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Vork group urges local governments to 'land-bank' (9/3 / 1999 , CHN) httpm //www . chapelhillnews . com/Issues/ 1999/09/03 /news03 . html next year . The deficit is calculated based on a population-based standard 0 3 Y p p commonly used by recreation specialists . By 2025 , the report says , when the county' s population is estimated to be 168 , 000 , the park land deficit will double , to 1 , 265 acres . To head off that shortage , the group recommends that an $ 8 million parks bond be placed on the ballot for the November 2000 election . In addition, $ 2 . 89 million remaining in land acquisition funds from the 1997 parks bond should be used to purchase land as soon as possible . The $ 6 million parks bond passed in 1997 with 55 percent of the vote . " It' s important that people see how well that bond money has been spent, " Brown said . " With that money, we're opening seven new multi -purpose playing fields and two new parks , including Chapel Hill North, which has all sorts of great amenities , and a beautiful park in Efland . When we started looking at the future needs in this group , we didn't know what we ' d find . Would it take $ 50 million, $ 100 million? But when we analyzed it, we saw that it actually was a figure that is quite doable , less than $ 11 million . So we 're put out this rough figure of $ 8 million for a bond, which would be used only to purchase property . " The work group was created in November 1997 and charged with assessing Orange County' s parks/recreation facilities and making recommendations to ensure the continued availability of those facilities . It was the first time '. Brown said, that government officials , recreation specialists and representatives from all the local governing bodies and major public organizations worked together to address recreation needs . " Before , everybody had worked in their own little boxes , " she said . " This time , we brought together all the governments , UNC , Duke , OWASA, everybody who had a stake in the issue . And it quickly became clear that we could accomplish a lot more by all working together . That way we can create a vision and we can better raise funds . " The group ' s first recommendation is to continue that cooperation by forming a permanent Parks and Resources Land Council be formed, including reprentatives and citizens from the county , Hillsborough, Chapel Hill , Carrboro , the school systems , UNC , Duke and OWASA . Among the first actions of such a council would be to establish a consistent set of standards for parks and recreation facilities throughout the county . The group strongly encourages all the local municipalities to work together rather than separately to raise funds and buy park lands . In addition, UNC , Duke and the Orange Water and Sewer Authority - - all of which own substantial land used for recreation - - should be integral parts of the effort . " We have to coordinate our efforts , " said Carrboro Alderman Jacquie Gist, who served on the work group . " We can't pretend we all use entirely separate recreation facilities . People from Carrboro use other people ' s facilities , and people from Chapel Hill and the county use ours . We don't want a territorial set-up where we go , ' You can't use our football field, and we can't use your swimming pool . Other recommendations include more joint school/park facilities , such as the of 3 0 /1 /QQ 1 1 * 1K DAA