Orange County NC Website
ORANGE COUNTY <br />BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br />ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br />Meeting Date: September 7, 2005 <br />Action Agenda <br />Item No. 10 -a <br />SUBJECT: Update on Planned Acquisition of Triangle SportsPlex Property <br />DEPARTMENT: Manager/Attorney/Finance/ <br />Purchasing <br />PUBLIC HEARING: (YIN) No <br />ATTACHMENT(S): <br />None <br />INFORMATION CONTACT: <br />Rod Visser, ext 2300 <br />Geof Gledhill, 732-2196 <br />Ken Chavious, ext 2453 <br />Pam Jones, ext 2652 <br />TELEPHONE NUMBERS: <br />Hillsborough 732-8181 <br />Chapel Hill 968-4501 <br />Durham 688-7331 <br />Mebane 336-227-2031 <br />PURPOSE: To review progress related to several aspects of the planned acquisition of the <br />Triangle SportsPlex property. <br />BACKGROUND: The Board of Commissioners received status reports and made several <br />decisions at its August 16, 2005 regular meeting regarding the planned acquisition of the <br />Triangle SportsPlex property. During 2004 and 2005, at the direction of the Board of <br />Commissioners, staff and consultants had performed due diligence analysis regarding the <br />County's potential interest in acquiring that property. The County's interests relate not only to <br />recreation opportunities, but also to a proposal to construct the new Central Orange Senior <br />Center in conjunction with an expansion of the SportsPlex. The SportsPlex is an 82,000 square <br />foot facility in the Meadowlands Business Park in Hillsborough that provides a regulation ice <br />rink, three swimming pools, fitness equipment, and other recreation amenities. The County <br />operates a small senior center in rented space on property immediately adjacent to the <br />SportsPlex property. <br />The Board approved contracts for architectural design and for project management of the <br />Sports Plex/Senior Center expansion project at the August 16 meeting. The Board also <br />authorized the staff to engage the Blackman & Sloop CPA firm to conduct an "agreed upon <br />procedures" review of the SportsPlex financial position, and directed staff to make one more <br />effort to persuade the property owners to provide whatever written representations might be <br />needed to permit the conduct of a full-fledged audit of the SportsPlex financials. Staff and the <br />Attorney have assurance that the owner has agreed to an extension of the due diligence period <br />from September 12 to October 5, 2005. This extension of the "free look" period will provide <br />time for the owner to resolve fully Orange County's request that it provide the management