This week was a slow week. All activities and meetings, except one, were cancelled for various reasons.
Leadership Dinner
Thursday I attended Cary’s Leadership dinner and joined several elected officials from all levels of government. This was the event where we thanked elected officials for helping us on issues throughout the year and where we strengthened our bond for future partnerships. Attending were council members, school board members, wake county commissioners, state representatives, state senators, state officials, congressional leaders, business leaders, and others. I was fortunate enough to dine and have conversations with NC Secretary of State Elaine Marshall, NC Representative Gale Adcock, and Cary Council member Jennifer Robinson. Since relationships with decision makers are the foundation for getting things done, the dinner provided a great opportunity for all in attendance. A big thank you to the Cary Chamber for sponsoring this event.
Town Manager’s Report
The Town Manager’s report for this week included:
Russ’s Message
It was great to see you all and other local leaders at last night’s Chamber Leadership Dinner, featuring remarks from Ernie Bovio, President at UNC Rex Hospitals. As always, the Chamber provided a fantastic opportunity for us all to connect and fun was had by all.
Have a great weekend!
Russ
OneCary Summer Movie Screening: “Thirteen Days”
This week, we provided Cary employees the opportunity to view “Thirteen Days,” which dramatizes the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 from the perspective of U.S. leadership. This film is a favorite of Sean’s, and it emphasizes many great leadership lessons that can be applied to Cary’s culture. These themes include outside-the-box thinking, how diversity and well-rounded debate can combat groupthink, and not letting momentum lead the way. We wrapped up with a recorded Q&A with Sean where he dived further into these themes and their relevance to our culture.
Lisa Glover NCAMA Achievement
In recognition of her reputation as an outstanding municipal attorney who is always willing to share her expertise with others, Lisa Glover was elected to a two-year term on the Board of Directors for the North Carolina Association of Municipal Attorneys (NCAMA). NCAMA exists to act as a liaison between municipal attorneys and other North Carolina municipal associations, and to keep its members informed of developments within the North Carolina municipal legal community.
602 West Chatham Street Mediation
State permitted remediation work began this week at the former Cary Mini Mart site located at 602 West Chatham Street. Work will include removing soil and the old canopy from the property and the property owner informed staff this work will take approximately one month to complete.
Electric Refuse Truck
This week Public Works staff are field testing an electric refuse truck chassis, while awaiting the delivery of our fully electric Mack LR-Electric late next year. This Mack LR-Electric is very similar to what we will receive, and this testing will help better understand the handling and operational differences of a fully electric refuse truck.
High Attendance in August Virtual Rezoning Meetings
On Wednesday, August 3, planning staff facilitated three virtual neighborhood meetings for new rezoning cases. The Kanoy property case (22-REZ-13) attracted over 100 residents from Chatham County. The applicant requests detached residential dwellings at a density of 1.8 du/acre on a 100-acre parcel. To learn more about the rezoning case click here.
Lunchtime Discovery Series
Representatives from North Carolina’s Division of Environmental Assistance and Customer Service and Toward Zero Waste joined Waste Strategy and Impact Consultant Srijana Guilford on the Lunchtime Discovery Series, a weekly livestream hosted by the NCDEQ Office of Environmental Education and Public Affairs and the NC Museum of Natural Sciences. Together, they showed how Cary’s approach to pilot food waste recycling drop-off can be a model for other communities. Watch a recording of the presentation by clicking here.
Repair Café Revival
After a two-year hiatus, Cary welcomed back the Repair Café. Forty-four attendees brought in a total of 51 items for repair—from talking teddy bears to televisions—with a 65% success rate. Kudos to everyone who chose to keep these materials ticking and out of the landfill.
Cary Fire and Project PHOENIX Fun
The Cary Fire Department came out to one of our Project PHOENIX Communities to do a “directed cool down” training. It was an event that allowed members of the fire and police departments to build on relationships with the community they serve. A big thanks to the Engine 9 crew for bringing the fun to the Merriwood Apartment Community.
Performances At the Page
The summer sessions of Performances at the Page at the Page-Walker Arts & History Center wrapped up on August 5 with a performance by Jamrock. Approximately 400 people attended the concert on a balmy evening that included food by Ama’gee’s Jamaican Cuisine and Kona Ice.
Good Hope Farm Wraps Up Summer Produce Service
Good Hope Farm’s fourth annual Community Supported Agriculture (GHF CSA) program wrapped up another summer of produce distribution last week. Twenty-five families purchased eight weeks of produce that generated $6,080 of revenue for Cary farmers. An additional 685 pounds of their produce was donated through our partnership with Dorcas Ministries to families experiencing food insecurity. This amount nearly doubled the amount of food given in 2021—and does not include the recent food donations provided by the fire stations. A model of successful urban agriculture and generosity, an intern from Stanford University took a leadership role throughout the GHF CSA and looks forward to implementing lessons learned at Stanford’s teaching farm this fall.
Sending Our Interns Off with a Bang
Mary and Elizabeth McKay said goodbye to us today, but not before spending an afternoon at the firing range. Special thanks to Lt. Stephen Matthews and Cpl. John Maia for teaching safety and fundamentals to the first timers, who were accompanied by Finance Director Kim Branch, Transit Administrator Kelly Blazey, and Chief Strategy Officer Susan Moran.
Upcoming Meetings
Monday, August 15
at 6:00 p.m.
Hybrid Greenway Committee
Thursday, August 18
at 6:00 p.m.
Mayor’s Mailbox
- A complaint about delays in acquiring a visa (this is not in our authority and would need to be handled by our congressional representative)
- A complaint about grass over 1 foot tall on Dundalk Way.
- A complaint about stormwater runoff from the Glenaire Development project.
- A complaint about bulky trash not being picked up as scheduled.
Next Week
Next week’s activities include staff meetings, a meeting with Duke Health, a Wake County Mayors Association meeting, Diwali Dance practice, a meeting of the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization’s Executive Board, and a meeting of the North Carolina Metro Mayors.
Well, that is all for this week. My next post will be on Sunday, August 21st. 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.
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