April 2009
I have been thinking more and more lately about how inappropriate the name 'Carrboro' is for a town that is so focused on alternatives to the single occupant motor vehicle. I mean, I realize the town is named after Julian Shakespeare Carr, rather than the ubiquitous vehicle of the 20th century, but still . . . having our town's name begin with that object that we are working so hard against just makes no sense to me.
Also, it is important to remember who old Jule Carr was. Mr. Carr was an officer in the Confederate Army, and later he was a captain of industry. He owned many, many businesses including several mills in Durham. And for most of his life he lived in Durham. He even called his mill in our downtown "Durham Hosiery Mills." In fact, we might just note that although he was a supporter of UNC, Jule Carr was also closely related to the Duke family. In sum, Mr. Carr was not actually all that much of a Carrboro kind of guy.
The Chapel Hill-Carrboro Board of Education meets tonight at 5:30 (closed session at the Chapel Hill Town Hall) to discuss, among other things, areas for budget reduction.
Though I dislike making judgements on topics with which I'm not
familiar, I must admit that my first glance through the list of
reductions leaves me with mixed feelings. I believe them off-base with
certain items, such as reductions in professional development,
curriculum development stipends, and new-teacher signing bonuses.
(see PDF below-pages 5 and 8) However, I believe them on-target in other
reduction avenues, including looking at the K12 Insight online surveys
and reducing the Superintendent's meeting refreshments.
It is nice to be in a town that has a mayor who is willing to speak to the
zeitgeist. Feeling it also, a couple of months ago I created these
designs ...
The
last one has been printed on t-shirts if anyone is interested in
partaking in some t-shirt activism ... now to show your support for our mayor's courage.
Changing our town's name by October 24
could turn an April Fools joke into a symbolic gesture to be heard
throughout the world in a time when action on climate change is dangerously
overdue. Can the joke go to symbol and then to action?
Worry about the effect of the economic downturn coupled with changes in information technology is generating a lot of consterned discussion among those concerned with the history and future of libraries. Worries start with concern about reducing public access to books and book culture, as well as to the eroding relationship of public and research libraries to the educational system.
But libraries - the municipal buildings themselves and the staff therein - also see challenging changes in their community functions when times get hard.
OK. We need to get a thread going to congratulate Ruby on a job well done.
How 'bout those Heels! They brought home the national championship and there seems to be a lot of pride all over in their success. We should be fired up over their success, as there aren't a lot of things making people happy these days.
We should also congratulate our town leaders and employees for all of their planning and hard work to ensure that there was a safe environment for all of the celebrations, and all of their hard work to quickly clean up the town. From news reports, there were only a couple of arrests and a few injuries (can someone explain the "thrill" of jumping over a fire?). Sounds to me that a good plan was well executed and a lot of restraint was exercised by our local sworn officers and those who came to support them.
UPDATE: Join the Community Feedback Board on Facebook.
Hello again, OrangePolitics!
If you've been around OP for awhile, you probably know me. I'm a long-time reader/occaisional poster. Now I've been chosen to be the next editor-in-chief of The Daily Tar Heel. We need you to help the DTH improve.
One of my main goals next year is to make the DTH the resource that you, the residents of Chapel Hill, Carrboro and Orange County, want and need. With the pullbacks at other local media outlets, I want to help fill the gap by becoming the most thorough, expansive, relevant and accessible news source in the region. I want the DTH to provide more perspective on the issues and thoroughly understand the historical context and significance of events.
A few months ago I blogged on orangepolitics about the economic meltdown being fertile ground for re-invoking a revamped local exchange system. Today I came across this recent PLENTY article.
Though I am all for the resurgence of the PLENTY and am thankful to
the efforts that have been made to re-invigorate it (as a lot more people
should know about it and should be using it!), these latest efforts
should be respectful of the work that others have already made in its
original creation, dissemination and community participation (not
denying that the PLENTY project, until recently, has been neglected).
Two extremes:
1) A few years ago I remember responding to an NCPLENTY organizational
meeting public announcement advertised in the Independent, I went and
it had been canceled/postponed? ... no one was there.
Cool, but couldn't this have been hosted by a locally-owned business?
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, April 13, 2009
Contact:
Carlo Robustelli : Mayoral Aide
Mayors Office : Town of Chapel Hill
405 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd
Chapel Hill, NC 27514-5705
Phone: (919) 968-2714
Fax: (919) 969-2063
Mayor Kevin Foy will participate in the first "Coffee with the Mayor," a special outreach initiative to residents at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, April 15, hosted by Starbucks in downtown Chapel Hill. Residents who are interested in discussing alternative transportation in Chapel Hill and the Triangle region are encouraged to attend.
Mayor Foy will share his perspective and hear citizen input on alternative transportation and how it fits in with a vision for the future of Chapel Hill and the region. The Mayor encourages everyone to join him in using alternative transportation on April 15as a great way to kick off the regional Smart Commute Challenge occurring April 15to May 30. Mayor Foy is scheduled to arrive on Franklin Street riding Chapel Hill Transit's G Bus at 9:20 a.m.
Starting at 10:30 a.m., residents are invited to join the Mayor for an informal "Walk and Talk" tour down Franklin Street in downtown Chapel Hill. The Mayor will discuss future areas of interest, new economic developments, historical areas of interest, and his vision for downtown. Residents will have an opportunity to ask the mayor questions in an informal setting while sharing their perspectives of downtown and the larger community.
"Coffee with the Mayor" will begin at 9:30 a.m. at Starbucks, 103 E. Franklin St. The Franklin Street "Walk and Talk" tour begins at 10:30 a.m. in front of Starbucks, 103 E. Franklin St.
All residents are invited to participate!
For more information about the Smart Commute Challenge please go to: http://www.smartcommutechallenge.org/.
Date:
Wednesday, April 15, 2009 - 5:30am
Location:
Starbucks, 103 E. Franklin St., Chapel Hill
Thoughtful transportation planning is critical to the success of the proposed Carolina North campus. Traffic impacts resulting from Carolina North will be felt most immediately by the surrounding neighborhoods in northern Chapel Hill, but will ultimately affect all citizens in Chapel Hill, Carrboro and portions of Orange County.
Neighborhoods for Responsible Growth (NRG) will sponsor a public meeting “Carolina North: Don’t Get Stuck in Traffic” on Sunday, May 3 from 4-6 pm at the Homestead Community Center (600 Homestead Road). The event will focus exclusively on traffic and transportation issues for Carolina North and will allow time for you to put forward your ideas. Town Council Members and University officials plan to attend and participate in this forum as well.
The Chapel Hill Town Council will likely sign off on the final Development Agreement for Carolina North at the end of June. Time is very short for us to react to the traffic challenges presented by this historic development.
We hope that you or someone from your household can attend this important meeting. Public participation will play an important part in this meeting and in the solution!
Contact Julie McClintock at mcclintock.julie@mindspring.com for additional information about this meeting.
Date:
Sunday, May 3, 2009 - 12:00pm to 2:00pm
Location:
Homestead Community Center, 600 Homestead Road, Chapel Hill
We are in the middle of STD awareness month, which means we should all probably take a few minutes and do just that: be aware. The observance of STD awareness month is intended to normalize STD testing and conversations about sexual health.
I know that this is a "political" board but it seems like we have a lot of very "tech-savvy" people that post here. Is anyone else concerned that a contractor's mistake today, resulting in a cut in a fiber-optics network in Chapel Hill, resulted in a loss of communication amongst courthouses and county offices in all 100 NC counties?
Cut fiber line knocks out state courts' communications
http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/4949649/
I find this kind of disconcerting myself. It seems like the design of these systems has made us far, far too vulnerable. I think this is a political issue because it raises concerns for public health and welfare , at least IMHO.
Cross posted on Amplify
The Healthy Youth Act (HB 88) will go to a vote on the house floor tomorrow, and if it passes it will be the most important reproductive rights victory in NC in over 15 years (since the NC legislature introduced abstinence-only in the mid 1990’s.) The Healthy Youth act has passed three committees (Education, Health, and Appropriations), and this is the FINAL STEP in passing in the state House before it moves to the state senate.
Hello everyone.
This is an update on the May 2 BlueNC Blogger Bash. It's shaping up to be a neat event. Based on RSVPs received so far, we expect somewhere between 30 and 300 people. :)
Seriously, we're planning to feed 40 to 50, but can change that number up to the day before. There's no need to bring food, but please bring your friends and family. The Bash is 100% kid friendly, with a lake for boating and swimming, and lots of room to run around.
As you may know, the Jefferson-Jackson Dinner will take place later that evening in Durham. The JJ reception starts at 5:30. If you're planning to attend, feel free to come by the Bash and make it a whole day of politicking. It's always fun to meet people behind the screen names in the North Carolina blogosphere.
Last year's Bash was an extravaganza of candidates, and some will be on hand again this year. But mostly this is a chance for North Carolina's blogging and new media communities to come together and get to know one another.
I am interested in what OP folks think about the disruption Tuesday evening at the University of the planned talk by Tom Tancredo, preventing him from speaking. I hope we don't see this as a campus issue isolated from the rest of local progressive politics, because it raises fundamental questions about freedom of speech and liberalism.
To me this seems very simple. Tancredo's views on immigration may be loathsome, but he had a right to speak. I am repeatedly appalled, I have to add, at the lack of appreciation of this basic point among some of my fellow progressives and liberals. Free speech applies even to people who are wrong.
Please bring non-perisahble food items to the Carrboro Farmers Market Free Speech zone or Cup A Joe on W. King Street in Hillsborough. The items will help to replenish the shelves of Interfaith Council and Orange Congregations in Mission.
Location:
Carrboro Farmers Market Free Speech Zone and Cup A Joe, King St, Hillsborough,NC
At a time when partisans seem to be cherishing antagonisms and keeping wounds open, it's nice to have a reason to celebrate a town treasure in common.
Rudy Tempesta, our 83-year-old letter-carrier on the Estes-West Coker Hills route (I think we're all the 2413 part of the zipcode), was honored yesterday for not one but two million miles without an accident over 63 years of service to the US Postal Service.
That's remarkable enough, but as "Rudy's people" have come to learn, there's a lot more to him than putting catalogues and bills in our mailboxes. At yesterday's ceremony amid the sorting stations at the Estes Dr. post office, Rudy showed off one of the five medals he got for flying missions in WW2, when he was part of the group covering the Tuskegee airmen, and he pointed out the other veterans he now works with.
Carrboro High School Drama Department presents its spring production, "Little Shop of Horrors," at Culbreth Middle School auditorium. Thurs. - Sat. at 7:30 p.m., Sun. at 3 p.m. Students: $5, Adults $8.
Date:
Thursday, April 23, 2009 - 3:30pm to 6:00pm
Location:
Culbreth Middle School Auditorium
Carrboro High School Drama Department presents its spring production,
"Little Shop of Horrors," at Culbreth Middle School auditorium. Thurs.
- Sat. at 7:30 p.m., Sun. at 3 p.m. Students: $5, Adults $8.
Date:
Friday, April 24, 2009 - 3:30pm
Location:
Culbreth Middle School Auditorium
Come out to Community Trailfest and celebrate the new trail guides
created by the Sustain Foundation to highlight trails in the local
Chapel Hill and Carrboro area! The Community Trailfest is the launch
event for the guides and will be held on Sunday, April 26th from 11 am
– 1 pm on the lawn at the Weaver Street Market in Carrboro. Vendors
will be at the event showcasing their products, and information will be
provided about the different trails and their locations.
Speaking at the event will be Sustain Foundation founder and Executive
Director Kerry Brewer, Trailheads Director Steve Hoge and Fleet Feet
owner Brian White. Hoge will speak on the mental, physical and
philosophical sides of forest preservation and trail running, and White
will address the importance of the trails to area running enthusiasts
and of maintaining the trails for the benefit of the community.
“Chapel Hill and Carrboro have some great trails for runners, walkers
and bikers, but most of them are not recorded anywhere,” said Brewer.
“We hope these maps will facilitate and promote healthier lifestyles,
taking advantage of our beautiful, natural settings, and prompt our
community to participate in preservation efforts.”
Sponsors for the Chapel Hill/Carrboro trail guides are Fleet Feet
Carrboro, Franklin Street Realty, Friends of Bolin Creek, Balanced
Physical Therapy, the Chapel Hill/Carrboro Chamber of Commerce,
Townsend Bertram and Company, and Trailheads running club.
This should be a great event for people of all ages to learn more about
how to take care of their minds and bodies and where to do so in their
surrounding environment. Community Trailfest is free and open to the
public.
Date:
Sunday, April 26, 2009 - 7:00am to 9:00am
Location:
Weaver Street Market Carrboro
Date:
Saturday, May 2, 2009 - 10:00am to 2:00pm
Location:
451 Lakeshore Lane, Chapel Hill.
Today is
WCHL's annual on-air all day forum (1360 AM). The "Town Gown" discussion is already underway. Are you listening? What do you think?
I want to increase my knowledge of the history and politics of Orange County over the summer in preparation for my editor job at the DTH. Do you have any recommendations? Books, articles, etc.
I'm getting ready to get "The American College Town" from the library as a start.
I have a simple question: How do you classify digital networking?
I ask because I think we are at a critical juncture in our society. The idea of "being connected" is foreign to some folks and completely natural to others. In my personal life, I have found that this split seems to heavily correlate with age. The younger you are, the more you "get" the idea of a digital network ("The Internet" to most folks), while the older you are the more likely you will view it as an unnecessary and frivolous endeavor.
Neighborhoods for Responsible Growth (NRG) will sponsor a public meeting “Carolina North: Don’t Get Stuck in Traffic” on Sunday, May 3 from 4-6 pm at the Homestead Community Center (600 Homestead Road). The event will focus exclusively on traffic and transportation issues for Carolina North and will allow time to learn about the transportation challenges posed by Carolina North, and for plenty of dialogue among neighbors and elected officials.
Press release:
ORANGE WATER AND SEWER AUTHORITY
A public, non-profit agency providing water, sewer and reclaimed water services to the Carrboro-Chapel Hill community.
NEWS RELEASE April 29, 2009
OWASA Board of Directors calls budget and rate hearings on May 28th;
9.75% increase proposed for monthly water and sewer charges
On Thursday, April 23rd, the OWASA Board of Directors scheduled public hearings for Thursday night, May 28th on the draft budget for July, 2009 through June, 2010 (FY 2010), the Capital Improvements Budget for FY 2010-2014,15-Year Capital Improvements Program (CIP) and proposed rate increases.
The May 28th public hearings will be part of an OWASA business meeting at 7:00 PM in the Chapel Hill Town Hall, 405 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. The meeting will be televised live on local cable channel 18. All customers are invited to attend and speak at the public hearings and to provide comments for the OWASA Board by e-mail to webmaster@owasa.org, or by letter to 400 Jones Ferry Road, Carrboro, NC 27510, at any time. Additional notices of the public hearings, including a formal notice in a local newspaper, will be distributed in May.
The OWASA Board could take final action on the budget, CIP and proposed rate increases as soon as the Board’s June 11th meeting.
OWASA’s draft FY 2010 budget includes a 9.75% rate increase in monthly water and sewer rates. A 9.75% rate increase would increase a monthly bill by $6.68 (from $68.24 to $74.92) for a typical individually-metered residence using 5,000 gallons per month. (Please see additional examples below.) The normal effective date for changes in OWASA’s rates is October 1st following adoption of an annual budget in June.
OWASA’s draft FY 2010 budget includes expenditures of $18.7 million for operations, $6.8 million for capital improvements and $9.7 million for bond debt payments. The operating budget includes:
Ø $1.7 million in cost reductions including elimination of 10 positions and freezing of 8 vacant positions, deferral of a sewer maintenance program and postponement of water meter replacements;
Ø reduced capital spending including a one-year delay in the next phase of odor elimination improvements at the Mason Farm Wastewater Treatment Plant;
Ø reducing recreation days at University Lake from Friday through Monday to one day per week (Saturday), and continuing the current Saturday-only schedule at Cane Creek Reservoir; and
Ø substantial increases in the cost of chemicals used in water and wastewater treatment.
Without the increase in chemical costs, the draft operating budget for FY 2010 would be 6% less than the budget for FY 2009.
The draft budget also reflects continuing low water demand and reduced revenue from new development connections due to the slow economy. Projected water demand in FY 2010 is 16% less than in FY 2001, while the number of customer accounts has increased by 3,100 since then.
For more information:
Kevin M. Ray, Director of Finance and Customer Service, 537-4236 or kray@owasa.org
400 JONES FERRY ROAD, CARRBORO, NC 27510
PHONE: (919) 968-4421; FAX: (919) 968-4464
WEB SITE: WWW.OWASA.ORG; E-MAIL: WEBMASTER@OWASA.ORG
Date:
Thursday, May 28, 2009 - 3:00pm
Location:
Chapel Hill Town Hall, 405 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd
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