Schools      Gordon chaired the county-wide group of elected officials that crafted the Schools Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance. SAPFO is used to coordinate long-range planning for future school needs and thus it helps to prevent future overcrowding.      Alice proposed the formation of this group of elected officials from the three towns, two school boards, and the county commissioners. She has worked with the other commissioners to fund new schools when they are needed. With the completion of the schools now under construction, the county has built all the schools in the Orange County School (OCS) District that will be needed for the next decade. New schools have also been constructed in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City School (CHCCS) District. The county still needs to fund in a timely manner the new schools needed in that district over the next ten years, beginning with elementary school #10.      Gordon will continue her strong commitment to excellent schools, a key element in the county's quality of life. It is important that all children in our county receive a quality education. Alice will work to resolve school funding issues in a way that is fair to both school districts, and provides the operating revenues and buildings that they need.      For the Orange County School District, fair funding means meeting district needs, with an emphasis on finding more operating funds so that the OCS students can have needed educational programs.      For the Chapel Hill School District, fair funding means meeting district needs, with an emphasis on building new CHCCS schools when they are needed. Alice will also advocate for the renovation and maintenance of older schools all over the county, so that they can become "substantially equivalent" to the newer schools. There was a period of about twenty years when no new schools were built in Orange County. As a result, there is a significant difference between the older schools and those built in the last 15 years, and the older schools need to be improved in an agreed-upon time frame. Environment      Gordon's most important legacy as an environmental leader will be her initiatives to make environmental protection a separate function of Orange County government.      When Alice first became a county commissioner, environmental concerns were handled as part of the overall planning function of the Planning Department. She saw the need for and proposed the creation and establishment of the following new functions to strengthen the county's focus on environmental protection. As a result, environmental protection has its own special place as an integral part of county government. Proposed the creation of the the Water Resources Committee. Proposed the creation of the Commission for the Environment. Proposed the creation of the Environment and Resource Conservation Department (ERCD), the new county department dedicated to dealing with environmental issues. Proposed the creation of the county's comprehensive land preservation program, the nationally recognized "Lands Legacy Program."      All of these initiatives were approved by the county commissioners and have become a part of county government.      The Environment and Resource Conservation Department "coordinates county goals for environmental protection, resource conservation, and land acquisition." The department provides staff support for several county advisory boards, including the Commission for the Environment.      The award-winning Lands Legacy program, administered by the Environment and Resource Conservation Department, is the first comprehensive county land acquisition program in North Carolina. In just six years of the program's existence, the county has protected over 1600 acres of land, both for natural resource and farmland preservation and for parks. This is a success story that is unusual in North Carolina.      The Commission for the Environment, established in 1997 to advise the commissioners, gave the county for the first time a group to provide advice on air quality and other environmental issues. In recognition of her contributions to Orange County's environment, the Commission dedicated the 2004 State of the Environment Report to Commissioner Alice Gordon.      Gordon will continue to promote the implementation of new environmental initiatives, like the Water Resources Initiative.      Alice proposed the establishment of the Water Resources Committee to go beyond the county's good work in protecting watersheds and expand it to include an emphasis on groundwater as well. She was far-sighted in advocating for studies of our groundwater supplies, well before there was any crisis (like a drought), to help us plan for our long-term water needs. Now Alice is pushing for the funding and implementation of the Water Resources Initiative, approved in concept by the commissioners last year. This new initiative will help Orange County better protect and more responsibly utilize the county's water supplies. She will work on other environmental initiatives as well, especially in her capacity as commissioner liaison to the Commission for the Environment and as a member of the new multi-jurisdictional Air Quality Advisory Committee. She will also support the wise allocation of 2001 bond funds already budgeted for land preservation, and promote an aggressive timetable for the completion of planned recreation and park facilities. (See Environmental Record for a more complete description of these issues and also statements concerning the "Rural Buffer" and "Parks and Open Space, Sustainable Growth") Officers, Durham/Chapel Hill/Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization's Transportation Advisory Committee: Bill Bell, Mayor of Durham, and Alice Regional Transportation      Gordon, as vice chair of two regional transportation policy decision-making boards, has worked for wise transportation planning in the Triangle area. In particular, she has promoted public transit and other alternatives to cars. Current Vice Chair, and Former Chair, Durham/Chapel Hill/Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization's Transportation Advisory Committee (an elected officals policy board) Current Vice Chair, Board of Trustees, Triangle Transit Authority Kickoff Celebration for new TTA bus route: Al Terry, Orange County; Alice; Tom Stevens, Mayor of Hillsborough       Alice has been a dedicated advocate for improving public transit in the region, and has worked to increase our other transportation options. In her service on the Transportation Advisory Committee, a group of elected officials who provide policy guidance and approve the Metropolitan Planning Organization's transportation budget, she has worked for a balanced transportation system that provides alternatives to cars. As part of her work on the Triangle Transit Authority (TTA) Board of Trustees, she spearheaded the creation of the new TTA bus route between Hillsborough and Chapel Hill which began operation in January. It provides continuous weekday bus trips between the towns. This route took three years to plan and it is was added to the TTA system at the same time that other routes had to be cut. Alice was recognized by the Orange-Chatham Group of the Sierra club for her contributions in the area of transportation.       Gordon will continue to work on improving public transit, finding other alternatives to cars, and monitoring transportation projects for compliance with air quality objectives.       Alice will grapple with the complex issues which we need to resolve before we can devise solutions to the transportation challenges faced by this region. TTA provides regional bus service and some areas have local bus service. However, we need other transit improvements including regional rail, or some comparable mode of transportation, to meet our long-term transportation goals. Otherwise we will continue to see worsening traffic congestion and air quality degradation in the Triangle area. As part of the region's non-attainment area for air quality, Orange County will be involved in these transportation improvement efforts for years to come. Officers, Triangle Transit Authority Board of Trustees: Bill Strom, Chapel Hill; Carter Worthy, Raleigh; and Alice TOP Paid for by the Alice Gordon Campaign, PO Box 2425, Chapel Hill, NC 27515