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12 <br /> What are the concerns or emerging issues your board has identified for the upcoming <br /> year that it plans to address, or wishes to bring to the Commissioners' attention? <br /> • The Countywide Trails Plan will be an important blueprint to pull together <br /> existing plans and identify new needs. It is important that the Town's trail <br /> and greenway plans be accounted for in this document, and we look <br /> forward to conversations with our colleagues in the towns about <br /> interconnectivity. <br /> • The County's Ione recreation center, the Central Rec Center on West Tryon <br /> Street in Hillsborough, is now 66 years old. In the Capital Investment Plan <br /> and the County Master Facilities Plan is a proposed new recreation center <br /> toward the end of the decade. The current Central Rec Center has been <br /> maxed out for several years now in terms of space, with the County unable <br /> to serve the existing demand from our residents. We encourage the <br /> planning for the new center to continue to take into consideration not just <br /> the replacement of the 1957 facility but needed additional space to <br /> accommodate existing and future demand. <br /> • Pickleball and outdoor courts to accommodate this growing sport is a topic <br /> that has received much attention and new courts are underway at Fairview <br /> Park. The County should expedite opportunities to create more courts or <br /> make other publicly owned courts (such as the eight at Orange High <br /> School) available for public use. <br /> • While reviewing the adopted 2030 Parks and Recreation Master Plan, there <br /> are many occasions where greater coordination and facility sharing is <br /> suggested with both 1) the Orange County Sportsplex and 2) Orange <br /> County Schools. Neither concept is a new idea, but little in the way of <br /> outcomes have been achieved. The Council would like to pursue these <br /> discussions anew, with a focus toward achieving result-oriented <br /> outcomes. <br /> • In a similar vein, the potential for the County and towns to work together on <br /> new joint parks and facilities is more appropriate than ever before. There <br /> are scheduled projects in the CIP that offer the opportunity to pursue joint <br /> initiatives. <br /> • Promoting pollinator gardens within our parks, and perhaps in conjunction <br /> with the schools, is an opportunity that should not be lost. The Council <br /> would like to work with staff to develop more gardens and pursue new <br /> opportunities in this area. This is a low-cost/high reward activity that will <br /> be an ongoing benefit. <br />