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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - 03-17-1998 - 9dORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT Meeting Date: March 17, 1998 Action Agenda =d 9 I Item No. SUBJECT: Town of Chapel Hill Request for Bond Funds for Northern and Southern Community Parks DEPARTMENT: County Manager/Recreation PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) �p`A BUDGET AMENDMENT: (YIN) ( ,� , ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT: 3/4/98 Letter from CH Town Manager Rod Visser, ext 2300 2/23/98 CH Town Council Resolution Bob Jones, ext 2660 3/2/98 CH Town Council Resolution Draft Letter from County Mgr to Town Mgr TELEPHONE NUMBERS: Hillsborough 732 -8181 Chapel Hill 968 -4501 Durham 688 -7331 Mebane 227 -2031 PURPOSE: To consider requests from the Chapel Hill Town Council that the Board of Commissioners allocate 1997 County bond funds for the Northern and Southern Community parks. BACKGROUND: During the 1997 bond education effort, the Board of Commissioners indicated that if the $6 million Parks and Recreation bonds were passed by voters in November 1997, that $1 million would be allocated from bond proceeds to each of two projects being undertaken by the Town of Chapel Hill - the Northern Community Park and the Southern Community Park. The Town Council has recently adopted two resolutions requesting that the Commissioners allocate $145,000 for a utility building to support the planned skateboard park at the Northern Park, and $105,000 for lights, irrigation, and bleachers at the Southern Village School soccer field at the Southern Park. Details of the requests are included in the Town Manager's attached letter. If the Board of Commissioners approves these requests, the Town of Chapel Hill can rely upon the future bond proceeds as a revenue source for each project. There is no need for the County to disburse these funds at this time. The general process for the disbursement of County park bond proceeds is explained in the attached draft letter from the County Manager to the Town Manager. RECOMMENDATION(S): The Manager recommends that the Board respond favorably to the request by the Chapel Hill Town Council by the attached letter, as drafted by the Manager. TOWN OF CHAPEL HILL 196 NORTH COUS.MBIA STREET CHAi'EL HILL. NORTS CAROLINA Yl516 TetepAane(919J 968-2700 March 4, 1998 John Link, Orange County Manager P.O. Box S 181 Hillsborough, NC 27278 Dear Mr. Link: At their early February joint meeting the County Commissioners and the Town Council discussed potential use of part of the proceeds of the County's 1997 Parks and. Recreation bonds for improvemelrts at both the Southern Village School site and the Northern Community Park. This letter provides more detailed follow-up on those items. The Town Council recently adopted resolutions requesting a total of 5250,000 in fiends from the 1997 County Parks and Recreation bonds for these two sepazate projects. If we are to move forward on either of these projects we need the Commission's authorization by mid-April. On February 23, 1.998 the Council requested that the County appropriate $145,000 from the $1,000,000 in 1997 Orange County Parks bonds authorized for the Town's Northern. Community Park These finds would be used to provide a uh"lity building for the skateboard park, which is currently under construction. In addition, the building could be used to support a batting cage facility that the Council hopes to build adjacent to the skateboazd park. The building would be used for the following purposes: • Sell tickets for admission to the skate park and possibly tokens for the proposed batting cage facility. • Provide restrooms • Sell concessions such as drinks andpre-packaged food: Concessions would. also be available for persons using other park facilities. • Sell or rent specialized equipment such as pads, helmets, skateboards or in-line skates. • Provide afirst-aid room with a cot. • Provide a sheher from the weather far the concessionaire ar Town employee(s) working at the faglity. • Provide a secure location for an emergency telephone. • Store equipment needed for the operation of the skate park and possibly a batting cage facility, such as rental skateboards, bats, batting helmets, etc. 3 • Store basic tools and equipment needed for maintenance or cleaning of these facilities. • Provide a (ovation for a safe in order to allow the secure storage of funds collected on the site. Without a safe, employees would be required to carry cash on their persons. Our comractor has agreed to delay work in the area proposed for the building and batting cage until as late as mid-April. If the Commissioners agree to provide funds for this purpose we could most eflic7ently schedule construction of the support building as well as other features that are currently under eotrtract. On March 2, 1998 the Council requested that the County appropriate S ] 05,400 from the $1,000,000 in 1997 Orange County Parks bonds allocated for the Town's Southern Community Park. These funds would be used for improvements to the Southern Village School soccer field that is also under construction. Town and the County officials have worked closely to allow joint development of a schooUpark site at Southcm Village. We believe that the addition of irrigation, bleachers and lights to the field-would greatly increase the quality of the facility and the amount of time that it could be progranuned. Management and maintenance of the site will be shared according to tams of a recently signed 30-year development and joint use agreement- One provision of that agrcement was inclusion in the school construction bid documents of certain add-alternates not. included in the school's budget, but which would. increase the value o£ the soccer field for the Town's recreation program. These features, with the prices bid include: • Irrigation $19,000 • Lights 68,004 • Bleachers 7,504 • Contingency 10,500 (Not part of the bid package) • Total- x105,000 We believe that the best course of action wocrld be to accept the add-alternates from the contractor, which would allow for-the orderly and logical development of the soccer field for both school and Town uses. We would not have to reintroduce coastruetiott activities to the site after completion of the school, -and we would have the bcncfii of the irrigation for the crucial xitst growing season, The bid prices seem reasonable considering the current construction market. If we are to accept these add-ahernates we must notify the contractor no later than April 17, 1998. We will soon begin consideration of a proposal for the complete allocation of the bond authorizations for both the Northern and Southcin Canimunity Parks. As soon as the Town Council agrees on its recommendations we will forward them to you for your consideration. Please contact me with any questions concerning the immediate request for $250,000 or our long-range pazk development schedule. S' erely, W. Calvin orlon, Tovm Manager Enclosures 5 A RESOLUTION REQUESTING FUNDING FROM COUNTY COMMISSIONERS FOR DEVELOPMENT NORTHERN COMMUNITY PARK (98-2-23/R-9.1b) THE BOARD OF ORANGE OF FACIY.ITIES AT THE WHEREAS, the Council has approved a special use permit for development of the Northern Community Pazk which includes a skateboard park, and WHEREAS, the Parks & Recreation Commission has recommended that a batting cage facility be constructed adjacent to the skateboard park, and WHEREAS, the operation of a skateboard and/or batting cage facility would require a building for storage, telephone, cash handling, first aid and concession sales, and WHERAS, grant funding may be available to half the cost of the batting cage facilities, and WHEREAS, the voters of Orange County approved a Parks bond that includes ~I,000,000 in funding designated by the Orange County Commissioners for use at the Northern Community Park, NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Council of the Town of Chapel Hill that the Council hereby requests up to $145,000 from the Board of Orange County Commissioners to provide a coneession/restroom building and at the Northern Community Park. This the 23`~ day of February 1998. 6 , A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE MANAGER TO REQUEST $105,000 IN FUNDS FROM THE ORANGE COUNTY PARKS BOND (98-3-2/R-4) WHEREAS, Orange County voters approved $1,000,000 in parks bonds for the Southern Community Park; and WHIrREAS, the Town Council and the Chapel Hill-Caaboro City Hoard of Education have cooperated to develop aschool-park at the Southern Village; and WHEREAS, the Southern Village School soccer field is currently under construction; and WHEREAS, the School Board has received bids for addition of lights, irrigation, and bleachers which are good until Apri117,1998; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Council of the Town of Chapel Hill that the Council hereby requests that the Board of Orange County Commissioners allocate $105,000 in funds from the 1997 Orange Count}+ parks bond to add lights, irrigation, and bleachers to the Southern Village School soccer field and provide a project contingency fund of $10,500. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED by the Council that if the County provides funding for improvements to the Southern Village School soccer field, the Council requests that the Chapel HiIUCarrboro City Board of Education accept the bid alternates as follows: Irrigation and well system $19,000 Lights 68,000 Bleachers 742 Total $94,500 This the tad day of March, 1998. DRAFT March 18, 1998 Mr. W. Calvin Horton Manager, Town of Chapel Hill 306 North Columbia Street Chapel Hill, NC 27516 Dear Cal: At last evening's meeting, the Orange County Board of Commissioners approved the requests articulated in two recent Town Council resolutions concerning the use of County park bonds. Specifically, the Board approved: 1) the allocation of $145,000 towards a utility building to be constructed at the Northern Community Park that will support the proposed skateboard park and batting cage; and 2) the allocation of $105,000 towards lighting, irrigation, bleachers, and the like at the Southern Community Park. As was discussed during the joint meeting of the County Commissioners and Town Council on February 2, 1998, the disbursement of County funds would occur in a manner similar to the approach the County uses for disbursing funds for school capital projects. Once the bonds are sold and the County receives the funds, disbursements for project expenditures can occur upon the adoption of appropriate capital project ordinances by the County for these two park projects. The County will then disburse the bond funds upon receipt of documented expenditures by the Town. The County Commissioners are considering a proposed debt management policy, with one provision that the County will strive to sell bonds only once in a fiscal year. The Board of Commissioners have not made decisions on the amount and dates of bond sales, as these will be determined based on project descriptions and cash flow estimates that will be generated in the months ahead for projects that will receive funds from each of the approved November 1997 bond orders. At this time, the County does not anticipate selling bonds before early 1999. To assist the County in planning the first and subsequent bond sales, we would like to receive by August 1998 the Town's descriptions of the scope/elements of both of these park projects and your best estimates of their timetables and cash flow requirements (to include the use of the Town's existing funds on hand or available). Beginning in November 1998, the County would need annual updates on project timetables/cash flow needs to help us prepare debt service estimates for the CIP and following fiscal year operating budget. We look forward to working with the Town on developing these much needed recreation facilities for County and Town residents. Please let me know if you have any questions, and feel free to have your staff contact Finance Director Ken Chavious to work out the mechanics of the disbursement process. Sincerely, John M. Link, Jr. County Manager