This week was slower since I was on vacation celebrating my 35th wedding anniversary.
Park Groundbreaking
Sunday I joined Mayor Pro-Tem Frantz, council member Yerha, council member Bush, council member Robinson, council member Smith, and Wake County Commissioner Chair Sig Hutchinson for the groundbreaking of two parks: Carpenter Fire Station Park and McCrimmon Park. There were lots of activities and treats for the couple of hundred in attendance. I look forward to the ribbon cuttings next year.
Media Misrepresentation
This is election season and during this time many things are said are simply not true. But some are outrageous and now some media outlets are making false claims. The Independent Weekly said that they were “excited about two candidates who would bring fresh ideas to a council that has been traditionally dominated by wealthy conservatives.” I was floored when I read that. First of all, no one on the council that I am aware of is wealthy unless they are hiding that wealth. Three of us are retired, one owns an automotive shop, two work for IT businesses, and one teaches law. Secondly, we are well balanced politically. The council is made up of four independents, two democrats, and two republicans. Of the four independents, two lean left and two lean right. It is extremely disappointing that a local publication would state something so blatantly untrue.
Monarch Mayor Pledge
A citizen asked if we would take the Monarch Mayor Pledge. The Mayor and Council approved our involvement in the pledge in 2019. Our pledge participation automatically renews each year when staff turns in their annual report to National Wildlife Federation. The link to Cary’s Mayor Monarch Portal that reflects our submitted 2022 update is located at https://www.nwf.org/mayorsmonarchportal/Community?communityId=494&programYearId=3
Town Manager’s Report
The town manager’s report for this week included:
Danna’s Message
I look forward to joining you all on Sunday to break ground and celebrate the two neighborhood parks on Carpenter Fire Station Road and McCrimmon Parkway! Also, citizens are encouraged to stop by Fred G. Bond Metro Park tomorrow for the Spring Daze Arts and Crafts Festival. While at Spring Daze, visit Earth Day Lane for a compost bin and rain barrel giveaway, recycling tips, garden ideas, greenway maps, an electric vehicle demo and much more at the booths staffed by environmental staff. While at Bond Park, citizens can take advantage of early voting and pop into the Cary Senior Center to cast their votes! Early voting will continue through May 14 and is available at the Cary Senior Center and Herb Young Community Center. Voters can find more details on early voting, including dates and times, by following the link for their County of residence below:
Cary welcomed Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) Secretary Biser and her staff from the Division of Environmental Assistance and Customer Support for a tour of the Pilot Food Waste Recycling Drop-off. Staff was thrilled to share the successful development of the pilot that was partially funded by DEQ’s Community Waste Reduction and Recycling grant. Secretary Biser recognized the service as a model for other communities and is excited to learn how Cary may build upon this initiative. Secretary Biser also attended last night’s Council meeting and was presented the Earth Day Proclamation by Council Member Jack Smith. Ms. Biser thanked Cary for being a leader in food waste reduction and talked about the importance of celebrating Earth Day.
This year’s Children’s Day Festival welcomed nearly 5,000 guests for a day of music, dance, crafts, games, and food. The annual event celebrates the importance of children, sharing with them the cultures and traditions of their neighbors. Council Member Jack Smith read the proclamation that proclaimed the children of Cary “emerge[d] like colorful butterflies from a cocoon” from the years of pandemic. Children’s Day Festival is led by the American-Turkish Association of North Carolina and sponsored by Sister Cities of Cary.
Advisory Boards Annual Spring Mingle
On Thursday, Advisory Board volunteers had their Annual Spring Mingle and invited Cary101 students to join them in learning about the work of each of Cary’s Advisory Boards and Commissions.
Any Cary citizens interested in serving on a Council-appointed Advisory Board are encouraged to apply now. The active recruitment period begins on May 1 and will run through June 30. All applications received by 11:59 p.m. on June 30 will be considered for appointment in September for terms beginning October 1. For more information and to apply, please visit bit.ly/caryboards.
Bond Park – Suspected Algae Bloom
As has happened in the past, Bond Lake has experienced a suspected algae bloom, along with excessive duckweed growth. The high heat and low rain fall produced high algae growth turning the lake green. The suspected bloom has been reported to the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality who will be on-site to conduct further investigation as to the type of algae. Precautionary signs have been posted in the park in the rare case the investigation shows the algae to be toxic to animals. The results of the investigation are due early next week.
Parks Update
Major milestones were reached this week on the court renovation project which is partially funded by the 2019 Shaping Cary’s Tomorrow Bond. Dunham Park reopened to the public with six new lighted tennis courts, parking lot renovation, and a new greenway connection. At Annie Jones Park the post-tension concrete tennis courts were poured, and final cleanup of the site is underway with plans to reopen by early summer. The Walnut Street Park additions of a lighted basketball court and two pickleball courts are in progress, and prep work is occurring for installation of the pavement with a planned opening this summer.
Bike Month and National Trails Day
May is National Bike Month and June 4 is National Trails Day; a great opportunity to celebrate Cary’s commitment to cycling. As a nationally recognized Bicycle-Friendly Community since 2003, Cary strives to encourage riding as a healthy mode of transportation, educate the community on how to safely ride, promote cycling as a healthy form of exercise and recreation, and bring awareness of the over 200 miles of on-road and greenway facilities in Cary. So, grab your bike, get outside, enjoy the spring weather, and see Cary on two wheels!
Volunteers Plant Veggies for Cary’s First Responders
More than 60 volunteers gathered at fire stations across town to plant gardens in support of Cary’s first responders. For over eight years the community has rallied together to install and maintain both food crops and native pollinator plants at these sites. Fire station garden projects connect citizens with our first responders, create opportunities for environmental service learning, and help provide freshly grown produce to station meals.
Good Hope Farm is a Stop on the Piedmont Farm Tour
The Good Hope Farm was one of 20 regional farms selected by the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association’s 25th Piedmont Farm Tour. As guests toured historic buildings and purchased produce and plants from local farmers, they experienced how Cary is committed to celebrating its agricultural past and making regenerative agriculture a vital part of its sustainable future.
Exchange Clubs of Wake County Law Enforcement Recognition Banquet
On Monday, the Exchange Clubs of Wake County hosted their annual Law Enforcement Recognition Banquet at Cary Presbyterian Church. Cary’s own Officer David Langdon was one of those honored for outstanding service and performance in law enforcement. David works tirelessly to promote traffic safety throughout our community. He is a leader in driving while impaired (DWI) arrests and is a dedicated Standardized Field Sobriety Testing and DWI Detection Instructor as well as a Drug Recognition Expert. He has assisted many officers in DWI investigations where controlled substances were the apparent cause of impairment. Congratulations to David on this well-deserved recognition.
Exceptional Wastewater Treatment Performance
Cary’s Water Reclamation Facilities processed more than 7.1 billion gallons of wastewater in 2021 and removed 3.2 million pounds of nitrogen. Our facilities continue to perform exceptionally well with greater than 96 percent removal rates, keeping nutrients out of our local streams and rivers. The reclamation process creates a dried Class A Exceptional Quality biosolids called Enviro-Gems by recycling the nutrients from the wastewater for beneficial reuse as a natural fertilizer and soil amendment.
A request to be notified when the mayor’s blog is posted
A request to have curbside food waste pickup
A complaint about a rezoning proposal at Old Apex and Chatham
Invitations to several events
Next Week
Next week’s activities include staff meetings, a presentation to the FFF of Cary Presbyterian’s Fellowship Ministry, a tour of the 200 acres that will be a future park, the Honor a Teacher Event, an event for Council Member Jack Smith, a tour of Wake Med Cary, and an interview with the Real Estate Podcast.
Well, that is all for this week. My next post will be on Sunday, May 8th. 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.
This was a slower week than is typical this time of year.
Wake County Mayors Association
Monday I met with the Wake County Mayors at our monthly meeting. In attendance were mayors from Cary, Fuquay Varina, Garner, Holly Springs, Knightdale, Morrisville, Rolesville, Wake Forest, and Zebulon. Topics included ARPA funding and upcoming budgets. From the conversations it appears Cary will continue to have the lowest tax rate in Wake County.
Cary Council Candidates Forum
Tuesday morning I attended a Cary Council Candidates forum held by the Cary Chamber. There are 10 candidates running for three seats and they were all in attendance. Due to the number of candidates and the limited time, the candidates only gave an opening statement, a closing statement, and answered two questions. I would recommend visiting their websites for additional information. Here is a list of candidates with the websites I could find:
Election day is May 17th and the runoff election day is July 26th.
Wynston Ridge HOA Meeting
Tuesday night I provided a town update to homeowners of Wynston Ridge in a virtual meeting. I also answered about half a dozen questions.
Federal Grants Presented by Congresswoman Ross
Wednesday I joined most of the Cary Council, some Wake County Commissioners, and a couple of NC legislators for a presentation of $1.9 million in federal grants from Congresswoman Deborah Ross. The first grant of $900,000 is for the Swift Creek Stormwater Management and Modeling program. The second grant of $1,000,000 is for the future Cary Regional Bus Operations and Maintenance Facility.
We are so grateful for Congresswoman Ross for her hard working in obtaining funding for these essential projects.
CAMPO
The Executive Board of the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization met Wednesday afternoon and approved two items: The final report for the Triangle Bike Way Study, an amendment to the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), and the removal of selected Bonus Allocation projects from the Intersection Improvements list. To find out detailed information about these items go here.
Elected Officials Appreciation Reception
Wednesday evening the Cary Chamber held a reception to thank elected officials for all the work they do to help Cary. In attendance was Congresswoman Ross, NC Secretary of State Elaine Marshall, several legislators, Wake County Commissioners, Wake County School Board members, and the entire Cary town council. I joined three other speakers in providing remarks thanking the officials. I also posed for several pictures including one with my good friend NC Representative Gale Adcock.
Reception for Mark Lawson the new President of Cary Chamber
Former President Howard Johnson, Current President Mark Lawson, Cary Mayor Harold Weinbrecht
Thursday I joined dozens of people in a reception to congratulate the new President of the Cary Chamber, Mark Lawson. I along with others provided remarks. In my remarks I stated that the previous President, Howard Johnson, spent decades creating a strong relationship with the elected officials, town staff, and businesses. And that relationship was a key component of why Cary is so successful today. I also stated that I believe Cary’s best days are ahead of us and that Mark Lawson’s skills and talents are perfect for what lies ahead. He is the right person at the right time. I look forward to the new and exciting things he will do for Cary.
Information Requested by Candidates
Cary Council candidates have requested information to help with their campaigns. Here is some of that information:
Budgeted for Road resurfacing last five years: $41.2 million
Budgeted for all Street Related Projects last five years: $125.8 million
Miles added last five years: 32.77 miles
Miles resurfaced last five years: 126.50 miles
Pavement Condition rating average the last five years: Average = Good, 81.5 to date
Cary maintains an award-winning water and wastewater utility that is well leveraged with capacity to support future growth and economic development
The Cary/Apex Water Treatment Facility has utilized advanced treatment technologies such as ozone to provide high quality water treatment for 10 years.
Cary’s wastewater collection and treatment systems protect the environment by providing advanced biological nutrient removal systems that remove and recycle nutrients and return clean water to our local creeks and streams.
The North Cary Water Reclamation Facility (NCWRF) completed a major renovation of its aeration process. The new aeration system improves efficiency, enhances nutrient removal, and supports future capacity expansion of the facility.
Recruit for experienced and non-experienced (or non-certified) public safety positions to widen applicant pool for further inclusivity of women and historically underrepresented communities.
Post vacancy advertisements across multiple diverse sources in addition to Cary’s recruitment page
Job boards including but not limited to: Pinkjobs, EmployDiversity, National Minority Update, American Association for Access, Equity & Diversity
Four-year colleges and universities; including Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCUs); Two-Year Community & Technical Colleges
Professional associations targeted to industry professionals within specific demographic & historically underrepresented communities (e.g., Society of Women Engineers, Association of Latino Professionals for America, National Association of Black Accountants).
Variety of social media platforms: LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter
Cary Fact Sheet: Diversity in Recruitment
Cary’s Human Resources Department Talent & Culture Consultants use vacancy postings to highlight OneCary culture and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) values. Additionally, brochures and department specific recruitment pages often include images that represent diversity across the organization.
Human Resources in collaboration with the hiring department and hiring manager(s) continually review vacancy postings for the elimination of biased language, ensure accuracy in minimum and preferred requirements and transparency through inclusion of the salary range.
Cary’s Human Resources Department Talent & Culture Consultants use a standard application, with job specific supplemental questions, that is screened for consideration of all applicants’ minimum and preferred qualifications for a vacancy. Applicants have the option to submit additional documents with the standard application, however, the application is the primary source of evaluation for referral of candidates to departments for further consideration.
An Applicant provides voluntary information on race/ethnicity and gender identifiers. The hiring department is not provided nor has access to this voluntary information to eliminate biases.
Cary’s Human Resources Department Talent & Culture Consultants educate hiring managers on awareness and acknowledgment of biases when screening referred applications.
Cary’s Human Resources Department Talent & Culture Consultants ensure a standardized interview process and apply it equitably across the organization; Use a combination of behavioral or adaptive based and skills-based interview questions to ascertain competency of technical skills along with organizational cultural and DEI values; Work with hiring departments and hiring manager to gather and include a diverse, cross-organizational panel of interviewers with different backgrounds, lived experiences, perspectives, and technical skills
Town Manager’s Report
The town manager’s report for this week included:
Russ’s Message
I have heard of Chamber of Commerce Day before, usually in October, but this week felt like an entire week of Chamber fun. I enjoyed seeing you all at the many events the Chamber held this week, and congratulations to Mark Lawson on officially becoming the President of the Cary Chamber. There is nice weather forecasted this weekend, so I hope you take time to celebrate Earth Day by supporting a local farmer, taking a hike at Hemlock Bluffs, or simply learning more about how to contribute to our sustainable community. Take care, Russ
Federal Grants Awarded to Cary
On Wednesday, Congresswoman Deborah Ross presented two federal grant awards to Cary: the first totals $900,000 for the Swift Creek Stormwater Management and Modeling Program, and a second grant of $1,000,000 is designated for the future Cary Regional Bus Operations and Maintenance Facility. These dollars are a part of the Community Project Funding requests, which are included in the joint federal omnibus package. Special thanks to Congresswoman Ross and Price for their continued support of Cary’s community!
Ivey-Ellington Relocation
In early 2023, the Ivey-Ellington House will be relocated from its current location on Chatham Street, consistent with the Council approved resolution on December 12, 2019. Given several factors, including the desired setting, historic context, and existing infrastructure, the southern portion of the former library site on Academy Street has been identified as the new location. The relocation will not interfere with existing infrastructure, including Charlie Gaddy Lane, parking, and utilities. Consistent with the adjacent structure, the Ivey-Ellington will be set back from the street and existing mature trees will remain. The remainder of the former library site will continue to be programmed with art and other activities until the Downtown Park is completed. Although Cary will forego individual National Register designation, the new site is located in the Downtown National Register District. Public investment will continue to preserve and rehabilitate the house using the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards. The Ivey-Ellington House is a valuable part of Cary’s history and can be further honored through designation as a Local Historic Landmark.
Gold Community SolSmart Design
Just in time for Earth Day, Cary is proud to announce that we have earned a Gold Level Community Designation from the U.S. Department of Energy’s SolSmart program. After having earned our Silver Level Designation in 2021, we have continued to create systematic improvements to make it more efficient for residents to go solar. Along with improved processes, staff hosted an online class to connect our community to “Cary specific” information to learn if residential solar is right for them. In the past five years, Cary has issued over 800 permits for residential solar energy systems. Cary continues to see growth in the number of residential solar permits issued each year with over 300 permits issued in 2021. Through deepening our commitment to renewable energy, paired with innovation and collaboration, Cary’s participation in the SolSmart program affirms a more resilient tomorrow.
2022 Cary 101 Program Begins
The spring 2022 Cary 101 cohort kicked off its first session Wednesday evening. This week, the class learned about Cary’s culture, the origins of Cary, municipal government structures, and finance/budget. Next week they will attend Thursday’s Council meeting to witness government in action, and remaining sessions will showcase how different departments work to coordinate Cary’s projects, programs, and services. Twenty citizens are enrolled in the program which runs through June 1.
F.O.G. to Fuel – Fats, Oils, and Grease Recycling Program
Since 2009 Cary has offered to citizens a sustainable disposal option for used cooking oil. The free and convenient curbside collection helps citizens be part of a community effort to both prevent pipe blockages and overflows and convert used cooking oil into environmentally friendly biofuel. Citizens should only collect cooled FOG in a plastic screw-top container and call 311 to schedule a curbside pick-up. Cary works with Key Energies who recycles the oil into bio-fuel. Most of Cary’s diesel fuel service vehicles operate on a biofuel/diesel blend that helps complete the circle. Through this program citizens scheduled more than 900 curbside pick-ups in 2021 that resulted in recycling 1,500 gallons of cooking oil, keeping it out of our sewer lines and landfill.
Weatherstone Elementary Community Helper Day
On Thursday, staff had the opportunity to participate in Community Helper Day activities at Weatherstone Elementary School. Staff engaged with faculty and students on what Cary offers including solid waste collection, general operations, police, emergency medical services, and animal control.
Earth Day Presentations
Earth Day generates heightened interest in all things environmental and requests for personalized presentations. The NC Composting Council invited Cary to speak about the new food waste drop-off site and ongoing composting initiatives at its monthly Sustainable Spirits gathering held at Crosstown Pub. The evening event was also its Second Annual Spring Plant Swap that brought out local gardeners. Another staff presentation was coordinated with Carolina Preserve to hold a focused recycling and compost program for over 50 residents. Together, the group focused on actions and opportunities to reduce waste, learn more about the variety of services available to them, and ways to get involved in green efforts across the town.
Fire Receives ESO Power of Data Award
Fire received the Power of Data award at this week’s ESO Wave conference in Austin, TX. Fire transitioned to ESO record management system in February 2021 and immediately became instrumental in assisting the company with troubleshooting and other departments in implementation. Wake County medical director and current chief EMS officer for ESO Brent Myers presented the award, describing Cary Fire, one of more than 16,000 ESO customers, as one of the “crown jewels” of Wake County.
Multi-Agency Drone Workshop
On Wednesday, members of a Cary staff Drone Committee and NCDOT held a multi-agency drone workshop at Wake Med Soccer Park with onsite demonstrations. Charlotte Fire Department Battalion Chief Shawn Royal presented on how the City of Charlotte integrated drones into their workflows, initial struggles with internal buy in, and how their Police and Fire Departments utilize a shared approach. A representative from AirVision UAV, presented on the FAA Part 107 license requirements and the importance of the regulatory framework for agencies to be compliant with NC State and Federal drone regulations. NCDOT presented on what they are doing at the State level with medical package delivery, food delivery, and how they use drones to support internal operations. One of the shared themes between all presenters was the importance of following State and Federal regulations, and how a drone incident can have ripple effect in the industry. The highlight of the day was the Cary Fire Department drone team made up of, Jose Mendez, Brian Smyrski, and Captain Allen Monds demonstrating their drone, a DJI Matrice 300 platform and video streaming capabilities utilizing Dronesense. They were quickly able to share the live video feed from the drone using a QR code that could be shared to anyone with an internet connected device.
2022 Project PHOENIX Managers Workshop
On April 20, Project PHOENIX hosted a semi-annual Property Managers Workshop at the Cary Police Department. Sixteen Property Managers/Assistants joined us for five hours of education, training, and networking. Staff received a lot of positive feedback from the workshop participants.
IBT Annual Report Submitted to State
The 2021 Interbasin Transfer (IBT) Annual Report was submitted to the North Carolina Division of Environmental Quality (DEQ). The report demonstrates Cary’s compliance with all the requirements of our certificate. The annual report is required to be submitted to DEQ before May 1 each year, with quarterly updates posted to Cary’s IBT page. Additional history on our IBT certificate can be found on DEQ’s IBT page.
Early Voting
Early voting in Cary will begin April 28 and continue through May 14, with Election Day following days later on May 17. Two locations in Cary were selected by the Wake County Board of Elections to serve as Early Voting sites — Cary Senior Center and Herb Young Community Center. As a reminder Wake County residents are eligible to vote at any Wake County location during the early voting period only.
Voters can find more details on early voting, including dates and times, by following the link for their County of residence: Wake County, Chatham County, and Durham County
A complaint to have more bike lanes on roads for their 8-year-old to ride on
A request for a proclamation recognizing World Falun Dafa Day
A complaint about allowed permitted blasting near Providence at Yates Pond
A complaint that our 90 miles of greenways and hundreds of miles of sidewalks are not enough
A complaint that e-pedal assisted bikes are not included in Bikeshare pilot
Next Week
Next week I will be on vacation. My only event is the groundbreaking of neighborhood parks on May 1st after I return.
Well, that is all for this week. My next post will be on Sunday, May 1st. 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.
This was one of the slowest weeks I have had in a while.
Town Manager One-On-One
Monday afternoon I talked with the town manager for our weekly one-on-one. We talked about the Cary Tennis Park, other future parks, and ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act of 2021) funding. Our meeting lasted about 15 minutes.
Mental Health
Later Monday I joined the town manager in a virtual meeting with representatives from Wake Med Cary. They talked about the lacking facilities and resources for mental health and how the mental health crisis has gotten much worse since the pandemic. They are in the process of asking each municipality to help with funding some of these needs. Our discussion lasted about an hour.
Cary is Safe and Most Affordable According to SmartAsset
Tuesday I was notified that Cary had again been named as one of the safest places in the U.S. In a new study from SmartAsset, Cary ranked No. 7 among the 200 largest cities in the country. To find the safest cities, SmartAsset compared 200 of the largest U.S. cities across various metrics, including violent crime rate, property crime rate and vehicular mortality rate.
Cary ranked No. 1 for affordability among the 200 cities included in the analysis. Median annual housing costs ($17,304) in the town are just 16.28 percent of the median household income ($106,304), the study found.
Fenton Discussion
Thursday I joined the town manager, deputy town manager, planning director, and a representative from the Fenton to discuss their most recent rezoning proposal and possibly future changes. The purpose of the meeting was to make sure all of us had the same information and understanding. Our meeting lasted about half an hour.
Town Manager’s Report
The town manager’s report for this week included:
Sean’s Message
Chief Development Officer Scot Berry shared that Apple’s presence in Cary at the MetLife campus is moving forward. Building permits have been issued to begin renovation of the MetLife Building 3 at 301 MetLife Way. These initial building permits are for renovations to floors two through six. Building permits for floors one and seven are currently under review. Once the renovations are complete, Apple will be the new tenant for the entire building. We are excited to have them in Cary. As a reminder, most staffed facilities, including Town Hall, will be closed Friday, in observance of the Town holiday. Have a nice weekend. Sean
NTC Expansion Ceremony
The USA Baseball National Training Complex (NTC) Expansion Ceremony was hosted this past weekend just prior to the Championship Game for the National High School Invitational (NHSI). Mayor Weinbrecht kicked off the ceremony by sharing what the new space entails and what it means to Cary citizens. USA Baseball Board Member, George Grande, also one of the original TV broadcasters for ESPN spoke on behalf of USA Baseball and gave the following impactful remarks, “We (USAB) never had a home…but then we found Cary and Cary found us”. Council member Ya Liu provided some additional highlights, including the use of solar panels and EV charging stations, paving a greener, sustainable future for Cary. The ceremony was attended by Town Council, Town Manager Sean R. Stegall, PRCR Director Doug McRainey, Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance Executive Director Scott Dupree, and two Wake County Commissioners. Wake County contributed $2.5 million towards the project in hotel occupancy tax.
Wake Tech Letter of Support
Cary provided a letter to its federal delegation in support of Wake Technical Community College’s (Wake Tech) application to the Community Project program entitled Grid to Plug to Wheels: Technician training for safe and efficient electric vehicle power utilization and maintenance. As electric vehicles become more prominent, it is important to have readily available job training programs to build a skilled workforce prepared to install and maintain the EV grid, as well as service electric vehicles on the road. Wake Tech has a long history of providing excellent and affordable job training to Wake County citizens and we are pleased to support their application for funding.
USTA Celebrates Tennis in Cary
On Saturday, USTA (United States Tennis Association) hosted a tennis appreciation event at Prestonwood Country Club to show appreciation for Cary and area private and public tennis facilities and icons that have made tennis what it is in Cary. Mayor Weinbrecht attended and spoke highly of the Cary Tennis Park as well as the private clubs in Cary. You have heard the phrase “a rising tide raises all ships” and this is truly the case with tennis based on all the growth over the past 10 years. On Sunday, USTA also conducted a Professional Development Day at Cary Tennis Park for seasoned pros to earn on-court continuing education credits and for aspiring new pros/instructors to learn more about growing tennis.
Water Main Construction Update
Water main construction is set to commence in southern Cary along Stephenson Road and Smith Road on April 18. The new water main will start at Lily Orchard Way and Stephenson Road, and continue along Smith Road, stopping just short of Ten Ten Road. Traffic may be reduced to one lane in alternating directions while this work is ongoing weekdays, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Construction is anticipated to be complete by fall 2022.
April Downtown Chowdown
On Sunday, Cary hosted its first Downtown Chowdown in over two years with attendance topping 8,000 people, eclipsing previous years’ attendance of 6,000. The increased crowds translated to success for participating vendors as well, with many reporting record sales. Local breweries Fortnight and Bond Brothers reportedly sold more beer than at any previous Chowdown event, and food truck Mama Nem’s more than doubled its record for sales at any event. Crowds remained steady for the duration of the event, as citizens enjoyed the deejay, new lawn games, public art, and sunny spring weather.
Hippity Hoppity Easter Egg Hung
The Easter Bunny delivered eggs to Middle Creek High School football stadium and Alston Ridge Middle School football field on Saturday. Close to 700 kids and their families attended this fun event where they enjoyed pre-hunt entertainment by stilt walkers, jugglers, magicians, hoop artists, a mime and of course the Easter Bunny.
Virtual Neighborhood Rezoning Meetings
Neighborhood meetings will be held virtually on WebEx from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. on May 4. The following cases will be discussed:
A concern about an Apex apartment proposal and how it will impact Cary
Thanks for changes in downtown
Fellas Bond
It is with great sadness that I announce the passing of Fellas Bond, the wife of former mayor Fred Bond. As with all great mayors there is a great first lady and Fellas was certainly that. In addition, she was my aunt and like a second mother to me when I was young. Please extend your thoughts and prayers to her remaining children Mark, Tim, and Lisa. Rest in Peace Fellas.
(I apologize in advance to those that might be offended with “first lady”. I am sure the “first gentleman” will be just as influential when Cary has its first female mayor.)
Next Week
Next week’s activities include staff meetings, a Wake County Mayors Association meeting, a Cary Council candidate forum, a HOA meeting, a grant announcement ceremony with Congresswoman Ross, a meeting of the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organizations Executive board, an Elected Officials Reception, and the Cary Chamber’s President reception.
Well, that is all for this week. My next post will be on Saturday, April 23rd. 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.
This was one of the busiest weeks I have had in a while.
Council Meeting Prep
Monday I contacted council members to hear questions or concerns about the upcoming meeting agenda. Since the agenda was very short there were few comments. Later in the day I met with Mayor Pro-Tem Frantz and staff to go over the agenda items. Our meeting lasted just a few minutes.
Town Manager One-On-One
Monday evening I talked with the deputy town manager and the chief strategy officer. Our topics included Wake Med Cary, the RTA trip, and federal stimulus money spending.
Tour of the Fenton
Tuesday I joined council member Yerha and his wife in a tour of the Fenton. There is a LOT of activity ongoing. The streetscape and facade of all buildings in phase one are scheduled to be finished by the end of April. Several businesses will open at that time with a gradual opening of other businesses throughout the month of May. Early June will be the official grand opening so stay tuned.
State of Cary Address at Glenaire
Tuesday afternoon I gave the State of Cary address to the residents of Glenaire. There was a full auditorium. My message was preceded with a history moment by council member Yerha. This was the third time I have given the address since January. There were a few updates, but most of the slide deck remained the same. Since I speak from the slides each presentation is different.
Atlantic Tire Championship Board Meeting
Tuesday night I met with the board of the Atlantic Tire Championships. The interest in Cary Tennis Park for amateur and professional tournaments continues to increase. So improvements at the tennis park are timely. We expect this year’s tournament to be biggest yet.
State of Cary Address at MacGregor Rotary
Wednesday I presented the State of Cary address to the MacGregor Rotary Club. There were about three dozen people in attendance. I spoke from the same slide deck as the day before. One person who was at both presentations said this one was better. After the presentation I did not have time for questions, so I stuck around to talk with individuals about various issues.
Ed Yerha’s Campaign Kickoff
Later Wednesday I gave the introduction at Ed Yerha’s reelection campaign. Ed is not only a friend but has given so much to this town on and off the council. I wish him the best. While I support Ed, I am glad to talk and help any candidate for office.
Council Meeting
Thursday the council held a regularly scheduled meeting. The meeting included appointments to the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion task force, five consent items, and two public hearings.
The appointments to the task force were Susie Sliver (chair), Shuchi Gupta, Dev Hirji, Jessica MacDonald, Asheesh Projapati, Ness Shortly, Paula Smith, and Donna Davis. The group will serve two years or until the final report of findings from the Reimaging Policing Project is presented to Council whichever is later.
A public hearing for the Affordable Housing rezoning off Maynard Road had over two dozen speakers with about twenty of them in person. Proponents of the rezoning mostly are advocates for any type of affordable housing. Opponents of the rezoning were mostly residents of the adjacent neighborhood whose reasons were home values, traffic, and the loss of trees. Council will vote on this rezoning in a few months. The meeting concluded after about two hours and fifteen minutes.
Speaking to Highcroft Elementary’s 3rd Grade
Friday I spoke to the entire 3rd grade class at Highcroft Elementary School.
Upon arriving I was greeted with a welcome poster at the entrance. I spoke about my duties and how I was elected.
After several great questions, I posed with the classes in front of the Husky bulletin board. I was presented with a few of their favorite snacks before leaving. Thank you, 3rd graders! It was a great visit and I hope they invite me back in the future.
Howard Manning’s Memorial Service
Saturday morning I joined several hundred people in attended the memorial service for Howard Manning who was the Executive Director for Dorcas Ministries for the last 17 years. I was given the honor of being one of the speakers at his service. Howard spent most of his life making sure the least of us had food, clothing, and a place to live. We were blessed to have had him in our community. I believe our community is stronger and a much better place because of his mission. God bless you Howard! Rest in peace!
Celebration of Life
Saturday afternoon I attended a celebration of life for a 20-year-old college student. What a tragic loss. It was heart wrenching her parents living out my worst nightmare. Please hug you kids and tell them how much you love them. My thoughts and prayers go out to that family and all those who have suffered such a loss.
USA Baseball Expansion
Late Saturday afternoon I attended the expansion ceremony for USA Baseball. The facility opened in 2007 as the National Training Center. Since then more than 300 major events have been held with over 100,000 people visiting annually. The facility has gained recognition nationally and internationally as one of the best baseball facilities in the world.
The expansion will provide an indoor artificial turf space for baseball, softball, and other activities in addition to providing much needed office space for employees.
I was the emcee for the ceremony which included remarks from George Grande of the USA Baseball Board of Directors. He was also the first broadcaster for ESPN.
After his remarks USA Baseball presented a signed jersey from the silver medalist Olympians of last year. We will find a great place to display this amazing gift. Each council member was also presented a baseball bat with their name. How cool is that!
Council member Ya Liu’s also provided remarks included information about the 300 solar panels that will provide about half of the total power consumed by the facility. The facility will also include electric charging infrastructure. After her remarks she flipped a switch that launched a brief fireworks display.
I concluded the ceremony inviting all to watch the National High School Invitational Championship game that followed.
Before the beginning of the game, I was honored with throwing out the first pitch. I bounced it over the plate. Oh well, I guess I will need to practice before the next time I throw out a pitch. The championship game was between two teams from Florida with Stoneman Douglas taking down St. Johns Country Day 5-3.
USTA Appreciation Reception
Saturday night I gave welcoming remarks at a USTA (United States Tennis Association) appreciation reception. This reception was attended by tennis professionals and those vested in the tennis industry from the region.
Cary Tennis Park
Sunday I visited the Cary Tennis Park and participated in one of the USTA clinics to instruct the teaching professionals. It was interesting trying new things that may be incorporated into tennis lessons soon. I also toured the park to see the current renovations which allow seating on outer courts for events such as the ACC and professional tournaments.
Town Manager’s Report
The town manager’s report for this week included
Sean’s Message
I look forward to joining you all tomorrow to celebrate the expansion of the USA Baseball National Training Complex at Thomas Brooks Park. Attendees will have the opportunity to hear remarks from the Mayor and Council Member Ya Liu. William Davis will be waiting at the gate to ensure a seamless transition to the VIP area.
Dave & Busters, 1111 Walnut Street: The certificate of compliance has been issued for the relocation of Dave & Busters from the Cary Towne Center Mall Building to the former Jump Street space along Walnut Street.
A’ Verde Cocina and Tequila Bar, 2300 Walnut Street: The certification of compliance has been issued for a new restaurant to occupy the former Wild Wings Café within the Centrum Shopping Center.
BBs Crispy Chicken, 1147 Parkside Main Street: The building permit for a new first time restaurant tenant has been approved within Parkside Town Commons.
April ZBOA Meeting
On Monday, the Zoning Board of Adjustment (ZBOA) unanimously approved two cases. The first case was a request for a variance to the platted setback for a residential property at 210 Meadow Drive. The second case was for a development plan amendment to remove a private trail from a previously approved development plan over 100 units for Shelbourne Cary, 7000 Regency Parkway.
Mayor Weinbrecht Visits Glenaire and Cary Rotary
This week, the Mayor presented the State of Cary to Glenaire residents and MacGregor Rotary Club members. Council Member Ed Yerha joined the Mayor at Glenaire to give a presentation about Cary’s history.
Project Phoenix Anniversary Event
On Wednesday, the Police Department’s Project PHOENIX unit celebrated 10 + 1 years of being a program in Cary. Delayed one year due to the pandemic, this anniversary celebration invited over 100 individuals to the Bond Park Senior Center to enjoy a presentation on how Project PHOENIX came about. Council Member Jack Smith expressed his appreciation for the program’s impact and read a proclamation to recognize its success. Town Council, staff, and several community partners were recognized for their contributions to Project PHOENIX events and initiatives over the years.
Breakfast with the Bunny
Breakfast with the Bunny returned on April 2 with families present to enjoy a continental breakfast with the Easter Bunny hosted by the Cary Teen Council. Afterwards, kids searched for the Easter Bunny’s hidden eggs at their own private egg hunt. Participants left with candy treats and an egg-cellent morning was had by all.
Bands, Bites, and Boats
The warm weather and spring breeze brought a crowd to the first Bands, Bites and Boats of 2022. Around 600 guests savored bites from a food truck and set-up lawn chairs to enjoy the music of 2DIGH4. Visitors rented boats in order to listen to the music from across the lake keeping the boathouse busy throughout the evening. The next event is scheduled for May 6.
2022 Annual Controlled Burn
In accordance with the long-term Natural Resource Management Plan of Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve, the 2022 controlled burn was conducted on April 5. This controlled burn is completed through a partnership with preserve staff, NC Forest Service, NC State Parks, and Cary’s Fire Department. A total of 1 acre was burned along the Chestnut Oak Loop Trail. These burns are completed to reduce potential for fire and to protect adjacent neighborhoods as well as improve wildlife habitat.
Cary is Buzzing with more Pollinators
This week, staff installed two honeybee hives to help pollinate the new pollinator gardens and newly expanded orchard at the South Cary Water Reclamation Facility. These hives provide opportunities for staff and the community to learn more about how bees provide food and other benefits to Cary citizens. These hives join the 20 existing hives at Good Hope Farm, increasing Cary’s urban agriculture opportunities. In all, Cary’s beehives now provide approximately 1,320,000 wonderful, winged creatures, flying to pollinate gardens and flowers up to four miles away in surrounding neighborhoods.
Spring Litter Sweep 2022
Volunteers mobilized to keep our community clean and green through Spruce’s biannual Litter Sweep. Together 85 volunteers collected 3,650 pounds of litter from Cary’s streets, parks, and outdoor spaces. Held in conjunction with the Keep America Beautiful Big Sweep initiative, Spruce Litter Sweeps help to maintain healthy waterways in our region.
Tree Planting at Middle Creek
The final tree planting project of the season happened at Middle Creek Park. In our continuing effort to plant in open spaces and at facilities, staff added nine beautiful native trees to Middle Creek Park. A willow oak, red maple, fringe trees, and red buds will add beauty, economic, and environmental benefits of trees to the grounds for all to enjoy.
Central Pressure Zone Boundary Shift Complete
On Wednesday, the pressure zone modification was successfully completed in and around the Piper’s Crossing, Piper’s Grove, and Pritchett Farms Neighborhoods. With the completion of this operation, approximately 200 homes along the Holly Springs Road corridor have shifted from the Southern Pressure Zone to the Central Pressure Zone. There were no issues reported. The operation not only provides an increase of 10-20 psi in water pressure, but also affords greater operational flexibility and reliability in Cary’s water system.
Supplemental Information
The links provided below will direct you to helpful documents recently created by staff that may be of interest to Council.
A request to fix and maintain sidewalks from Glenaire to downtown
A concern about tennis programming at Dunham Park
A concern about a Batchelor Road rezoning (this was a neighborhood meeting and council does not have information at this time)
A concern about transportation in Western Cary
Next Week
Next week’s activities include staff meetings, a meeting on mental health, and a North Carolina Metro Mayors meeting.
Well, that is all for this week. My next post will be on Monday, April 18th. 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.
Monday afternoon I joined Mayor Pro-Tem Frantz in the lawn of the Page Walker Hotel for a taping of Cary Matters. The topic was on the 10th anniversary of the SPRUCE litter reduction and beautification program. During the past ten years volunteers have collected over 150,000 pounds of litter in this program. Our taping was completed with three takes.
Town Manager One-On-One
Monday evening I talked with the town manager in our weekly one-on-one. Topics included the DEI task force (which will be announced at our April 7th meeting), candidates for police chief, the Sports and Rec Center, three major park projects, and the Fenton. Our meeting lasted about fifteen minutes.
RTA Trip
Tuesday through Thursday I joined two staff members and council member Robinson in a trip to Ft. Lauderdale as part of a RTA group of 84. The group included the mayors from Raleigh, Durham, and Cary along with council members from those and other municipalities. Also attending were Wake County commissioners and other elected officials from the triangle region. Making up the bulk of the group were those with vested interest in transit and rail.
Tuesday evening, I attended the opening reception where we heard from the Raleigh mayor, the NCDOT Secretary, GoTriangle, NC Railroad, the Vice Mayor of Broward County, and a representative from Visit Lauderdale. Throughout our trip in various locations, we saw and heard numerous presentations from various leaders of transit with vested interests in the Miami, Ft. Lauderdale area. I am not including those presentations or Q&A in my summary of the trip.
Tri RailMetrorail
After attending breakfast with speakers on Wednesday from Broward County and South Florida Regional Transportation Authority, the group rode the Tri-Rail from the Fort Lauderdale station to the Miami Airport station. The Tri-Rail is a commuter rail with double decker cars that has been in use for some time. It was originally planned to get workers into Miami. But now there is just as much ridership the other way. The Miami-Dade location was the point for intermodal connections. At this point we boarded the Miami Metrorail which took us to downtown Miami.
Underline
Under the Metrorail in downtown Miami is a linear park called the Underline. This ten-mile linear park is not only a greenway for walking and running but has active spaces with “rooms” for games, yoga, mini soccer, basketball, and more. It also allowed for easy, quick food deliveries in a dedicated lane. I witnessed some delivery bikes in this lane moving much faster than cars. This was an amazing space and something I envision us doing in Cary. For example, between the Fenton and the downtown park.
The group also road the downtown Metromover to get to the light rail station for the Brightline high-speed rail. The Metromover was very interesting. It ran on tracks dozens of feet in the air through the high-rise buildings in downtown. It was one car with no seats and had stops every few hundred yards. I don’t see this in our area in my lifetime, but you never know what will be needed in the future.
Brightline
The Brightline is a high-speed rail that will eventually go from Miami to Orlando. Since their start in 2018 they have built and opened the section from Miami to West Palm Beach. They expect to finish the Orlando line by the end of 2022 and start carrying passengers between Orlando and South Florida in early 2023. It is a luxury rail service with stations that include restaurants, bars, and shops. Their stations even pump in desirable smells. In addition, their trains are like airlines with steward carts serving drinks and snacks. The Brightline is the nation’s only privately owned, higher-speed intercity passenger-rail service that runs on track owned by Florida East Coast Railway.
Our Future???
One of my biggest takeaways from this trip is the reaffirmation that you cannot pave your way out of today’s or tomorrow’s congestion. The solution must include multi-modal transportation. A big part of that multi-modal transportation is regional rail and that takes years of planning to implement and build. I expect the triangle region to double in population within the next thirty years. If we don’t start moving forward with multi-modal transportation plans now, we will be retro fitting in the future. And that is MUCH more expensive. A big thank you to RTA and all the sponsors who made this trip possible.
Frisco Visitors
Friday started by addressing a group visiting Cary from Frisco, Texas which is part of the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area. Their population is similar to Cary’s and were the fastest growing city in the United States in 2017. They are probably most known as the home of the Dallas Cowboys’ training center called the star. The focus of their visit was to get ideas for their parks, get more involved in amateur sports, and see various performing arts venues in the triangle. Their group consisted of their mayor, council members, members of the chamber, and business leaders from the community. I was very honored that they were visiting Cary especially since we visited them on our intercity visit to Fort Worth and Irving in 2019. We have so much to learn from each other and I look forward to our continued relationship.
Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding
Later Friday morning I briefly attended a regional infrastructure summit on preparing for the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding. The speakers covered implementation at the federal and state levels, analysis of policy and funding implications, and visions from regional partners. Unfortunately, I had to leave the meeting to attend the North Carolina Metro Mayors meeting.
North Carolina Metro Mayors
The summary of the North Carolina Metro Mayors meeting from the Executive Director is as follows:
Federal Update
President Biden has proposed a FY 22/23 Federal Appropriation to Congress.
As part of the annual appropriation process, a number of our NC Congressional Delegation members are now accepting proposals for local earmarks or “Community Project Funding.” If you check on their websites and don’t see anything about applying for funding – we recommend directly calling or emailing your Congressional offices to inquire about the process for earmarks projects they may consider.
ARP and Affordable Housing – HR 7078 – Lifeline Act – a bi-partisan effort, led by NC’s Rep. Adams (D) and Rep. Rouzer (R), have co-sponsored a bill to amend ARP funding restrictions by adding eligibility of the funds for affordable housing projects that include loans and low-income housing tax credits (LIHTC). While ARP funds can be used on affordable housing, they are not currently authorized for use in projects that include both loans and LIHTC. Some municipalities successfully found solutions to this restriction by supplanting other local costs using ARP funds and then flexing the newly unencumbered local funds for worthwhile LIHTC affordable housing projects.
The Lifeline Act would certainly make it easier for locals to use ARP for affordable housing projects. AND most significantly, it would unlock $170M in ARP funds the State has designated for the workforce housing loan program that are currently stalled due the ARP restrictions that HR7078 would overcome.
We have seen growing support amongst our NC House members (Reps. Rouzer, Adams Budd and possibly Price and Murphy) and we are hopeful that our two Senators will support it when a Senate version is introduced. Given that affordable housing is a high priority for Metro Mayors Coalition members, we will continue to monitor this issue.
General Assembly
General Update
Things remain quiet relative to legislative work. The General Assembly is currently in an adjournment period, so legislators have been focused on electoral fundraising efforts.
The legislature will return next week (April 4-6). We anticipate non-voting sessions and no issues to be taken up.
Governor Cooper, Speaker Moore, and President Pro-Tem Berger collaborated to help bring Vietnam-based VinFast and over 7,000 auto-manufacturing jobs, to a Chatham County mega-site. There will be a legislative appropriation for site preparation that was part of the incentive package for VinFast. It is unclear as to whether we will see legislation for that appropriation prior to the short session in late May.
REMINDER: Local bills need to be submitted to bill drafting by 4:00 PM on Monday, May 9 and filed by 4:00 PM on Tuesday, May 31.
All local bills for the short session must have consensus by each member of the delegation (House and Senate).
Transportation – nothing new to report.
Public Safety – nothing new to report.
Economic Development – nothing new to report.
Local Control/Local Revenues– nothing new to report
Special Update & Discussion: Short Term Rentals – AirBnb and others
Local Updates:
Mayor Esther Manheimer, Asheville
The short term rentals in Asheville are having a huge impact on housing affordability.
Asheville regulates short term rentals within the City with a “home-stay” concept, a tool that Buncombe County does not utilize.
The Asheville Tourism Development Authority (independent authority) just announced $40M in revenue from their occupancy tax receipts – with 38 percent of that coming from short term rentals. The large and growing market share for STRs is causing great concern in the local lodging industry. This market share in Asheville/Buncombe is another indicator of STR’s impact on the local affordability crisis in the real estate market.
Asheville has reached a creative compromise with the STR industry representatives. AirBnB corporate representatives that both sides seem to be able to live with.
Asheville’s focus is on a “home-stay concept” which means they don’t allow a whole house rental inside the city limits (some were grandfathered-in to remain whole house rentals). Anybody can use up to two bedrooms as STRs, in an otherwise occupied home (this also includes other conditions, such as requirements for parking).
Asheville is home to a number of “condo-tels”, that include a large portion of short-term rentals in multi-family condo buildings, with more being built in downtown. This poses a continuing challenge to affordability, as local residents struggle to afford the high costs in the city that is so impacted by STRs.
The City of Asheville is happy to share its model ordinance/home-stay concept with other cities.
Mayor Bill Saffo, Wilmington
Wilmington has a STR separation requirement of 400 ft within the city, except for properties in the Central Business District.
Each STR is required to register with the city, then a lottery is used to award registrations within the 400 ft constraints.
Wilmington’s STR procedures have been challenged in court by VRBO, contesting the city’s registration fee being charged to STR. Despite the case being argued on appeal in November, no opinions have been issued by the court yet. The case includes a significant challenge to the city’s STR registration requirement as a tool for their program.
Without a registration requirement, it is impossible to manage the STRs in the neighborhoods and communities in the City of Wilmington. The Superior Court case, which may be decided in April will be a critical juncture in the regulation of STRs in NC.
Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin, Raleigh
Raleigh went through a four-year process to establish a regime for STRs. The previous city council adopted a model similar to the Asheville “home-stay concept.”
The new city council has implemented different rules, including a registration program.
The planning department has been monitoring the process and carefully tracking whole house rentals.
In order to prevent “party houses,” Raleigh has a “3 Strikes” rule that removes the registration on the third strike of complaints/disruption at a STR property (although, they have not had to go that far yet).
Would caution that “one size does not fit all” – Raleigh is very different from tourist cities, like Asheville and Wilmington. NC cities have unique challenges and needs and may require varied tools to address those unique needs in the specific communities in cities across the state.
City of Charlotte staff report
The City Council is in the process of developing a quite complex and broad Unified Development Ordinance (UDO), that includes STR registration, as well as controls their density and attempts to prevent unruly “party houses.” The first draft was released in October 2021, and the public engagement period ended on March 18.
Charlotte had a lengthy public comment period for the complex UDO, and STR’s was the topic that attracted, by far, the most public feedback.
One of the topics that elicited disapproval during public comment was the proposed 400 ft of separation distance between STRs. As a result of the feedback, the 400 ft separation may be reconsidered for the next version of the proposed UDO.
The next draft should be released in late May and council plans to adopt the UDO in July.
Mayor Pam Hemminger, Chapel-Hill
Chapel-Hill’s process has taken over two years to develop, with broad public input. The town received neighborhood complaints about “party houses” in the past and this has become a high-profile topic.
The town is attempting to put a registry together and has implemented a rule that each STR must have a local presence/person/contact that can be called to fix something or respond to a complaint.
Residents can rent out rooms if it is your primary residence, similar to the “home-stay” concept and Chapel Hill also has the “3 strike” rule.
New townhomes, condos, and apartments that require conditional rezoning now include language that does not allow STR units within them (avoiding the “condo-tels” that Asheville referred to).
Update from state level:
Erin Wynia, NCLM Government Affairs Director and Beau Mills
During the short session, we generally don’t see the legislature wanting to take up high profile, controversial issues like STR, but we need to be well prepared and vigilant as always.
This issue has continually come up over the past few years and the NCLM has worked closely with the NC Restaurant and Lodging Association to help maintain the option for local controls to meet local needs.
One indication of greater engagement from the STR industry at the state level/legislature – AirBnB has hired a well-known lobbying firm to represent them this year (McGuireWoods). Previously, corporate STRs have not had lobbying representation from the large, well known lobbying firms.
Details of local ordinances have previously been discussed and even voted on in the legislature (House included restrictions on local STR authority in the House version of the budget last year), but it has NOT passed in both chambers. Some of the legislative discussions have included complaints about the 400 ft rules as well as local government requirement for registrations and location tracking of STRs. The issue of “local registration requirements” for STRs, has especially been a flash point/bone of contention for the issue in the legislature.
This is one of the League’s top priorities and concerns for the short session. While NCLM staff are hopeful that state preemption of local STR programs won’t be a topic during the legislative short session, NCLM and Metro Mayors will be keeping a close eye on the issue. Based on today’s conversation amongst metro mayors, and on past experience with NCLM members – it is clearly important that local governments retain the ability to address this fast emerging and impactful issue, without a “one size fits all” preemption of local control from the General Assembly that could harm neighborhoods.
Discussion
If you hear anything from AirBnB or other industry representatives, please let us know.
The work that Asheville has done with AirBnB (home stay concept, grandfathering of pre-existing STRs) has appeared to address most of the STR industry concerns. Asheville continues to work with the industry representatives, with largely positive results, but still have sticking points over the enforcement and the industry’s willingness to share information/data with the city.
It was recommended by several mayors that collaborating with nearby smaller communities can be a powerful way to grow awareness of the impact of STRs. For example, small mountain communities like Brevard, Highlands and Cashiers have been interested in implementing local STR ordinances.
It was suggested larger cities would have more success explaining and conveying the importance of the regulating STRSs to state legislators if they were to approach the issue in concert with smaller jurisdictions in their region that share similar concerns. Example might be a community such as Kings Mountain that is concerned about the impact of unregulated STRs on their community as their tourism industry grows with a new casino opening in their community.
PLEASE actively engage your neighboring municipalities on the topic and make sure your state legislators are aware of your community concerns and share your efforts to address community concerns regarding STRs.
The meeting concluded after about 45 minutes.
Cary-RTP Rapid Bus Extension
Friday afternoon I attended a stakeholder team meeting for the Cary-RTP Rapid Bus extension. This will build upon the Wake BRT which is currently under development as a separate project. The first phase of public engagement occurred in the fall of 2021 and the second phase, occurring now, is evaluating the three alignment alternatives. You can find out more about this study at https://wakebrtextensionsstudy.com.
Town Manager’s Report
The town manager’s report for this week included
Sean’s Message
This week I signed a letter agreement with the new owners of South Hills Shopping Center to set preliminary terms for locating a community recreation and sports center in their new development. Our next step will be creating and signing a Memorandum of Understanding. The new owners remain very excited about the possibility of our working together as are we. Enjoy your weekend in spite of the pollen. Sean
Group Visits from Frisco, Texas
This week, Cary hosted a group of city and business leaders from Frisco, Texas. During the group’s three-day trip, they had the opportunity to learn about Cary’s downtown development, housing, and economic development projects. Their trip also included a visit to Research Triangle Park and Koka Booth Amphitheater. Click here for more information on their visit to Cary.
Nazim Hikmet Poetry Festival
Council Member Jack Smith provided closing remarks at the 12th Annual Nazim Hikmet Poetry Festival at the Page-Walker Arts & History Center on Sunday. More than 100 people attended the festival honoring Greek poet Constantine P. Cafavy. Attendees enjoyed readings, music, and the keynote address by Dr. David Liu. Following the event, guests enjoyed a reception of Turkish and Mediterranean delicacies. The event was presented by the American-Turkish Association of North Carolina, Duke Middle East Studies Center, Cary Sister Cities, North Carolina Poetry Society, and the Town of Cary.
Willow Structure “Fly Away Home” Is Complete
Last Friday, folks gathered in front of Patrick Dougherty’s latest public art project, Fly Away Home, which is located at Carpenter Park. A large group of community volunteers, including Council Member Lori Bush, helped the artist create the willow sculpture. A group of volunteers, including high school students, will help maintain the sculpture over the next two years.
Spruce Environmental Volunteer Service
In this quarter, Cary’s environmental volunteer program, Spruce, hosted 42 projects with 270 volunteers who worked a collective 685 hours to support the environmental health of our community. Scout troops, businesses, families, and religious organizations performed projects such as removing invasive plants from our greenways, constructing gardens, and removing 2,905 pounds of litter from Cary’s streets and parks.
Compost Giveaway Workshops and Farm Tours
Environmental Outreach staff hosted a series of Compost Giveaway Workshops from March 22-26 at Good Hope Farm. In support of Cary’s waste diversion and storm-water mitigation goals, 220 residents received instruction on how to convert their fruit and vegetable scraps into compost for the health of their own lawns and gardens. Additionally, participants received gardening and composting guidebooks, tips for pollinator protection strategies, and a collective 660 cubic feet of compost. Each session closed with a tour of Good Hope Farm to experience first-hand Cary’s commitment to food security, environmental conservation, and historical preservation.
Heroic Life-Saving Effort
On Wednesday, Green Hope High School Principal Camille Hedrick and staff hosted a special recognition ceremony honoring the heroic actions of Capt. Brian Smith. On Feb. 5, Brian immediately started life-saving measures by performing CPR on Mr. Gresham and his quick actions revived Mr. Gresham. Dr. Hedrick and staff presented Brian with the “Excellence in Service” award. Mr. Gresham and his family were in attendance and were able to meet Brian and embrace each other for the first time since the events of Feb. 5. During the ceremony, Mr. Gresham’s son, Robert Gresham, Jr., thanked Brian for saving his father’s life. In typical Brian fashion, he said he was “just doing his job.” Click here to read more about the story.
Street Closure Update
Beginning early next week, message boards will be located on Walnut Street, Kildaire Farm Road, Cary Towne Blvd, and Dry Avenue in advance of upcoming construction that will impact downtown traffic operations beginning on April 18. Traffic will be reduced to one way heading outbound on Walnut Street between Kildaire Farm Road and Walker Street. Inbound traffic will be detoured to Maynard Road or Byrum Street and then to Kildaire Farm Road. Construction is related to private development located at the corner of Kildaire Farm Road and Walnut Street and expected to last through mid-May.
Clean Transportation Demonstration Day
On Tuesday, members of the Police Department’s Traffic Safety Team and Fleet attended the Clean Transportation Demonstration Day at the NC Highway Patrol Training & Driving Facility in Raleigh. Hosted by North Carolina State University’s NC Clean Energy Technology Center, the event highlighted clean energy vehicles across multiple professional fields and served to educate attendees about the benefits of electric or hybrid energy to promote a sustainable energy economy. In addition to demonstrating the agility of our Tesla Model Y patrol vehicle on the closed course track for riders, Police staff also test drove the Mustang Mach-E and the Zero motorcycle. A special thank you to Fleet Division Manager Brandon Pasinski for lending his team’s perspective on the Tesla Model Y during a lightening round presentation to attendees.
Water Pressure Increase Update
On April 6, approximately 200 homes in the Piper’s Crossing, Piper’s Grove and Pritchett Farms Subdivisions will experience a pressure increase of between 10 and 20 psi. The South Hills Baptist Church will also be included and is prepared for the change. This work is part of Cary’s water system management strategy to ensure a more resilient and reliable water system. Citizens have been notified of the pressure zone change with letters, public meetings, Nextdoor, HOA communications, and integrated voice response messages. Staff also completed more than 40 pressure checks requested by citizens. Staff will be stationed throughout the abovementioned neighborhoods Wednesday morning monitoring the operation and being available to answer citizens’ questions.
2021 Water Resources Year In Review
The 2021 Water Resources Year In Review report is now available and provides meaningful snapshots and historical trends about Cary’s excellent utility service. Some of the fun facts in this year’s report include a check on Cary’s per capita usage as well as the water demand of the overall service area of the Cary/Apex Water Treatment Facility. Continue reading the 2021 Water Resources Year in Review to see how water usage numbers relate to treatment capacity, and the impact of rainfall and seasonal changes on water demand.
Procurement Month Success
During the month of March, over 200 Cary employees expanded their knowledge and gained new insight into navigating the procurement process by attending Cary’s first-ever Procurement Academy. With seven virtual classes and one in-person class offered as part of National Procurement Month 2022, participants delve deep into requisitions, procurement processes, contract fundamentals, and Minority and Women-owned Business Enterprise (MWBE) principals and best practices.
Technology Speaker Series
The Marketing and Information Technology (MIT) Department has started a monthly speaker series in partnership with RIOT. Each month, the series will focus on new or existing technology to spark creativity. In March, we focused on augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR) and extended reality (XR). MIT invited Mark Lambert with VArtisans and Derek Alan Rowe, an immersive filmmaker and entrepreneur, to talk about their experience with this technology.
Requests to support the town-initiated Laurel Street affordable housing project
Requests to deny the town-initiated Laurel Street affordable housing project
Thanks for our police officers for helping with the Cary Greenway Marathon
Questions about programming at the Dunham Tennis Courts
Complaints about medians on Kildaire Farm Road, and along Cary Parkway near Lake Pine
Thanks for speaking at a youth group of high school juniors
A request to have Bocce courts
Next Week
Next week’s activities include staff meetings, a tour of Fenton, two presentations of the State of Cary address, an Atlantic Tire Championships Tennis Board meeting, the kickoff of Ed Yerha’s campaign, a regularly scheduled council meeting, speaking to 3rd graders at Highcroft elementary, the groundbreaking for the USA Baseball Expansion including a first pitch, and a USTA Tennis Industry Appreciation event.
Well, that is all for this week. My next post will be on Monday, April 11th. 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.
Monday I was interviewed by two students from the Enloe High School newspaper. They asked several questions regarding schools, housing, future retail, development, economic development, and other items. Our talk lasted about 30 minutes
Agenda Review
Monday I attempted to contact each council member to hear of questions or concerns about Thursday regular meeting agenda. Topics of concerns expressed to me included the Terraces proposed rezoning of Highway 55, and questions about the Meridian development in downtown.
Later in the day I met with staff and the Mayor Pro-Tem to go over the agenda items. We discussed the council member’s questions and concerns to help prepare staff’s presentations for the meeting. Our meeting concluded after 15 minutes.
Town Manager One-on-one
After the agenda meeting I met with the town manager for our weekly one-on-one. Topics included the South Hills mall purchase, the future Sportsplex, our light ordinance, updates on the tennis center, and the Fenton’s rezoning proposal.
Wake County Mayor’s Association and the University Games
Monday night I met with several Wake County mayors for our monthly gathering. Attending were mayors from Cary, Fuquay Varina, Garner, Holly Springs, Morrisville, and Rolesville. The meeting started with a presentation on the University Games. The Triangle venues are in the final location selection with Korea for the 2027 games. Cities involved in this bid include Raleigh, Durham, Cary, Chapel Hill, and Greensboro (for swimming). If picked this area will host 19 events over a 13-day period. The economic impact from these games is estimated to be over $153 million. After the presentation the mayors held a roundtable discussion mostly on budgets and projects. Our meeting concluded after about 2 ½ hours.
DEI Task Force Interviews
Tuesday night I joined council members Bush, Liu, and DEI manager Harris in interviews of the final eight applicants for the DEI task force. The mission of the task force is to improve the quality of life for the organization and community by encouraging fair treatment and promoting mutual understanding and respect amongst all people. The task force will consist of seven members appointed by me for two years or until the final report of findings from the Reimagining Policing Project is presented to Council, whichever is later. The candidates we interviewed were very articulate and impressive. The covered a wide range of DEI topics we are trying to assess. I look forward to seeing what they will accomplish.
State of Cary Address
Wednesday I presented the State of Cary address to the Templeton Retirement Community. There were several dozen people in attendance. This was the second time I have given the address and the first time since January. There were a few updates, but it was very similar to the first presentation.
Council meeting
Thursday the council met for its last regularly scheduled meeting of March. The agenda included four consent items, three public hearings, and three discussion items. The consent item for the sublease agreements at the WakeMed Soccer Park was moved to the April 7th meeting to allow more time to finalize documents. The discussion item for The Terraces at West Cary rezoning was removed from the agenda at the request of the applicant. There is currently no date on when a final decision will be made on this proposal.
The public hearing for the Estes rezoning to would allow fifteen detached dwellings, had speakers concerned about traffic directed onto Mills Road. There were also questions about allowing traffic on Emery Gale Lane which is a private road with no plans to be a public road. This proposal will go to the Planning and Zoning Board for their review and recommendation.
The public hearing for a Chapel Hill Road rezoning that would allow thirty-two townhouses had speakers concerned about additional traffic on Wilson Road. This will also go to the Planning and Zoning Board for their review and recommendation.
Under discussion the council approved the Meridian project for downtown on East Chatham Street. This development will be a mixed-use residential building with ground floor retail and a parking structure. In a partnership with the town, the development will include extending Hunter Street to Cedar Street as well as water, sewer, and stormwater improvements within East Chatham Street.
The council also unanimously approved the FY 2022 Street Improvements Bid Award and the use of $698,953 of Powell Bill Capital Reserves for projects. The FY 2022 Street Improvements construction bid was awarded to Blythe Construction, Inc. for $8,483,627.90. Cary maintains about 504 miles of streets which are mostly in neighborhoods. Thoroughfares are mostly the maintenance responsibility of NCDOT. Cary continues to have a much high standard for its streets than the NCDOT maintained roads.
Cary Council Candidate
Friday morning, I met virtual with a candidate for Cary Town council. In our forty-five-minute conversation I was able to learn about their passion for Cary and their ideas to make Cary better.
RTA Trip prep
Friday afternoon I participated in a RTA (Regional Transportation Alliance) Tour Prep meeting. Eighty-four people will travel to the Miami area to tour and discuss rail transit.
WRAL Interview at the Fenton
Friday evening I traveled to the Fenton construction site to provide WRAL comments on the impact of the project. The Fenton is the biggest development in Cary history. It is designed not only to provide living, shopping, and dining, but will be an experience like no other in this region. Some of the retail stores will open on April 29th and the grand opening will be on June 3rd and June 4th. To read the WRAL story go here.
Town Manager’s Update
The town manager’s report for this week included the following:
Danna’s Message
It was great seeing everyone at last night’s Council meeting. We look forward to welcoming a group from Frisco, Texas for an Inner-City visit next week. Staff has worked closely with the Chamber to coordinate a great visit that includes facility tours, panel discussions, and meet and greets. I hope everyone enjoys the nice weather this weekend. Danna
Cary Youth Leadership Program
Forty Cary students participated in a mock public hearing at the Cary Chamber of Commerce to learn about Cary’s rezoning and development process with Planning staff members, Erin Puckett, Kaley Huston, Jeff Caines and Allen Davis.
Cary Chamber of Commerce Business Expo
Planning and Development staff Tara Adams, Julie Mitchell, and Sue Wall, participated in the Business Expo sponsored by the Cary Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday at Prestonwood County Club.
Fire Attends Railroad Emergency Training
Fire staff attended TRANSCAER (Transportation, Community Awareness, and Emergency Response) train incident training course last week. The training was sponsored by Norfolk-Southern Railways as part of their nationwide program that helps communities, and first responders prepare for and respond to a hazardous materials transportation incident involving a train. This year Nutrien Ag Products co-sponsored the training to share information about new hazardous material railcars that will be traveling through our community going to and from their manufacturing facility on the coast of North Carolina.
2021 Asset Management Report
The 2021 Annual Asset Management Report was recently completed and provides a dashboard view of the current state of Cary’s linear assets. The report tracks assets added through capital and development initiatives and helps verify that key performance targets are being achieved. Over the past year, the focus has remained on GIS improvements, maintaining buried linear infrastructure, and continuing work on risk-based capital planning. One of the highlights of the report is the record low number of sanitary sewer overflows experienced in the past year. Having only five overflows for a system of over 1,000 miles is a testament to Cary’s maintenance and rehabilitation work.
Cary is for the Birds
From now through May 31, Cary is partnering with Wake Audubon Society to prevent bird strikes through the national Lights Out Program. During this time, billions of birds are migrating, and staff members are piloting an initiative to prevent bird window collisions specifically on Town Hall Campus. By reducing bird exposure to non-essential lighting at night, this initiative will help protect migrating birds without compromising public safety. The internal efforts will be complimented by an external public education campaign that invites our community to join us in this important environmental protection program.
CAWTF Ozone Replacement Project Completion
The Cary-Apex Water Treatment Facility (CAWTF) Ozone Replacement Project is now complete. Three new ozone generators have been installed, integrated with the existing generator, and are all running smoothly. The collaboration between the CAWTF staff and the contractor contributed heavily to the success of this project. Having a well-functioning ozone system mitigates some of the seasonal variations of lake water and helps ensure that the CAWTF continues to produce high quality, great tasting water now and into the future.
Cary’s First Electric Mower
Cary’s first electric mower can be found at WakeMed Soccer Park. The Gravely Pro-Turn EV will be put to the test this season maintaining the park’s general turf. This electric mower is great for the environment, has lower maintenance and operational cost, and is quieter than a gas mower.
Reclaimed Water Networking
This week, Cary hosted a meeting with area reclaimed water utilities that included staff from Cary, Raleigh, Holly Springs, and Durham County. The networking allowed everyone to share information about the operation and management of their reclaimed water systems and how each jurisdiction promotes the utilization of this sustainable reclaimed water resource. Cary is celebrating its 20-year reclaimed water system anniversary and although we have the oldest residential reclaimed water system in North Carolina, it is valuable to hear from and share information with other utilities so that we can continue to learn and improve our programs.
NC Tech Diversity + Inclusion Tech Summit
On Thursday, Chief Information Officer Nicole Raimundo served on a panel discussion – The Intersection of DE+I and Tech – at the NC Tech Diversity + Inclusion Summit in Durham. The panelists discussed the advances in digital transformation and growth in data and analytics that have led to technology becoming pervasive in helping us to better understand our current state, the gaps that exist in building an inclusive workplace, and how to move the needle towards a culture of diversity, equity, belonging, and inclusion.
Cary Academy and District C
The Marketing, Information and Technology (MIT) Department had the pleasure of working with Cary Academy and District C on a mutually beneficial problem-solving exercise. District C is a nonprofit program that offers training to high school students in navigating “real life” problems. Cary Academy often invites local startups and established businesses to draft problem statements for their students, which help teach them the importance of critical thinking and problem solving. Cary provided this statement to the students to work on over a four-week period: “Recruiting and retaining technical staff against the backdrop of a robust array of household names in the private technology sector is a consistent challenge for the Town.”
In response, students set up an interview with MIT staff to dive deeper into the problem and get a better understanding of how government works, after which they embarked on a two-week sprint to explore solutions. The engagement culminated in a pitch event where two student groups offered up separate solutions on how government could retain technologists during a time of extremely competitive hiring. MIT staff was impressed with the thoughtfulness of the students’ ideas and hopes to partner with Cary Academy and District C again on future educational opportunities.
Thank you emails from students who attended Youth Leadership
A thank you email for all Cary is doing for senior housing
A thank you email for interviewing a candidate for our DEI task force
A concern about a “hazardous light pole” on the Cary Wake Med property
Condolences for the tragic loss of life in a recent apartment fire in Cary
A request to have an ordinance to prevent a neighbor’s floodlight from shining in a window
A request to have 5% of our budget (about $20 million) for affordable housing
An ongoing complaint about the background color of my blog
A complaint about town inspectors
A complaint about a water bill
A request to fix sidewalk issues near the Templeton
A complaint about the Meridian proposal causing traffic and pedestrian safety concerns
A request to help sale a home to work force employees
Several emails to support the town-initiated Laurel Street rezoning which includes affordable housing
Next Week
Next week’s activities include staff meetings, a taping of Cary Matters, a trip to Miami with a RTA (Regional Transportation Alliance) group, welcoming remarks to a group visiting from Texas, and a Cary-RTP Rapid Bus Stakeholder meeting.
Well, that is all for this week. My next post will be on Monday, April 4th. 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.
Monday morning I spoke with about 40 high school juniors as part of the Youth Leadership Cary. This program began in 1998 and is sponsored by the Cary Chamber of Commerce. Its focus is on developing the potential of future leaders. The students were selected from Athens Drive, Cary, Green Hope, Green Level, Middle Creek, and Panther Creek. In my talk I covered the council-manager form of government, Dillons Rule states compared to Home Rule states, the Cary Council, and current topics. I answered questions until my time expired. It is always a lot of fun for me to speak with students.
Blue Star Memorial
I also spoke with members from the Cary Garden Club Monday morning about installing a Blue Stare memorial plaque in Cary. The Blue Star Program honors all men and women that serve in the United States Armed Services. The Blue Star was adopted because it had become an icon in World War II and was seen on flags and banners in homes for sons and daughters away at war as well as in churches and businesses. While it was an easy decision to agree to have this plaque in Cary, it will take some time to find the right location. They would prefer it be in the downtown area. If all goes well, we might be able to celebrate the installation of a plaque this summer.
a’Verde Cocina and Tequila Library
Monday night my wife and I attended a soft opening of a new restaurant in the Centrum at Crossroads, A’Verde Cocina and Tequila Library, which serves Mexican cuisine. Its claim to fame is the former “Top Chef” competitor Katsuji Tanabe. My experience was a good one. The food was excellent, and the atmosphere had a fun vibe. There were presentations of flaming drinks and entrees. In addition, patrons could order shots of tequila in glasses of made of ice which, after drinking, could be thrown at a bell. It was a unique experience and one worth trying.
CAMPO
Wednesday I participated in a meeting of the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization’s Executive Board. The agenda included 3 consent items and 4 discussion items. Under consent the committee unanimously approved a modification to the FY 22 Unified Planning Work Program and an additional funding request for LAPP (Locally Administered Projects Program). The discussion items were informational presentations except for the US 401 Corridor Study Update which was also passed unanimously. That study revised the scope and schedule to include an additional corridor alternative along with the 2 existing corridor alternatives.
Thursday I met with staff about the DEI task force’s scope of work, and to gather information about the final nine applicants that will be interviewed for the seven slots. This task force will meet the first Tuesday of each month and will be open to the public.The initial assignments for the Task Force include the Reimagining Policing Pledge Engagement Project, community courageous conversation sessions, and Minority and Women Owned Business program and disparity study. In the next two years the Task Force will assist Town Council and staff by:
Recommending effective strategies for public engagement, removing barriers, and increasing access to Town services for citizens, visitors, and businesses
Recommending opportunities for community partnerships as a strategy to better understand and address equity impacts throughout Cary
Facilitating the building of relationships with under-served and underrepresented citizens, visitors, and businesses
Being a community advocate by welcoming, embracing and respecting all differences so all citizens, visitors, employers, and staff feel valued and supported in Cary.
Providing updates to Council on work plan progress and planned next steps
Performing such other duties that the Mayor or Council Liaison may direct
My meeting with staff concluded after about thirty minutes. The next round of interviews will continue next week.
North Carolina Metro Mayors
Friday was a meeting of the North Carolina Metro Mayors. The following is a summary of that meeting from the Executive Director:
10am: Federal Update
Federal Government budget passed both the US House and Senate at the end of last week and was signed by the President on Tuesday, March 15. The federal government has been operating on a Continuing Resolution since the beginning of the fiscal year on October 1, 2021. With the final passage and the President’s signature this week, federal agencies are now funded for the remainder of the year ending on September 30, 2022. Passage of this Appropriations bill is especially important because it provides full funding to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill (also known as Infrastructure and Jobs Act – IIJA), which opens the door to state and local government infrastructure funds and grants. The competitive grant cycle for cities to apply for large number of federal grant programs will be in full swing beginning this month! See this Local Competitive Funding.pdf for a list of some of the federal funding opportunities for cities.
General Assembly
General Update –
Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court denied an appeal to an earlier N.C. State Supreme Court ruling on the NC Congressional map. This means elections under the current maps will proceed with the May 17 primary date. Previously, the NC Supreme Court has ruled the Congressional maps unconstitutional and ordered a 3-member special masters to redraw the Congressional districts. Now, with U.S. Supreme Court’s refusal to intervene in the election at this late date, the Congressional district map drawn by the special masters will be utilized for the 2022 elections alongside the Legislatively drawn House and Senate districts.
The legislature appears to have concluded their work for the legislative long session (we think).
An adjournment resolution was passed that brings them back two more times before the beginning of the short session (April 4-6 and May 4-6), but leadership has indicated there are no plans for votes to be held at that time.
The Short session will convene on May 18, the day after the primary elections.
We anticipate the short session to last six to eight weeks.
Local bills need to be submitted to bill drafting by 4:00 PM on Monday, May 9 and filed by 4:00 PM on Tuesday, May 31.
All local bills for the short session must have consensus by each member of the delegation (House and Senate).
Transportation ––
We continue to hear that there will be a bill introduced that would add additional funding to the NCDOT budget by dedicating transportation related sales and use tax receipts (such auto repair and parts) to the transportation budget. Currently, revenue from those transportation related sales taxes go to the General Fund (a General Fund which has run a surplus of well over $4 billion in the last year).
This is an idea that a number of our mayors first heard about as a possible source of funding for a depleted/delayed NCDOT project list, during an NC Chamber of Commerce Destination 2030 Zoom event on February 18. This “user pay” idea could produce as much as an additional $450 million a year for NC transportation once fully phased in over a four-year period. Mayors should STRONGLY advocate that these possible NEW FUNDS for transportation go the Highway Trust Fund in order to help alleviate SOME of the delays we are currently facing in transportation projects on the STIP.
Economic Development – nothing new to report.
Local Control/Local Revenues– nothing new to report
Town Manager’s Report
The town manager’s report for this week included the following:
Sean’s Message
Staff is excited to be able to host the Veterans Benefits Live , coordinated by Cary’s American Legion Post 67, event again this year. The three-day event kicked off Thursday at Herbert C. Young Community Center, with approximately 500 Veterans greeted by American Legion volunteers throughout the day. At this unique event, Veterans are able to meet face-to-face with experts from Veteran Affairs and Veteran Services Officers to receive explanation and assistance facilitating claims. This is the only event of its kind on the east coast, with Veterans traveling to Cary from as far away as Michigan, Arizona, and Florida. The event will conclude on Saturday at 2 p.m. Take care,
Sean
All Hands
On Wednesday, I was joined by Anna Crollman and Betsy Drake for another All Hands during which we highlighted some of the amazing work happening in and around our utility operations and shared the recently adopted new Cary brand. The event was produced live from the North Cary Water Reclamation Facility – a first! More than 470 employees joined us virtually, and as always for those whose schedules conflicted with the live production, it is recorded and saved for later viewing.
Arbor Day
Cary celebrated its 39th consecutive year as a Tree City USA community with an Arbor Day festival at Bond Park, on March 13. Held in conjunction with the My Tree, Our Tree native tree distribution, this event included 20 educational booths from community organizations that engaged with guests about topics such as waste reduction, regenerative agriculture, renewable energy, ecosystem restoration, and urban forest management. Live music, kids activities, and participation from local scouting troops made this a family-friendly event. The North Carolina State Forest Service attended to present Council with two awards from the Arbor Day Foundation for our care and management of Cary’s urban forests. The My Tree, Our Tree giveaway continues to increase the number of native trees planted across Cary, with six hundred (600) new trees now rooting throughout the community. The trees add economic, aesthetic, and environmental benefits to each home. The tree distribution process would not be possible without the many community volunteers in service to the community and the environment.
Partnership for Safe Water President’s Award
The Cary/Apex Water Treatment Facility (CAWTF) is proud to announce that Cary has been recognized with the President’s Award for Water Treatment from The Partnership for Safe Water. The Partnership program is a volunteer initiative developed as a collaboration between the United States EPA and several national water industry professional organizations to recognize water suppliers who strive to produce drinking water with quality that exceeds regulatory requirements. The CAWTF has participated in the Partnership’s treatment program since 1995 and received the program’s Directors Award in 2003, an honor that has been maintained every year since. The President’s Award has requirements that are substantially more stringent than the Directors Award. The CAWTF joins a small and distinguished group of water treatment facilities who have achieved this exceptional level of performance.
Youth Leadership Cary
On March 14, forty high school juniors participating in the Chamber of Commerce’s Youth Leadership Cary program spent the day with Cary staff to learn about local government and potential career options. After hearing from Mayor Weinbrecht and staff from the Town Manager’s Office, Information Technology, Police, 911, Traffic Management, Page-Walker Arts & History Center, and Planning, the students concluded the day by watching the Cary 150 documentary at The Cary, followed by a Q&A session with two-time Emmy Award Winner Hal Goodtree, Jennifer Hocken, William Lewis, and Kris Carmichael.
K9 Nitro Visits Peace Preschool
On March 17, Officers Berl, Fox, and K9 Nitro visited with the children of Peace Preschool. Police officers attended the preschool’s annual “Community Helper Day” and spoke to the classes about what it means to them to be a community helper and how their jobs fit into this role. Many of the children attended class dressed up as firefighters and police officers!
WTVD Camera On Cary Arts Center
On March 15, Downtown Cary made its debut as a live feed was shared by Meteorologist Don Schewenneker during WTVD’s weather forecast. ABC 11 reached out to Cary staff at the end of 2021 to gauge interest on our hosting a live camera. There is no set schedule for when downtown Cary will be shown on the channel. Thank you to staff from Public Works, Marketing and Information Technology, Parks and Recreation for coordinating the camera installation.
Sidewalk Connection Between Fenton and Downtown Cary
Staff led the way today walking the 1.7 mile path from Downtown Cary Park to Fenton, to assess sidewalk connectivity. As seen in the pictures there are sidewalk width and material variations, ADA upgrades needed, and other necessary improvements. Staff will begin meeting and planning soon on how to address the findings.
GLOW: Evolution Field by Matt McConnell
Just announced this week, artist Matt McConnell’s “Evolution Field” will be featured at Burning Man 2022. Evolution Field is a triple layer moiré wall that blends color and light in visual waves reminiscent of galaxy form, and is currently displayed on the old library site. The display the artist will use at Burning Man 2022 will be three times the size of our current installation. Read about the Burning Man 2022 festival and the artwork selection process, here .
Virtual Neighborhood Rezoning Meetings
Neighborhood meetings will be held virtually on WebEx from 6:30 to 8:00 pm, on April 6. The following cases will be discussed:
22-REZ-03 Batchelor Road and Knotty Oaks Dr
22-REZ-04 Bel Canto at Green Level West Destination Center
Several complaints about a planned April show at the Cary Arts Center (the event was cancelled)
A complaint about overcrowded schools
A complaint about a neighbor’s floodlights shining into a bedroom
An ongoing complaint about a theft at the Hemlock Bluffs parking lot
Thanks, from Green Level students for speaking at Youth Leadership
A complaint about a previous blog labeling their “thoughtful and data driven emails” as a complaint (my apologies)
Next Week
Next week’s activities include staff meetings, an interview with high school students, a meeting of the Wake County Mayors Association, DEI interviews, a State of Cary Presentation, and a regularly scheduled council meeting.
Well, that is all for this week. My next post will be on Monday, March 28th. 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.
This week included the first regularly scheduled council meeting of the month along with several meetings and events.
Meetings with Staff, Council Members, and Atlantic Tire Board
Monday I attempted to contact each council member to hear of any questions or concerns about Thursday’s regularly meeting agenda. Comments were mostly about the Macedonia rezoning proposal to change from a senior multi-unit development to a market rate multi-unit development.
Monday afternoon I met with the Mayor Pro-Tem and key staff members to go over the agenda items. We talked about the Fenton and the Macedonia rezoning proposals. Our meeting lasted about twenty minutes.
After the Agenda meeting, I met with the town manager and chief strategy officer. Our topics included the South Hills Mall redevelopment, the future Sportsplex, the Fenton, the Epic rezoning proposal, and the future 200-acre park in western Cary. Our meeting lasted about twenty minutes.
Later Monday I met with a candidate for Wake County Commissioner. We talked about schools, partnerships, and the hotel/meals occupancy tax.
My last meeting Monday was with the board of the Atlantic Tire Tennis Championships. We discussed the Cary Tennis Park improvements, potential tournaments other than the Atlantic Tire Championships, plans for the tournament, and brainstormed on ways to get participation in sponsorships. The meeting concluded after about three hours.
OneWake Meeting
Wednesday I joined Assistant Town Manager Widmar and Housing manager Mansa in a virtual conversation with the members of OneWake. They expressed their concerns and passions about the affordable housing crisis in America. They want Cary to dedicate funding to affordable housing. Several months ago, we passed the Cary Housing Plan which includes strategies and goals to help with the affordable housing. Last year we spent more than what OneWake suggested that we spend. This year, as we continue to follow the plan, we will likely spend as much or more than they suggest we spend. It is important to understand that affordable housing will be an ongoing problem in our town, county, and nation. Cary plans to be very strategic in working on this crisis now and in the future.
Council Meeting Summary
Thursday the council held its first regularly scheduled meeting of the month. The meeting included a presentation from our CAP team, no consent items, one public hearing, and three discussion items.
The CAP (Citizens Assisting Police) team presented a savings check of $160,964.36 from 6436 volunteer hours they served the community and our police department. While their work of holding child safety seat checks and other various events might seem trivial to some, their service is invaluable and allows our officers to focus on duties that are critical to their profession. They are one of the reasons Cary is such a great place to live, work, and play.
The only public hearing was a proposal to make an adjustment to the Fenton project. If approved it would create a second development option for the primary anchor store, provide additional flexibility for signage, and make minor revisions to the original PDP. To simplify, it would create a grocery anchor about half the size of the original Wegmans and add other changes to that pod (section of the plan) such as a “jewel box” restaurant/retail in the middle of the main road. Most of the council seemed supportive of the changes but expressed concern about the roof of the anchor which will be visible from the rest of the development since it is a one-story building. Council members suggested the anchor have a green roof. This proposal will now go to the Planning and Zoning board for their review and recommendation and return to council for a decision in the next couple of months.
Under discussion the council unanimously approved Fire Truck Idle Reduction Technology to 9 of 23 large fire trucks. The others do not have the technology to all this and/or will rotate out of service in the coming years. The return on investment is estimated to be 4 to 6 years. The life of a fire truck is usually about 20 years and this technology will extend that life. The reduction in emissions is anticipated to be 8.23 metric tons per vehicle per year. This is equivalent to emissions from 2 passenger vehicles per year or the emissions related to energy consumption from 1 home for a year.
Our second discussion item was the construction bid for two neighborhood parks on McCrimmon Parkway and Carpenter Fire Station Road which was also approved unanimously. Funding for these parks of $15,240,000 was included in the Shaping Cary’s Tomorrow Bond approved by Cary voters in 2019.
Our last discussion item for the Macedonia Place rezoning was removed from the agenda at the applicant’s request.
The council meeting concluded after about an hour.
Legislative Summary
Friday I received a summary of this week’s legislative action from KTS Strategies:
Legislature Concludes Majority of Business for the Long Session With the 2022 State and Congressional maps finalized, the legislature returned this week to wrap up their work for the legislative long session. Items considered by the legislature included an appointments bill, veto override, budget technical corrections bill, and adjournment resolution.
On Wednesday, the Senate unanimously confirmed the appointment of Karen M. Kemerait to the North Carolina Utilities Commission. Kemerait was nominated by Governor Cooper in May of 2021 and the House unanimously approved the confirmation in September. The Senate also attempted to override the Governor’s veto of S173, Free the Smiles Act. The bill would have allowed parents to decide whether or not their children wear a mask in schools. The override attempt failed 27-22. (An override requires a three-fifths majority vote.) Governor Cooper has encouraged local school boards to lift mask mandates.
Both chambers passed a 52-page technical corrections bill that makes changes to the 2021 Appropriations Act. Some of the provisions include:
Clarifications of rate increases to home and community-based providers;
Corrections to State Capital Infrastructure Fund grants;
Modifications of reporting dates for multiple programs; and
Changes to the business recovery grant program.
The bill passed the House 96-16 and the Senate 44-4. It will now head to Governor Cooper for approval.
The House and Senate also passed a resolution (SJR748) adjourning the legislature to a date certain. The resolution adjourns the legislature today (March 11) at noon and reconvenes the legislature in April (April 4-6) and May (May 4-6). During those three-day sessions only a limited number of issues could be considered such as appointments bills, veto overrides, and conference reports. However, leadership has indicated there are no plans for votes to be held during those sessions at this time. The General Assembly will return on May 18 (the day after the primary) to begin the legislative short session.
2022 Elections On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court denied an appeal to the State Supreme Court ruling on the NC Congressional map. This means elections under the Congressional map drawn by the special masters will continue. Last Friday was the candidate filing deadline for all elections in the State. The full candidate filing list can be found here.
The North Carolina General Assembly will look very different in 2023 with a number of retirements and multiple incumbents paired together in the same district, also referred to as “double bunking.” In the Senate, current Senators Bob Steinburg (R – Chowan) and Norman Sanderson (R – Pamlico) are double bunked in Senate District 1 and Senator Ralph Hise (R – Mitchell) and Senator Deanna Ballard (R – Watauga) are double bunked in Senate District 47. In the House, Representatives Jamie Boles (R – Moore) and Ben Moss (R – Richmond) are double bunked in House District 52 and Representatives Jake Johnson (R – Polk) and David Rogers ( R-Rutherford) are double bunked in House District 113. A total of 34 members of the General Assembly are guaranteed to be back in office in 2023. There are 10 Senate members running unopposed (9 Republicans and 1 Democrat) and 24 House members running unopposed (20 Republicans and 4 Democrats).
Saturday’s events were moved to Sunday due to the inclement weather.
Sunday I participated in the annual Arbor Day Celebration at Bond Park. I was joined by council members Bush, Lu, Smith, and Yerha. For the 39th consecutive year Cary was designated as Tree City USA Community. At this ceremony our Hometown Spirit Award winner, Sarah Martin, was also presented with a tree and plaque in her honor.
After the speakers concluded we all joined together for a picture.
Later Sunday I attended the Basant Bahar ceremony at the Cary Arts Center. Basant Bahar is a celebration of spring. This was the first time in three years that this event was held. The mayor of Apex and Morrisville were in attendance along with a capacity crowd. I was able to see amazing performances and beautiful costumes. We are so lucky to have this event in Cary.
Town Manager’s report
The town manager’s report for this week included the following:
Sean’s Message
Having seen you only a few hours ago, there’s little new to report on my end. So, I’ll simply wish you a great weekend. Sean
Celebrating 311 Day All Week
March 11 is National 311 Day. In true Cary fashion, we made it a week and took some extra time to celebrate our 311 Citizen Advocates and the critical work they do to connect our citizens with non-emergency information, services, and support. Our citizen advocates in the 311 Center and at the Hub are the heart and soul of our 311 operation – for many citizens, a citizen advocate is their primary point of contact with their local government.
Kudos To Julie
Recreation Manager Julie Collins demonstrated her self-taught Salesforce abilities to Directors this week. Julie is putting together dashboards for Park’s programs and helping us improve our data-informed decision making. Kudos to Julie for taking this on during the pandemic when her other work had been postponed.
Cary to host NC Lantern Festival through 2028
Cary officials announced this week that Koka Booth Amphitheatre will be home to the North Carolina Chinese Lantern Festival through 2028. The festival began in 2015 and has grown significantly in scope and attendance each year. In 2021 the event welcomed more than 200,000 visitors, setting a new attendance record.
Annie Jones Playground Update
As part of the 2019 Shaping Cary’s Tomorrow Bond Referendum, funding was approved for playground upgrades which included funding for improvements to Annie Jones Park. The installation of new play equipment at Annie Jones Park was recently completed and is now open to the public. The park still has construction ongoing for the replacement of the restroom building and court renovations, and those areas of the park will remain closed.
Fuel Update
The price of gasoline has increased significantly in recent weeks. Nationally, the average price of unleaded increased by 18.6% and the price of diesel increased 22.7% during the period of February 7 to March 7. During that same period, the price Cary pays has increased by 23.7% for unleaded and 19.9% for diesel. The price increases are largely based on reduced supply, and the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. The current Energy Information Administration forecast indicates prices declining during the second half of 2022 and continuing to decline in 2023. Unfortunately, they note that their forecast is highly uncertain given the situation in Ukraine. Cary is well positioned to manage price increases, and the Finance Department will work with impacted departments to ensure operations aren’t impacted and will factor the uncertainty related to fuel and energy prices into current and future budget decisions.
New Member Orientation
Human Resources hosted a successful New Hire Orientation this week for 27 new Cary employees. With so much energy and expertise among the group, it’s clear Cary will continue to remain at the top of the arc. From presentations on our unique culture and the community we serve, our newest colleagues spent a full day meeting peers across the organization while learning what makes our organization so special.
Citizens Like It A Ton!
In the first three weeks, our community dropped off 1,822 pounds of material at the food waste recycling drop-off, diverting nearly a ton of compostable material from the landfill. Citizens are showing their interest and enthusiasm by searching items in the Cary Collects app for proper disposal with “food scraps” being the #5 top searched item in the Waste Wizard. Citizens can register now through the end of International Compost Awareness Week, May 7, to learn more and receive a free kitchen caddy during a second webinar co-hosted with Toward Zero Waste; register at MyCary.org.
This week I received information from a Cary High School student about a free health fair. I promised I would pass along this information in my blog. It will be held on Sunday, March 19th from 12 to 3 at the Life Enrichment Center at 3805 Tarheel Club Road in Raleigh. The fair will include vendors, food demonstrations, food giveaways, music, exercise, blood pressure checks, colon screening kits and more.
Mayor’s Mailbox
Emails from citizens this week included:
A complaint about affordable housing for veterans
A complaint about light pollution
A request for a nondiscrimination ordinance
A complaint about an out-of-state vehicle with expired plates at Crescent Commons Shopping Center
A complaint about a smash-and-grab theft at the Hemlock Bluffs parking lot
A concern about an invasive species on greenways
Next Week
Next week’s activities include staff meetings, speaking at a youth leadership event, a meeting with the Blue Memorial Highway Marker group, a VIP dinner at a’Verde, a CAMPO (Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization) Executive Board meeting, a podcast taping with a realtor group, and a meeting of the North Carolina Metro Mayors.
Well, that is all for this week. My next post will be on Monday, March 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.
This week included several individual meetings with candidates for office.
Town Manager one-on-one
Monday I had a brief remote meeting with the town manager. Topics included the South Hills Mall site, the Sportsplex center, and the future 200-acre park in western Cary.
Talking with Candidates
Tuesday I talked to candidates and potential candidates for the NC House and for Congress. Almost all want my endorsement. Usually, I reserve endorsements for friends that I have known for a while, like Gale Adcock.
NC State Compost Center
Wednesday I toured the NC State Compost Center with representatives from Toward Zero Waste and Cary staff. This compost facility and research cooperative is located off of Lake Wheeler Road and is focused on organic waste management. It processes up to 1,200 tons of organic waste annually from the NC State campus with an eight-step process. It eliminates the need for taking the organic materials to the land fill. The process:
Students, faculty, staff, & guests dine on campus, utilize paper towels, & manage greenhouse & agriculture waste.
These organic waste & compostable materials are placed into a green compost bin.
Everything collected is taken to a compost dumpster by staff.
The dumpster is picked up by NC State’s Waste Reduction and Recycling team and transported to the NC State Compost Facility & Research Cooperative.
This material is then mixed with wood chips & animal bedding (also from campus) at specific rates to ensure the proper carbon to nitrogen ratio, moisture content, bulk density, & porosity. If animal bedding is not available leaves can be used.
The homogenized mixture is placed into a bay with perforated PVC pipes recessed into the floor. The pipes are hooked up to blowers and keep the piles aerated, eliminating the need for turning.
The piles remain in the bay until they reach at least 131 degrees F for 3 days and have maintained an average temperature of 113 degrees F for 14 days to kill pathogens & weed seeds. Once the organic waste is completely broken down, the resulting compost is full of nutrients and will be used as a rich soil amendment and to grow new plants, flowers, and trees.
It is my hope that we can use this type of process in Cary to reduce our waste in the landfill and our carbon footprint. To find out more details about the NC State Compost Facility go to NC Department of Environmental Quality.
More Candidate Talk
Later Wednesday I met with another candidate for Cary Town council. We talked for about an hour.
Economic Development Committee
Wednesday evening I participated in a meeting of the Economic Development Committee. The agenda included a branding update, a quarterly report from the Cary Chamber, and a development update from our Economic Development Director.
In the branding update, the town manager showed the adopted tagline “live inspired”, the logo, and accepted versions of the logo. He explained that a logo, like art, can be loved and hated by many. The purpose of our branding effort was to position ourselves to compete nationally and internationally for businesses. This the first time Cary has had an update of its logo in decades.
The Cary Chamber President, Mark Lawson, presented his quarterly report to the committee noting visits to 31 existing businesses. Other notable items in his report include:
Existing industry expansion:
Garmin will expand its class A office by 90,000 square feet and add 100 staff.
ProtoLabs will build a new 70,000 square foot manufacturing facility adding 50 to 110 jobs.
WakeMed added 475 jobs.
UNC Health added 350 jobs.
Dude Solutions added 75 jobs.
New Company announcements:
Sonic Automotive: $5 – $7 million investment, estimated 100 jobs
Onlogic: Building 50,000 – 75,000 square foot manufacturing facility over the next 36 months in Weston.
Business recruitment pipeline includes 3 active projects worth $85 million in investment and 900 jobs. The types of jobs included advanced manufacturing, Life Science, and Warehouse-Distribution with most interest in the Life Sciences.
There are two separate development firms interested in building large flex spaces in west Cary. One is building 170,000 square feet in two buildings or one large building while the other is building 700,000 square feet on a 142-acre tract.
While interest in class A office is picking up, it will probably take more time before it comes back and at what extent is still unknown.
A delegation from Frisco, Texas will be visiting Cary from March 30th through April 1st.
In the Development Update, Director Ted Boyd announced that the Fenton would probably be fully operational sometime in June. There will be soft openings before then. He also talked about the South Hills mall purchase and development, and downtown development projects.
Under new business the committee discussed the possibility of Social Districts. During the pandemic the legislature gave cities the authority to allow designated outdoor areas for the consumption of alcohol. This would allow individuals to walk around from business to business with alcoholic beverages. While Social Districts could easily be enforced on private property, such as the Fenton, it could be problematic on public streets with officers having to determine when someone should leave due to intoxication. The committee decided to discuss this further at future meetings.
Another item discussed under new business was the need for Cary to do a better job marketing the town’s talent pool. Committee business leaders pointed out that the talent pool is a major factor in relocation decisions.
The meeting concluded after about an hour and scheduled the next meeting for June 8th.
Blog Discussion
Thursday I met with staff about the Mayor’s new blog. We talked about formatting, the look, and how to update the new web page. I will post this week’s blog on Monday myself with staff available for questions.
NC Metro Mayors Meeting
Friday I participated in a meeting of the North Carolina Metro Mayors. The following is the summary from the executive director:
Federal Update
Federal Government is still operating under a Continuing Resolution, which expires March 11. Potentially looking at a budget vote next week, which is important for Transportation funding that is currently tied up until a budget is passed.
Federal Grants session – a webinar sponsored by NCLM, next Thursday, March 10 at 3pm, will address how to access grant funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill. Register Here: Federal Infrastructure Grants Session There are a wide variety of competitive grant programs and these opportunities will be open over he next few years. This session (jointly organized by Metro Mayors and NCLM) will help with pointers on seeking fund and help to demystify the process of applying for competitive federal grants.
General Assembly
General Update –
NCGA is officially in LONG session (now the longest session on record) and is expected to schedule floor votes within a week or two to address “technical changes” to the budget bill they passed in November 2021.
Will potentially resume committee meetings next week for budget technical correction.
Re-districting Update: Final maps have been approved by NC Courts. The NC Legislative leaders have appealed the NC Congressional Districts to the US Supreme Court – seems unlikely the US Supreme Court will intervene at this point.
Based current maps, past elections and polling, all points to Republicans winning a majority in the House and Senate in the 2022 Election, but probably not a supermajority. Deadline for filing for an election for May 17 is today at noon.
2022 Short Session will likely begin after the May 17 primary, late May, or early June. Looking at 6–8-week session with a focus on spending and a few other topics such as medical marijuana and sports betting. Any mayors/cities with local bills they are interested in should begin talking to their delegation now since the session will be short and action will have to well prepared in advance of the NCGA reconvening.
Transportation – NC Chamber of Commerce Destination 2030 Zoom event follow up
One item discussed was the prospects for diverting transportation related sales and use taxes (such auto repair and parts). Currently, revenue from those transportation related sales tax revenues currently go the General Fund and now there is talk of diverting them to the NCDOT budget. This “user pay” idea could produce as much as an additional $450 million a year for NC transportation.
Public Safety – nothing new to report
Our next Metro Mayors Zoom on Friday, March 18 will include a quick update on federal funds available for municipal cyber-security support. Reports are that the risk of cyber-attacks is growing, especially as the Russian attack on the Ukrainian continues. So, competitive grants for cyber-security aid are more important than ever.
Economic Development – nothing new to report.
Local Control/Local Revenues– nothing new to report
Scott Mooneyham, Director of Political Communications/Coordination, NCLM
Greensboro article linked above is a part of a larger series of articles that is centered around land use planning and development. The League began an issue campaign last Fall surrounding land use, in an effort to help with the ever-present battles over land use and local control that we have been fighting at the legislature for decades. We have recently seen wins in several areas surrounding land use planning (defeated proposals to strip control of trees, stormwater/flood control, etc.) It does appear we are making some progress in efforts to educate State Legislators on the importance of local control of many land use issues.
During the Legislative session this year, the House created a local government committee on land use planning and development that helped advance terrible infringements on local land use control. There are still Legislators that remain hostile to allowing local authority to regulate land use and development.
This effort is an attempt to highlight how cities are often working collaboratively with developers, and how they are working cooperatively with neighborhoods, builders and businesses for growth that both grows the economy but protects community values. A balance that is best addressed at the local level
So far, five articles have been published by WRAL, (series is here on WRAL website) the largest visited news website in the state. These articles highlight land use issues currently going on in Raleigh, Wake Forest, Edenton and Greensboro.
Another great example of the work Scott is doing can be found here – this example is related to the unique need to manage Airbnb/short term rentals in ways that addresses unique local circumstances – such as in Asheville.
The League is currently exploring how to expand this effort. Please continue to spread the message that cities are working with developers, and local problems are best addressed at the local level.
The meeting concluded after about 45 minutes.
Interviewing of All NC Mayors
Saturday I was interviewed by Mitchell Whitley who is in the process of interviewing all 552 North Carolina mayors. We talked for about an hour and fifteen minutes and then took a picture in front of the Cary Arts Center. He plans to publish a book once he finishes his interviews.
Town Manager’s Report
The town manager’s report for this week included the following:
Dan’s Message
We had another wonderful week that included routine work items as well as a few bigger picture items. Interdepartmental teams collaborated with consultants on project frameworks and quarterly milestones. This type of work doesn’t produce huge headlines. However, it does bring clarity of purpose and most importantly strategy around work that happens at the microlevel in support of larger projects and services. Next week looks to be a largely routine week and we’re excited to hold our first regular council meeting of the month. I look forward to seeing each of you there. Happy Friday! Dan
Lee & Associates Headquarters,413 Kildaire Farm Road: The building permit has been approved for a new 19,700 square-foot, 3-story mixed-use building with offices and ground floor retail. Site work began in January 2022.
Rogers Building –Mixed-use Office and Retail, 167 East Chatham Street: The building permit has been issued for a new 60,500 square-foot, 3-story mixed-use building with office, assembly and retail spaces. Site work began in January 2022.
Waste Management MRF Building, 10415 Globe Road: The Certificate of Occupancy has been issued for a new recycling facility at the existing Waste Management campus.
Urban Place, 400 E Chatham Street: The Certificate of Occupancy has been issued for the new 28-unit apartment building, Urban Place.
Rolling out the Qcard
Marketing and Information Technology recently rolled out the QCard QR project as part of the Crabtree Creek/Black Creek Greenway detour. This pilot technology tool combines the power of video with QR codes, allowing us to upload informational videos and turn them into QR code stickers to place right where citizens want to access information. They’ve been deployed at Crabtree Creek Greenway trailheads to inform greenway goers about the ongoing sewer rehabilitation project. Qcard is a product of the RIoT accelerator program in which Cary is a partner. Scan the QR code above to see it in action, or tap the image, if you’re reading this on a mobile device.
Lunch and Learn: Food Waste, the Pilot, and You
Nearly 50 residents joined a free lunch and learn focused on food waste and the pilot drop-off service. During the virtual event, staff along with members of Toward Zero Waste Cary, shared what’s in and out for composting and tips to support our community’s participation in collecting food scraps for drop-off. Attendees shared their excitement for this new service and are receiving a free kitchen caddy to help collect food scraps to be turned into compost. More opportunities to learn with us and receive a caddy will be advertised throughout the year, here.
Camp Registration
Summer Camp registration for 2022 kicked off Monday with 3,103 registrations – 94% of the transactions were via myCary. Revenue generated from these programs totaled $468,000 in just one day. Facility staff and 311 advocates handled 33 citizen inquiries regarding registration procedures. At the end of the day, camp programs were 43% full. Half-day specialty (Arts, Outdoor Recreation, STEM, Sports) camp options are back in 2022 and saw an overwhelming response and interest from citizens. Half-day camps accounted for approximately 60% of the registrations.
Council Member Jack Smith Visits Blush
Council member Jack Smith joined Blush owners during their grand opening week. Blush is a women-focused coworking space that provides dedicated desks, conference room, and childcare. This business marks the first coworking community for women with childcare in North Carolina.
Public Records Overview Webinar
On Thursday, the Clerk’s Office, 311, and Legal team welcomed over 50 employees to a virtual Public Records Overview and Q&A with Kristina Wilson, Assistant Professor of Public Law and Government with the UNC School of Government. Attendees learned about public records law and the importance of producing public records.
Watershed Protection
Cary and Apex are now the proud co-owners of the Williams Property, having jointly acquired our first watershed protection property in the Jordan Lake watershed. The property is approximately 9.82-acres located near the American Tobacco Trail, the White Oak Greenway, and the Cary/Apex Water Treatment Facility. The Williams property was identified for watershed protection by the Triangle Land Conservancy. This marks Cary’s first watershed protection property purchase since watershed protection funding was established in FY 2021.
Comments for and against the affordable housing proposal on SE Maynard
A complaint about not having enough affordable housing for veterans
A concern that people are buying houses to set up Airbnb businesses
A complaint about the mayor’s new blog background not being white
A complaint about a plugged drain on Ralph Drive
Requests from several candidates to meet
A complaint about the Epic Games rezoning proposal
Next Week
Next week’s activities include staff meetings, candidate meetings, a meeting of the Atlantic Tire Tennis Championships board, a meeting with OneWake, a regularly scheduled council meeting, a North Carolina Metro Mayors meeting, the Arbor Day ceremony, the Patrick Daugherty Art construction project, and a Basant Bahar event.
Well, that is all for this week. My next post will be on Monday, March 14th. 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 