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County staff to explore buying Camp Spencer as lease and PARTF restrictions near 2028 expiry
Summary
Staff will conduct due diligence on acquiring Camp Spencer after the Cabarrus Boys & Girls Club said it lacks funds to continue operations; lease and a 2003 PARTF grant both run toward 2028 and commissioners raised taxpayer cost and access concerns.
Cabarrus County staff told commissioners on April 7 they will pursue additional discussions and due diligence about acquiring Camp Spencer after learning the Cabarrus Boys & Girls Club has limited capacity to continue operations and the current lease runs through June 28, 2028.
"The current agreement we have expires on June 28th in 2028," staff member Kyle Bellefeuille told the board and said the Boys & Girls Club would be willing to discuss a transfer so long as the organization's access and summer programming (priority pool use, etc.) could continue. Bellefeuille noted the park's construction was supported by a 25-year PARTF grant made in 2003; if the park's operations ceased prematurely the county could face reputational and funding consequences when seeking future grants from the state program.
Commissioners asked questions about taxpayer costs and operational expenses. Commissioner Pittman asked "what might it cost the taxpayers" and whether CIP projects already scheduled would shift; Bellefeuille said staff had pushed out CIP spending for Camp Spencer pending the lease horizon and that acquisition discussions would require additional analysis, including possible closed-session conversations to discuss negotiation terms.
Commissioners also raised operational concerns: the road through the park is a public road, adjacent parcels are being marketed for sale and future development could affect safety and access. Commissioner Wortman said he wanted the county to explore options because a decision must be made before the lease expires.
Why it matters: the county currently operates and maintains park facilities it does not own in some cases; acquiring property would shift long-term operational and capital responsibilities to the county and could require tradeoffs in the CIP and taxpayer funding.
Board direction: commissioners authorized staff to proceed with exploratory discussions and due diligence to bring options back to the board for a later decision; no purchase price or acquisition motion was made at the April 7 meeting.
