Orange County NC Website
Attachment <br /> asked for clarification on project locations that have yet to be completed and Louise <br /> Flinn followed this up by asking about the status of County land acquisitions in Bingham <br /> Township for Bingham Park. One of the original goals of the Lands Legacy program was <br /> to acquire parkland in every township. Bingham township is the only township within <br /> Orange County that does not have a county district park. The Mountains to Sea trail will <br /> run through Bingham Township, and there has been some discussion on how to <br /> maximize this opportunity to preserve more County owned open space. There is a <br /> potential to obtain trailhead entrances. Andrea Zimmerman asked if there would be a <br /> presentation to the Board of County Commissioners regarding some of the <br /> achievements, and their involvement within the process of adopting an action plan. <br /> Hirni stated there will be a presentation to the BOCC, and the commissioners tend to be <br /> interested in some of the tangible action items. Reyman asked if there was a notable <br /> demand in Bingham Township for a park. Stancil and Hirni agreed that there was a <br /> variation of feelings in the township, where some individuals would like to see a park, <br /> but others may not. The Lands Legacy program has helped eliminate the parkland <br /> deficit that the County had when the program was launched. Hirni opened the <br /> discussion for any recommendations or input from the council. Reyman would like to <br /> see recreation as a more central investment and consideration when acquiring more <br /> land. Acquiring land for parks, while also considering recreation demands that could be <br /> met, are not incompatible demands and could be included within the action plan. Mikki <br /> Fleming addressed that there was a tension between the need to acquire and the desire <br /> to develop the owned land into useable parks and public open space. Stancil noted as an <br /> example Twin Creeks Park, as it was acquired 20 years ago but has yet to be developed. <br /> Zimmerman asked for clarification as to the reach of the budget that Hirni has access to, <br /> in relation to constructing amenities on sites after the acquisition. Chris Colvin circled <br /> back to the reference made previously by Hirni in favor of prioritizing adding trailheads <br /> in Bingham Township to the Mountain to Sea trail. <br /> b. Election of the Chair and Vice-Chair: Fleming and Reyman will not be running for re- <br /> election. Fleming nominated Natalie Ziemba for chair, Zimmerman seconded. No other <br /> nominations were made. All in favor, none opposed, motion carried. Ziemba opened the <br /> floor to vice-chair nominations. Reyman nominated Zimmerman for vice-chair, Zhao <br /> seconded. All in favor, none opposed, motion carried. <br /> c. Appointment Recommendation / Reconsideration of October Action: Abby Mattingly <br /> explained to the group the difficulties that followed the council's recommendations at <br /> the previous meeting. The council sought to move Natalie Ziemba into the open <br /> Hillsborough Township seat, as they believed she was in an at-large seat, and then <br /> recommended one of the applicants for that at-large seat. However, staff discovered <br /> that Ziemba was actually in the Cedar Grove Township seat that the County <br /> Commissioners had placed her in in order to fill the seat on the Council. As such, the <br /> actions made by the board were not able to be conducted. The Council withdrew their <br /> action to move Ziemba and discussed the available Hillsborough Township applicants. <br /> After some discussion, the group settled on Casey Collins. Fleming moved to nominate <br /> Collins; Zimmerman seconded. All in favor, none opposed, motion carried. Stancil and <br /> staff will continue to recruit in Little River Township. <br />