Orange County NC Website
24 <br /> 1 Slide#33 <br /> FY2026-36 Recommended Parks, Open Space, and Trail Development Projects <br /> Healthy Community <br /> Community Goals <br /> • Twin Creeks District Park- $325,000 <br /> (p.119) - _{ <br /> — Renovations& repairs to the farmstead buildings to <br /> maintain historic features ® � <br /> — Permitting&replacement of a culvert for the main -� <br /> east-west entry driveway -- <br /> — Farmhouse could be rented to a Caretaker to prevent *' <br /> future vandalism <br /> — Rental income could offset renovation and repair <br /> expenses <br /> • 20-year borrowing could be offset by$2,173 monthly rent <br /> ORANGE COUNTY <br /> 33 NORTH CAROLINA <br /> 2 <br /> 3 Travis Myren described a proposal to renovate and repair the historic farmstead buildings on the <br /> 4 Twin Creeks District Park property along with installation of an east-west driveway. Park development <br /> 5 funds for the property itself are beyond the 10-year planning horizon. The renovated house could <br /> 6 accommodate a caretaker who would pay rent and provide an on-site presence <br /> 7 Commissioner McKee asked about the mechanics of the caretaker arrangement, expressing <br /> 8 concern about how compensation and rent would interact. <br /> 9 David Stancil, Department of Environment, Agriculture, Parks, and Recreation described the <br /> 10 existing caretaker model at Little River Regional Park, where a house was relocated from Dogwood Acres <br /> 11 and a caretaker has lived there for many years paying nominal rent in exchange for opening and closing <br /> 12 gates and other minor duties. He indicated the Twin Creeks house, once renovated, could command <br /> 13 meaningful rental revenue given its location on the north side of Carrboro. <br /> 14 Commissioner McKee acknowledged the conflict-of-interest considerations inherent in a caretaker <br /> 15 arrangement with county employees <br /> 16 David Stancil confirmed there is an established process for structuring such arrangements to avoid <br /> 17 conflicts of interest. <br /> 18 Chair Hamilton asked whether the property is currently open to the public. <br /> 19 David Stancil responded that the greenway connecting Morris Grove Elementary to Lake Hogan <br /> 20 Farms is open, but the farmstead portion is not, though hikers do occasionally reach the house despite <br /> 21 signage. He described various security measures that had been tried, including alarm systems with voice <br /> 22 messages, but concluded that on-site human presence is what is ultimately needed. <br /> 23 Commissioner Bedford suggested using this property for affordable housing or short-term housing <br /> 24 options. <br /> 25 Chair Hamilton suggested exploring what a chain link fence around the structures would cost as <br /> 26 an alternative or interim measure. <br />