March 2014

Orange County Justice United, the United Voices of Efland, and Orange County Habitat for Humanity are holding the following, very timely, event: 

The Reconnecting Communities Team of Justice United will hold a disaster and recovery planning event in Efland on March 29. Join community leaders from Efland, and supporters from Carrboro and Chapel Hill, at the Efland Cheeks Community Center (117 Richmond Rd, Efland) on Saturday, March 29, from 1:00 - 2:30 pm. 

Hosted by Justice United, the United Voices of Efland, and Orange County Habitat for Humanity, this event will kick off a series of community led initiatives to bring together local churches, businesses, and residents in developing a disaster plan for the area. 

More information is available here: Press Release, Poster. 

Chapel Hill Transit is initiating a study of their North-South Corridor service. More details in the below press release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, March 7, 2014

North-South Corridor Study public meetings on March 26
Chapel Hill Transit invites public participation in the North-South Corridor Study. Two identical public workshops are scheduled on Wednesday, March 26:

•         11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.—Stone Cultural Center, 150 South Road, UNC Campus (Hitchcock Room)

•         4:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. —Chapel Hill Public Library (Meeting Room B)

The meetings will be structured in an open house, drop-in format.  At the meetings, the public will be able to talk to project staff, review maps of the study area, and participate in self-paced interactive exercises about transit.   Chapel Hill Transit’s goal is to gather public comment about travel and transit needs in this corridor.  Comment forms as well as laptops will be available to record comments.
An English-Spanish language interpreter will be available at this set of public meetings for anyone who requests translation and interpretation.
The North-South Corridor Study is a transit service planning initiative for the corridor linking Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, South Columbia Street and US Highway 15-501 South.  The purpose of the study is to review the transportation corridor from the Eubanks Road Park and Ride to the Southern Village Park and Ride Lot, to identify and evaluate improved accessibility, capacity, convenience and travel-time for riders.
The public meeting date also launches an online community forum at the NSCstudy.org<http://NSCstudy.org>, where the public can access project information, comment on the project, and view other people’s suggestions, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week from the convenience of a personal computer or a mobile device like a smartphone or a tablet.  Comments will be accepted on the project starting on March 26 through the end of the project, which is anticipated to last 15-18 months.
Additional public involvement opportunities including more public meetings will be announced throughout the project.  There are several easy ways to stay engaged with the North-South Corridor Study through the project website,www.NSCStudy.org<http://www.nscstudy.org/>:

•         Sign up for the updates;

•         Check the website for more technical reports and corridor data as it becomes available; and

•         Comment on the project using a map, answering a poll question, attaching your own narrative or photo, and more.
The study represents a significant step towards achieving the goals established by the Chapel Hill 2020 comprehensive plan. The comprehensive planning work was conducted in six theme groups. “Getting Around” theme group established a set of goals aimed at the development of a well-balanced and holistic transportation system that connects communities, provides a variety of transportation options and places an emphasis on ecological conciseness.
Chapel Hill Transit is the public transportation provider that serves Chapel Hill, Carrboro and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. For complete information about CHT services, schedules, route changes or directions to the nearest CHT stop, visit us at www.chtransit.org<http://www.chtransit.org/> , email chtransit@townofchapelhill.org<mailto:chtransit@townofchapelhill.org>, or call a CHT customer service representative at 919-969-4900 (press 1).

Our forum for candidates for Orange County School Board will be moderated by former school board member Libbie Hough.

There are six candidates for four seats in this election: Greg Andrews, Tom Carr, Donna Coffey, Michael Hood, Brenda Stephens, and Rosa Williams.

This forum will take place live right here on orangepolitics.org. 

The Orange County Democratic Party will host a 2014 Sheriff Candidates Forum on Wednesday, April 16th, at 6:30pm at the Chapel Hill Public Library, Meeting Room B. The forum will be moderated by OCDP Chair Matt Hughes and OCDP First Vice-Chair Susan Romaine.

There are six Democratic candidates running for Sheriff. No Repblicans have filed for Orange County Sheriff. The winner of the May Democratic primary will be unopposed in the general election in November.

The Orange County Public Library (OCPL) will host two community engagement meetings regarding the proposed Southern Branch Library.

The purpose of the upcoming meetings is two-fold: to gather input on the current proposed location in downtown Carrboro, and learn what library services are needed by the community.

The meetings will be:

• Tuesday, March 25, 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. at Hickory Tavern, 370 E. Main Street, Carrboro
• Saturday, April 12, 12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. at Carrboro Town Hall, 301 W. Main Street, Carrboro

“Unlike typical input sessions, these meetings will be interactive, creative and fun,” said OCPL Director Lucinda Munger. “Facilitated group exercises will be held to determine how people want this library branch to look and feel. And comments will be taken regarding the library’s location and activities.”

“We hope to hear many ideas for this future library,” she continued, “and have a wide range of folks participate in these important discussions.”

Gift certificates and library tote bags will be given to meeting participants.

Orange County is currently evaluating space in the 300 East Main Street development in downtown Carrboro to locate a Southern Branch Library in 2017. The new library would replace the Carrboro Branch Library, in McDougle Middle School, and the Cybrary, in the Carrboro Century Center.

The purpose of the Rosemary Imagined: First Community Review Meeting is to review the two draft concepts for Rosemary Street. These concepts are being drafted by the consulting team from KlingStubbins, a planning firm located in Raleigh, based upon the community input and feedback received during the Rosemary Imagined meetings held in the summer and fall of 2013.

Two drop-in meetings will be held on April 10 and will be at the following times:

• 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., with a brief overview presentation at 12:15 p.m.
• 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., with a brief overview presentation at 6:45 p.m.

Both meetings will be held in the Sky Lounge at Greenbridge, 601 Rosemary Street, Chapel Hill, NC 27516. The format of these two meetings will be identical; the purpose of holding two meetings is to provide multiple opportunities for participants to attend and provide their input.

During the meeting, we will gather community comment about the two draft concepts. The concepts will then be revised to develop one draft concept. A Second Community Review meeting will be held in late May or early June to receive community feedback about the revised draft concept.

Rosemary Imagined is an innovative community-led planning initiative that will refine our thinking of how Rosemary Street fits into the development and growth of downtown Chapel Hill. This goal of this effort is to develop a vision for the future of the Rosemary Street corridor that emphasizes the Town’s focus on connections, choices, and community.

For more information about the Rosemary Imagined process, visit http://rosemaryimaginedblog.com/

For questions, contact Megan Wooley, housing and neighborhood services planner for the Town of Chapel Hill, and Meg McGurk, executive director for the Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership at info@rosemaryimagined.com. Megan can also be reached at 919-969-5059, and Meg can be reached at 919-967-9440.