AGENDA #4c
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TO: |
Roger L. Stancil, Town Manager |
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FROM: |
Bill Webster, Interim Director of Parks & Recreation |
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SUBJECT: |
Authorization to Purchase Property for the Morgan Creek Trail Project |
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DATE: |
May 21, 2007 |
The attached resolution would authorize the Manager to purchase 0.2 acres of property from Duke Energy for the Morgan Creek Trail project for $5,000.
On November 27, 2000, the Council adopted the Report of the Merritt Pasture Access Committee to the Town Council, which recommended that the Town build a first phase of the Morgan Creek Trail in order to achieve public access to the Merritt Pasture.
In January 2006, the Council adopted an updated version of the Chapel Hill Greenways Comprehensive Master Plan, which recommended development of a paved bicycle and pedestrian multiple-use Morgan Creek Trail from Culbreth Road to the Carrboro town line at Smith Level Road. The Plan also recommended development of a side trail to access Merritt Pasture.
On October 9, 2006, the Council adopted the Report of the Morgan Creek Trail Conceptual Plan Committee, which recommended building a trail to access the Merritt Pasture.
The Morgan Creek Trail is proposed to be a 10-foot-wide asphalt or concrete trail that would begin at Culbreth Road and end at Smith Level Road. The trail would be an extension of the Fan Branch Trail.
A natural surface extension would provide access to the Merritt Pasture. Our project Environmental Engineer has performed flood analysis modeling on the proposed bridge location that would be required to access the Merritt Pasture from the future Morgan Creek Trail. That work has revealed that we cannot build a bridge on existing Town property that would be permittable under Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) regulations. The proposed 0.2-acre purchase of property from Duke Energy would allow us to build a bridge in a location that would be permittable under FEMA rules.
Purchase Price: Duke Energy has agreed to sell the property for $5,000. We believe that this price is reasonable. We propose paying for the property from the Morgan Creek Trail project funds.
That the Council adopt the attached resolution, which would authorize the Manager to purchase 0.2 acre of property from Duke Energy for the Morgan Creek Trail project and access to Merritt Pasture.
