Minutes 02-10-2026 - Work Session

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3 program. He said that the Occoneechee replica village and the oldest surviving grist mill in the county were substantially damaged during Tropical Storm Chantal. He updated the Board on the status of book and the digital marker program. Commissioner Portie-Ascott asked what amount of money they are looking for in a small grant program. Peter Sandbeck, Cultural Resources Coordinator, said they are looking for a small amount of county money to leverage for other grant programs to protect historic properties. He said that it could be an incentive for property owners to make improvements to their properties. Commissioner Bedford thanked the Historic Preservation Commission for their interest in remembering black veterans from the Cedar Grove community. Commissioner McKee thanked the commission for their interest in preserving old barns and black schools in the county. Commissioner Greene noted that the Moorefields application was approved at the previous business meeting. Michael Hughes of the Agricultural Preservation Board said the board's major accomplishment was completing the updated Agricultural Viability and Farmland Stewardship Plan, replacing the 2009 plan after three years of work. He said the board presented an initial draft to commissioners in April and incorporated feedback from the county attorney and planning staff. He said the final plan will be presented in spring 2026 for acceptance. He said the plan addresses key challenges including loss of prime farmland to development and decreasing economic viability of farming driven by high land values. He said the Voluntary Agricultural District program added three farms totaling 110 acres in 2025, bringing the total to 17,689 acres on 158 farms. He said they hosted a successful VAD breakfast attended by about 60 landowners and co- hosted a workshop on conservation easements and farm succession planning attended by 35 farmers. Commissioner Carter asked about the time frame for hearing more on the tools and policies to help young farmers. Michael Hughes said a year. Vice-Chair Fowler asked how the board interacts with North Carolina preservation programs. Peter Sandbeck said that they work a lot with the state programs. He said that Christian Hirni of DEAPR received a large grant to do agricultural easements. He said the board applied for a grant for a cost of community services study for Orange County. He said it will be a cost analysis for local governments to service different land uses. Ian Morse, of the Commission for the Environment, said they worked on the Community Climate Action Grant review process in the fall. He said they will be working on the State of the Environment report in 2026. He said they received 20 nominations for the RIPPLE Award. He said they participated in the Earth Evening event in 2025. He said they will work on the Nature of Orange photography project, continue to coordinate with the Intergovernmental Parks Work Group, and identify priorities for the Lands Legacy action plan. He said the Climate Action Plan has been a great resource for the commission. He said their goals for 2026 are continuances of their efforts from 2025. He said they would like for the county to reestablish full Community Climate Action grant funding. He said they want to support the Sustainability Office's efforts in heat mitigation. He said it's important work for the county to respond to increasing heat waves. He said they struggle with recruiting and retaining volunteers and want to improve the age diversity of the commission. He thanked the staff that support the commission. Commissioner Carter thanked Ian Morse and the commission for their thorough review of the Community Climate Action Grant applications. Ian Morse credited county staff for their work on the grant program Allan Pollak of the Animal Services Advisory Board said they hosted an ice cream truck event for Animal Services employees. He said they worked on a renewal of the Pat Sanford grant.