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10 <br /> The HPC is currently working on two projects that support Goal 5: Public <br /> Education/Learning Community: Obiective 1: the historic resources book project and <br /> multiple projects to develop and enhance historical and cultural interpretive markers <br /> help build collaborative formal and informal educational opportunities and support <br /> lifelong learning through sharing the county's rich and diverse cultural history. The <br /> dedication of new markers provides public programming related to cultural events, <br /> thereby supporting Goal 6, Objective 1: <br /> The preservation of rural historic properties also supports Goal 6: Diverse and Vibrant <br /> Economy, Obiective 4, by providing resources and assistance to owners of historic <br /> farmsteads often utilized as settings for agritourism. <br /> 6. Describe any collaboration between this board/commission and other boards and <br /> commissions. <br /> The HPC continues to partner with the Orange County Human Relations Commission <br /> (HRC) on a joint project to develop a commemorative marker for the burial ground for <br /> enslaved workers at the Blackwood Farm Park. The long-term goal of this effort is to <br /> develop a program to install permanent markers for many other unmarked burial <br /> grounds across the county. <br /> 7. Identify any activities this board/commission expects to carry out in 2026 that are <br /> related to the Orange County Strategic Plan. General information about the Strategic <br /> Plan is available here. If applicable, please list any fiscal impact (i.e., funding, staff <br /> time, other resources) associated with these proposed activities. <br /> The HPC plans to designate two additional Historic Landmarks and promote the <br /> listing of two additional properties on the National Register; both initiatives will <br /> support the continued preservation of historic open space in rural areas, which <br /> supports Goal 1: Environmental Protection and Climate Action, Objective 7. (No <br /> fiscal impact). Also, new initiatives to develop and promote historical and cultural <br /> interpretive markers will provide enhanced collaborative formal and informal <br /> educational opportunities and support lifelong learning through sharing the county's <br /> rich and diverse cultural history, thus supporting Goal 5: Public Education/Learning <br /> Community: Obiective 1. (no current fiscal impact—funding will be required in future <br /> years to create and install roadside markers as well as develop digital infrastructure <br /> for a digital maker system). <br /> 8. What concerns or emerging issues does this board/commission anticipate for the <br /> upcoming year that it plans to address or wishes to bring to the BOCC's attention? <br /> • Abandoned Black burial grounds: The HPC continues to learn about additional <br /> unmarked Black burial grounds across the county, many of which are associated with <br /> enslaved communities. These are often unmarked or poorly marked. The HPC will <br /> needs a modest dedicated source of funding to help start a project to identify, <br /> research, and protect these burial grounds. This project could be supported by <br /> volunteers, working with professional archaeologists. Outcomes should include <br />