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~~ ;~ - _.- <br />MINUTES <br />ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br />PUBLIC HEARING <br />MAY 25, 19$9 <br />The Orange County Board of Commissioners met on May 25, 19$9 at 7:30 p.m, in <br />Superior Courtroom, Orange County Courthouse, Hillsborough, North Carolina for the <br />purpose of hearing citizen comments on matters concerning .economic development in the <br />County. <br />BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT: Chair Moses Carey, Jr., and Commissioners Shirley E. Marshall, <br />Stephen Halkiotis, Don Willhoit, John Hartwell. <br />ATTORNEY PRESENT: Geoffrey Gledhill <br />STAFF PRESENT: County Manager John Link, Purchasing Director Pam Jones, Economic <br />Development Director Sylvia Price, Planner Gene Bell, Clerk to the Board Beverly <br />Blythe and Deputy Clerk to the Board Kathy Baker. <br />CONSULTANT PRESENT: Thomas McDowell of McDevco Associates, Raleigh, NC. <br />Chairman Carey opened the meeting at 7:30 p.m. He indicated that this meeting <br />was the second of two Public Hearings which were originally scheduled to hear public <br />comment on the remaining site for the proposed Regional Airport. On Monday night, May <br />22nd, the Board of Commissioners decided that site-11 was not suitable and that other <br />alternatives could be pursued to contribute to the achievement of the County's goal of <br />economic development and diversification of the tax base. The Board also voted on <br />Monday night to continue with these Public Hearings to hear citizen comment on the <br />subject of alternative methods fox reaching those goals mentioned above. Members of <br />the public who wish to comment on the need for an airport in Orange County are invited <br />to speak on that also. <br />THE PUBLIC HEARING WAS OPEN FOR CITIZEN COMMENTS. <br />MR. JAMES LA TORRE, an Orange County resident, presented the Board of <br />Commissioners with additional petitions opposing the proposed airport. He stated that <br />he has recently learned that over 90$ of the tax base is residential and that tax <br />base needs to be expanded by attracting industry to our County. He suggested setting <br />aside an area for industrialization and providing an adequate infrastructure in that <br />area. He also suggested using the communication network that has been established to <br />fight the airport as a tool for organizing the current labor force, so that potential <br />employers will know the kind of workforce available to them. Finally, he suggested <br />the Gaunty's attendance at trade shows where industries are seeking new locations for <br />their business. , <br />MS. LEIGH PEEK, an Orange County resident, spoke in opposition to Orange County <br />ever having a regional airport. She suggested that a commitment be made to have the <br />County stay the way the people in the County want it to be, rather than doing whatever <br />to attract economic development. She also asked that in the future Orange County <br />residents be used as consultants. She suggested that the County learn to better <br />budget county funds so that the goal of economic development could be reached without <br />having to raise taxes. She mentioned that the utilities, particularly the telephone <br />systems, need to be improved in order to attract new industry. She stated that her <br />understanding is that the area in the County which is zoned Industrial/Commercial does <br />not have water/sewer service. A commitment needs to be made to actually making the <br />- -.~, I <br />