Agenda 05-24-22; 8-a - Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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4 1 the state is very interested in pursuing this project with the county. He noted that a formal 2 proposal will be developed for the state during the coming year. He said they will do an 3 archaeological historical assessment and get those mapped out and placed in GIS to be 4 included in the county's planning system. He said these would then show up if people are 5 applying to develop land where the cemeteries and historic structures exist. He said there is 6 very good interest in that program from the state. He said on the preservation side, Ridge Road 7 School, the immediate need is stabilization restoration work. He said there is foundation called 8 the Marion Stedman Covington Foundation in Greensboro that is set up to fund small 9 preservation projects. He believes they will be very interested in funding the Ridge Road 10 School project. He believes they can get start with some structural repairs and then new 11 windows will be placed. He said he believes that same foundation would be interested in 12 partnering with the county to establish a county grant program for preservation of small 13 preservation projects within the county. 14 Chair Price said that she was glad historic preservation has changed its attitude on 15 preserving small, black cemeteries. She said twenty years ago they were in contact with the 16 state, and they said that someone of significance had to be buried there. She said the other 17 challenge is saving them from developers because they are unmarked. 18 Portia McKnight and Peter Sandbeck presented for the Agricultural Preservation Board. 19 Portia McKnight said they have added five farms to the voluntary agricultural district 20 program. She said that is 3,337 acres and that ten years ago there were fifteen farms and today 21 there are 138 farms and 16,845 acres. She said that this has been a successful program to 22 help farmers protect their farmland. She said they have a member on the Orange County Food 23 Council to enhance the local food economy. She said they helped two farms join the century 24 farm program. She said they have two people who review applications from the economic 25 development department agricultural grants. She thanked the Board for their support. She said 26 there is not enough funding to meet the need for protecting active farmland. She said it is an 27 urgent matter than needs action. She said they want to work with planning, Cooperative 28 Extension, Soil and Water and the Board to help preserve farmland. She said North Carolina is 29 second only to Texas in the loss of farmland. She said the land is being subdivided for housing 30 development. She said the second issue of concern is the loss of dairy in the county. She said 31 they would like to find a path to reinvent dairy. She said Orange County has gone from a very 32 strong dairy production county to only having one small dairy. She said a lot of people drink and 33 eat dairy in Orange County, but there are not a lot of producers. She said dairy production is 34 intensive and once we lose infrastructure and knowledge, there is a need to reinvent dairy 35 production and to connect the people who consume dairy with the cows that make the milk. 36 She said there is also a need for a dedicated agricultural trust fund to preserve farmland in 37 Orange County. She said there is an urgent need for money in farming to keep farmland as 38 farmland. 39 Chair Price said thanked Portia McKnight for the presentation and information and said 40 the Board will see what they can do to protect farms. 41 Commissioner Richards asked for clarification on how large lot sizes contribute to the 42 loss of farmland. 43 Portia McKnight said if houses can be clustered in smaller areas, and areas that the 44 county has designated for residential needs, it would preserve larger tracts of farmland. She 45 said it was important that people feel that they are treated fairly in the process. She said that 46 more densely planned residential is needed to preserve the farms. 47 Commissioner McKee said part of the reason we have large lot sizes are due to 48 regulations for storm water runoff and other regulations. He said that it is important to recognize 49 that county regulations affect lot sizes. He said these regulations are related to watershed 50 runoff, impervious surface, and many other reasons that generate a requirement of a minimum 51 lot size of two acres per house for a great part of the county. He said that he is not criticizing