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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - 05-15-2007-6bORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT Meeting Date: May 15, 2007 Action Agen~d Item No. cy SUBJECT: Allocation of 2001 County Parks Bond Funds to Southern Community Park DEPARTMENT: ERCD, R&P, Finance PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) No ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT: Letter from Chapel Hill Mayor David Stancil, 245-2590 Expenditures to Date for Southern Park Lori Taft, 245-2660 Southern Park Master Plan Map Ken Chavious, 245-2450 PURPOSE: To consider appropriating $925,000 from the 2001 County Parks and Open Space Bond to the Town of Chapel Hill's Southern Community Park. BACKGROUND: In November 2001, Orange County voters approved a Parks and Open Space Bond, which included $13 million for park facilities. $2.0 million of this amount was allocated to the Town of Chapel Hill's Southern Community Park. Southern Park is located south of Chapel Hill along US 15/501. An additional $1.0 million was allocated for Town of Chapel Hill greenways (subsequently determined for Phase III of Bolin Creek Greenway). In addition to this funding, the 1997 County Parks and Open Space Bond appropriated $1.0 million toward this park, for a total of $3.0 million from County bond funds for Southern Park. In recent months, the Town and its consultant have completed design work and moved into the construction phase for this park, which features three soccer fields, trails, a dog park, and other amenities. The rising price of construction over the past six years has contributed to a construction bid that exceeds available resources. On April 30, a letter from Chapel Hill Mayor Kevin Foy (attached) was received that noted the discrepancy between available County and Town revenues and the projected expenditures. Based on the construction bids received, the Town expects the cost for construction of the entire park to be approximately $6.0 million. The letter requests that the County reallocate the remainder of the $1.0 million designated for Bolin Creek Greenway, Phase III (approximately $925,000) from the County's 2001 Parks and Open Space Bond to the Southern Park project, to help address the gap between revenues and expenditures. Even with this reallocation of funds, the Town will still be short of needed monies for the park. FINANCIAL IMPACT: Funding exists within the 2001 County Parks and Open Space Bond for Southern Community Park and Bolin Creek Greenway, Phase III. A total of $925,000 remains from the $1.0 million in greenway funds ($75,000 was provided, at Town request in 2005, to help pay for the greenway feasibility study and master plan). However, it should be noted that some of the $3.0 million designated for Southern Park in the 1997 and 2001 County bonds has been expended. $105,000 from the 1997 County Parks bond was requested and expended for the Scroggs community soccer field in 1999, and other funds were subsequently requested and provided for the Southern Park master plan and construction documents since that time. To date, a total of $438,000 has been provided to the Town from the 1997 and 2001 County bonds for Southern Park, leaving a balance of $2,562,000. With the reallocation of the existing $925,000 from Bolin Creek Greenway, the balance available would become $3,487,000. RECOMMENDATION(S): The Manager recommends that the Board appropriate the remaining $925,000 to Southern Park, as requested by the Town, with the understanding that these additional County funds will be used to ensure construction of the three soccer fields proposed in the master plan for the park. OFFICE OF THE MAYOR C Town of Chapel Hill 4-05 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Chapel Hill, NC 27514-5705 (919)968 2714 Phone (919)969 2063 Fax ttnvw. torvnofcha. pelhil~ org Apri130, 2007 Moses Carey, Chair Board of Orange County Commissioners Post O~ce~Box 8181 p[illsborough, North Carolina 27278 Dear M_y.aC~: /1/~I'~- MAY 0 ~ 20a7" 13'iF: I am writing to request the County's help in finding additional funds for construction of the Southern Community Park. The Council is very grateful for the funding that the County has akeady provided for the park, but we believe with additional funds we could build a park that would provide both neighborhood and regional facilities for citizens of Chapel Hill and Orange County. We are. especially concerned that the park be built with all three of the planned athletic/soccer fields requested by the community. The Board of County Commissioners and the Town Council have provided funding for the project as follows: REVENUES FOR SOUTHERN COMMUNITY PARK 1997 Orange County Parks Bond 1,000,000 2001 Orange County Parks Bond 2,000,000 Town Funding 1,432,000 2005 PARTF Grant 500,000 Total Revenues 4,932,000 PROPOSED EXPENDITURES Construction and Contingency 4,138,000 Design (including past concept plan development) 328,000 Previous Expenditure for Scroggs Athletic Field. 242,000 Previous Expenditures i 48,000 Anticipated miscellaneous expenditures z 176,000 Total Proposed Expenditures 4,932,000 1. Design of art features, soils testing, independent cost estimating, advertising, postage etc. 2. Reserve for play equipment, disk golf course, soils and materials testing, OWASA tap fees, and burying Progress Energy power line. 0 On Thursday, April 26, 2007 we opened bids for the park. Based on the numbers from the bid opening, it appears that we could build the entire park with aconstruction/ contingency budget of about $6,000,000. We currently have $4,138,000 on hand, leaving a deficit of $1,862,000. As a reminder the complete park package would include the following amenities: • Three athletic/soccer fields with irrigation • Dog park • Meadow play area • Natural surface trails • Extension of Fan Branch Greenway Trail from Southern Village to.Dogwood Acres Drive • Two picnic shelters • Two basketball courts • Tnline hockey court ' • Play area • Disk golf course ® ~ • Restrooms • Maintenance building • Utilities • Dogwood Acres Drive parking lot (40 spaces) • Northern parking lot (110 spaces) • Access Drive to Highway 15-501 with required deceleration lanes on 15-501 • Improvements to Dogwood Acres Drive We believe that we should build as much of the park as possible. To achieve this end, we are requesting that the County assist us by temporarily moving $925,000 from the Bolin Creek Greenway Trail project to the Southern Community Park project, with the understanding that if another Countywide pazks bond is passed that the funds would be replaced. Tf the $925,000 is provided we would still be about $937,000 short for a complete build-out. We are endeavoring to find some of that amount from the Town's fund balance. We request that the County consider providing an additional $100,000 to allow us to close that gap and complete the major components of the park. We aze also planning to request financial assistance from Chatham County and ask your support when we approach the Chatham County Commissioners. 0 We are scheduled to select a contractor on May 7, 2007 and hope to execute a contact as soon as possible. We will delay executing the agreement until we hear from the Commissioners. It is our goal to be under construction this summer. Construction is anticipated to take about one year. Due to the requirements for establishing turf, we expect to open the athletic/soccer fields in the fall of 2009. Bill Webster, our Interim Parks and Recreation Director, is available to answer any questions concerning the project. We remain very grateful for the County's ongoing assistance on this project th twill eventually benefit the residents of Orange County. Sinc ely, ~. evin C. Foy Mayor 06/19!2006 20:04 91996920'L7 CHAPELHILLFIh•I~hIGEITF P~S~E 02/03 b ~ .Dungy 2p, 2(~f35 C~;anB~ CouaXty 208 ~mutix ~amert~xt Strut: Hillsborough, ~~ 27278 . A,tta; ~~, ~bavious, FiuaaxACO L7i~zeotor . R~~ Soutl~tm ~ammunity 'ark lb1i: Chavious: ~'lOasE S~ tI}.E ati~acllod invr~ice ff1T 1e11d1tu~~, X1AGt7X1,'H[t tJ~x~au~a NJ[ay 31, 2005 for the Southern ~. Cc~rnmunity Parr pt~ject. ~~ •v,~ill. ia~ai.l a copy of oath ia~.voice and the cheek paid by the 'down cif ' Chap~lIlill to auppoxr tlxa atiacil~d ~~'txiditwt~s, iy'Zcasc xcn3it paytncnt'1ay Juuo 3c~, 2005. 7f3+ou leave any questia~ts at~ Cplaalruetxts, ple~e do txat hit~to fa cautac;t me at ~l~»9~8-2$$$ xa5$. . Sincerely, 4~~ ~~~~~ . Y~.y Jalax~son, CPl~. Fi;~axaca Dir~tor 40S Prlartin Luther King,~Jr. 81vd., Ch~.pel Hi.l~, NC 27514-57t?5 (91~) 96$-2$$$ 06f7.9f2005 ~0' 0a 91996°2017 GHHPELHTLLFTN" CEITF PACE ©3:'03 ~QU~herz~ Cc-rstY.t~z~y ~~rk . 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