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ORANGE COUNTY <br />BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS <br />ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br />Meeting Date: December 9, 2003 <br />Action Agenda <br />Item No. 5-d <br />SUBJECT: Resolution of Approval and Acceptance of Grant -Agricultural Conservation <br />Easement with Everett and Lewis Cheek <br />DEPARTMENT: Environment and Resource PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) No <br />Conservation <br />ATTACHMENT <br />Resolution of Approval <br />Property Map <br />Draft Conservation Easement <br />Conservation Easements Capital Project <br />Ordinance <br />INFORMATION CONTACT: <br />David Stancil, 245-2590 <br />Rich Shaw, 245-2591 <br />TELEPHONE NUMBERS: <br />Hillsborough 732-8181 <br />Chapel Hill 968-4501 <br />Durham 688-7331 <br />Mebane 336-227-2031 <br />PURPOSE: To consider a resolution to approve the acceptance by Orange County of a <br />farmland preservation conservation easement from Everett and Lewis Cheek, and <br />acceptance of a grant from the federal Farm and Ranch Land Protection Program, <br />BACKGROUND: The acquisition of agricultural conservation easements to help preserve <br />County farmland is a longstanding goal of the Board of Commissioners and is a priority of the <br />Lands Legacy Program. Acquisition of the County's first agricultural conservation easement <br />occurred in 2001, followed by two others in 2002. Similar efforts by the Triangle Land <br />Conservancy and the Orange Water & Sewer Authority have also been successful. <br />In July 2002, Orange County, in cooperation with the NRCS/Soil and Water Conservation <br />District, applied for matching funds from the federal Farm and Ranch Land Protection <br />Program to purchase non-agricultural development rights for three farms -one of which <br />belongs to Everett and Lewis Cheek. Market appraisals were conducted far each farm to <br />determine the purchase price for the easements. Grant fiords totaling $784,155 for all three <br />farms were awarded in September 2002. Of that total, $235,255 was allocated to the <br />Cheeks' farm. <br />The Cheeks raise beef cattle on their Lemola Ayshire Farm located off Dairyland Road in the <br />University Lake watershed, The easement would protect an 82.6-acre section of the farm, <br />All future non-agricultural development rights would be purchased through the easement, <br />with the exception of one future house lot as denoted in the easement. The easement will <br />