INC NEWS - Forwarded per Ellen Reckhow

[TheOcean1@aol.com]

NEWS RELEASE 
For Immediate Release                                                         
                               Date: November 23  2005 
Contact: Deborah Craig-Ray                                                    
                          Phone: 560-0002/Fax: 560-0020 
e-mail: dcraig-ray at co.durham.nc.us 

NC Clean Water Management Trust Fund Awards Grant to   
Durham County 
The Board of the State of  North Carolina Clean Water Management Trust Fund 
(CWMTF) approved a grant of  $1,112,000 submitted by Durham County at their 
Board Meeting on November 14, 2005.  The $1,112,000 grant will be shared by  
Durham County, Orange County, City of Durham  and Chapel Hill. The funds will 
provide  $1,000,000 towards the Duke  University acquisition and the $112,000  
toward the acquisition of adjoining tract in Orange County owned by the Penny 
family.   
The CWMTF grant also  included $112,000 to be used to assist Orange County 
with the acquisition of the Penny  property. This acquisition includes 23 
critical floodplain and riparian areas  that abut New Hope Creek and help to provide 
a continuous protected open space  corridor in this fast growing part of the 
Triangle.  The grant funds are contingent upon the  Pennys donating 
conservation easements on additional upland acreage, which the  family pledged to do in 
spring 2005, and further renewed their pledge in  November.  
Ellen Reckhow  who chairs the Durham County Board of Commissioners said, “The 
full funding  of our grant request is testimony to the power of  
partnerships. Through an unprecedented partnership of four  governmental units, the 
Triangle Land Conservancy, the Erwin Area Neighborhood  Group, and the cooperation 
and support of Wade and Carolyn Penny, we  were able to protect (through 
acquisition and conservation easements) over  80 acres of land at a key access point 
on the New Hope Corridor that is in  the heart of our rapidly urbanizing 
area. My thanks extend to everyone  who helped bring this project to fruition.”  
She continued “Durham County and our partners took a leap of  faith that the 
CWMTF Board would value the water quality benefits from this  project and want 
to participate. I’m gratified to see support from the state for  our full 
request”.   
Based on an analysis  prepared by County staff, the grant funds would be 
allocated to each local  government’s share of the project as follows:   

Original Partner  Commitment  
Proportion of CWMTF Grant Funds  allocated  
Remaining Partner Amount to be provided towards  Duke Acquisition   
Triangle Land Conservancy (on behalf of EANG)    
$225,000  
n/a  
$225,000   
Durham County  
$914,000  
$762, 357  
$151,643   
Chapel Hill   
$100,000  
$63,371  
$36,629   
City of Durham    
$75,000  
$47,529  
$27,471   
Orange County  (  towards the Duke tract )  
200,000  
$126,743  
$73,257   
Orange County -   Penny tract 
(included in CWMTF  application)     
n/a  
$112,000  
n/a 
“I’m very pleased with the  support for this project from the CWMTF Board,” 
states Jane Korest, Durham  County Open Space and Real Estate Manager. “The 
Penny and Duke acquisitions will  provide an additional 66 acres that will be 
publicly owned by Durham and Orange counties within the New Hope Creek  corridor 
plus at least 15 acres of additional land protected with easements that  will 
permanently protect open space for area residents to enjoy now and in  future 
generations. This location between Durham  and Chapel Hill is rapidly 
urbanizing, and Durham County, its local government partners, and  the CWMTF Board 
have really showed their support for protecting key urban open  space before the 
opportunity is lost.”  
Background 
Durham County agreed to purchase the 42.8 acre Duke tract in April,  2005 for 
$1,500,000. The property has been appraised at $1,760,000. Duke University 
had considered the property  surplus for more than a decade, and in the fall of 
2004, a 49 lot subdivision  had been proposed for the property. The Erwin Area 
Neighborhood Group (EANG)  held a strong grass-roots public education 
campaign to gain public support of  the acquisition. In addition, the EANG pledged to 
raise funds to support the  acquisition, and they successfully received more 
than $200,000 in private  pledges towards the purchase.   
Durham County agreed to purchase the Duke tract after the other local  
governments agreed to participate with up to $375,000 of the purchase price. The  
Triangle Land Conservancy is providing $225,000 of the purchase price, with the  
bulk of these funds provided by the EANG pledges.    
The Duke property includes  31.6 acres in Durham County and another 11.2 
acres in Orange County. Once acquired, Orange County  will own the portion within 
Orange  County, and the town of Chapel Hill will own  another 2 acres of the 
site.  Duke University was willing to work with Durham County  to delay the 
closing date for three years (until April 2008) to provide time for  Durham  
County to apply for grants  and to stretch each government’s commitment over three 
years.   
The New Hope Creek Vision   
The New Hope Creek Plan,  adopted in 1991 by all four jurisdictions, 
envisions a fully protected 23 mile  open space corridor on New Hope Creek from Orange 
County  downstream into Chatham County to provide water quality, wildlife  
habitat and recreation benefits. Since 1994, Durham County has acquired 265 
acres from 11  willing sellers towards achieving this vision.  
Durham County Open Space Program  
The Durham County Open  Space Program has preserved over 1050 acres in 
permanent open space. The County  owns 652 acres, and manages another 417 acres that 
are privately owned but  permanently preserved with easements held by Durham 
County. During the last two years, the  County has received four grants 
totaling $1,875,000 towards open space  preservation projects.      
Contacts: 
Ellen Reckhow, Chairman, Durham County Commissioners, 383-3883   
Deborah Craig- Ray, Assistant County Manager, 560-0002   
Jane Korest, Durham County Open Space and Real Estate  Manager, office 
560-7955 cell 201-3974    
Lisa Schell, CWMTF Public Information Officer, (919)  716-0057, 
_lisa.schell at ncmail.net_ (mailto:lisa.schell at ncmail.net)  



Bill Anderson 
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