HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - 12-12-2017-12-4 - Information Item - Memorandum - Mountains to Sea Trail (MST) – Petition and Next Steps 1
INFORMATION ITEM
ORANGE COUNTY
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Department of Environment,
Agriculture, Parks Recreation
MEMORANDUM
To: Board of Commissioners
Bonnie Hammersley, County Manager
From: David Stancil, DEAPR Director
Date: December 12, 2017
Re: Mountains to Sea Trail (MST) — Petition and Next Steps
On December 4, 2017, a petition was presented to the Board of Commissioners
relating to the Mountains to Sea Trail (MST) in Orange County. Provided as
attachments to this memorandum are 1) the December 4 petition, 2) the October
27 memorandum on MST next steps previously conveyed to the Board, and 3) a
map showing the Proposed MST route from the September 19 meeting and
October 27 memo.
The Manager and staff propose to respond to this petition (and the related ideas
and proposals from the October 27 memo to the Board), by recommending the
following actions:
1. Pursue the Actions of the October 27 Memorandum
The October 27 memorandum to the Board outlined several proposed actions
for the Board's assent. In summary, these were to:
a. Pursue a communications plan to inform residents along the
Proposed Trail route and other interested parties of the status of
the project, and provide periodic updates over the course of the
project.
b. Begin work on Phase 11.1 (Occoneechee Mountain to Seven Mile
Creek) for easement acquisition and trail construction; and conduct
(or continue) a series of discussions with other related parties to the
MST, including the Friends of the MST (FMST).
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c. Reflect a second connection from the Proposed Trail as per
discussions with Alamance County staff for the trail to enter
Alamance County, along Morrow Mill Road. This would be shown in
addition to the original Saxapahaw-Bethlehem Church Road route.
d. Meet with landowners who express interest in trail easements or
other trail components in the portion of the Proposed Trail near
Cane Creek Reservoir, with the intention of formalizing these
documents where mutual interest dictates - for the Board's future
consideration.
e. Meet with OWASA staff to explore flexibility in their adopted
conditions for the trail on their land, as it may arise.
f. Create a joint staff team with representatives from several
disciplines to gather information about the concept of a Chapel Hill-
Carrboro to Hillsborough multi-modal trail (and other current
transportation topics such as sidewalks) as a prelude to a
community meeting on the topic in the future.
Unless instructed differently, staff will proceed with these planned actions,
some of which address parts of the December 4 MST Petition as shown
below. Regarding the petition points, the following is recommended:
2. Addressing the December 4 Petition
a. For item #1 (adopt a trail route map) in the petition, the Manager
and staff recommend that the County:
i. Approve the trail route concurrent with the CIP discussions
this spring, at which time the Manager and staff will have
recommendations on timing and phasing of the future sub-
segments of the MST, and the Board would deliberate and
adopt both a map and the timing and phasing options.
ii. Interested residents could weigh in on the trail adoption at
that time, or if desired convey their interests prior to that
time. As suggested in the petition, if there is interest in a
different approach to trail approval, the Board could also
adopt the Proposed Trail route as shown on the attached
map (the red dashed line).
b. Item #2 (accept offered easements in the Cane Creek area) - this
could be accomplished as it is consistent with the proposed
activities identified above in working with the interested landowners.
Staff has been in touch with several landowners in this area
(including those referenced in the petition). However, completion by
the February 2018 date in the petition is too ambitious given the
needed legal and staff review that will be required.
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c. Item #3 (establish relationship with the Friends of the MST) - this is
underway. Staff had a previously-scheduled meeting with the
Executive Director of the FMST last week on this subject, and a
draft MOU between the County and FMST is being worked on for
trail building and other assistance. A date for approval of the MOU
would need to be determined after legal review and approval
schedule.
If I may provide further information, please let me know.
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ORANGE COUNTY
V\lP
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Department of Environment,
Agriculture, Parks Recreation
MEMORANDUM
To: Board of Commissioners
Bonnie Hammersley, County Manager
From: David Stancil, DEAPR Director
Date: October 27, 2017
Re: Mountains to Sea Trail — Next Steps
On September 19, the Board of Commissioners received a report on the
Mountains to Sea Trail (MST) "Segment 11" trail planning initiative.
After reviewing the comments from the meeting and the directions provided by
the Board, the following is my interpretation of the next steps that we received as
feedback and instruction:
1. Ongoing Communications
The Board asked that staff look at ways to improve communication with
landowners that might potentially be affected by an MST trail route. (There will
need to be a separate communication strategy for the multi-modal Chapel
Hill/Carrboro to Hillsborough trail alternative, addressed in a subsection below).
The "Proposed Trail" route that was shown on the attached map presented at the
September 19 meeting has 51 discrete landowners along the line shown on the
map. An additional 328 landowners own land within 1000 feet of the Proposed
Trail, for a total of 379.
For the segment of the trail on which the Board approved action (Occoneechee
Mountain State Natural Area — or OMSNA - to Seven Mile Creek preserve) there
are likely four landowners. (To distinguish among other future trail subsegments,
we are calling this first part of the trail effort "Phase 11.1.")
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Staff proposes to undertake the following means of communication:
a) An initial mailing to all 379 landowners along or within 1000 feet of the
"Proposed Trail" informing them of the results of the community meetings,
and the next steps to be taken from the Board's September 19 direction.
(Since this mailing will cost an estimated $186, we will also attempt to
solicit email addresses for future communications. Notices of any future
formal actions would still be sent by mail).
b) Send the same communication to our 273-person current email interest
list. (There will likely be duplicates with above list.)
c) Work with the Community Relations Director for a regular video and/or
blog ("This Month on the Orange MST" or similar name) that would be
shared and posted to the County website informing residents of MST
activities underway and what is planned in the near future.
d) This video/blog will also be posted using our social media accounts.
As noted at the meeting, the actual trail location may alter as we secure the trail
location over the years. Some landowners may decline to sell/convey an
easement or land for the MST along our route, requiring a shift in one direction or
another. This type of route shift may change the list of landowners along the way.
As there was no direction on September 19 to develop a trail on the alternate
routes (excepting the multi-modal Chapel Hill-Carrboro to Hillsborough dialogue
addressed in Section 4 below), staff does not plan to include these landowners in
the mailings, since there are no plans for the trail in their area. If this should
change at some point in the future, these landowners could be added to the list.
2. Beginning Phase 11.1 Acquisition and Planning for Trail Construction and
Infrastructure
The 3-mile segment from Occoneechee Mountain State Natural Area (OMSNA)
to the County's Seven Mile Creek (Upper Eno) Nature Preserve has been
identified as a logical first step for the MST in Orange County jurisdiction.
Funding for trail land, construction and amenities is in the County's Capital
Investment Plan and the first installment of these funds is now available.
The Board authorized staff on September 19 to begin the process of securing the
trail land, addressing needed infrastructure and appurtenances, and constructing
the trail for this subsegment, which staff is calling Phase 11.1.
The County's Land Conservation Manager will begin the process of meeting with
the landowners along this Phase and discussing trail easements (or if the
landowner prefers, purchase of a trail corridor"strip"). During and after this
process, staff will begin other steps toward completing Phase 1.1, including but
not limited to:
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MST Proposed Route OMSNA to Seven Mile
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a) Discussion with NCDOT District Engineer and County Transportation
Planners on the planned traverse of the 1-40/1-85 bridge on Dimmocks Mill
Road, including safety, signage and other issues.
b) Discussion with NC State Parks about the connections to the OMSNA trail
network.
c) Discussion with the Town of Hillsborough on the planned timetable for the
connection of the Town's Riverwalk to OMSNA.
d) Discussions with the Friends of the Mountains to Sea Trail about a
Memorandum of Agreement on coordinated trail construction.
e) A signage plan for Phase 11.1 to determine the type and location of
needed signs, and a trail perspective showing the topographic and
physical nature of the trail alignment.
f) A site plan for the trailhead/waystation at Seven Mile Creek preserve,
consistent with constructed trails and already-underway parking area at
the preserve, which includes planned amenities.
g) An assessment of any trail augmentation, such as bridges or boardwalk
that may be needed.
h) An Emergency Action Plan, as required, for this section of the trail; and
Staff has already been in contact with the agencies and groups involved in items
b), c) and d).
Staff met last week with the Friends of the MST and we are working to coordinate
future trail construction that will incorporate the Friends extensive group of trail-
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building volunteers into our efforts. In addition, a meeting with Alamance County
staff was held to keep them informed of our status. As a result of that meeting,
Alamance County has suggested a slight change to the MST Proposed Route on
our map as the trail would enter Alamance County from the Oaks crossroads.
They have proposed that the MST enter south of NC 54 on Saxapahaw-
Bethlehem Church Road and then Morrow Mill Road, rather than taking
Saxapahaw-Bethlehem Church Road all the way to Saxapahaw, as previously
planned.
Map 2 below illustrates this proposed minor change (please see the bottom left of
the map) as a second line into Alamance as the Proposed Route comes to
Alamance County. Once in Alamance on Morrow Mill Road, the MST would
continue west toward the Haw River in Alamance County. Alamance staff
indicated this is much preferred to match with their trail work on the other side of
the county line. (Note: this proposed change would not re-enter Orange County
on Morrow Mill Road as it curves back into Orange).
Mountains to Sea Trail—Proposed Route for Segment 11
Proposed Mountains-to-Sea Trail(Segment 11)
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Lastly, it is worth noting that are a myriad of smaller issues and items, too
numerous to mention here, that will need to be addressed to plan for and
construct this part of the trail. Some of these additional needs may come out of
the negotiations for trail easements or corridor and will be shared as they arise.
3. Continuing Discussions — OWASA, Alamance County, Adjoining Landowners
About the Trail Alignment on OWASA Lands and Connecting to Alamance
County
In addition to the work on Phase 11.1, the Board asked that staff convene a
meeting with landowners interested in trail easements or other trail amenities in
the area of the planned route around Cane Creek Reservoir and connecting to
Alamance County. Staff will set a meeting in the near future and invite interested
parties and OWASA to meet and discuss interests. While this is not the primary
area of activity at present, staff will be willing to discuss future options with
landowners who express interest.
The Board also asked that a separate meeting be held with OWASA to review
the approved conditions adopted by the OWASA Board in August 2016 regarding
potential "flexibility" in the conditions where needs may arise. The Manager will
work with OWASA and staff to convene a meeting to this purpose.
4. Parallel Track Dialogue — Multi-Modal Trail Connecting Chapel Hill, Carrboro
to Hillsborough
While noting that this is a separate discussion and trail from the progress on
Segment 11 of the MST described above, the Board also directed that a parallel
track of conversation be initiated to pursue and explore the concept of a paved
trail connecting Chapel Hill and/or Carrboro to Hillsborough.
There are a number of different ideas on what form this connection might take,
including a roadside trail, connecting public and private open spaces and parks
along the route, and the potential for a "rail-to-trail" alternative along the
University Station spur rail line from Carrboro to the connection with the North
Carolina Railroad (operated by Norfolk and Southern Inc.) east of Hillsborough.
(The spur line is also operated by Norfolk and Southern).
This is a topic that addresses not only recreational trail use but also incorporates
transportation planning and other aspects. Staff proposes to form a joint staff
project team to a) gather and develop information about this concept to share
with the public, and b) conduct a community meeting where all interested
persons can come together and discuss these ideas and options. Because of the
wide scope and breadth of this topic, a facilitator for these meetings may be
useful.
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In closing, please feel free to contact Kim Livingston
(klivinsgton(c oran ecountync. ov) or myself (dstancil(c oran ecountync. ov ) if
you have any questions or thoughts regarding this gameplan, or if this summary
of next steps is inconsistent with your understanding of what we should be doing.
Copies: Board of Commissioners
Travis Myren, Deputy County Manager
Kim Livingston, Land Conservation Manager
Marabeth Carr, Landscape Architect
Dan Derby, Superintendent of Parks
MST Staff Team
Ruth Rouse, Planning and Development Manager, OWASA
Smith Raynor, State Trails Planner, NC Division of State Parks
Chuck Edwards, District Engineer, NC DOT
Proposed Mountains-to-Sea Trail (Segment 11) 10
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