AGENDA #6a

MEMORANDUM

TO:                  Chapel Hill Town Council

                        Board of Orange County Commissioners

FROM:            Project Planning Committee

SUBJECT:      Phasing Recommendations for the Southern Community Park

DATE:            April 24, 2006

On April 13, 2006, the Project Planning Committee reviewed cost estimates and options for development of the Southern Community Park.

Budget: The Committee’s recommendations are based on the assumption that the Town Council would approve the Town Manager’s recommendation to provide an additional $481,000 for the project. If the Council agrees, the park would have a revised budget of $3,879,000. Of that amount $3,511,000 would be available for future spending. We further understand that the staff recommends a minimum contingency of 12 percent of construction budget or around $421,000. This would leave $3,090,000 for construction.

Overall Cost Estimates: The Town’s cost estimator now believes that projected costs for the entire program have increased by around 30 percent in the past 15 months. The phasing plan approved by the Council in April 2005 is no longer feasible.

Revised Recommended Option: The Committee considered a number of options with different mixes of parking lot sizes and locations as well as different recreation amenities. We unanimously agreed to recommend to the Town Council and Board of Orange County Commissioners the following program:

• 110 space northern parking lot with a partial access drive (no connection to highway 15-501)
• 40 space parking lot on Dogwood Acres Drive
• Art
• Restroom building
• Three athletic fields with irrigation and fence (includes conduits for future lights, but no lights in first phase)
• Dog park
• Paved and natural surface trails including an extension of the Fan Branch Trail from its current terminus at Scroggs School to Dogwood Acres Drive.
• Picnic Shelter (1), large enough for groups and family reunions
• Basketball court (1)
• Play area
• Disk golf course

We believe that this mix of facilities would address the concerns of nearby residents by shifting a significant portion of the parking spaces for the park to the north, while retaining a sufficient number for people using the dog park. The plan would also provide a good mix of recreation amenities.

The following program elements originally recommended by the Committee and approved by the Council would not be provided with this plan:

• 82 spaces at the Dogwood Acres Drive parking lot
• Maintenance building
• Lights for the athletic fields
• In-line hockey court
• Second picnic shelter
• Second basketball court
• Meadow play area

The Committee believes that the Town Council could prioritize the facilities that are not in the recommended list in the event that funds remain.

Traffic Light at Dogwood Acres Drive: The Committee recommended that, if the traffic light proposed for the intersection of Dogwood Acres Drive and Highway 15-501 is warranted by the NCDOT, that park funds not be used to pay for the light. The Committee recommended that some other source of funds be found or that the Town wait until funding for the light is provided by the NCDOT.

Future Orange County Bond: The Committee recommended that the Board of Orange County Commissioners explore the possibility of adding funds for a second phase of park development at such time as the County is prepared to develop a parks bond package for the consideration of Orange County voters. Those elements could include the following:

• Access drive to Highway 15-501
• Water play area
• Baseball field
• Extension of the Fan Branch Greenway Trail to the southern end of the park
• Maintenance building
• Lights for the athletic fields
• In-line hockey court
• Second picnic shelter
• Second basketball court
• Meadow play area