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18 1 (Attachment 1) including definitions as noted in Exhibit 1; and pursue the timeline related to 2 Next Steps A, B, and C with all due diligence. 3 4 VOTE: UNANIMOUS 5 6 PUBLIC COMMENT 7 Sam Ebi lives on Billabong Lane. He thanked the Board for its work, and asked if 8 any agency has done an environmental impact study. He said this is the first time he and 9 his neighbors have heard about this project. He requested an environmental impact 10 statement, as a lot of wildlife lives in this area, and he wonders where it can go. 11 James Morgan said he also lives on Billabong Lane. He said he saw previous 12 iterations of this plan several years ago, but this is the first time he's seen a school location 13 determined. He said he has two concerns: a sewer system was recently installed, and he 14 sees no access point from the school site to the sewer system; and the road connection 15 from Merin Road to Purefoy, serving the school, which would be problematic for the 16 intersection of Merin and Homestead, which is not capable to taking a stop light. He said 17 these issues need to be addressed in the early stages of any development plan. 18 Beverly Ferraro said she also lives on Billabong Lane, and she echoed the 19 comments of the two previous speakers. She said accessing the school via Merin Road 20 seems overwhelming, at best. 21 Sally Council said the concept is not new to her, and she commended the Board on 22 some of its priorities for this land. She said preservation of the natural landscape is key, 23 and she is pleased the Board is including this. She said there is also great concern to 24 provide preservation to the neighbors who already live near this land. She said the 25 residents have always been committed to a natural buffer space to protect themselves from 26 traffic, clearing, and new construction. She said the last 5 years have shown immense 27 change and growth surrounding her home, and this is the first time she seen the school site 28 be proposed to butt up against Billabong Lane. She said there appears to be no original 29 buffer left. She said accessing the school from Merin Road would be an awful idea. 30 Sally Council asked if the difference between open space and preservation of 31 headwaters could be explained. 32 Craig Benedict said the headwaters tract would continue to be owned by the 33 County, but it would be for preservation purposes. He said the other, darker green, area is 34 a jointly owned by Carrboro, Chapel Hill and Orange County, and connecting the two areas 35 together would allow passage of a lot of animals in that general area. 36 Sally Council asked if this would be preserved intact, or if there would be clearing. 37 Craig Benedict said it would be 100% preserved, but a road can go through it, if 38 necessary. He said the goal is full preservation of wetlands, plus stream buffers. 39 Myra Dotson said she has been distressed to see the development around the 40 landfill. 41 John Roberts said there have been some legal issues recently along Merin Road, 42 and the County has to redo the gravel driveway from Billabong up to the Greene Tract, 43 which gives the County southern access. He said it is not a public road. 44 45 c. Orange County's Proposed 2019 Legislative Agenda 46 The Board considered the Legislative Issues Work Group's (LIWG) proposed 2019 47 legislative package and any other potential items for inclusion in Orange County's 48 legislative agenda package for the 2019 North Carolina General Assembly Session; 49 consider approval of the 2019 Orange County Priority Legislative Issues document; and 50 consider approval of the Other Orange County Legislative Interests document.