Council Meeting Prep
Monday, I attempted to contact all council members to hear of any questions or concerns about the council meeting agenda. It appeared on Monday that the Carpenter Fire Station rezoning would be a split vote and the vote would be close based on feedback I received from council members.
Later in the day I met with staff and went over the agenda items. We expected speakers for the Carpenter Fire Station rezoning and for the Waverly Place rezoning public hearing. We anticipated it would be a long meeting.
Weekly Meeting with Staff
Usually, I meet weekly with the town Manager on Mondays. However, he was traveling so I met with the Chief Strategy Officer, the Town Attorney, and the Town Clerk. Our meeting lasted less than 30 minutes.
Council Work Session
The council held a work session to talk about the Centre at South Hills on Thursday evening. This is scheduled to be part of the bond referendum in the fall. Staff presented a set of concept drawings showing what the Centre could look like. If the bond is approved there will be a Master Plan followed by a Design Plan.
The Centre is planned to have a Community Center, a Senior Center, and competitive space. Wake County has committed $75 million for the competitive space. The competitive space was originally planned for 10 sports courts that could be for basketball, volleyball, pickleball, etc. The concept now has it scaled down to eight courts.
The location of the Centre will be at the corner of Buck Jones Road and the extension of Nottingham Drive on a little over six acres.
The size of the community center/senior center portion of the Centre is planned to be larger than any existing community center in Cary and at least double the size of Herb Young. The plan includes an active living lounge, a teaching/catering kitchen, multipurpose rooms, an exterior patio, classrooms, esports/tech suite, group exercise, indoor/outdoor fitness, a running track, child watch, locker rooms, and more. The community center’s track will be a quarter mile with four elevation changes.
The competitive space will have multi-use athletic courts, one of which will be a glass court with LED lighting. That will allow that court to quickly be configured into just about anything. The competitive space also includes a grandstand, outdoor fitness, concessions, ticketing office, merchandise store, tournament operations, and locker rooms. The competitive space can be converted from 8 basketball courts to 15 volleyball courts, 21 pickleball courts, and others including a mixture of each.
No additional work will be done on the Centre unless there is a positive vote on the bond. If the bond passes the Master Plan and additional steps will involve public input.
Council Meeting
The last regularly scheduled council meeting of the fiscal year was held Thursday night. There was a full auditorium with 2/3 of the audience in attendance for the Waverly Place rezoning public hearing, and the last 1/3 in attendance for the vote on the Carpenter Fire Station at Highcroft PDD rezoning proposal.
The agenda included 5 consent items, 1 public hearing, and 4 discussion items.
The consent agenda included the 23-REZ-06 Woodfield-Walnut Multifamily PDP. This was the second time this property was presented for redevelopment. The proposal from a few years ago was withdrawn since it received such negative feedback.
The only public hearing was on 23-REZ-12 Waverly Place Rezoning. Unfortunately, a lot of misinformation about the proposal, the process, the council, and the staff were spread to a large portion of Lochmere. Some speakers felt the need to character assassinate the council and staff with comments like “the developers have you in their back pockets”, “you are on the take”, “this is a done deal because you won’t listen to us”, and more. In addition, they repeatedly ignored requests to behave in a respectful manner during the hearing. Having been an elected official for over 20 years I can tell you that Cary has one of the best staff in the nation. In fact, they were voted #1 in the country last year. Council members are some of the best people I have met. All sacrifice time from their families because they simply want to help people. I am extremely disappointed in a few of the speakers. That is not a reflection of the Cary I know and love and certainly is not a representation of the many people I know in Lochmere who are informed, kind, and respectful. The Waverly Place rezoning will now go to the Planning and Zoning board for their review and recommendation on whether or not it fits the Cary Community Plan. It will return to the council in a few months (not next month as reported by a local TV station) for a vote.
The first discussion item was on the Carpenter Fire Station at Highcroft PDD rezoning proposal. This was a controversial item because it proposed townhomes and multi-family next to a single-family neighborhood. The Planning and Zoning board and staff both recommended approval because they believed it met the intention of the Cary Community Plan. The council voted 4-3 to approve. The minority vote believed there was not enough transition. While I would have preferred all townhomes adjacent to the single-family, I was OK with mostly townhomes and apartments with over 150-foot set back. I believe any future proposal would have been denser with no townhomes.
The second discussion item was to change how Cary elections are held. Cary has been holding October elections with runoffs in November. That is, if a race doesn’t get 50% plus one there will be a runoff. We are the only municipality in Wake County that does this. Not only is it confusing, but it also costs Cary about an extra $1 million to hold elections on our own. So, the council unanimously approved a resolution of intent to move our elections to plurality (the most votes win). The only problem with plurality is that you can have a winner that didn’t get 50% of the vote if there were multiple candidates.
Our third discussion item was another step in the process of having a bond on this November’s ballot. The council unanimously approved an “Introduction of Bond Orders” and called for a public hearing which will be held on July 25th.
Our last discussion item was to approve the Fiscal Year 2025 budget which takes effect on July 1st. In my 20+ years of being an elected official doing budgets, this was the toughest. The council and staff spent hours and hours going through details of the budget over the last couple of months. Staff have been working on the budget since last year and will start on the next one soon. A huge thank you to all those who worked so hard to create this budget. It will keep Cary on “top of the arc” and continues to allow us to have the lowest tax rate in Wake County. If you would like to see the details of the budget, please read my previous posts.
Our meeting concluded after four hours.
North Carolina Metro Mayors
I participated in a meeting of the NC Metro Mayors on Friday to hear a summary of legislative actions. Here is a summary provided by Checkmate Government Relations:
General Update
The General Assembly wrapped up their work for the 2024 Legislative Short Session this week. The House and Senate left town without a budget compromise but managed to pass two standalone bills that would provide $67.5M in funding for childcare facilities across the state and authorize the enacted teacher pay raises from last year’s budget. There is not expected to be a budget agreement this year.
The House and Senate both passed an adjournment resolution on Thursday. The resolution sets dates for both chambers to reconvene once a month until the end of the year. The majority of these sessions are expected to be skeletal. The adjournment resolution allows for the most legislative work when they reconvene on November 19. The legislature will stand adjourned sine die following the last scheduled meeting on Friday, December 13th.
Veto Overrides
The General Assembly overrode three vetoes from Governor Roy Cooper. The bills are detailed below:
H198, DOT Legislative Changes- This bill makes various changes to transportation laws as recommended by the North Carolina Department of Transportation. You can find Governor Cooper’s veto statement here. The House voted to override his veto on June 26th by a vote of 74-42. The Senate voted to override the veto on Thursday afternoon.
H834, Juvenile Justice Modifications- This bill modifies the definition in statute of “delinquent juvenile” and modifies the transfer process for juvenile cases from juvenile to superior court, among other changes. You can find Governor Cooper’s veto statement here. The House voted to override his veto on June 26th by a vote of 70-46. The Senate voted to override the veto on Thursday afternoon.
H237, Various Criminal and Election Law Changes- This bill enhances the criminal punishment if the defendant wears a mask to conceal their identity during the commission of another crime and modifies the health and safety exemption from certain laws prohibiting wearing face coverings in public. The bill also makes various election law changes. You can find Governor Cooper’s veto statement here. The House voted to override his veto on June 26th by a vote of 70-46. The Senate voted to override the veto on Thursday afternoon.
ABC Bill
On Wednesday, the House approved S527, ABC Omnibus 2023-24. This bill would make several changes to state ABC laws. The bill would allow to-go and delivery sales of mixed beverages and wine by the glass, which was temporarily permitted during the Coronavirus pandemic from December 2020 to June 2021. The bill would also give local ABC boards more flexibility to operate on holidays. The bill was approved by the House by a vote of 105-4 on Wednesday night. The Senate voted to concur with the House changes on Thursday afternoon. The bill will be sent to Governor Cooper for consideration.
Regulatory Reform Bill
S607, Regulatory Reform Act of 2024, the annual regulatory reform bill passed this week. The bill would amend state laws related to occupational licensing, rulemaking, state and local government, and other miscellaneous regulations. The bill contained an important workforce development piece for our heavy hauling truck companies in North Carolina. The bill would allow third parties to train and certify escort vehicle drivers. S607 would also increase the punishment for property crimes against critical infrastructure, including public water supplies and wastewater treatment facilities. The bill has been sent to the Governor for signature.
Summerfield Deannexation
The House voted to concur with the Senate changes to H909, Various Local Provisions I, on Thursday. This bill started as a simple local bill that would de-annex a parcel of land in Fuquay-Varina. The Senate made changes to the bill that would also de-annex 1,000 acres from the town of Summerfield in Guilford County. The bill drew a long debate on the House floor, but no amendments could be added because it was a conference report. The House approved the measure by a final concurrence vote of 72-39. The bill paves the way for a local developer to build a proposed mixed-use retail and housing development on the land. Local bills are not subject to signature by the Governor, and the bill will become law.
Doug McRainey Retires
Doug McRainey, PRCR Director for many years took a great department and made it one of the best in the nation (best in the nation in 2016). We have seen many amazing changes in the decades he has been in charge, with the last one being the Downtown Cary Park. I had the pleasure to get to know Doug on several trips including acceptance of the #1 tennis park in the nation in 2019. Not only was he a great leader but he is a great guy. Like many at town hall, Doug is our friend. We will miss having him around but look forward to seeing him in whatever he decides to do next. A huge thanks to Doug for all the years of service!
Town Manager’s Report
Sean’s Message
As Town Manager, I have the opportunity to work side by side with amazing colleagues. Because our culture encourages closeness, our relationships produce the highest “highs” and weather the lowest “lows.”
One of the inevitable “lows” is when we have to say goodbye, like we’re doing today to Doug McRainey.
Doug’s contributions to our organization, this community, and to me personally are uniquely Doug and far too numerous to list. His impact has been tremendous. His fingerprints are and will remain all over Cary and on so many of our hearts. We’re going to miss you, Dougie!
From the Adaptive to the Technical, a reminder: there will be no Weekly Report next Friday because of July 4th, and I’m planning to spend the week at the beach for our annual family vacation.
I hope you have a safe and enjoyable holiday.
Sean
Follow-Up from the June 27th Work Session
This economic impact slide for the 8-court South Hills facility was presented to Town Council at the April 25 Work Session and discussed again at last night’s Work Session. Our consultant is currently updating the 10-court with arena economic impact report, to reflect our current 8-court concept plan and that report will be shared with Council once available.
Chatham EMS Community Meeting
Councilmembers Sarika Bansal and Lori Bush, along with staff from the Town Manager’s Office, Fire, and Police, joined about 80 citizens at Fire Station 8 on Wednesday. The meeting, organized by staff from Chatham County and FirstHealth Regional, was held to provide information on the upcoming EMS service change for citizens living in the Chatham County portion of Cary.
Following a presentation, staff fielded questions from citizens and offered an up-close look at FirstHealth Regional’s ambulance, which will be stationed at Fire Station 8 around the clock. Chatham County staff are on schedule for the EMS service shift, expected to occur at noon on July 8. A list of frequently asked questions and a view of the service area can be found here.
Senior Center Accreditation Celebration
On Wednesday, Councilmember Carissa Kohn-Johnson, Program Manager for Seniors and Aging Michelle Barrett, members of the Senior Advisory Board, and older adults attended an event at the Cary Senior Center to celebrate its national accreditation from the National Council on Aging (NCOA). This accreditation, awarded this year, followed a thorough examination of the center’s operations, programming, and services.
Senior Center Director Brett Moraes played a key role in achieving this designation by recruiting and engaging a Self-Assessment Committee. This committee, composed of participants, town staff, instructors, and other community partners, including members of the Senior Advisory Board, worked over a 1.5-year period to obtain this designation.
The Cary Senior Center was also recognized at the NCOA Age+Action Conference in Arlington, VA, in May.
Lane Closures for Cedar Street Parking Deck Project
Starting on July 11, contractors working on the Cedar Street Parking Deck will be erecting a tower crane required for construction. This work will require the closure of the westbound lane of E. Chatham Street for approximately two days. Flaggers will be on-site to maintain two-way traffic.
During the 12-month construction process, material deliveries to the site may occasionally require lane closures on E. Chatham Street. These deliveries will be limited to morning hours before peak traffic time and will use flaggers to ensure two-way traffic is maintained.
Propane Introduced into Cary’s Fleet
This week, contractors from Precise Alternative Fuel Solutions completed the installation of propane fuel kits on 20 police vehicles. These bi-fuel kits allow for seamless switching between gasoline and renewable propane during daily operations. Propane is a safe and reliable alternative fuel that helps reduce our carbon footprint while enhancing operational flexibility.
Stormwater and Watershed Protection Master Plan RFQ
In early July, a request for qualification will be issued for the Stormwater and Watershed Protection Master Plan project. Cary is seeking qualified firms to contract with for development of a plan that reaffirms our vision for the future of stormwater. The master plan will be the foundation for a subsequent study to potentially develop and implement a stormwater utility. This solicitation will be advertised on the North Carolina Electronic Vendor Portal, accessible through Cary’s website.
Community Engagement for Optimist Farm Greenway
Approximately 100 people from the West Lake area of Cary attended a drop-in event at the Middle Creek Community Center to learn about the design and construction of Optimist Farm Greenway. Neighbors provided input on the design concepts, which are about 30% complete. Staff plans to reengage with citizens and affected landowners as the design is finalized. Additional information can be found here.
Quinard Drive Extension
Starting July 1, construction of Phase 2 Quinard Drive will begin between SE Maynard Road and Ridgeview Walk Drive as part of the Fenton Mixed-Use Development. On July 8, the existing portion of Quinard Drive, including the driveway to Maynard Summit Way, will close to traffic and remain closed until fall 2025 for construction. The project will involve lane closures on SE Maynard Road from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. The outside lanes of SE Maynard Road will be restored each evening.
This project will connect SE Maynard Road and Trinity Road, improving east-west access and circulation for both Fenton and the greater Eastern Cary Gateway Special Planning Area. The new street will include two travel lanes, a landscaped median, bike lanes, and sidewalks on each side.
US Archery Outdoor States at Mills Park
This past weekend, Cary Archery hosted the USA Archery North Carolina Outdoor State Championship at Mills Park. The event drew 138 participants from across the state, ranging in age from 8 to 75, and welcomed 9 out-of-state guests. Cary Archery had 19 athletes compete, winning 15 medals and 10 state championships!
The event also raised money for Gx4 Adaptive Archery, a local charity run by Paralympian, reigning Pan American champion, and current world record holder Wendy Gardner. This organization provides custom-built equipment and training for adaptive athletes in and around North Carolina.
Upcoming Meetings
No Meetings Scheduled
Mayor’s Mailbox
- Four complaints about a Waverly Place rezoning proposal 23-REZ-12.
- One comment in favor of the Waverly Place rezoning proposal 23-REZ-12.
- A complaint about the Old Apex rezoning proposal 21-REZ-16.
- A complaint about the Carpenter Fire Station rezoning proposal 22-REZ-14.
- A complaint about the Walnut Street rezoning proposal 23-REZ-06.
- A complaint about the lack of cul-de-sac resurfacing.
- A complaint about lack of streetlights in Willow Oak.
- A complaint about the FirstHealth EMS change by the county.
- Two complaints about the property tax rate.
- Several broadcast emails to tell state lawmakers NO on Senate Bill 630.
- A complaint that tall buildings may impact helipads at Wake Med Cary Hospital.
- A complaint about a water leak.
Next Week
Next week’s activities include staff meetings, the Forth of July celebration, and a visit from the 2024 Olympic Swim Team.
Well, that is all for this week. My next post will be on Sunday, July 7th, 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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