AGENDA #3(a)5

PETITION TO

THE CHAPEL HILL TOWN COUNCIL

CONCERNING

DESIGN CHANGE TO PLANS FOR SOUTHERN COMMUNITY PARK

FEBRUARY 7, 2006

We, the undersigned, concerned residents of Chapel Hill and Orange County, feel that changes made by the Parks and Recreation staff in April and May of 2005 to the plans for the Southern Community Park, are a significant deviation from the original park design. These changes have altered the intention and effect of the park facility and were made, in the words of the Parks and Recreation staff themselves, merely to save money.  Furthermore, these changes significantly increase hazards for people driving to and from the park, pedestrians accessing the park from the parking lot, and the residents of Dogwood Acres.

These changes were made without adequate community input and without complete traffic studies comparing the safety of both the original park design and the current park design.  The extensive public meetings held by the original design committee led us to believe that, barring small adaptations, the park design which the design committee submitted to the Town Council in 2002, would be the final park design.  Minimal notice was given of subsequent public hearings and no mention was made of significant design changes in these notices.  Therefore, we did not attend subsequent public hearings before the Town council and did not provide vital input to those considering approval of the design changes.

We, therefore, request that said changes be referred back to the original park design committee for their review and approval. 

(Signatures will be turned in at the Council meeting on February 13^th.)