RP Work Group agenda 111695 - Laserfiche WebLink

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I. Introduction • The Orange County Assembly of Governments discussed equity and efficiency issues related to the delivery of local government services and focused on the area of recreation and park services . The consensus of this group was . . . " That the local government staffs make recommendations to their governing bodies about opportunities for joint planning for and use of capital improvements for recreation and park services . And, that both school systems be involved in any cooperative venture . " A Recreation and Park Work Group was formed with representatives from the local governments of Carrboro , Chapel Hill , and Orange County and both the Chapel H&Carrboro and Orange County School Boards . The Town of Hillsborough administration chose not to actively participate at this time . This report entails the issues considered by all parties and assigned to the Recreation and Park Work Group . • To succeed in mutual planning for recreation and parks, standards must be developed that are acceptable to all . In setting standards for recreation and park facility and service needs in the coming years , it is necessary to recognize the unique impact of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on this process . This is because the institution accounts for a large part of the population of Orange County, while at the same time offering a range of facilities and services to its students and employees . There are, for example, about 8 , 000 students living in dorms and another 3 ,000 living in fraternities and sororities whose recreation and park needs are largely met by the University. • A related factor to consider is that the portion of the projected growth in population for Orange County that comes from the University will continue to decrease steadily . Put differently, a growing proportion of the population in Orange County will come from in-migrants whose jobs are located throughout the Triangle Area and this group of residents will look to the three governmental jurisdictions to meet their needs for recreation and parks . • Another factor to consider is that the population growth that is projected for Orange County will come primarily from the towns of Carrboro and Chapel Hill . The unincorporated areas of the county are becoming more urbanized with the additional subdivisions that are being approved . Often, these subdivisions are not annexed into the municipal limits causing a more increased urbanization of Orange County as well . This means that the demand for recreation and parks will increase as the population becomes more urbanized across Orange County . Page 1