Orange County NC Website
ORANGE COUNTY <br />BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br />ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br />Meeting Date: November 3, 1999 <br />Action Agenda <br />Item No.9 -, h <br />SUBJECT: Creation of a Task Force to Organize a Soccer Symposium <br />DEPARTMENT: Recreation and Parks PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) No <br />Economic Development Commission <br />ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT: <br />Commissioner Barry Jacobs <br />TELEPHONE NUMBERS: <br />Hillsborough 732-8181 <br />Chapel Hill 968-4501 <br />Durham 688-7331 <br />Mebane 336-227-2031 <br />PURPOSE: To consider establishing a charge for, and appointing a task force to organize and focus <br />community interest in promoting soccer and soccer facilities. <br />BACKGROUND: Considerable anecdotal information indicates there is great interest in playing soccer <br />in Orange County. There are a number of leagues operating within the county, and sporadic efforts have <br />been made to secure fields by these leagues. The Board of County Commissioners recently received a <br />letter from Rick Kennedy, a concerned citizen and member of the Orange County Board of Education, <br />outlining the demand for improved soccer facilities, and eazlier this month the Carrboro Board of <br />Aldermen forwarded a request to the county to address this need. <br />While the Master Parks and Recreation Plan spoke to general needs, it did not focus on provision of <br />facilities to meet county demand for specific sports facilities. <br />Both the county's Economic Development Commission and the Recreation and Parks Advisory Council <br />endorse the idea of establishing an organizing committee to promote a meeting of various interest groups <br />to discuss soccer. interest and needs. Among the issues to be explored are what facilities are currently <br />available, what is needed, where and how much is the demand, what is the possibility of diverse soccer <br />leagues working together, what sorts of arrangements are required to share usage of fields, and what <br />private and public funding sources are available. <br />Since many soccer players must currently leave the county or otherwise travel great distances to <br />participate, the possible provision of additional soccer facilities in Orange County is seen as meeting <br />economic development as well as recreational needs. <br />