Orange County NC Website
believes the whole community is needed in this conversation because it is too big for the schools <br /> to take on alone. She said she views the county commissioners as the conveners to bring <br /> everyone together. <br /> Commissioner Greene asked if this information will be shared with the Capital Needs Work <br /> Group. <br /> Commissioner Hamilton said the capital needs are beyond safety, but she agrees safety <br /> will inform some of the decisions about capital needs. <br /> Vice-Chair McKee said the task force's recommendations should serve as a guide. <br /> Regarding the connection between safety and capital needs, Vice-Chair McKee said thinking <br /> about access points at schools and other safety issues needs to be part of every conversation <br /> regarding future schools and renovating existing schools. He said common definitions are also <br /> needed to keep stakeholders on the same page when having these conversations. <br /> Commissioner Richards said she thinks there are specifics in the recommendations that <br /> should be seen through. She said she hopes there is some commitment on the part of the schools <br /> to act relative to this. She said many of the recommendations center around clarity, <br /> communicating, and educating on an ongoing basis, and now the Board and stakeholders should <br /> move toward implementing and working toward the recommendations. <br /> Vice-Chair McKee said he thinks this should come up every joint meeting with the school <br /> boards and wants follow up from the schools. <br /> Chair Bedford said the school systems have long been working on making schools safer <br /> and continue to do so. She said the Board should partner with the schools. <br /> Commissioner Hamilton said there is a role for the county commissioners to convene <br /> stakeholders and communicate beyond the school community to convey what schools are facing. <br /> She said School Collaboration Meetings are an opportunity for decisions on how to move forward <br /> with implementation. She said she is happy to serve on a committee for the annual meeting and <br /> rotate with others. <br /> Chair Bedford said she will raise that issue at the November 91h School Collaboration <br /> Meeting. <br /> Commissioner Hamilton highlighted the importance of making sure meetings work with <br /> the school calendar. <br /> 5. Public Hearings <br /> a. 5311 Rural Area Formula Grant and Combined Capital Program (5311/5339) Grant for FY <br /> 2024 <br /> The Board held a public hearing on the 5311 Administrative grant application and the Combined <br /> Capital grant application for FY 2024 and approved the Local Share Certification (Attachment 1). <br /> BACKGROUND: Each year, the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) <br /> Integrated Mobility Division (IMD) accepts requests for capital, operations, and administrative <br /> needs for county-operated transit programs. Orange County Transportation Services (OCTS) is <br /> eligible to make application for both capital and administrative funding and seeks a total of <br /> $1,796,947 in transit grant funding. <br /> Detailed breakdown is outlined in the table below: <br />