HomeMy WebLinkAboutMeeting Summary 09032025 Meeting Summary— Parks and Recreation Council
September 3, 2025
Bonnie B Davis EAC Boardroom, Hillsborough
Members Present: Natalie Ziemba (Chair), Louise Flinn (Co-Chair), Logan Cason, Gregory
Husketh, Trevor Robinson, Maggie Moriarty, Allen Parker, Xilong Zhao, Alissa Martucci, GiGi
Rashdi, Navya Sharma (youth delegate)
Members Absent: Robert Zurek, Chloe Reid (youth delegate)
Staff: David Stancil, Abby Mattingly
Natalie Ziemba called the meeting to order at 6:30pm.
Report of the Chair:
a. Chair Comments— Chair Natalie Ziemba held brief introductions.
New Business:
a. Changes to the agenda — No changes were made.
b. Approval of Meeting Summary, August 6 — Gregory Husketh motioned to approve,
Trevor Robinson seconded. All in favor, none opposed, motion carried.
c. Board Vacancies—There is one vacancy for the board. The vacancy is for the Town of
Carrboro residency requirement. There are no current applicants, but the board will
address the vacancy when an application is received.
Old Business
a. October— December PRC Priority Items—At the August meeting, staff agreed to
create a survey to gauge PRC member's interest in discussion topics for the remainder
of the year. Mattingly presented the results of the survey. The developments at Fairview
Park were ranked as the most important item for continued discussion. Stancil briefly
addressed some of the updates that could be discussed. The topic will be listed on
upcoming agendas.
b. Trails Plan September Workshop Sessions— Stancil updated the Council on the
status of the Trails Plan. The head consultant, Jessica Pearson, has left Gensler and
Elaine Asal will be working on the project, alongside Mikalya Hernandez. Gensler
provided slides for the PRC to view before the September workshop sessions. The May
workshop sessions were attended by over 60 people, and the virtual survey received
70+ responses. The consultants from the Bicycle/Pedestrian Plan will be presenting
alongside Gensler at the Sunday workshop later this month. The upcoming workshop
will focus on the drafting of the actual plan and will ask participants to provide feedback
on proposed trail networks. As many of the trails will take several years to implement,
the ranking of priority trails is important to gauge public demand. The workshop will also
present the draft vision statement, project goals, and guiding principles. The Wednesday
night session on September 24 will take place at the Solid Waste Management
Multipurpose room from 6 — 8 pm. The Sunday September 28 session will be held at the
Bonnie B Davis EAC from 2 — 4 pm. Staff will continue to work alongside the consultants
and other partners to develop the materials for the upcoming workshops. Following the
workshop sessions, the plan will be finalized by the consultants and brought forward to
the Board of County Commissioners for consideration.
c. Great Trails State Day— Great Trails State Day is October 18 in North Carolina.
Orange County is a member of the Great Trails State Coalition. Many members of the
coalition host, or sponsor hikes. Staff asked if the Council has interest in hosting a hike,
as it has been something mentioned in the past. Members agreed that there was not
enough time to plan and coordinate that outreach but will consider it next year. Staff will
look at sponsoring various other hikes in the area.
Report of the Director
a. Project/Program Updates —The Little River Regional Park mountain bike skills
course will be open by the end of the month. The Parks division has filled it's two
vacancies, one at Little River Regional Park, and one on the parks base mobile crew.
The soccer goals for Fairview Park have been ordered and will be available soon. The
goals are foldable and check out for them will be managed by the Fairview Community
Center. The trail connections will be improved there. There has been a petition received
to name the field at Cedar Grove Park after a local leader. Revisions for the disc golf
course are continuing, and a final design will be completed following a joint meeting.
Council and Committee Reports
a. Intergovernmental Parks Work Group— next meeting scheduled for October
8, 2025
b. Items for the Council/Sharing of Volunteer Opportunities— no updates
c. Friends of Orange County Parks and Recreation — no updates
Adjournment: Ziemba adjourned the meeting at 8:15pm
Next Meeting: October 1 (Hillsborough)