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19 <br /> <br />• A new pedestrian entrance into the park from Churton Street, concurrent with the Town’s <br />pedestrian and transit improvements, including two new trail connecting segments and a <br />stormwater control measure. <br /> <br />Staff and an engineering consultant (Mike Hammersley of CRA Associates, Inc.) have been <br />working for the last several months to complete the needed design work for the remaining <br />improvements above, for eventual Town permit approvals. <br /> <br />In the last few months, staff has explored potential sponsorship or naming opportunities for a <br />larger performance stage/shell (please see attached pictures) which could accommodate <br />concerts and performances that the site has been shown to attract. The Orange County Arts <br />Commission has expressed interest in this expanded performance stage/shell and sees this as <br />a possible fundraising opportunity that may be attractive to County and Town community and <br />business interests. <br /> <br />David Stancil made the following PowerPoint presentation <br /> <br />River Park <br /> <br />Improvements Update <br />• Realignment of Riverwalk segment <br />• Occoneechee Village refurbishing <br />• New Churton Street entrance / path <br />• Performance Stage/Shell <br /> <br />Map of Park <br /> <br />Katie Murray continued the presentation: <br />She said the Arts Commission has spent recent years researching the needs of the arts <br />community, and one on of the main needs to be identified is space for the arts both indoor and <br />outdoor. She said the subject of the staging area came up after some discussion with DEAPR. <br />She said festival space is greatly needed, especially in Hillsborough, and many stakeholders <br />are discussing the needs to insure that plans will be adequate to meet the needs. <br /> <br />Planned Improvements <br /> <br />• Gathered feedback from stakeholders regarding needs for festivals, concerts and <br />outdoor performing arts <br />• Exploring funding options with local partners <br /> <br />Public Art: <br />• Arts Commission partnering with Hillsborough Arts Council and Town of Hillsborough <br />• “Gateway” Sculptural work to include wood from fallen Calvin St. Tree <br />• National call with priority given to NC artists <br /> <br />Next Steps / Recommendation <br /> <br />David Stancil said they are here to share this information with the Board, and they do <br />need to move ahead with discussions. He said they are asking the Board for approval to: <br />