Council Meeting Prep
On Mondays before all regularly scheduled council meetings, I attempt to contact each council member to learn of questions and concerns about the upcoming agenda. A couple of council members had questions about the procedure for the Twyla Road closure. There were also concerns expressed about the Trinity Road rezoning proposal. Other than that, there were no questions.
Agenda Meeting
Later in the day I met with staff and Mayor Pro-Tem Robinson to go over the agenda. The meeting was short, and we anticipated a few speakers at the Wackena rezoning.
State of Cary Prep
Tuesday night I met with a couple of staff members to go over the State of Cary slides and the address text. I can’t thank them enough for their support, especially Ginny Johnson, our town clerk, who spent hours helping with the slides and getting the right people to fact check the address.
State of Cary Address
Wednesday morning, I presented the State of Cary address at the Cary Chamber’s Eye-Opening breakfast. It was a sold-out crowd and the largest one ever for my initial address.
I wrote the address over several weeks starting immediately after Christmas. It was turned over to staff for fact checking and review in the second week in January. I worked with the town clerk to produce the slides and decide which ones to use in this address. The last change was made to one slide on the morning of the presentation.
The presentation was given at Prestonwood, but the town used its own setup which included the stage, podium, backdrop, lighting, and sound system. It was recorded and should be available for viewing in a few weeks. You can see the slides and text here.
I gave the presentation, by my estimate, in about 40 minutes. I did not perceive that I made any major screw ups. Afterwards I fielded three questions which included affordable housing and pickleball.
I will be giving the address multiple times throughout the year. The next presentation will be in early March.
Visiting with Seniors at Town Hall
Wednesday afternoon I met with a few senior citizens from a tour group headed by Katherine Loflin. The focus of the tour was Cary’s history. I provided information about more recent history and the town hall campus. The group posed for a picture in the council chambers before leaving.
Council Work Session
Thursday afternoon the council held a work session on Housing Partnerships and heard information about two initiatives in helping with affordable housing. Staff reminded us that our housing efforts were focused on people first.
The first presentation was a partnership proposal with Dorcas Ministries to help with the affordable housing crises with Chatham Estates trailer park. Dorcas already helps Cary manage its Oasis program and Pay-It-Forward program. Chatham Estates was recently sold and will likely be redeveloped displacing several Cary residents who depend on workforce housing. This new initiative will fill gaps not covered by Wake County Social services and use Dorcas to provide emergency housing assistance, case management, referrals, and displacement support. The proposal would be for the town to provide financial support to the Dorcas support program with $500K in 2024, $550K in 2025, and $600K in 2026 using funds already budgeted. The council will consider additional funding of $500K to $800K for displacement services. This will be voted on in a February council meeting. For more information contact Heather Whelehan and Dana Widmar at the Town of Cary.
The second presentation was about a potential partnership with The Carying Place. They provide transitional housing to working families with children. They own 13 duplexes which they use in this effort. Currently they are working on a partnership with Greenwood Forest Baptist church to provide 60 affordable housing units on church property. In addition, the town owns adjacent land which could potentially provide affordable units. This was information for the council so that they were aware of what is being worked on. We will hear more later.
Council Meeting
Thursday night the council held its last regularly scheduled meeting of January. The agenda included two consent items, four public hearings, and one discussion item.
The consent agenda was approved unanimously and included the Ivey-Ellington House rehabilitation bid award, and technical revisions on council rules and procedures.
The first public hearing was for the Wackena Towns proposed rezoning. There were several speakers in opposition to the proposal. The complaints included the proposed density and the lack of connectivity of Highcroft Drive. This property was rezoned in 2015 to R8 which means single family on a .20 acre lots. It will go to the Planning and Zoning Board for their review and recommendation and return to council for a vote in a few months.
The second public hearing was for the Bel Canto proposed rezoning at the destination center located on Green Level West near I540. While there were no speakers the council expressed several concerns including a lack of enough commercial space to support residents, not enough EV chargers, and lack of affordable housing. This will go to the Planning and Zoning Board for their review and recommendation and return to council for a vote in a few months.
The third public hearing was for a portion of Twyla Road that was abandoned by NCDOT. There were no speakers and the council unanimously approved closing the right-of-way and returning it to adjacent property owners.
The last public hearing was for a portion of Macedonia Road that was abandoned because of road realignment.. There were no speakers and the council unanimously approved closing the right-of-way and returning it to adjacent property owners.
After the council meeting, I briefly met with two scouts who attended the council meeting. We talked about the meeting and discussed what they witnessed. They asked a few questions, and I gave some insight into council activity. Afterwards we took pictures.
Cary #1 in US for Remote Working
Thursday I was notified that a recent study by SmartAsset examined remote work trends in 344 large U.S. cities. Cary, N.C., had the highest percentage of remote workers with 41.4% of its workers working from home. You can read the entire article here.
Town Manager’s Report
Russ’s Message
It was great to start off the year on such a positive note at the Mayor’s State of Cary Address during the Chamber Eye Opener on Wednesday. I was happy to share the experience with elected officials, business leaders, and community members, all of whom share a love of Cary and everything we accomplish together. The mayor did an incredible job summarizing the past year and highlighting what to look forward to in the coming year.
Happy Friday and have a great weekend.
Russ
2024 Biennial Citizen Satisfaction Survey
Starting Monday, Jan. 29, Cary’s Biennial Citizen Satisfaction Survey will be issued to a randomly-selected group of citizens to gauge effectiveness in its mission and measure overall confidence in the Town’s government operations. Consultants working on behalf of Cary will contact randomly selected residents by phone. As in previous surveys, topics covered will include public safety, services, communications, transportation, recreation, and the environment.
Bus Rapid Transit Update
Cary and Raleigh continue to prepare for Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) which will provide fast, reliable, and frequent service between downtown Cary and downtown Raleigh. The Western Corridor line will originate at Cary’s future Multi-Modal Center and travel along a 12-mile route with 20 stations, 6 of which are planned for Cary. Over the last few weeks, BRT and station area planning groups conducted meetings covering topics such as pedestrian and bicycle accommodations near transit stops, housing data and considerations, multi-jurisdictional coordination on the BRT route, and station design. This work will contribute to the FTA Capital Investment Grant (CIG) Small Starts Ratings submission, which Cary and Raleigh are actively preparing to complete by the Fall of 2024. The ratings application is a major step in the federal process required to secure federal funding.
Teen Council Bike Workshop
The Cary Bike Plan is currently being updated. Recommendations received will guide decisions and shape the future of safe and comfortable bicycling across Cary. On Tuesday night, staff and the project consultant, Toole Design, met with the Cary Teen Council for a bike workshop to share the goals of the plan and solicit input. Topics discussed include bicycling in Cary today, national best practices, making connections, and the greenway network.
2024 Performances at the Page
The Performances at the Page 2024 Indoor Series kicked off on Sunday with Erik Dyke & Friends. Nearly 70 guests enjoyed music from the Great American Songbook. The ‘friends’ this year included Nikita Pace, Brad Hunnicutt, Corinne Crowley, Tatiana Zibrova, Anne Dyke, Anna Black, Nancy Pitkin, and James Long. This special concert was presented by the Friends of Page-Walker as the Carol J. Wright Memorial Concert.
Cary Hosts Academy of Engineering Students
Cary staff hosted Wake County Public School System Academy of Engineering and Advanced Manufacturing students this week. Students job-shadowed Cary engineering staff to explore the field of civil engineering, learn about public sector service, and gain hands-on experience in the field. Highlights of the day included a tour of the Traffic Management Center, the Carpenter Fire Station Rd. bridge project, and several neighborhood traffic calming projects.
Upcoming Meetings
No Upcoming Meetings
Mayor’s Mailbox
- Dozens of complaints about rezoning proposal 22-REZ-14 next to Cameron Pond.
- Concerns about new property values because of reevaluation (These are set by Wake County and not Cary. Cary will set the tax rate in our next budget that takes effect on July 1st.)
- Kudos for my State of Cary Address at the Chamber breakfast.
- A question about why we don’t require builders to provide more electricity than the house consumes “like Florida does” (Municipalities in NC get their authority from the NC legislature. We do not have the authority to require this.)
- A complaint about the rezoning proposal 22-REZ-23 Wackena Towns.
- A complaint about sidewalk obstruction near Jenks Carpenter that ended with “… the worst US State to live and work in for 2023. Cary and North Carolina are seemingly vying for that title in an obscure race to the bottom.” (Wow! Sorry we are not moving fast enough.)
- A complaint about the lack of pickleball courts.
- A complaint about loud cars downtown.
- A complaint about e-bikes on Cary greenways.
Next Week
Next week’s activities include staff meetings, and a trip to Kansas City.
Well, that is all for this week. My next post will be on Sunday, February 4th, 2024. Although I have Facebook and Twitter accounts those are not the best means of communication 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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