Item:
Title
Approve the Final Budget for the Alston Glenn Farm Conservation Easement and Approve Capital Project Amendment No. 20CPA000010 Decreasing the Open Space & Farmland Preservation Capital Project 4730DC083 by $114,350 and Budget Amendment No. 20BCC000029 transferring $114,350 to the General Fund to Support the Purchase of the Glenn Farm Conservation Easement
Body
Date of BOCC Meeting: November 12, 2019
Request for Board Action:
Agenda Text
The Board is requested to approve the final budget for the Alston Glenn Conservation Easement and approve Capital Project Amendment No.20CPA000010 decreasing the Open Space & Farmland Preservation Capital Project $114,350 and Budget Amendment No.20BCC000029 transferring $114,350 to the General Fund to support the purchase of the Alston Glenn Farm conservation easement. The property consists of 53.7 acres located in northern Durham County on the west side of Hampton Road and east and adjacent to NCSU’s Hill Forest, shown on Attachments 1 and 2. The Glenn farm was originally purchased by Mr. Glenn’s grandparents Mary and Lucius Glenn in 1905, and has been recognized by the State of North Carolina as a century farm (Mr. Glenn’s cousin Douglas Daye has received the plaque on behalf of the Glenn farm). Mr. Glenn currently manages his farm for hay and pasture for beef cattle.
The federal Agricultural Lands Easement Program (ALE) grant awarded to the farm will pay for 50 percent of the federally approved appraisal value of the easement rights. The appraisal approved by the federal program has to meet federal standards, and the approved value for the easement was $223,100. The federal grant pays for $111,550 of the land cost of the easement; the remaining 50 percent is provided by Durham County plus associated closing costs. No new county funding is needed since the $114,350 for the county’s share of the acquisition and closing costs was previously set aside from open space capital project funds for this project when the Board approved the purchase option for the easement. The attached budget summarizes the total cost for this easement. The transfer of $114,350 from the open space and farmland capital project account to the General fund for the purchase of the land is a technical transfer that provides the Finance Department with a more concise end of year accounting of assets purchased by the County in each fiscal year. In addition, the County Manager was previously authorized to execute the final easement documents as well.
Alignment with Strategic Plan: This acquisition helps to implement Strategic Plan Goal 4, “Environmental Stewardship and Community Prosperity,” by increasing the amount of open space and farmland that has been protected by Durham County.
Resource Persons: Jane Korest, Open Space and Real Estate Manager; Celeste Burns, Open Space and Real Estate Coordinator, Peri Manns, Deputy Director of Environmental Engineering, Keith Lane, Budget Director
County Manager’s Recommendation: The County Manager recommends that the Board approve the final budget for the Glenn Conservation Easement and approve Capital Project Amendment No .20CPA000010 decreasing the Open Space & Farmland Preservation Capital Project 4730DC083 $114,350, and Budget Amendment No. 20BCC000029 transferring $114,350 to the General Fund to support the purchase of the Glenn Farm conservation easement.
Signature
County Manager: ____________________________