Minutes 03-15-2022 Business Meeting

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19 Centro Hispano. She said that in 2021, the county closed the McDougal school's library. She said all that remains to serve Carrboro and southwest Orange County is the Cybrary. She said that any redesign will cause delay and higher cost to the project. She said that it would deny another generation of students that live in low-income housing in Carrboro access to a library. She said that there is no off ramp for this project. She said that the library is the highest benefit to its people. She urged the commissioners to vote to approve the GMP. Lydia Lavelle addressed the Board. She asked the Board to please stay with this project as partners with Carrboro. She said that none of us could have anticipated the financial cost related to COVID 19 and supply chain issues. She said that many boards in the past have also worked on this project. She said that this project is so important to the Town of Carrboro that it is offering almost as much money as the county and is donating land. She said that construction costs are not expected to decline soon, so redesign would ultimately cost more money. She said that the federal ARPA and CARES money has allowed the County to give money to other county departments and those departmental unused general funds could be allocated for the project. She said if the Board were to pull from the project, she fears it will never be funded. She said they have been able to fund the Orange County Detention Center and the Durham Tech building. She said that it is sited where it is to be near so many services and public transit. She said the parking deck will allow for more economic impact. She urged the commissioners to stay the course and approve the project. Kathy Kaufman said she has been a rural southwest Orange County resident since 1995. She said the Board should lock in the GMP for the 203 project. She said a library downtown would have been immeasurable for her own children during their school years. She said there are many students in Carrboro who cannot access the Chapel Hill library but would benefit from the 203 Project. She said that the other organizations housed in the building will be beneficial to the economy. She said that this project is 30 years in the making and should not be delayed. She said that a delay will be less project for more cost. She said that the investment will pay back into the future. Cameron Binkie thanked the Board for their attention. He said he is a resident of Carrboro and asks the Board to move forward with the library project. He said the Board has the challenge to decide what they will allocate money to. He said everyone can benefit from a library and is free to everyone in the community regardless of background. He said that a library will bring more people downtown. Ree Ree Wei said she is the executive director of a nonprofit called Transplanting Traditions Community Farm. She said she is from Chapel Hill. She said her community is dependent on the library in many ways and serves as a community space. She said that the Carrboro (CH) Public Library was the first library she attended that had books in her language. She said the library was a space for her to learn and expand her knowledge. She said the location of the library will be accessible for her community members. Tom McQuiston said 15 years ago, his son died of a drug overdose while he was a student at East Chapel Hill High School when he was 18 years old. He said that they took their grief and made the Reintegration Support Network and a Youth Center. He said the youth center that is proposed to be part of this project is the result of some of this work. He said that Bob Seymour fought for the Senior Center and now it is an important symbol of the type of Community here in Orange County. He said that there was a report from the US Surgeon General that there is an unprecedented need for mental health support in teens right now. He encouraged the Board to do whatever necessary to move forward with the 203 Project with a youth center there.