Orange County NC Website
APPROVED 12/11/2008 <br /> MINUTES <br /> ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br /> REGULAR MEETING <br /> November 18, 2008 <br /> 7:30 p.m. <br /> The Orange County Board of Commissioners met in regular session on Tuesday, November <br /> 18, 2008 at 7:30 p.m. in the Southern Human Services Center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. <br /> COUNTY COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Chair Barry Jacobs and Commissioners Moses <br /> Carey, Jr., Valerie P. Foushee, Alice M. Gordon, and Mike Nelson <br /> COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ABSENT: <br /> COUNTY ATTORNEYS PRESENT: Geoffrey Gledhill <br /> COUNTY STAFF PRESENT: County Manager Laura Blackmon Assistant County <br /> Managers Willie Best and Gwen Harvey and Clerk to the Board Donna Baker. <br /> NOTE: ALL DOCUMENTS REFERRED TO IN THESE MINUTES ARE IN THE PERMANENT <br /> AGENDA FILE IN THE CLERK'S OFFICE. <br /> 1. Additions or Changes to the Agenda <br /> Chair Jacobs went through the items at the County Commissioners' places. The pink <br /> sheet relates to item 5-a, the Capital Investment Plan. There were also materials in reference <br /> to the critical equipment required to control and measure water releases from Lake Orange. <br /> PUBLIC CHARGE <br /> The Chair dispensed with the reading of the public charge. <br /> 2. Public Comments <br /> a. Matters not on the Printed Agenda <br /> Glenn Wallace is a local business owner and he spoke about the scenic byways of <br /> N.C. He said that there are 97 miles of byways in Orange County and there are 61 general <br /> aviation airports in N.C. He has done a study, and at no time has a general aviation airport <br /> been sited next to a scenic byway. He asked the County Commissioners to act quickly and <br /> diligently to protect the scenic byways and to have the ordinance changes to protect this land <br /> from an airport. From a conservation viewpoint, he does not want his local government to <br /> leave the window open for UNC, the General Assembly, and other powerful people to ruin the <br /> scenic byways in Orange County. <br /> Pam Hemminger said that she has an idea about using the rest of the Super Soccer <br /> Fund money, which is $650,000, to earmark it for artificial turfing one field at Cedar Falls Park. <br /> There is a desperate need in Chapel Hill for soccer fields. This artificial turf field could be used <br /> by all County citizens all year long. She asked the County Commissioners to look into this. <br /> Mike Strand is a longstanding board member for Rainbow Soccer and the Executive <br /> Director of Triangle United Soccer. He was here two years ago to speak about this same <br /> process for soccer fields at Smith Middle School, but it went nowhere. He spoke in support of <br /> using the Soccer Super Fund for Cedar Falls Park. He said that his group is willing to put in <br /> some money up front in exchange for rental fees. <br />