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Orange County APB finalizes Farmland Plan and schedules BOCC presentation for June 2
Summary
The Orange County Agricultural Preservation Board finalized front matter for its draft Farmland Plan and will present the completed plan to the Board of County Commissioners on June 2; members also reviewed VAD enrollment progress and discussed upcoming membership vacancies, including the retirement of Kim Woods.
The Orange County Agricultural Preservation Board on May 20 finalized new front sections of its draft Farmland Plan and set a June 2 presentation to the Board of County Commissioners at the Whitted Building in Hillsborough.
Jessica Perrin, Soil and Water Conservation Manager, told members that the plan’s new front material—acknowledgements, a preface and a “call to action”—had been added to the final document and received general agreement from the board. Perrin said staff will forward the final plan and illustrations to the county’s graphic designer to prepare a web-ready version.
Perrin also updated the board on Voluntary Agricultural District (VAD) activity, saying the four farms the APB approved on March 18 were presented to the BOCC on April 21 and were approved there. She said work on an application by Mary Beth Miller and Brock Phillips to enroll their farm in the VAD program is ongoing and is expected to be ready for APB consideration at the board’s September meeting. Perrin said she plans to attend a statewide VAD conference in July hosted by the NC Dept. of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
Discussion at the meeting addressed membership and continuity on APB committees. Peter Sandbeck, Cultivation Resources Coordinator, reported the APB has one at-large vacancy and an upcoming vacancy in the Caldwell district caused by the retirement of Kim Woods at the end of June. Sandbeck said Compton indicated he wishes to continue serving and staff will send a letter recommending his reappointment to the County Clerk. Because the cutoff for making appointments before the BOCC’s summer schedule was May 15, any appointments will be considered in September.
Members discussed outreach to the farm community to ensure a visible presence at the June 2 BOCC meeting; staff will follow up with details and suggested coordination so that several members of the farm community may sign up to speak in favor of the plan without duplicating testimony.
The board also handled routine business: Woods moved to approve the March 18 meeting summary, Neff seconded, and the motion carried. The meeting adjourned at 8:11 p.m.
What’s next: the APB will present the final Farmland Plan to the Board of County Commissioners at the June 2 meeting; staff will coordinate community speakers and complete the web-ready plan.
