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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAPB Minutes 051717 Attachment 1 Orange County Agricultural Preservation Board Meeting Summary: May 17th, 2017 Environmental & Agricultural Center—Conference Room 306 Revere Rd., Hillsborough, NC 7:30 p.m. Members Present: Anderson, Compton, Dawson, McAdams, Ashley Parker, Renee Parker, Saiers, Shambley, Vanhook Members Absent: McPherson, Neville, Ranells, Thomas-Ambat, Woods Guests: None Staff: Gail Hughes, Resource Conservation Coordinator-DEAPR-Orange Soil and Water Conservation District; Peter Sandbeck, Cultural Resources Coordinator-DEAPR. 1. Call to order: McAdams called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m. Given the absence of both the chair and vice chair, staff asked if McAdams would be acting chair. Saiers moved to appoint McAdams as acting chair for this meeting; seconded by Compton; motion carried. 2. Chair Comments/Introductions: None 3. Considerations of Additions to Agenda: Sandbeck suggested adding the topic of “Elections of Officers” to the agenda. With the chair absent, members agreed to postpone this. 4. Meeting Summary/Minutes: March 15, 2017 (Attachment 1): Staff noted that a correction was needed to change the date for the next Ag Breakfast from “2018” to “2017.” Renee Parker moved to accept the minutes/summary; seconded by Shambley; motion carried. 5. Items for Decision: a) New VAD/EVAD Applications (Attachment 2): Hughes presented the current applications listed below. All of these farms meet the requirements/criteria for VAD/EVAD enrollment.  Lynne Holtkamp and Family/ Merry Hill Farm: 115.25 acres – Cane Creek/Buckhorn Ag District –VAD. Farm owned by multiple members of same family, being handled by Lynne Holtkamp. The farm is pasture and hayland, plus a wedding venue. This is a Century Farm. Ashley Parker moved to approve, seconded by Compton; motion carried.  Lee Miller : 50.63 acres – Caldwell Ag District –VAD. He has owned parcel for years. This did not qualify early in the program due to tighter rules; it is now eligible. Farm is presently hayland plus 40 acres of managed woodland/forestry. Vanhook moved to approve the farm for VAD, seconded by Dawson; motion carried. 2 b) Revised Ownership(existing acreage already in program) Michael and Sherry Scully: Caldwell Ag District—VAD. This is part of the original Lee Miller farm that was one of original parcels in the program. This is now owned by his daughter, Sherry. This is to request approval of a change of ownership. Farm is in hayland and pasture. Ashley Parker moved to approve the farm for VAD, seconded by Compton; motion carried. Hughes reported new acreage. With the farms in March and tonight, she will present a total of 10 farms to the BOCC. This brings our running total to 11,936.97 acres in the VAD and EVAD. She will present on June 6 at the Whitted Building. 6. Items for Discussion: a) Membership: We will have a new position coming up in the Caldwell District when Woods rotates off the board after serving two terms. There is also an at-large position now vacant. Hughes noted that the new VAD application form includes a provision for applicants to indicate that they are interested in serving on the APB, so she is now able to gather that information. Stephen Finley in Cedar Grove expressed interest and has submitted an application. For the Caldwell District position, she got word of interest from Cecilia Redding, who owns a farm in that district , but does not have an application yet. McAdams asked for a recommendation on Finley. Compton moved to recommend Stephen Finley to the BOCC, seconded by Shambley. Motion carried. b) Elections: Sandbeck noted that the board needs to elect officers; this should have happened at the March meeting. The board can address this at the next meeting. 7. Informational Items/Future Agenda Items: a) Report/update on PUV adjustment ideas: Ortosky could not be present. This will be discussed at the next meeting. b) New Staff Member for Lands Legacy Program: Sandbeck and Hughes reported on the recent hiring of Kim Livingston to replace Rich Shaw who retired in December. c) Update/report back on Food Council public meetings: Dawson provided an update on the Food Council’s progress. They are working on determining the nature of the relationship between the council with local governments. There are now two working groups: one deals with food access, and the second is looking at how to promote/grow the local food economy. d) Farm to Table: Hughes gave a report on the recent “Farm to Table” event at Blackwood Farm Park. This was the third of what should be an annual event but has been rained out several times. About 300 students attended from three local elementary schools. 8. Adjournment: Vanhook moved to adjourn; seconded by Compton; meeting adjourned at 8:04 pm.