HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - 19820826 491
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MIiIUTES
AUGUST 25, 1982
The Oi°ange County Board of Commissioners met in a spacial session on Thursday,
August 26, 1982, at 7:30 P.M. in the Commissioncrs' Room in the Orange County
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Courthouse, Hillsborough, North Carolina.
Commissioners present: Chairman Richard E. Whitted, and Commissioners Norin
Gustaveson, Shirley E. Marshall and Don Willhoit.
Commissioners absent: Commissioner Norman Walker
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The purpose of the meeting was to discuss with representatives of the Greater
Chanel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Co;»merce Economic Development Committee and the
5. Carrboro Economic Development Corporation their desire to establish a county-
wide economic development commission.
Chairran Whitted announced that the Triangle J COG had passed a Resolution
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the previous evening which called for President Reagan to restore Title V o;' the
Ulder Americans Act funding. Commissioner Gustaveson moved, seconded by.Co:amis-
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sioner Marshall, to add this item to the agenda. Vote: Ayes, 4; noes, 0.
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Commissioner Whitted suggested the Board forward this Resolution, modified to
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reflect its adoption by this Board, to the President of the United States.of Americ
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Speaker of the House, Majority Leader in the Senate, the Secretary of Labor, and
our Cong •essmEn and Senators.
Commissioner Gustaveson moved, seconded by Comrissior. Marshall , to support
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this Resolution and to forward it to those leaders /Tilted io the above paiagrapl-i%.
Vote: Ayes, 4; noes, 0.
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Mr. John Gastineau, Chairman of the Greater Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of
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Commerce Economic. Development Corriittes, told the Board that his committee had
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met with the Carrboro Economic Development Corporation to discuss their.desire
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i ^ to establish an Orange County Economic Development Commission which would be com-
posed of representatives from government, private business and the municipalities
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r working with the planning departments. He said this was the oi-rly county in North
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Carolina without some such organization.
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Mr. Miles Crenshaw, representing the Carrboro Economic Development Corporation,
said as he envisioned such- a commission, it would work for both industrial and coimiercie.
37a devG::,pinent. He said non-water using and non-polluting development was very
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desirable and competition for such development was keen. He said Carrboro had
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lost development because it did not have sufficient land and there was a lack of
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i tea.
cooperation among the governments in the County. He added that he defined the
responsibilities of such a commission to identify land for development and to
arrange financing for such development.
Bath Mr. Gastineau•and Mr. Crenshaw said this had to be done on a county-
wide basis and the Commissioners were the "key to success" in such an endeavor.
They said they had prepared by-laws for an economic development commission and
hoped to have the Commissioner approve their work thus far. Messrs. Gastineau
and Crenshaw said they envisioned an executive director and a secretary for him/her
office supplies and promotional material; expenses for the first year's operation
were estimated by Mr. Gastineau at $70-75,000.
Commissioner Whitted said the County had set aside some money for economic
development in this year's budget and that the Board would discuss at an-early
meeting how to commit those funds. There was a consensus among Board members that
the degree-of`fnterest should be ascertained�\from the municipalities in the County
and a financial commitment to the project were the first two steps. And, other
proposals should also be explored, such as the one presented by Dr. Ed Bergman's
class last spring. There was a consensus among Board members to set up, with the
Greater Chapel Hill-Carrboro Economic Development Committee the Carrboro Develop-
ment Corporation and representatives from the municipalities in the County a meeting
to explore interest, financial commitment, and other proposals for economic develop-
ment in the County. Commissioner Whitted told Messrs. Gastineau and Crenshaw he
would notify them by letter the next day of his Commissioners'. representative to
that "exploratory task force."
Commissioner Whitted thanked those bodies for their presentation and comments.
With no further business to come before the Board, it adjourned by consensus.
Richard E. Whitted, Chair
Paulette Pridgen-Pond, Clerk