Minutes 11-02-2017 - Laserfiche WebLink

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2 Rob Crook said he is here to speak to the idea of creating a non-motorized corridor in Orange County. He said this would start in Carrboro, and go along Norfolk rail line in the Orange County portion. He said it connects a lot of important points in Orange County, and would provide many recreational opportunities. He said it would eventually tie into Duke, Durham County, and the American Tobacco Trail. b. Matters on the Printed Agenda (These matters will be considered when the Board addresses that item on the agenda below.) 3. Announcements, Petitions and Comments by Board Members Commissioner Jacobs said the JPA/Rural Buffer group met again to prepare its presentation for the Assemblies of Governments (AOG) meeting at the end of November. Commissioner Jacobs said he received a report from the Piedmont Food Processing Center (PFAP), which has 56 users this year. He said there were 34 users last year. He said Wake County is interested in becoming a partner, and perhaps it may be good to have stakeholders from across the Triangle meet together for further discussion about the local agricultural economy. He said he would like to see the process available for local farmers to get food into elementary schools in both districts. Commissioner Jacobs referred to the schools, and said the Manager is working on the metric discussed by the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) to assess the impact that development in municipalities is having on County services. He said Orange County Schools (OCS) is having difficulty getting a response from the Town of Hillsborough regarding local development, and he asked Bonnie Hammersley to bring this up at the AOG meeting. Commissioner Burroughs said the Board of Health (BOH) has hired a new Orange County Health Director, and she commended the BOH for its commitment through this process. Commissioner Rich said she had her Technology and Telecommunications conference call with the National Association of Counties (NACo) today, and gratitude was expressed for the letter of support from Orange County about broadband. She asked John Roberts to keep an eye on out for a bill that will allow telephone companies to build on local right of ways without compensating the municipality or county for usage. Commissioner Rich said NACo is starting to collect information on census data, and she asked if staff would insure that accurate data is put forward about regional growth. Commissioner Jacobs said the Planning Department is working on revising the numbers. Commissioner Marcoplos referred to Rob Crook’s presentation earlier, and said he thinks the County should pursue this non-motorized corridor. Commissioner Jacobs asked if this is similar to that which was proposed earlier this fall, and referred to the Department of Environment, Agriculture, Parks and Recreation (DEAPR). Commissioner Marcoplos said he thinks it is somewhat similar, but this proposal is along the Norfolk-Southern rail line. Commissioner McKee arrived at 7:31 p.m. Bonnie Hammersley said some of the information came out of the Mountains to Sea (MTS) trail, the modal corridor. She said staff is going to look at a countywide mobility connectivity plan, which would include pedestrian paths, bike paths, etc. She said sidewalks will also be discussed in these meetings, and updates will be provided in the New Year. Commissioner Marcoplos said it would be useful to have Rob Crook come to a meeting to talk about this in more detail.