Agenda - 03-18-2025; 8-a - Minutes

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2 1 recommendations, getting updates of the Perry Hills mini-park and the Blackwood Park. She said 2 they will not be participating in outside agency funding review in 2025 and members are thankful 3 for that. She said they have a youth representative on their council, and they find it to be a valuable 4 perspective. She said their plans for 2025 include the council serving as the steering committee 5 for the county trails plan. She said the Parks and Recreation Council hopes to provide input on 6 the bicycle and pedestrian plan as well. She said that that the facilities for soccer fields are maxed 7 out and there is very limited availability. She said that resources could be expanded at the 8 Soccer.com center and the possibility of fields at the Millhouse Center. She said they are 9 considering establishing a partnership with the schools for recreation facilities at the schools. She 10 said they would like to work with the schools in using bond funds to build recreational facilities. 11 Commissioner Portie-Ascott asked if the council had considered partnering with Chapel 12 Hill Carrboro City Schools in addition to Orange County. 13 David Stancil, DEAPR Director, said that both would be nice but most of their participants 14 are in the Orange County district. 15 Commissioner McKee asked if there had been any discussion with the schools because 16 his impression is that it would be a difficult conversation. 17 Natalie Ziemba said they have not gotten far in establishing a relationship with the schools, 18 but they have reached out. 19 Chair Bedford said the Board adopted a new school facilities policy that asks the school 20 board to talk to other jurisdictions about shared facilities. 21 Art Menius from the Historic Preservation Commission said they are in the final editing 22 process of the historic resources book. He said they have had three different properties start the 23 National Register of Historic Places process. He said that Ridge Road School was placed on the 24 register in 2024. He said they submitted an application for the Strayhorn house in Carrboro. He 25 said the Andrews-Earnhardt house outside of Carrboro was built by a student of Frank Lloyd 26 Wright and much of the work on the house was performed by local African American masons, the 27 Barbees. He said they have started their first historic preservation easement project in 28 collaboration with the Lands Legacy Program at the Henry Calvin Andrews house. He said that 29 they have revamped the local landmark application process to remove biases and prejudices. He 30 said they have started working more closely with Hillsborough. He said that going forward, there 31 is a lot of work that needs to be done around historic Black cemeteries. He said they are working 32 on the Blackwood Farm Park project with the Human Relations Commission. He said Blackwood 33 Farm Park has a cemetery where there is a burial ground of workers. He said that there is another 34 very large Black cemetery of enslaved people off Terry Road and the developer set aside a couple 35 of acres of that property for preservation. He said that the Ridge Road School is on the National 36 Register, but it still needs to be preserved and maintained. He said it belongs to a church, but 37 they do not have the funds to continuously do this, so they are seeking funding for a small-scale 38 grant program for properties that merit preservation, but resources are few. He said they want to 39 increase awareness of archeological sites and are working on a digital marker program. He said 40 that a physical marker would be much more expensive. He said that if the Commissioners would 41 like to have a physical marker program, they can make that happen. He said that they are working 42 with the Old Courthouse too. He said it is America's 250th ongoing and they are following the lead 43 of the tourism commissioner. 44 Chair Bedford said she appreciates the marker that is being installed at the Blackwood 45 Farm for the Black cemetery. 46 Art Menius said that he hoped to see some of the commissioners at the old courthouse 47 where three Orange County residents who were lynched will be remembered. 48 Michael Hughes of the Agricultural Preservation Board said that the Board had heard 49 about the state of agriculture in Orange County at their retreat the previous month. He said that 50 there are no surprises: loss of farmland to development and decreasing economic viability of 51 farming. He said in 2022, the Agricultural Preservation Board formed a farmland protection