Funding for entrepreneurial program Launch was approved at the Orange County Board of Commissioners meeting on Tuesday night. The Board also discussed plans for building a nature trail that will stretch across North Carolina.
Launch Chapel Hill was created three years ago as an innovation center where entrepreneurs could develop their small businesses. The center was designed to better retain entrepreneurial talent coming from the University and local community, and to reverse the trend of promising small companies relocating to nearby counties.
Over the past three years, 49 businesses have gone through Launch and 37 are still in business today. At the end of 2014, around 75 percent of these businesses remained in Orange County, and 94 jobs have been created.
All of the board members agreed that Launch is a success.
The program manager proposed a renewal of the original funding at $10,000 a quarter, or $140,000 total, over the next three years.
“It’s such little money for such a good investment,” said Commissioner Mia Burroughs.
The proposal passed with a unanimous vote, and Launch will continue to be an incubator for blossoming businesses in the county.
“Continue the good work,” Chairman Earl McKee said.
The board also discussed plans for the construction of a nature trail that would stretch across North Carolina.
Howard Lee, a former North Carolina senator, proposed the Mountains to Sea State Trail in 1977. The trail would stretch over 1,000 miles from the western-most side of the state to the Atlantic Ocean.
Construction has begun in other parts of the state, but each county is responsible for its own section of the trail.
The commission must identify where the trail will be placed, acquire rights to the land, fund construction and maintenance, ensure safety and promote the trail. It's a lot of work, but supporters are passionate about the trail’s implementation.
“I know when I step on a trail, it’s good for my soul,” said Orange County resident Scott Zimmerman. “It’s good for the community’s soul.”
Lee made an appearance at the board meeting to promote construction of the trail.
“I’m pleased and proud that this trail has survived the test of time," he said. "I’d like my county to be a prominent connector, as this is where it started.”
The board is now waiting for a comprehensive proposal, and hopes to get started with funding and implementation within the next fiscal year.
“It’s been taking a backseat, and I think it’s time to bring it to the front again,” said Commissioner Penny Rich.
Notable:
Commissioner Mark Dorosin presented a petition that the county offer Spanish language training to employees of every public department free of charge in order to ensure that at least one person in each department is able to communicate with the growing Hispanic community in Orange County.
Quotable:
“I really want it in my backyard," said Rich regarding the new Mountains to Sea State Trail.
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city@dailytarheel.com
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