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ORANGE COUNTY <br />BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br />ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br />Meeting Date: May 3, 2000 <br />Action Agenda <br />Item No. Q "~ <br />SUBJECT: Interim Action Plan -- Lands Legac~Proc,~ram <br />DEPARTMENT: Environment and Resource PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) No <br />Conservation <br />ATTACHMENT(S): <br />Proposed Interim Action Plan <br />Report on Parks Bond and Other Parks- <br />Related Projects <br />INFORMATION CONTACT: <br />Dave Stancil, 245-2590 <br />Rich Shaw, 245-2591 <br />TELEPHONE NUMBERS: <br />Hillsborough 732-8181 <br />Chapel Hill 968501 <br />Durham 688-7331 <br />Mebane 336-227-2031 <br />PURPOSE: To consider adapting an Interim Action Plan for the Lands Legacy program, far <br />the. period May, 2000 -June, 2001, as discussed on April 4. <br />BACKGROUND: On April 4, the Board adopted the Lands Legacy program as the County's <br />policy and program for acquisition of priority resource lands and parks. As a part of that action, <br />staff was instructed to bring back an Interim Action Plan to cover the time from the present <br />through the end of fiscal year 2000-01. <br />On April 18"' and 25~', the BOCC Open Space Task Force discussed ways to develop the <br />Interim Action Plan, with a focus on beginning a process of land-banking for parks. The draft <br />plan (attached) is focused on locating appropriate sites for parks in Chapel Hill, Bingham and <br />possibly Eno Townships, as well as enhancement of the park at the Northern Human Services <br />Center in Cedar Grove Township. In terms of other priorities, the Interim Action Plan would seek <br />to preserve important lands in the Seven-Mile Creek Bottomlands natural areas (Cheeks <br />Township), a pilot project for an agricultural conservation easement, and acquisition of links in a <br />pilot project woodland trail in Chapel Hill Township. Potential partnerships with other agencies <br />are recommended where possible, and aggressive pursuit of grants and other outside funds to <br />augment County dollars is .also assumed. <br />The Interim Action Plan has a strong emphasis on taking parkland acquisition to the next level <br />in terms of identifying sites using the adopted parkland criteria, the Master Recreation and <br />Parks Plan and the Joint Master Recreation and Parks (JMRP) Work Group report. The <br />proposed component for parklands would acquire sites to address identified needs as well as <br />an equitable geographic dispersion of future park sites throughout the County. The parkland <br />acquisition component of the Interim Action Plan focuses on the vision in the JMRP report, with <br />the County taking the lead in developing a vision for parks at the district and community park <br />