On Tuesday, the Orange County Board of Commissioners took one more step toward giving the residents of the Rogers Road community what they’ve asked for since 1972.
At its meeting, the board unanimously voted to set aside a $500,000 capital fund for the construction of a community center for the Rogers Road neighborhood — which has housed the county’s landfill for 40 years.
Commissioner Pam Hemminger said the one-story center would be 3,800 square feet.
“I want to be proud of the county for taking a big step and moving forward,” Hemminger said.
Commissioner Valerie Foushee said she is happy to see progress finally being made.
“I’ve thought for a long time that if this board committed to moving forward then the other boards would do the same,” Foushee said.
Whether the county will fund sewer service — which would be a $7 million project — for the neighborhood has yet to be determined.
The board also discussed a proposal from the North Carolina Department of Transportation to close private rail crossings at Gordon Thomas Drive, Greenbriar Drive and Byrdsville Road in Orange County.
The proposal is part of a safety initiative from the DOT that aims to make the state’s railroads suitable for high speed rail.
Commissioner Barry Jacobs said he wants to put information about the initiative on the county website.
“We can get out ahead of this a little bit,” Jacobs said. “If we just leave it to DOT, it may not be a very interactive process.”
Commissioner Alice Gordon said not many people are aware of these plans, and she wants to hear comments from the public.
“This would be quite a shock to someone,” she said.
Notable
Several residents spoke out against a proposed section of the N.C. Mountains-to-Sea Trail, which would cut through Cane Creek Reservoir in the southwest part of the county.
Chris Weaver, an Orange County resident and candidate for the Board of Commissioners, said he thinks the public needs to be better informed about where the trail will go.
“We need a formal hearing so that these people can engage with you so that they can see what’s going to happen,” he said.
County resident Jim O’Connor said he thinks the trail might be disruptive to wildlife.
Quotable
“This is going to be an exceptional basketball season,” said Jacobs, on how county revenue would increase this fiscal year.
Contact the desk editor at city@dailytarheel.com.
To get the day's news and headlines in your inbox each morning, sign up for our email newsletters.
