HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - 06-26-2007-6bORANGE COUNTY
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT
Meeting Date: June 26, 2007
Action Agenda
Item No. _~j_
SUBJECT: Acceptance of Grant from the NC Parks and Recreation Trust Fund for
Northern Park
DEPARTMENT: Environment and Resource
Conservation, Rec. and Parks
ATTACHMENTS:
PARTF Grant Award Letters (2)
PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) No
INFORMATION CONTACT:
David Stancil, 245-2590
Lori Taft, 245-2673
PURPOSE: To consider accepting a $500,000 state grant from the NC Parks and
Recreation Trust Fund for construction of Northern Park (also known as Cedar Grove
Park).
BACKGROUND: In January 2007, Orange County submitted a grant application to the
NC Parks and Recreation Trust Fund (PARTF) requesting $500,000 in state grant funds to
be matched with County funds to develop Phase I of Northern Park (also known as Cedar
Grove Park) located on NC 86 adjacent to the Northern Human Services Center.
Orange County's project was selected for funding by the NC Parks Authority at the May 11
meeting in Raleigh. PARTF requires that the County execute a contract for administering
the grant. The proposed contract will be sent to the County in .early July and will be
reviewed by the Purchasing Director and County Attorney.
The grant funds will be used to develop Phase I of the park master plan, which was
developed during a series of Cedar Grove community meetings in 2004-2005 and adopted
by the Board in October 2005. Phase I is expected to include a new ball field, basketball
courts, amulti-purpose field (for soccer, T-ball, and other ball games), picnic shelter,
playground, hiking trails, and a paved walking path. Existing facilities at this site are one
softball field (also used for soccer), a small playground, and a gravel walking track. The
playground is outdated and will be completely renovated. The walking track will be
replaced with a new measured walking track at a new location within the park.
The planned community park will complement the current services provided at the
Northern Human Services Center. The Center provides a variety of community services,
including a branch library, senior center, pottery studio, child day care center, Head Start,
and Work First Readiness Program. The planned new park facilities will also be available
to the users of the community center. Renovations to the building are planned in the
future, but these are not part of the park project.
2
FINANCIAL IMPACT: The PARTF grant would provide $500,000 state funds, which
would need to be matched by at least $859,000 from the 2001 Open Space and Park
Bond. The bond allocated $1.2 million for this new park, which may be augmented by
$148,000 in payment-in-lieu funds. The grant contract would require that Orange County
spend its own funds first toward completing the project, and then be reimbursed for the
state's share of the eligible construction costs (a maximum of $500,000).
A Capital Project Ordinance will be provided to the Board for consideration at a future
meeting.
RECOMMENDATION: The Manager recommends that the Board authorize the Chair to
sign the contract between Orange County and the NC Department of Environment and
Natural Resources for the receipt of $500,000 in state funds for construction of Northern
Park (also known as Cedar Grove Park). The terms of the final agreement are subject to
final review by the County Attorney and staff.
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STA'CG OF NORTH CAROLINA
OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR
20301 MniL SERVICE CENTER • Rni_EicH, NC 27b99-0301
M1Cf-IAEL F. EASLL'Y
GO~'LRNOR
The Honorable Moses Carey
County of Orange
PO Box 8181
Hillsborough, North Carolina 27275
Dear Chairman Carey:
May 15, 2007
I arri pleased to announce that the Parks and Recreation Authority has approved a grant in
the amount of $500,000 from the Parks and Recreation Trust Fund for the Cedar Grove
Community Park project. Thank you for your efforts to make the County of Orange, as well as
North Carolina, a better place to live. Parks and recreation provide many benefits for our
citizens, from better health to cleaner air and water.
Congratulations on being selected for this Parks and Recreation Authority grant. We look
forward to assisting you in meeting the park and recreation needs in your area. Mr. Jonathan B.
Howes, Chairman of the Parks and Recreation Authority, will contact you with information
about how to begin the project.
With kindest regards, I remain
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Very truly yours,
Michael F. Easley
Jonathan B. Howes, Chair,
N.G. Parks and Recreation Authority
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LOCATION: I1E WEST JONES STREET ° RALEIGH, NC' TELEPHONE: (9I9) 733-SH1i
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North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources
.Division of Parks and Recreation
Michael F. Easley, Governor William G. Ross Jr., Secretary Lewis R. Ledford, Director
1~~1ay 29, 2007
Mr. David Stancil
Environment & Resource Conservation Dir
County of Orange
PO f3ox S l fi l
Hillsborough, North Carolina 27275-51 S 1
Dear Mr. Stancil:
Recently Mr. Jonathan Howes, Chairman of the North Carolina Parks and Recreation Authority, sent a
letter to Mr. Moses Carey announcing that the County of Orange will receive a grant from the N.C. Parks
and Recreation Trust Fund (PARTF) for $00,000 to fund the Cedar Grove Community Park project. 1
am writin~~ to provide additional details about administering the grant.
The first step of the process is to execute a contract beriveen the County of Orange and the N.C.
Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). DENR will mail a contract to you as the
contact person for the grant. Please have your chief elected official sign and return all four copies of the
contract to DENR. A representative of DENR will then sign the contract and return a copy of the
executed contract to you for your files.
Please do not begin work on the PARTF project until you have received your copy of the contract that is
signed by your local government and DENR. Until then, vve encourage you to prepare For the project by
completing such tasks as obtaining enviromnental permits and preparing bids. The County of Orange will
have three years to complete this project. "fhe proposed three-year contract period is 7/1/2007 to
6/3 0/2010.
PARTF grants are paid on a reimbursement basis. A local goven~ment must first spend its own funds
toward completing the project, and then it will be reimbursed for up to ~0 percent of the expenses. Nate
I-Ialubka, your regional park and recreation consultant will invite you to a PARTF accounting workshop.
It is very important to attend this workshop to learn how to document and be reimbursed for expenditures.
Reimbursement instructions and forms may be downloaded at our web site, wwW.partf.net, under the
topic "Apply For a Grant' and `'Money Matters".
If you have any questions about your project, please contact Nate Halubka at 919-513-3937.
Sincerely,
V ~ "`"
,Iol ~ Poole
Grant Pro;-ram it~i~mager
Cc: Nate Halubka, Recreation Resources Service FZegional Consultant
1615 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, North Carolina 27699-1615 One
Phone: 919-733-4181 • FAX: 919-715-3085 • Internet: www.ncsparks.net NOIt11CsaI'Ol/illa
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