is concerning to citizens and easement holders throughout the County, <br />as a precedent could be set for potential weakening of current easements, non- <br />enforcement of easements, or lack of incentive for property owners to continue to put <br />land into conservation easements. <br /> <br />Please listen carefully to the upcoming concerned citizens. <br />Thank you for your time. <br /> <br />Pamela Bayne read the following comments: <br /> <br />Statement by Charles R. Keith, M.D. <br /> <br />By 2000, the Charles R. Keith Arboretum had become the largest collection of tree and <br />shrub species in America. Visitors came from all over the U.S. and Europe to visit. Over <br />many years, I had conserved section after section of the arboretum and surrounding land <br />through Orange County and Triangle Land Conservancy, in order to preserve a total of <br />82 acres from future development. I was in total agreement that there be no commercial <br />activity that was not directly related to the mission of the arboretum. <br /> <br />In 2015, Unique Places purchased the arboretum. In order to assist the transition, I <br />agreed to manage the arboretum along with my one part-time employee for one more <br />year. (Aside from occasional other businesses that came in to perform specific fucntions <br />like maintaining the ponds, my only help over the years was a part-time contract <br />employee.) At the end of 2016, we left, as per our agreement with Unique Places. I left <br />a detailed emailed and hard copy care plan to multiple people for care of the arboretum, <br />including the ponds, fish, plants, etc. Prior to my departure, I urged that the next step <br />should be to hire a part-time horticulturist to preserve and care for the collection and <br />provide supervision to employees. <br /> <br />I believed that Unique Places had the financial resources to hire at least minimal staff and <br />would be responsible stewards of the arboretum. At the time of sale, we had been <br />excited about the direction they had wanted to take the arboretum as they laid out their <br />vision in keeping with the written mission statement. In particular, they wanted to expand <br />the educational mission, and also enlarge the plant collection itself. <br /> <br />I suggested they turn the King-Garrett historical homestead into a visitor’s center and <br />office space for staff. Repeatedly, I told them not to cut down any arboretum species to <br />make way for commercial activity, e.g.: parking spaces, even if related to the mission of <br />the arboretum without first consulting the horticulturalist director. <br /> <br />Sadly, none of these recommendations have been followed: <br />• There is no horticulturalist <br />• Weeds, vines, and suckers are covering smaller plants