Agenda - 10-19-1999 - 9g - Laserfiche WebLink

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ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COIVIlVIISSI)ONERS ACTION AGENDA ITE~ ABSTRACT Meeting Date: October 19, 1999 Action Agenda Item No. ! G .A SUBJECT: Creation of a Task Force to Organize a Soccer Symposium DEPARTMENT: Recreation and Parks PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) No Economic Development Commission ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT:. Commissioner Barry Jacobs TELEPHONE NUMBERS: Hillsborough 732-8181 Chapel Hill 968-4501 Durham 688-7331 Mebane 336-227-2031 PURPOSE: To consider establishing a charge for, and appointing a task force to organize and focus community interest in promoting soccer and soccer facilities. BACKGROUND: Considerable anecdotal information indicates there is great interest in playing soccer in Orange County. There are a number of leagues operating within the county, and sporadic efforts have been made to secure fields by these leagues. The Board of County Commissioners recently received a letter from Rick Kennedy, a concerned citizen and member of the Orange County Board of Education, outlining the demand for improved soccer facilities, and earlier this month the Carrboro Board of Aldermen forwarded a request to the county to address this need. While the Master Parks and Recreation Plan spoke to general needs, it did not focus on provision of facilities to meet county demand for specific sports facilities. Both the county's Economic Development Commission and the Recreation and Parks Advisory Council endorse the idea of establishing an organizing committee to promote a meeting of various interest groups to discuss soccer interest and needs. Among the issues to be explored are what facilities are currently available, what is needed, where and how much is the demand, what is the possibility of diverse soccer leagues working together, what sorts of arrangements are required to share usage of fields, and what private and public funding sources are available. Since many soccer players must currently leave the county or otherwise travel great distances to participate, the possible provision of additional soccer facilities in Orange County is seen as meeting economic development as well as recreational needs.