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2 <br /> government, a special advantage in this era of climate change. The Lands Legacy Program and <br /> Alice's other initiatives to protect the environment will be among her most enduring contributions <br /> to Orange County. Having the institutional structure for environmental stewardship in place to <br /> protect critical resources, such as clean air and clean water, will help Orange County mitigate <br /> some effects of a warming planet. <br /> School Excellence. Alice was a dedicated champion of high quality education for all public <br /> school children in Orange County, and consistently supported the funding necessary to foster <br /> school excellence because of her commitment to the success of all students. She led the effort <br /> to pass the Schools Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance so that new schools would be built <br /> when needed. She also promoted a systematic program to renovate all of the older schools in <br /> Orange County, and worked toward that goal for many years. For her achievements, the Alice <br /> Gordon Science Building at Grey Culbreth Middle School in Chapel Hill was named in her honor <br /> in 2014. <br /> Improved Regional Transportation. Alice promoted public transit and improved regional <br /> transportation planning, and she served as Chair of two multi-jurisdictional regional <br /> transportation boards, Triangle Transit (now GoTriangle) and the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro <br /> Metropolitan Planning Organization. As Chair of the latter board, she led a cooperative effort to <br /> create the joint 2035 Long Range Transportation Plan, the first plan for the entire Triangle <br /> region, a successful endeavor that received a national planning award in 2009. <br /> Before becoming a commissioner, Alice was Chair of the Orange County Planning Board and <br /> President of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools PTA Council. As a commissioner, Alice <br /> served as both Chair and Vice Chair of the Board of County Commissioners. <br /> Alice Gordon's other honors and awards include the 2006 Goodmon Award presented by <br /> Leadership Triangle for "Exemplary Regional Leadership by an Elected Official" and her <br /> designation as a "Town Treasure" by the Chapel Hill Historical Society in 2012. <br /> FINANCIAL IMPACT: There is no financial impact associated with this presentation. <br /> SOCIAL JUSTICE IMPACT: There is no Orange County Social Justice Goal impact associated <br /> with this presentation. <br /> ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT: There is no Orange County Environmental Responsibility Goal <br /> impact associated with this presentation <br /> RECOMMENDATION(S): The Manager recommends that the Board congratulate former <br /> Orange County Commissioner Dr. Alice M. Gordon for receiving The Order of the Long Leaf <br /> Pine award. <br />