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6 <br /> • Continue to serve as the County Trails Plan steering committee, provided <br /> advice and feedback as needed. This effort will look at current and <br /> planned future trails, and explore gaps, interconnections and needs for <br /> the future. The Council also plans to coordinate in the parallel Bicycle <br /> and Pedestrian Plan effort with the OUT Board and Transportation <br /> Department (Strategic Plan Goal 4.2) <br /> • The Council reviewed the need for a County recreational public water <br /> feature. The Council wishes to promote implementation of a SplashPad <br /> in the future, at a site to be determined, based on community interest and <br /> funding availability. (Goal 2.8). <br /> • Review potential missing amenities at parks, drawing upon information <br /> from the inventory of parks facilities, provided in the 2030 Parks and <br /> Recreation Master Plan. As the 2030 Master Plan comes to an end, such <br /> conversations will inform the planning for the next master plan, the initial <br /> planning of which should begin in 2027. (Goal 2.8) <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 /> • The demand on the County's existing soccer fields and tennis/pickleball <br /> courts continues to be a concern raised to the Council and staff on a <br /> regular basis. While the new tennis/pickleball courts at Fairview will help <br /> address this, other courts exist and could be made available to meet <br /> demand. In particular, the Council notes the 14 tennis courts that exist at <br /> Orange High and Cedar Ridge High. As previously noted, it is our <br /> understanding these courts have been largely unavailable for public use <br /> since the pandemic. Allowing these courts to come back into public use <br /> during specified timeframes that do not conflict with school uses would be <br /> desirable. As there is no longer an expansion of the Soccer.com Center <br /> and Millhouse Road Park (soccer center), new opportunities for public <br /> soccer fields in central and northern Orange County need to be found. The <br /> Council understands the many financial constraints the County is faced <br /> with but would encourage finding a way to increase the soccer field <br /> inventory in the next three to five years. <br /> • The need for indoor recreation and gymnasium space also continues to be a <br /> major concern, and the Council is appreciative of the acknowledgment of <br /> this in the CIP with the planned new Recreation Center. The County's Ione <br /> recreation center, the Central Rec Center on West Tryon Street in <br /> Hillsborough, is now 68 years old, and the Council hopes that the new project <br /> can stay on track to meet the significant demand that exists for indoor gym <br /> space. The current Central Rec Center continues to be "maxed out" in terms <br /> of space, with the County unable to fully serve the existing demand from our <br /> residents. We encourage the planning for the new center to continue to take <br /> into consideration not just the replacement of the 1957 facility but needed <br /> additional space to accommodate existing and future demand. <br />