Council Work Session, Council Meeting, and Asia Fest

Council Work Session, Council Meeting, and Asia Fest

Cary Bonds

[DISCLAIMER – the following are my thoughts and opinions on the bond and do not represent the council or the town. The town, by law, can not advocate or use its resources for or against any bond.]

Cary has been viewed as one of the best communities in the nation for many years. Past decisions were made with a goal to be the best of the best which was a values choice and the choice to continue to be the best of the best (what we call “top of the arc”) is a Cary citizen values choice that will be decided by the bond vote in November.

The November bond is a $590 million bond with most of the cost attributed to new community/senior center projects. Using bond money for these centers makes financial sense, as large capital projects like these are best financed through bonds. That way future residents will also pay their fair share of the cost. Currently Cary has three community centers and one senior center. These centers are decades old, require a LOT of maintenance, and don’t come close to meeting citizens’ demands. And that demand is increasing with Cary being the oldest populated municipality out of the top fourteen populated municipalities in North Carolina.

What is a bond?

The bond on the November ballot is a General Obligation (GO) bond. Citizens vote on these types of bonds and if approved have the lowest interest rate. Because Cary has the highest rating from all major bond rating agencies, we will get the lowest interest rate on all bonds that will be used to fund these projects. GO bonds are a reliable, cost-effective, and fair way to finance important public projects, while ensuring that the costs are spread out, similar to a mortgage, and that citizens have a voice in the process.

Are bond votes a vote on projects?

Technically no. Bond votes are votes on project funding. However, if this bond fails then it is highly unlikely that many of these projects will be considered again for several years, and some may be scrapped forever.

What projects are in the bond and what are their costs?

  • Sports and Recreation Community Center: $300 million
  • Mills Park Community Center: $150 million
  • Cary Tennis Park and Pickleball Expansion: $60 million
  • Walnut Creek Greenway: $30 million
  • Asia Garden Master Plan: $10 million
  • Nature Park Master Plan: $10 million
  • New Housing Projects and Programs: $30 million

The state requires us to use highly conservative estimates in my opinion. They make us post 5.34% interest for the park’s bonds and 5.59% interest for the affordable housing bond. I believe Cary will do much better than those interest rates given that our history has been that we have beaten those rates each time. If not, we can wait until the interest rates go down.

The timing of the proposed tax rate change is also pessimistic: 2026, 2028, and 2030. The timeline used in our bond materials is the earliest date that these bonds will be sold and would then, impact the tax rate. Keep in mind that Cary doesn’t have the manpower and resources to take on all these projects at one time. Delays are common when planning large projects, and I believe that accomplishing all these projects in the timeframe listed is a stretch.

Sports and Recreation Community Center ($300 million)

The Sports and Recreation Community Center will have three components: Community Center, Senior Center, and Competitive Space. The competitive portion of this project is estimated to generate an annual economic impact to our area of $37 million which will more than double the annual economic impact of all current Cary sports venues (WakeMed Soccer, USA Baseball, and the Cary Tennis Park). In addition, the county has committed $75 million to the cost of this project. If the competitive space were in existence today it is estimated that it would be booked out most of the year with other times used for transitioning between sports.

The community center and senior center will be large enough to accommodate people that live nearby as well as all Cary residents. The senior component will have areas dedicated for senior activities. This is desperately needed especially in this part of Cary.

The area outside the Community Center will be a park-like setting. People will be able to enjoy and experience the entire grounds without ever going inside the center. In addition, the proposed Walnut Creek greenway will connect from it to Fenton and Downtown, providing a way to get to this space without driving. In the future, the developers of South Hills vision is to connect to a redeveloped Crossroads via a pedestrian bridge.

Mills Park Community Center ($150 million)

The Mills Park Community Center will include community center and a senior center. Many of our Cary residents live in western Cary and are currently underserved by public spaces. This will allow programming to help meet the needs of an aging population and the rest of the citizenry. Is this the crown jewels of community centers? No. As plans were originally developed with citizen input, I saw a LOT of features that I would love to see in the center but are just cost prohibitive. Nevertheless, this will be one of the nicest in the region if not the state.

Cary Tennis Park and Pickleball Expansion ($60 million)

The Cary Tennis Park benefits our citizens by providing recreational opportunities, but it’s also a venue for top college and professional tournaments. As I write this there is a national tennis tournament with colleges from all over the country in our town. These tennis tournaments generate millions of dollars of economic impact each year. Expanding our facilities will meet requirements that will allow us to draw bigger tennis tournaments and have an even bigger economic impact.

In addition, the expansion will create 30 pickleball courts on land that Cary owns as part of the Tennis facility. This will not only allow for recreational play in a rapidly growing sport but also allow us to hold future pickleball tournaments.

The expansion will also allow Cary to be home to the North Carolina Tennis Hall of Fame.

Whether or not you play tennis or pickleball it makes good sense to support this expansion just for the economic benefits, which will help keep our taxes low.

Walnut Creek Greenway ($30 million)

The Walnut Creek Greenway project will allow citizens to go from downtown to Fenton, WakeMed Soccer Park (via Fenton) and eventually to the redeveloped South Hills on a greenway. Connecting destination centers makes sense especially given our citizens’ interest in our downtown area. Cary is known for having an excellent and well used greenway system of over 90 miles, and this investment will continue the connectivity and IMHO be our crown jewel.

Asia Garden Master Plan ($10 million)

The Asian Garden master plan is about adding a botanical garden and beautiful quiet space in Cary on land owned and shared with Wake County.   This project brings several valuable benefits of green space and beauty, where people can relax, walk and enjoy a calming environment while also celebrating our rich cultural diversity. The idea is to master plan the area and provide a space for a 1 to 2 acre set of gardens. There are few, if any, gardens like this in the Triangle area, and over time, it will provide educational opportunities and space for events to create a sense of community and likely become a destination that creates an economic impact.

Nature Park Master Plan ($10 million)

Cary purchased 200 acres to preserve its natural beauty for future generations. The current plan is to save historic structures on the site, create parking and restrooms, and create a path around the entire property. I think this nature preserve will be a fantastic amenity that keeps us the best of the best and a huge benefit to our community, families, grandkids and future generations.

New Housing Projects and Programs – Affordable Housing Bond ($30 million)

By law, Housing Bonds are separate questions on the ballot.  The Affordable Housing bond is a way to work to implement our already approved Cary Housing Plan. (https://housing.carync.gov/cary-housing-plan/)   If approved, the Housing bond will support housing initiatives in ALL four primary strategic areas contained in our plan, such as building housing and supporting residents with low and moderate incomes across Cary. Affordable Housing is a nationwide challenge, and Cary is not immune to this trend.  Our staff is the best of the best, and although we have made investments, our community has asked us to do more.  Our recently launched Stable Homes Cary Program in partnership with Dorcas Ministries- is working to support people staying in their homes and helping with relocation support when moving may be necessary. The funds provided in this bond would provide funds to create or preserve more affordable housing options, including purchasing property, providing housing development gap financing, homeownership programing and working to preserve affordable housing and helping residents age in place.   Our goal is to ensure that people of all income levels can live in our community, and I believe that this bond referendum is a critical investment in Cary’s futureand a significant part of our community’s efforts to address affordability and the growing need for affordable housing. 

ICMA Conference

Saturday through Tuesday I was in Pittsburgh for the ICMA (International City/County Management Association) conference which was not town related. I was able to be involved in town staff meetings during my absence.

Council Work Session

Thursday evening the council held the first of many prioritization work sessions. This work session was to review our municipal waste streams and discuss the organic collection feasibility study. There following are my notes:

  • Cary contributes 7% of the waste going to the Wake County landfill.
  • Cary’s recycling contamination rate is 12% which is below Raleigh and the state at 14% and the national rate of 17%.
  • Cary is the only municipality in our area that collects yard waste weekly. The only other municipalities that collect yard waste are Raleigh, Durham, Holly Springs, and Apex.
  • Cary has 70,000 tons of curbside collection annually. 38,000 is solid waste, 11,500 is recycling, 10,500 is yard waste, and 10,000 is leaf collection.
  • Cary landfill diversion rate is 46%: 16% recycling, 15% yard waste, and 15% leaves.
  • Our food waste pilot was very successful resulting in a new drop off at Mills Park. Currently 140 tons have been collected.
  • Cary is considering adding food waste drop off locations near Jack Smith Park and near Middle Creek Park. That would put 99% of Cary residents within 10 minutes of a drop off site.
  • Cary was one of 388 municipalities across the country that participated in an organics collection feasibility study.
  • In the future Cary could have curbside food waste collection which would require an additional cart.
    • This would be a $2.5 million cost for carts and $6.5 million for trucks.
    • The operational cost would be an additional $2.9 million.
    • The solid waste fee would go from $23 a month to $28 a month.
  • How to move forward with this initiative would be decided by prioritizing all current and future initiatives.

Council Meeting

The Cary Town Council met Thursday night for its last regularly scheduled meeting of September. The agenda had a presentation, two consent items, and two public hearings.

Doug McRainey, who recently retired as Cary’s Director of Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Resources was presented the Order of the Long Leaf Pine. Doug’s contributions during his tenure were many including getting Cary the Gold Meal Award meaning we had the #1 park system in the country.

The two consent items were approved unanimously. The first was to call for a public hearing for an annexation and the second was to modernize language in a policy statement.

The first public hearing was a rezoning proposal 23-REZ-03 Courtyards at White Oak. Comments in the hearing were focused on road access to the site during construction. This will go to the Planning and Zoning Board and council will vote on it in a few months.

The second public hearing was a rezoning proposal 24-REZ-05 Westley Manor. Several people spoke in favor of this rezoning. This will also go to the Planning and Zoning Board and return for a vote in a few months.

After a closed session the council adjourned. The meeting lasted about three hours.

Asia Fest

Saturday I joined council members Smith, Craig, Kohn-Johnson, and Bansal at Asia Fest held at Koka Booth Amphitheater. It was the 9th annual event and was attended by several dignitaries including the State Attorney General Josh Stein, the Secretary of State Elaine Marshall, state house members, state senate members, Apex and Morrisville council members, and county officials.

I provided welcoming remarks and talked about our diverse community, how we embrace our differences, and how we are stronger for sharing our cultures with each other. Also speaking was the Cary Police Chief, NC Secretary of State, and NC Attorney General.

Town Manager’s Report

Danna’s Message

This morning I had the great honor to introduce the keynote speaker for the breakfast at the Women of Western Wake Forum. Susan Gisler of Bell Leadership Institute in Chapel Hill spoke about leading with intention and shifting from chaos to clarity in everyday life. The session was about putting yourself into the best state of flow to be able to successfully show up for yourself and others. I was able to share about Cary’s values of people first and anyone can lead. It was an inspiring talk by Susan and I’m grateful that Cary Magazine organizes such an incredible event each year. Prior to introducing Susan, I had the opportunity to share a little about Cary and chose to share a portion of the inspiring details and meaning of the star in our logo:
For thousands of years, stars have guided us in the dark. They are beacons of hope, wonder, and magic. A star symbolizes positivity and possibility inspiring us all to strive for a higher standard. Our star serves as a visual reminder for residents and businesses to dream of a better future for themselves and their communities.
It was great seeing everyone last night, thank you for making my experience serving in Sean’s place so special. Stay safe until Helene has passed.
Danna

Farm to Fork Dinner and Celebration

This week, Cary celebrated eight years of urban agriculture at Good Hope Farm with our annual dinner and celebration. Farm to Fork attracted 150 guests from across the Triangle, including Councilmember Michelle Craig. Attendees enjoyed a farm-fresh dinner, a guided farm tour, and an evening of dining and dancing under the stars. All proceeds supported Good Hope Farm’s mission to train new farmers and strengthen long-term food security in our region.

Deutsche Bank Marks 15 Years in Cary

Last week, Councilmember Michelle Craig, Cary Chamber President Mark Lawson, and staff member Bryan Hayes attended Deutsche Bank’s US Technology Center celebration, marking 15 years in Cary. During the event, they met with Deutsche Bank’s CEO Americas, Stefan Simon, to learn more about the Technology Center and its contributions to the financial industry. We look forward to many more years of them calling Cary home.

2024 Bonds Presentation at Chamber Eye Opener

On Wednesday, Town Manager Sean Stegall presented on the 2024 Cary Community Bond Referendum at the Cary Chamber Eye Opener Breakfast, offering community members a chance to ask questions.

This was the first of four public presentations on the bond referendum. The remaining sessions, scheduled for October, will give citizens the opportunity to engage directly with Town leadership, receive a detailed presentation, and participate in a Q&A session. Dates and locations are listed below, and registration is not required. Visit carybonds.org for details.

  • Monday, October 14 at 6:30 p.m. at Cary Theater
  • Tuesday, October 15 at 6:30 p.m. at Courtyard Raleigh Cary/Parkside Town Commons
  • Monday, October 28 at 6:30 p.m. at Middle Creek Community Center

Fire Department Swift Water Rescue Team Deploys to Western North Carolina

The Fire Department’s Swiftwater Rescue Team was activated Wednesday evening and deployed to Lenoir, North Carolina, on Thursday morning ahead of Hurricane Helene. Eight highly skilled team members joined 19 other teams from across the state, prepared to assist the citizens of western North Carolina. The mountain region is forecasted to receive record rainfall, leading to dangerous flash floods, landslides, and river flooding. Our thoughts are with the team during their travels and operations as they personify Cary’s value to serve.

Cary Housing Microsite Chosen for Web Excellence Awards

Cary’s Housing & Community Partnerships microsite was recognized as a winner of the Web Excellence Awards. Over the past year, staff worked to create a modern, approachable, and easy-to-navigate website where citizens can learn about Cary housing programs and initiatives. This new site ensures citizens can connect with community partners, learn about new developments, and access housing resources. The microsite is in good company with national brands like Puma and Fidelity. See the  Web Excellence Awards for a complete list of winners, as well as Cary’s award page.

Street Improvements Update

Cary’s annual street resurfacing project is moving forward, with recent work completed on Two Creeks Road in the Briarcliff area. In the coming weeks, Kilmayne Drive (from Maynard Road to Kildaire Farm Road) and High Meadow Drive (from Kildaire Farm Road to Two Creeks Road) are scheduled for resurfacing, weather permitting. For more details, visit carync.gov/resurfacing.

2024 US Masters Disc Golf Championships

The 2024 US Masters Disc Golf Championship wrapped up on Sept. 22, at Cary’s Diavolo at New Hope Disc Golf Course. This 4-round tournament, one of seven annual PDGA (Professional Disc Golf Association) Majors, attracted over 500 professional and amateur athletes from 43 states and 5 countries. Video coverage and scores are available at U.S. Masters: National Championships | Town of Cary (carync.gov).

Upcoming Meetings

Human Relations, Inclusion, and Diversity Advisory Board
Tuesday, October 1
6:00 p.m.

Mayor’s Mailbox

  • A concern about Cary vehicles using fossil fuels.
  • A complaint about misinformation being spread about the bond by those who oppose it.
  • A complaint that questions are not being answered about the bond.
  • An offer for free meditation sessions.
  • A request to fly American Flag banners.
  • A complaint about the property tax comparing it to Governor Tryon “a savage” who “enriched his friends at the expense of colonists”.
  • A complaint about native plants.
  • Several emails about a HOA greenway squabble between neighbors.

Next Week

Next week’s activities include staff meetings, a Human Relations, Inclusion, and Diversity board meeting, a NC Metro Mayors meeting, and Oktoberfest.

Well, that is all for this week. My next post will be on Sunday, October 6th, 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@carync.gov and email personal comments to augustanat@mindspring.com.