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3 <br /> RES-2024-060 Attachment 1 <br /> ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br /> RESOLUTION <br /> Approval of Conservation Easement <br /> between <br /> Orange County <br /> and <br /> Wiliam Bruce and Phyllis Richmond <br /> WHEREAS, Orange County has adopted goals that promote the preservation of natural areas, <br /> wildlife habitat, prime farmland, and open space in the County; and <br /> WHEREAS, Orange County established the Lands Legacy Program for the purpose of <br /> protecting the most significant natural and cultural resources through partnerships with <br /> landowners and other conservation entities; and <br /> WHEREAS, one component of the Lands Legacy Program is the acquisition of conservation <br /> easements on riparian buffers within water supply watersheds; and <br /> WHEREAS, the William Bruce and Phyllis Richmond property includes approximately 36 acres <br /> in the Upper Eno protected watershed that includes almost 5,000 linear feet of McGowans <br /> Creek, a direct tributary to the Eno River, a drinking water supply for the Town of Hillsborough <br /> and eventually the cities of Durham and Raleigh; and <br /> WHEREAS, William and Phyllis Richmond, the owners of the property, wish to grant a <br /> permanent conservation easement to Orange County, which will protect the forested riparian <br /> corridors on the property; and <br /> WHEREAS, a conservation easement on this approximately 36 acres would ensure the <br /> preservation of this forested property and stream buffers for future generations; <br /> NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Orange County Board of Commissioners <br /> does hereby 1) accept on behalf of Orange County the conservation easement for land owned <br /> by William and Phyllis Richmond; 2) approve the execution of this conservation easement <br /> agreement with William and Phyllis Richmond, in accordance with the terms of the proposed <br /> easement agreement, subject to final review by staff and the County Attorney; 3) authorize the <br /> Chair and the Clerk to sign the easement agreement on behalf of the Board, with a closing to <br /> occur on or about January 30, 2025; and 4) authorize County staff to sign any and all closing <br /> documents upon consultation with the County Attorney. <br /> BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Board thanks William and Phyllis Richmond for their <br /> civic-minded granting of this conservation easement through the Lands Legacy Program. <br /> This the 7t" day of November, 2024. <br /> Jamezetta Bedford, Chair <br /> Orange County Board of Commissioners <br /> Laura Jensen, Clerk to the Board <br />