Minutes 04-14-2022-Work Session - Laserfiche WebLink

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4 Peter Sandbeck said there are two avenues. He said one is locating abandoned cemeteries that many people have forgotten about, and they are not even on genealogical maps. He said the state Historic Preservation Office has a federally funded grant program and the state is very interested in pursuing this project with the county. He noted that a formal proposal will be developed for the state during the coming year. He said they will do an archaeological historical assessment and get those mapped out and placed in GIS to be included in the county's planning system. He said these would then show up if people are applying to develop land where the cemeteries and historic structures exist. He said there is very good interest in that program from the state. He said on the preservation side, Ridge Road School, the immediate need is stabilization restoration work. He said there is foundation called the Marion Stedman Covington Foundation in Greensboro that is set up to fund small preservation projects. He believes they will be very interested in funding the Ridge Road School project. He believes they can get start with some structural repairs and then new windows will be placed. He said he believes that same foundation would be interested in partnering with the county to establish a county grant program for preservation of small preservation projects within the county. Chair Price said that she was glad historic preservation has changed its attitude on preserving small, black cemeteries. She said twenty years ago they were in contact with the state, and they said that someone of significance had to be buried there. She said the other challenge is saving them from developers because they are unmarked. Portia McKnight and Peter Sandbeck presented for the Agricultural Preservation Board. Portia McKnight said they have added five farms to the voluntary agricultural district program. She said that is 3,337 acres and that ten years ago there were fifteen farms and today there are 138 farms and 16,845 acres. She said that this has been a successful program to help farmers protect their farmland. She said they have a member on the Orange County Food Council to enhance the local food economy. She said they helped two farms join the century farm program. She said they have two people who review applications from the economic development department agricultural grants. She thanked the Board for their support. She said there is not enough funding to meet the need for protecting active farmland. She said it is an urgent matter than needs action. She said they want to work with planning, Cooperative Extension, Soil and Water and the Board to help preserve farmland. She said North Carolina is second only to Texas in the loss of farmland. She said the land is being subdivided for housing development. She said the second issue of concern is the loss of dairy in the county. She said they would like to find a path to reinvent dairy. She said Orange County has gone from a very strong dairy production county to only having one small dairy. She said a lot of people drink and eat dairy in Orange County, but there are not a lot of producers. She said dairy production is intensive and once we lose infrastructure and knowledge, there is a need to reinvent dairy production and to connect the people who consume dairy with the cows that make the milk. She said there is also a need for a dedicated agricultural trust fund to preserve farmland in Orange County. She said there is an urgent need for money in farming to keep farmland as farmland. Chair Price said thanked Portia McKnight for the presentation and information and said the Board will see what they can do to protect farms. Commissioner Richards asked for clarification on how large lot sizes contribute to the loss of farmland. Portia McKnight said if houses can be clustered in smaller areas, and areas that the county has designated for residential needs, it would preserve larger tracts of farmland. She said it was important that people feel that they are treated fairly in the process. She said that more densely planned residential is needed to preserve the farms.