HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - 05-17-2016 - 4-a - Historic Preservation Month Proclamation 1
ORANGE COUNTY
BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT
Meeting Date: May 17, 2016
Action Agenda
Item No. 4-a
SUBJECT: Historic Preservation Month Proclamation
DEPARTMENT: Department of Environment,
Agriculture, Parks and
Recreation (DEAPR)
ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT:
Proclamation Designating May as Historic Peter Sandbeck, 245-2517
Preservation Month
PURPOSE: To proclaim May as Historic Preservation Month in Orange County
BACKGROUND: Each May, the Orange County Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) asks
the Board of County Commissioners to adopt a resolution declaring May to be Historic
Preservation Month in Orange County. This is the month to remind all residents of the
importance and value of the many historic buildings, neighborhoods, farmsteads and historic
attractions that make Orange County a special place to live. The Board and staff can take pride
in the many activities now underway or recently accomplished by the County and the HPC to
protect special historic places representing the diverse cultural experience, including:
• Opening Blackwood Farm Park to provide a way to interpret the history of farming, farm
life and the former Strayhorn slave cemetery located on the park property;
• Completing the renovation of the historic Cedar Grove School to serve as a new
community center, and providing funding to develop an exhibit interpreting the history of
the school and the surrounding African American community;
• Initiating a project to rebuild the replica Occaneechi Village in River Park, working with
Occaneechi tribal leaders as well as the Town of Hillsborough and the Alliance;
• Partnering with the Town of Hillsborough on a multi-year project to produce a new
illustrated publication or guidebook to highlight historic buildings, sites and farmsteads,
with funding assistance from the State Historic Preservation Office;
• Completion in 2015 of the update of the County-wide historic resources inventory,
creating a permanent photographic and documentary record of over 800 historic
properties and resources; and
• Partnering with the Alliance for Historic Hillsborough and Preservation Chapel Hill to host
programs about the County's history, archaeology and historic resources.
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FINANCIAL IMPACT: None
SOCIAL JUSTICE IMPACT: There is no Orange County Social Justice Goal impact associated
with this item.
RECOMMENDATION(S): The Manager recommends that the Board approve the proclamation
designating the month of May as Historic Preservation Month in Orange County and joins with
the Board to extend an invitation to the public to support the preservation of the County's
irreplaceable historic and archaeological resources.
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ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
HISTORIC PRESERVATION MONTH IN ORANGE COUNTY
PROCLAMATION
WHEREAS, historic preservation is relevant for all residents of Orange County, both urban and rural, of
all ages, all walks of life and all ethnic and cultural backgrounds; and
WHEREAS, Orange County can be proud of its long history of protecting its rich historic and
archaeological resources through the dedicated efforts of individuals and non-profit groups; and
WHEREAS, Orange County partners with the Alliance for Historic Hillsborough, Preservation Chapel
Hill and other non-profit groups and local governments to preserve these important resources; and
WHEREAS, Orange County has demonstrated its own commitment to historic preservation by
renovating and preserving the former Cedar Grove School, the historic 1926 jail and the former
auditorium in the Whitted Center; and
WHEREAS, Orange County recently opened the Blackwood Farm Park where the preserved farmstead
and Strayhorn slave cemetery interpret the area's agricultural history, and
WHEREAS, Orange County, through its Historic Preservation Commission's landmark program,
recognizes important properties with historic, cultural and architectural significance, and in the past year
designated the White Cross School and the Nicholas Corbett Hester House as local historic landmarks;
and
WHEREAS, "This Place Matters" is the theme for National Historic Preservation Month 2016, co-
sponsored by the Alliance for Historic Hillsborough, Preservation Chapel Hill and the National Trust for
Historic Preservation;
NOW THEREFORE, we, the Orange County Board of Commissioners, do hereby proclaim May 2016
as Historic Preservation Month in Orange County and call upon the people of the County to join their
fellow residents in recognizing and participating in this special observance.
This the 17th day of May, 2016.
Earl McKee, Chair
Orange County Board of Commissioners
ATTEST:
Donna Baker, Clerk to the Board