Orange County NC Website
2 <br />In March, an application for a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) was filed with the Town of <br />Hillsborough. CUP approval is required before construction of the park can begin. The permit is <br />currently pending approval by the Town Board of Adjustment. As a part of its review, the Town <br />Board of Adjustment is proposing that the County also install sidewalks around the perimeter of <br />the park (both Phase 1, and the remainder of the site to the north that is not planned for <br />construction at this time). The estimated cost of these sidewalks would add an additional $150- <br />$170,000 to the park project cost. Memoranda shared between BOCC Chair Barry Jacobs and <br />Hillsborough Mayor Tom Stevens in spring 2008 indicate a willingness on the part of the Town <br />Board of Commissioners to share the cost for the sidewalk improvements, and the Town has <br />budgeted $35,000 for the project which may be available for this purpose. Based on <br />conversations with Town staff, the Town Board of Adjustment continues to plan to require <br />construction of all of the sidewalks now as a condition of approval. <br />Staff has identified an approach (outlined below) that may focus sidewalk construction on the <br />Phase 1 property only. It should be noted that conversations with Town staff on this <br />approach have not occurred, as of the agenda deadline. Staff hopes to be able to provide <br />input from the Town about this approach at the meeting. <br />In general, there appear to be two actions, or issues, to consider in proceeding with Fairview <br />Park at the present time, which are: <br />Revise the site plan, and resubmit a PARTF grant application in January 2009. If <br />successful, this option could generate up to $1.2 million total funds for Fairview Park. <br />Current work on the engineering, permits and construction drawings is underway, and <br />would continue throughout this process. The bid documents produced from this effort <br />would provide a base bid of facilities that could be funded with existing funds, as well as <br />alternates that could be selected if the grant is received (Attachment 4). Because the <br />background work would be continuing, submitting a new PARTF application in January <br />2009 would not result in further delays in the project. The current timeline (Attachment 3) <br />shows a construction bid award ready for Board action in June 2009 .(and a potential <br />park opening in March-April 2010). If the grant application is not successful, and the <br />Board chooses to go forward with the construction of the park amenities included in the <br />"base bid", this would eliminate the matching funds that would otherwise be available for <br />another potential revision of the grant application. The attached cost estimate sheet <br />(Attachment 4) shows facilities projected to be part of the "base bid' and others that <br />would be "alternates" to be constructed if the grant funds permit. <br />Staff has initiated meetings with PARTF staff to review some of the inconsistencies and <br />missed items from this year's application, and to gain ideas for a successful 2009 <br />application. While it is unknown whether a 2009 grant would be awarded, a number of <br />the PARTF grants awarded this year were second-time submittals, and a year would <br />have passed between the previous grant awards to the County and Town. <br />2. Achieve resolution to the sidewalk construction question. Construction of all of the <br />sidewalks proposed in the Town Board of Adjustment's conditions could increase the <br />cost of the project by 15% or more. The Board of Adjustment has requested an update <br />at its September 10 meeting regarding the CUP application, and has notified the <br />Fairview community of the meeting. <br />