State of Cary to FFF
Monday morning I presented the State of Cary address to a few dozen members of the FFF of Cary Presbyterian. Since they had no time limits, I spoke for about 45 minutes going into detail on several areas including affordable housing and development projects. I was there about two hours.
Meeting with Town Manager
Monday afternoon I met for my weekly one-on-one with the town manager. Topics included the upcoming quarterly meeting, the Fenton, the Epic Games redevelopment of the mall site, and the redevelopment of the South Hills mall site. Our conversation lasted about fifteen minutes.
Honor a Teacher
Tuesday I joined council members Smith and Yerha in the Cary Chamber of Commerce’s annual Honor a Teacher event. 34 teachers from schools within Cary were honored with a plaque and $1000 for their excellence in teaching. Thanks to all the sponsors who supported this event and realize that our teachers are so vital to our community. In addition to briefly welcoming the guests, I had the honor of presenting two awards sponsored by the Town of Cary.
Jack Smith Campaign Event
Wednesday I attended a campaign event for Jack Smith. I, along with Scott Lassiter who is the Wake County Soil and Conservation District Supervisor, spoke and encouraged attendees to support Jack. Jack, who has been serving since 1989, is the longest serving council member in Cary’s history.
I usually don’t endorse any candidates for office except sitting council members. The only other endorsement I have given is to Gale Adcock for North Carolina Senate. Gale and I have been friends for years.
Having said that, I am always open to meeting and talking with any candidate. I will gladly share any knowledge I have to help them prepare for serving.
Staff Interview on Branding
Thursday afternoon I was interviewed by a staff member about our branding process. She was capturing the interview for a case study. We talked about the process and how I thought could be improved. In addition, we talked about what was expected before the process began and how I felt about the results now the process was over.
Wake Med Cary Tour
Friday morning I toured Wake Med Cary with Senior Vice President, Tom Hughes, and Chief Medical Officer, Doug Trocinski. We toured the new fifth floor and the unfinished fourth floor. In addition, we visited partners in an adjacent building that were doing State of the Art scanning. I asked dozens and dozens of questions. We are very fortunate to have this state-of-the-art facility in Cary. It serves not only Cary but the region and specializes in several areas. It should be pointed out that Wake Med Cary partners with Duke and Rex on various patient needs.
Town Manager’s Report
The town manager’s report for this week included:
Sean’s Message
I look forward to seeing each of you next Thursday at the Quarterly Meeting when we plan to discuss the Fenton Mixed-Use Development, an e-bike pilot, the FY 2023 recommended budget, and various other council priority items.
There will not be a Council Weekly Report next week following the Quarterly Meeting. My next message will be on Friday, May 20.
Have a nice weekend.
Sean
Development Pulse Report
The April 2022 Development Pulse Report is now available.
Highlights:
- Fenton had the following four building permits approved in April:
- Building 12 Courtyard Fire Pit
- Greenway Boardwalk
- Free People
- Truist Bank
- Apple, 301 MetLife Way: Building permits were approved for the interior renovations to the 1st and 7th floor of the existing MetLife 3 Building.
May ZBOA Meeting
On Monday, the Byrum Street Flats Sketch Plan was presented to the Zoning Board of Adjustment (ZBOA). This project is located on the properties of the former Heartwood Montessori School at the southeast corner of Kildaire Farm Road and Byrum Street. The project requested a development plan modification to reduce the residential streetscape to ten feet wide and planted with a Type C buffer. The Board unanimously approved the case based on the amount of community gathering area and open space being provided, as well as the development project advancing the goals of the Land Development Ordinance (LDO) and the Imagine Cary Community Plan. The Board also approved the resolution for a variance to the platted setback for a residential property at 210 Meadow Drive.
Pride Month Activities
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) Pride Month commemorates the events of June 1969 in New York, known as the Stonewall Uprising, that sparked a liberation movement in the United States. The purpose of the commemorative month is to recognize the impact that LGBTQ individuals have had on history locally, nationally, and internationally. A cross-departmental team with representatives from the Town Manager’s Office, PRCR, DEI, and Transportation have collaborated to develop activities to commemorate Pride Month, including lighting the façade of the Cary Arts Center, films and discussions at The Cary Theater, a temporary public art display, a family-oriented bicycle Pride Ride along Cary’s greenways, and a launch of an initiative to gather and document LGBTQ history within Cary. Staff will proceed with this outline of proposed activities in June unless we hear otherwise from you by Wednesday, May 11.
Ridgecrest Road and Willow Street Paving Update
The 2021 Water Main Replacement project has reached substantial completion with the onset of restoration activities. This week paving crews began work to resurface the roadways along Ridgecrest Road and Willow Street. The entire width of the roadways is being resurfaced, which will leave the infrastructure in these areas renewed both underground and above ground for many years to come. The remaining paving activities in the neighborhood will be completed early next week.
Cary’s Mention in ABC11 report about the effects of Session Law 2021-138
As you may have seen in a recent Daily Briefing, Cary received a brief mention in an ABC 11 report about Durham’s current inability to criminally enforce its noise ordinance due to a recent state law that went into effect this past December. Cary’s noise ordinance was not impacted by this legislation due to it already containing specific language authorizing criminal enforcement. Staff is inventorying the Code of Ordinances for any impacts from the new law and plan to bring any ordinances that need clarification or updates before Council later this year. It’s important to note that Cary can civilly enforce all of its ordinances at this time (with fines, permit revocations, and other actions). The Town Attorney’s office is available to answer any questions you may have.
HRID Task Force Orientation
Members of the Human Resources, Inclusion, & Diversity (HRID) Task Force gathered virtually with staff for their new member orientation on May 5. Members heard from Deputy Town Manager and Chief Operating Officer Russ Overton, Assistant Town Attorney Matt Pentz, and Deputy Clerk Julie Clifton as they shared about Cary’s culture, public records, transparency, and what to expect at HRID meetings.
National Prescription Drug Takeback Event
On April 30, in partnership with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Cary Police Department took part in the National Prescription Drug Take Back Event. This biannual event took place at Town Hall Campus and Wegmans located on Davis Drive. A combined total of 355 pounds of unused prescription drugs were collected.
Herbfest
On May 1, the Page-Walker Arts & History Center welcomed approximately 500 visitors to Cary’s annual Herbfest. Vendors offered a variety of herbs, native plants, garden ornaments, home care products, edible treats, and plant-themed gifts. Attendees enjoyed touring the Anne B. Kratzer Educational Garden and learning about gardening, beekeeping, composting, zero-waste, and other environmental topics. As always, the butterfly release was a highlight and spectacle to behold.
Opioid Settlement Agreement Update
Last year Cary joined onto a memorandum of agreement (MOA) between the State of North Carolina and local governments on proceeds relating to the settlement of opioid litigation with all 100 counties and 17 cities above 75,000 population. This is an 18-year agreement/payout in which Cary stands to receive around $928,000. If we’ve learned anything over the last several years of the pandemic it has been the importance of working with our regional partners in Wake and Chatham counties in managing the public health emergency.
Per the agreement, the settlement funds will have to be spent in specific ways and in many programs that Cary does not traditionally run. Given the unique role of counties in providing public health services, including those related to fighting drug addiction, we have determined that Cary’s share of annual distributions under the MOA should be directed to the counties in which Cary is located. Wake and Chatham counties have already joined in the MOA and we look forward to once again partnering with the counties to utilize these settlement funds and have asked that they put these funds to use in combatting opioid problems with the other programs and/or new ones as part of ongoing health and human services programs.
The Community Voice Tree Summit is Coming
Registration for the June 11 Community Voice Tree Summit is now open. As part of the creation of the Urban Forest Master Plan, summit participants can share their feedback on a variety of tree topics to help shape the vision of Cary’s tree canopy for the next 10 years. To encourage citizens to participate, the Cary Teen Council members are providing childcare. For more information visit www.townofcary.org/trees.
AARP Tax Aide Service End of Season Update
AARP Foundation Tax-Aide provides in-person and virtual tax assistance to anyone, free of charge, with a focus on taxpayers who are over 50 and have low to moderate income. In Cary, we partner with AARP to provide this service to our community. This year, 814 returns were processed at the Herb Young Community Center February through mid-April. Tax-Aide volunteers are located nationwide and are trained and IRS-certified every year to make sure they know about and understand the latest changes and additions to the tax code.
Panama vs. El Salvador Soccer
On May 1, Cary hosted an international friendly between two national teams: Panama and El Salvador at WakeMed Soccer Park. An excited crowd of almost 6,000, mostly El Salvadorian, came to cheer on their country. Weather interrupted the match and the game ended with a score final of 3-2 El Salvador.
Upcoming Meetings
Hybrid Environmental Advisory Board
Tuesday, May 10
6:00 p.m.
Historic Preservation Commission
Wednesday, May 11
6:30 p.m.
Council Meeting (Quarterly)
Thursday, May 12
1:00 p.m.
Mayor’s Mailbox
Emails from citizens this week included:
- A complaint about AT&T box creating a hazard on High House
- A complaint about a proposed rezoning on Optimist Farm Road
- A complaint about erosion at the Park Village Pond
- A request to pick up trash that an elderly woman couldn’t get out in time (staff took care of this quickly… as they always do)
Next Week
Next week’s activities include staff meetings, a Western Wake Tennis Association Senior Appreciation Day event, a council-staff quarterly meeting, a NC Metro Mayors meeting, and a 100th Anniversary Celebration breakfast for the Cary Fire Department.
Well, that is all for this week. My next post will be on Sunday, May 15th. Although I have Facebook and Twitter accounts those are not the best means of communications with me. Please send all Town of Cary questions or comments to Harold.Weinbrecht@townofcary.org and email personal comments to augustanat@mindspring.com.
Harold's Blog 