On June 27, the Chapel Hill Town Council will be providing recommendations to the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Transportation Advisory Committee regarding the alignment of the proposed light rail line which will connect Chapel Hill with Durham, UNC Hospitals with Duke Hospital and downtown Durham. As a Meadowmont resident, I'm particularly interested in the choices of routing which involve Meadowmont, and I'm interested in what others in the local progressive community think about the options.
When the approval of the Meadowmont community was up before Town Council in 1995, one of its selling points, and presumably one of the reasons Roger Perry and East-West Partners were allowed to build at such high densities, was the reservation of a 50-foot wide mass-transit corridor (see also here). The corridor is still there, still free of development, and passes by the commercial area and rental apartments before making a turn behind the residences in the Cedars retirement community.
The Orange County Economic Development Commission still exists, I know this because I am a member of it! Yet the County is functioning as if the board has been disbanded even though it has taken no such action. This is the culmination of a dysfunctional history in Orange County Economic Development. But the part that really bothers me now is a closed session being held tonight by the county commissioners on the topic of economic development without input from citizens, citizens who were appointed by our elected officials to advise them on the diverse set of opinions held by residents of Orange County.
To me this sunsetting of the Orange County Economic Development Commission is a tactic to silence dissent. It's true there are many people on the Orange County Economic Development Commission who did not agree with the former director on policy or plans. It's true that many of our meetings were frustrating. But to subvert democracy when you no longer find it agreeable is wrong. I hope as we consider a new organization to represent us in economic development matters that we remember how the county has acted.
Just today (WTF) I received this e-mail notice about a public hearing tonight to hear from local residents about the proposed cuts to Chapel Hill Transit service. Erin already blogged about the extensive cuts being proposed, so please read that and then come out tonight or contact Chapel Hill Transit by one of the methods below. We have until June 8th to have our responses considered officially.
Public Input Session on Proposed Transit Service Adjustments
Posted Date: 6/1/2011
Chapel Hill Transit (CHT) will hold the first in a series of public input sessions on its proposed service adjustments for fiscal year 2011/12 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 1, at the Chapel Hill Town Hall Council Chambers (405 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.).
For additional information on the proposed service adjustments and public input sessions please see the attachment to this email or visit www.chtransit.org. If you are unable to attend one of the public input sessions you can submit comments by any of the following methods:
1. Email to chtransit@townofchapelhill.org
2. Call 919-969-4900 and press 1 for customer service
3. Fax to 919-968-2840
4. Mail to CHT, 6900 Millhouse Road, Chapel Hill, NC 27516-8175
All comments received by 8 p.m. on June 8, 2011, will become part of the official public forum record and will be considered by CHT.
For complete information about CHT services, schedules, route changes or directions to the nearest CHT stop, visit us at www.chtransit.org, email chtransit@townofchapelhill.org or call a CHT customer service representative at 919-969-4900.
Date:
Wednesday, June 1, 2011 - 6:00pm to 7:30pm
Location:
Chapel Hill Town Council Chambers, 405 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
If you're reading this right now you're probably not in downtown Chapel Hill or Carrboro. Almost 6,000 homes and business are curently without power, all the way from UNC to Estes Drive Extension (lights out at Sewell School Road). I heard on WCHL that UNC Hospitals are currently operating on generators.
Duke Power reports 5,782 customers without power at the moment (about 9 am) and their map shows that the problem is localized to the Chapel Hill and Carrboro area.
Pages
About Us
OrangePolitics is a not-for-profit website for discussing progressive perspectives on politics, planning, and public policy in Orange County, NC. Opinions are those of their authors. Learn more.
Community Guidelines
By using this site, you agree to our community guidelines. Inappropriate or disruptive behavior will result in moderation or eviction.
Zircon - This is a contributing Drupal Theme
Design by
WeebPal.
