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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - 20090219 APPROVED 4/7/2009 MINUTES ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS HILLSBOROUGH BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS JOINT MEETING February 19, 2009 7:30 p.m. The Orange County Board of Commissioners met for a Joint Meeting with the Town of Hillsborough Commissioners on Thursday, February 19, 2009 at 7:30 p.m. in the Link Government Services Center, in Hillsborough, North Carolina. COUNTY COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Chair Valerie P. Foushee, Vice-Chair Mike Nelson and Commissioners Alice Gordon, Pam Hemminger, Barry Jacobs, Bernadette Pelissier, and Steve Yuhasz COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ABSENT: COUNTY ATTORNEYS PRESENT: Geof Gledhill COUNTY STAFF PRESENT: County Manager Laura Blackmon, Assistant County Managers Willie Best and Gwen Harvey, and Clerk to the Board Donna S. Baker (All other staff members will be identified appropriately below) HILLSBOROUGH COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Mayor Tom Stevens and Commissioners Eric Hallman, Michael Gering, Brian Lowen, and Evelyn Lloyd HILLSBOROUGH COMMISSIONERS ABSENT: Frances Dancy HILLSBOROUGH STAFF PRESENT: Town Manager Eric Peterson NOTE: ALL DOCUMENTS REFERRED TO IN THESE MINUTES ARE IN THE PERMANENT AGENDA FILE IN THE CLERK'S OFFICE. Welcome and Opening Remarks: Introductions were made. Mayor Stevens welcomed the new County Commissioners and said that he is thankful that there is such good collaboration on joint capital projects and work groups, with the spirit of cooperation. 1. Park Issues a) Fairview Park Short Term and Long Term Operations and Memorandum of Understanding Parks and Recreation Director Lori Taft said that staff wanted the boards to discuss the MOU for the operation of Fairview Park, which is on schedule. The hope is to have a construction contract ready for consideration by summer break. The plan is to have the park completed by next May. She made reference to Attachment 1-a, with five important issues for boards' discussion, as shown below: 1. Is Orange County willing to manage the construction of the park, and the operation of the park for a five —year period? 2. Is Hillsborough willing to take over the operation of the park beginning in five years (July 1, 2014)? 3. Is each party willing to fund 50% of the operating budget for the park, beginning July 1, 2009 until the Town takes over operation? This funding is proposed to be exclusive of full-time employees and benefits associated with the Orange County crew assigned to this and other County parks. The 2009-2010 budget request is estimated at around $50,000. 4. Is there interest among the parties in annexing the County property (41.75 acres) to the Town of Hillsborough? 5. Is the Town willing to contribute 50% of the cost of the Torain St. sidewalk? The total cost of this sidewalk is estimated at $30,000. Commissioner Nelson said that he was not around when this park was started. He asked if there was any discussion of who would manage the park before the park was built. Lori Taft said no and Commissioner Jacobs said that everyone has always talked about it being a County park and there was some tension because the residents in Fairview thought of it as their park. After the land swap, it became a joint park. Margaret Hauth said that, as the land was studied more, it became clear that a portion of the site was much more expensive to develop, and to put the program improvements that were desired by the neighborhood, some of the Town's land on the adjacent parcel was necessary. Mayor Stevens said that this is the first time something has been on paper about this park and originally this was a County park but now it is a joint effort. He said that, from the Town's perspective, it has not been on the radar and has not been on the Town's parks plan. He said that he is interested in discussing the park eventually moving to the Town, but there would have to be different figures then what there is now. He said that one penny of Town taxes equates to only $60,000, and just the maintenance on this park would be %2 cent. This would be a very difficult fiscal project for the Town. Brian Lowen said that he did not realize that the parks in Chapel Hill and Carrboro were operated by the towns, but the Town of Hillsborough does not have a Parks and Recreation department. This does warrant more discussion. Michael Gering said that the Riverwalk project is the Town's only park project and there is still a long way to go to see this project to its completion. He said that this is the Town's priority at this time. Commissioner Jacobs said that when the County did the bond in 2001, Fairview Park was the top park then and the County put in $850,000. He said that this park has been a great example of how well the Town and County work together. He said that the 10-year proposal went to the Town last year in some format and he and the Mayor had discussed it then. Commissioner Jacobs said that this is another opportunity to talk about duplication of services and the possibility of consolidating parks and recreation services. Commissioner Pelissier said that she is not real clear about issue #3 and there are no projections in year six. She suggested just letting Hillsborough continue to contribute since it does not have a parks and recreation department. Commissioner Nelson verified that at the time of the land swap, there was no discussion about cost sharing. He said that when he was Mayor of Carrboro, there was a small area plan and the County came in and bought a large piece of land in the extraterritorial district where Twin Creeks Park is now. He said that he is not interested in having a small town spend money on this. Commissioner Jacobs said that it is a little different in this situation and Hillsborough contributed land to this and made a sacrifice upfront. This was mutually beneficial and he would like to keep it that way. Lori Taft made reference to the zip code study and said that Fairview Park is not the type of park that would bring people in from all over the County because it is a smaller park. She said that the tentative budget does not include any of the full-time staff. There will be a crew of three full-time staff that will operate the park as well as other parks. There will also be additional seasonal staff. Chair Foushee said that it seems that since the MOU is predicated on these five items, then the boards are not ready to move forward on the MOU. The boards agreed. b) Update on Riverwalk Margaret Hauth said that this concept is to create a greenway along the Eno River that connects the park behind the courthouse to Occoneechee State Natural Area along the river. Phase 1 connects to Gold Park. The Town is nearly ready to acquire the last piece of property that is needed. c) Update on Gold Park Margaret Hauth said that Saturday, March 21St, the Town is planning to have a ribbon cutting for this park. The park includes 24 acres given to the Town by the Gold family to construct this park. 2. Interlocal Agreement for Hillsborough Strategic Growth Plan - Phase II — Report from the Interlocal Agreement Committee Margaret Hauth introduced Roger Waldon with Clarion and Associates, who has been helping with this second phase of the Strategic Growth Plan. Roger Waldon thanked Eric Hallman and Commissioner Jacobs for their leadership on this steering committee. He said that the inter-jurisdictional work is great in Orange County and it is a model. He made reference to the brief summary in the packet. He said that the key point is establishing an urban services area for Hillsborough. He said that there were a number of public information sessions and he was pleased with the reaction. He pointed out the Summary of Recommendations (in attachment 2): Summary of Recommendations The key points in the recommendations: - Adjustments would be made to Hillsborough's Extraterritorial Jurisdiction boundary that would remove existing Extraterritorial Jurisdiction designations in areas where Hillsborough is not likely to grow, and expand Extraterritorial Jurisdiction in places where it does not now exist but which are directly in the path of Hillsborough's near- term growth. The proposed shifts would represent generally equivalent acreage being added and taken away. - A boundary for Hillsborough's growth and annexation would be established. - Boundaries would be drawn for areas of joint review of development proposals. Craig Benedict pointed out areas on the map of the potential urban services area. Craig Benedict said that in all of the blue, orange, and white areas, there would be a joint land use plan and there would be agreement about what uses would be in those areas. Roger Waldon said that this has been good planning and the hope is that the two boards would consider the agreement and the map. Craig Benedict reiterated that this is an agreement to do something and not putting lines on a map or changing land uses or zoning at this time. 3. Transportation Issues a) Report from Rail Station Task Force Regarding the Siting of a Rail Station in Hillsborough Margaret Hauth said that the report in the packet was prepared by the Rail Station Task Force. This committee met on Friday mornings and the report was done on time. This is not a statement by staff, but a work of the task force. There was a public open house at the Big Barn, 50 people came out, and almost everyone was in favor of having a rail station in Hillsborough. There was a lot of sentimental attachment to the old depot on Nash Street. There are, however, some significant engineering constraints with the old depot site. The decision was made to look at the Collins property and figure out how to move forward with implementation. She said that she and Mayor Stevens were able to visit Savannah and the renovation that is going on there. There is a lot of enthusiasm at Amtrak to support train stations. Commissioner Nelson asked where the money would come from and Margaret Hauth said from DOT's rail division. Amtrak has a basic plan for an adaptable rolling station. b) Transportation Priorities and Potential Request to NCDOT to Substitute a List of Road Projects in Place of Elizabeth Brady Road Margaret Hauth made reference to the memo in the packet and said that the Town has had the opportunity to consider whether different street improvements might not yield a better price than the Elizabeth Brady Road. She said that they need to study the projects they want to substitute for this. The Town would like the County's support. Commissioner Gordon said that this has been discussed at the MPO level. They are supportive and are waiting to see what DOT will do. Eric Hallman said that this is a struggle because they have not seen a federal highway project like this get funded in 15 years. He said that the MPO is being asked to reprogram the money. Margaret Hauth said that this would need to be resolved in the next 12-18 months. Commissioner Jacobs said that this is a result of two joint planning efforts of the County and the Town — EDD Transportation Plan and the Orange Grove Road Access Management Plan. This is another example of good collaboration. Chair Foushee asked about the next steps and Margaret Hauth said that if the Town needs assistance with more engineering, then she will contact the County. c) North Hills Center Orange Public Transportation Park & Ride Lot Department on Aging and Transportation Director Jerry Passmore said that this route is a TTA route and is under contract with OPT. The route expanded last October to contract with Chapel Hill Transit to operate the peak hour service. Orange County's involvement under contract has been reduced to the midday runs. The route is so successful that a formal agreement is now needed. Ultimately, TTA is in control of the route, but it is looking to OPT and Chapel Hill Transit for pickup points. Margaret Hauth said that the property owner has indicated that they would like to be paid for use of the property. She has not received a quote yet. Jerry Passmore said that North Hills is a great location, but an agreement is needed. Commissioner Gordon said that if there is ever a question concerning Triangle Transit, then she will look into it and asked for clarification concerning what Triangle Transit is being requested to do. Commissioner Yuhasz asked if this spot would become too small for this route and Jerry Passmore said that it could be and it would be nice to look for a park and ride lot north of town. Commissioner Yuhasz suggested Abundant Life Church. Commissioner Gordon will ask TTA to call the County Manager about this issue. 4. Update on Waterstone Development Eric Peterson said that not much is going on with this. Phase 1 is for water and sewer and the road, and that is going well. The daycare just got the site plan approved. Other than that, there has been discussion on the single family lots, but there is nothing imminent at this point. 5. Update on Collins Property Eric Peterson said that the Town purchased the 20-acre portion of the Collins property and the three main purposes were for a possible rail site, preserving the ball fields, and future municipal functions. There is no money to go forward with anything other than the rail station. 6. Update on Solid Waste Transfer Station Site Selection Process Assistant County Manager Gwen Harvey made reference to the memo in the packet. The two potential sites are located west of Orange Grove Road on NC 54. One site is owned by OWASA and one is owned by the Howell Company, LLC. The Solid Waste Advisory Board was charged with the responsibility of being the convener for some conversations with the consultant, Olver, Inc.; with the University regarding co-gen possibilities; to revisit the alternative solid waste to energy processes that were reported by an external consultant; and to include the members of Preserve Rural Orange and Orange County Voices. On January 22nd, the Board of County Commissioners directed staff on a parallel path with considering the two sites and having the SWAB look at the co-gen possibility and solid waste to energy alternatives. When there is a definite site, the County Commissioners endorsed that the community is directly engaged in the discussions of the design and development. 7. County Properties a) County Development of Hillsborough Commons Purchasing and Central Services Director Pam Jones said that the Board approved the lease back in June at the old Wal-mart, which will house the offices of Social Services. The plan is to have the upfit completed for move-in by the summer. Eric Hallman asked if there were any plans to purchase this site and Pam Jones said that there is an option to purchase, and it must be done by February 2012. b) Update on County Campus Pam Jones said that the County office building is about 41% finished and the hope is that this will be done by June. c) Update on Central Orange Senior Center/Triangle SportsPlex Pam Jones said that the senior center is open and the Sportsplex is behind this and should be finished in the next few weeks. Mayor Stevens said that the State of the Town address will be at the senior center next Tuesday. He thanked the County Commissioners for letting the Town use the facility. d) Update on Potential Shared Meeting Space/Meeting Room at Link Government Services Center and Financial Considerations Pam Jones said that the hope was to have a meeting room for the Board of County Commissioners to meet in and other personnel moving, but because of the economy, it has been put on hold. As soon as the funds are available, the project will move forward. Mayor Stevens said that the Town is also on hold about a meeting place. He would like to start looking at schedules and how to accommodate as many different groups in the usage of a meeting room. Brian Lowen asked about the Whitted vacated space when DSS leaves. Pam Jones said that there are plans to spread staff out to decrease overcrowding. e) Potential Sale of the County's Downtown Churton Street Buildings for Business Use Mayor Stevens said that Hillsborough has a vibrant downtown and the hope is to find ways to move out some of the County office space and return it to commercial space. f) Potential Town Annexation of County Properties on Valley Forge Road Mayor Stevens said that there are County properties and the Town might be interested in annexing these properties. Michael Gering said that the County owns most of Valley Forge Road and the Town could volunteer to annex it. Commissioner Nelson said that the action step would be to send a letter for voluntary annexation to the Town. (9 8. Update on the Heritage Center Laura Blackmon asked Library Services Director Lucinda Munger to give this update. Lucinda Munger said that because the library is moving to a new facility in 2009, the library has taken on the N.C. room and has asked the professionals from state archives to help with inventory and evaluation of this collection. The goal is the long-term protection of this collection. Commissioner Gordon said that the Board of County Commissioners has not discussed this yet and people have been coming to meetings asking why this room is not moving to the new library. She asked why there was not room for this at the new library. Lucinda Munger said that the room is small and holds over 1,700 items. Some of the collection is damaged. The staff is still considering this. There was some money left to the library from someone's will and it is now worth over$130,000. This is an option for the money. Commissioner Jacobs said that the Board of County Commissioners has three Library Task Force reports and the Board adopted one of those reports. He has not heard anything about the Heritage Center and nothing about a site. He said that it could stay in library space when the library leaves Whitted, and the Board is waiting for a recommendation from staff as to where to go. He suggested getting a copy of one of the Library Task Force reports and distributing it to the two boards. Evelyn Lloyd said that she had some slides of Rebecca Wall if they were needed for the room. Michael Gering said that he does not recall if the report identified how the Heritage Center would be good for tourism, but it is. Chair Foushee said that staff would bring back to the Board of County Commissioners the Library Task Force report so that the County Commissioners can move forward with identifying a space for the N.C. room and Heritage Center and deciding what to do about naming a room for Ms. Wall. She asked that the naming process also be brought forward. 9. Adjournment A motion was made by Commissioner Hemminger, seconded by Commissioner Jacobs to adjourn the meeting at 9:35 p.m. Valerie Foushee, Chair Donna S. Baker, CMC Clerk to the Board