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3 3. Board Comments Commissioner Gordon—no comments. Commissioner Jacobs said that it occurred to him that the white house at Southern Human Services Center is sitting next to a pond and it is accessible. He suggested referring this to staff to see if this is a fit for an environmental center. There is some room in this house that the County Commissioners have talked about upgrading or making available. The only discussions have been making a meeting space out of it. Commissioner Jacobs recognized Environment and Resource Conservation Director Dave Stancil. Dave Stancil said that they received notification from the USDA that Orange County has been awarded another grant for the Lands Legacy program for farmland conservation easements totaling $845,646. This is the largest grant to date. This will help to purchase conservation easements on four farms throughout Orange County and water supply watersheds. This brings the grant totals to date to $3.7 million. He acknowledged Rich Shaw, who did a lot of the grant writing, as well as the Soil and Water office. Commissioner Jacobs announced that the Job Link Center at the Skills Development Center would have a reception on May 51h from 10:00 a.m. —2:00 p.m. on Franklin Street. Also, the Burwell School Spring party will be on May 6th from 6:00 p.m. —8:00 p.m. There is also an RSVP luncheon on May 19th celebrating 32 years of community service to Orange County. This is at the Friday Center from 11:30 a.m. — 1:30 p.m. Commissioner Jacobs said that the aquamarine sheet is regarding a bill introduced that would negate any efforts by the County to regulate forestry. He suggested that the Board go on record and send a letter to the legislators and to the NCACC that it opposes this bill and that it would further like to discuss having wider authority, especially in an area where air quality and the interface between suburban life and agricultural life is becoming increasingly uncertain. He suggested having Planning Director Craig Benedict and ERCD Director Dave Stancil work on this letter. Chair Carey asked staff to draft the letter. Commissioner Foushee— no comments. Commissioner Halkiotis said that he received a call from a citizen who saw a story in the New York Times about the Triangle Sportsplex and a child at A. L. Stanback whose life revolves around ice-skating. The article is in the packet. It is interesting to see how this facility has impacted the lives of a family. Commissioner Halkiotis thanked Economic Development Director Dianne Reid, Mike Lanier from Agricultural Extension, and Marty Mandell, a concerned citizen from Carrboro. He said that he traveled with them to a Renewable Energy for Economic Development Workshop. They talked about local industries that are looking at renewable energy as an economic development tool. One of the speakers was the new President of Wilson Technical Community College. He invited Commissioner Halkiotis to come to the campus because they are building a prototype sustainable educational building that is designed to use very little energy and to use internal retrofits. Also, the head of the engineering program at Cape Fear Community College spoke. They are now building an independent house that will not be hooked up to a power source. He would like to have a follow up meeting to see the applicability of some of this to Orange County. He will be going down to Wilson in the summer to visit this prototype building. Chair Carey said that he received a letter from Carol Woods retirement community that they would be contributing $175,000 to the County in December of this year. Carol Woods is tax exempt in Orange County and has been making contributions. Chair Carey said that the historic Airport Road in Chapel Hill would be dedicated as Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard on May 8th at 2:30 p.m.