Agenda 06-18-19 Item 8-a - Minutes

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2 Molly Weybright graduated from the UNC School of Media and Journalism in 2018 with a 1 degree in Reporting and creative writing. Her fiction has been published in UNC’s official literary 2 magazine “The Cellar Door” and her journalism has been published on multiple news outlets 3 including the outer banks voice and WRAL. She is currently the intern for The Orange County 4 Arts Commission, where she writes two short feature pieces per month focusing on the arts 5 community of Orange County. 6 Molly Weybright read an excerpt from the “A Niente”. 7 8 Commissioner McKee arrived at 7:05 p.m. 9 10 2. Public Comments 11 12 a. Matters not on the Printed Agenda 13 Dr. Joshua Humphreys said he lives in Bingham Township, and his community has 14 learned that the County exercised an option to purchase land that cuts through the community. 15 He said this option was part of a larger real estate deal: 13 acres of a 70-acre tract. He said an 16 individual named Eric Knight is going to build a commercial brewery, and would double the use 17 of water in their neighborhood. He said his community, the Oaks, is historically significant, and 18 no one was informed about this. He said no one in their community was notified about the dual 19 development of this land: the County using part for the Mountains to Sea trail, as well as a 20 manufacturing facility, which will also serve as a major event venue. He said this neighborhood 21 is a very quiet, rural one. 22 Dr. Carl Hoffman said he also lives in the Oaks Community, and has done so for 44 23 years. He said his property abuts the property in question. He said he and his wife have 24 worked to preserve this area for people to enjoy, and they have no commercial development 25 because they want this to stay in its natural state. He said he wonders why a brewery would be 26 built in their neighborhood, and not in Saxapahaw. He said he is surprised that there is no 27 zoning that prevents this. He said he is suspicious of the deal, and he would like to know the 28 timeline of events, and the intent and motivation of all parties involved. 29 Commissioner Bedford arrived at 7:15 p.m. 30 Mark Kleinschmidt, Clerk of Court, said one of his first objectives as the new clerk, was 31 to assess the facilities, and to work with County staff to meet the needs of the courthouse. He 32 said the County improved the HVAC system this past year, which will hopefully reduce the 33 humidity in the building. He thanked the Manager for her CIP, in order to ensure the safety and 34 security of the records in the courthouse. He said improvements within the estate division, 35 where he serves as Probate Judge, and improvements to the security of the public counter are 36 critical. He said he is so pleased and expressed his gratitude for the Board of County 37 Commissioners’ (BOCC) assistance, and the work of the staff and their day-to-day 38 responsiveness to their needs. He said he hopes to provide an annual update to the BOCC on 39 the condition of the facility, and invited the BOCC to take a tour. 40 Delores Bailey, EmPowerment Director, read a letter from Karen Reid, who lives on 41 Rogers Road: 42 43 To Whom It May Concern: 44 As a longtime member (38years) of the Historic Rogers Road Community and 45 participant in the development of the 2016 Rogers Road: Mapping Our Community’s Future, I 46 am writing in support of rezoning and plans for the Greene Tract as stated in the 2016 Rogers 47 Road: Mapping Our Community’s Future. For many years, the wishes and concerns of 48 members of the Historic Rogers Road Community were not heard or represented in decisions 49