Snow Conditions, Transportation & Composting

Cary, NC — This was a holiday week so things were a bit slow.

Meeting with Mayors, Congressional Candidates

Monday I participated in a meeting of the Wake County Mayors Association. Ten of twelve Wake County Mayors were in attendance with only Apex and Raleigh absent. We welcomed Blake Massengill, the new mayor from Fuquay Varina, Sean Mayefskie, the new mayor from Holly Springs, and Glen York, the new mayor from Zebulon. After introductions, we talked about what was going on in each of the communities. The meeting lasted about three hours.

Tuesday I met with a Congressional candidate. We talked about current issues and development in Cary and what is important to our citizens. Our talk lasted about an hour.

CAMPO Meeting Recap

Wednesday I attended a meeting of the CAMPO (Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization’s) Executive Board. The agenda included a public hearing for the 2050 Metropolitan Transportation Plan. There were no speakers.

Discussion items included the election of the Chair and Vice-Chair. The board unanimously approved the re-election of Sig Hutchinson of the Wake County Commissioners as Chair and Mayor Vivian Jones of Wake Forest as the Vice-Chair. Other items unanimously approved included new CAMPO Office Space which will be located at the Fenton in Cary.

Strategic Retreat follow-up items were also approved. Presentations, to be received as information only, included the Unified Planning Work Program and MPO Self-Certification FY 2023 and the FFY2023 Locally Administered Projects Program (LAPP) Investment Program. The meeting concluded after a little over an hour and a half.

Clearing the Roads Following Snow Event

Friday I attended a virtual meeting for those that were scheduled to travel to Miami next week to look at commuter rail. Over half the participants believed it was a bad time to travel due to the COVID spread and asked that the event be postponed.

Friday evening into Saturday was Cary’s first winter event in a couple of years. There were about three inches of snow on the roads which was no match for the Cary A-Team. They had main roads and collector roads clear by lunch. Absolutely amazing! It will be interesting to see how long it takes our neighbors to clear their roads. Hopefully the sun and warmer temperatures will help them.

Town Manager Report

The town manager’s report includes the following:

Sean’s Message

Coming from the Chicagoland area, I’m still getting used to North Carolina’s definition of snow! But seriously, I want you to know that whatever the weather, our organization does a stellar job of being prepared and following through with their thoughtful plans as you can see below in the Public Safety Update.

I know you join me in appreciating all that they do.

Following the big thaw early next week, I look forward to seeing you all next Wednesday at the Chamber breakfast for one of my favorite and most important events of the year, the Mayor’s State of Cary address.

Stay safe and warm,

Sean

Winter Weather Preparedness

This week, staff has been preparing for another round of winter weather in Cary. A mix of snow and freezing rain coupled with low temperatures is expected overnight through Saturday.

Town facilities will be closed on Friday, with staff working remotely if they’re able to do so. All web-based services will continue to be open to citizens. The Citizens Convenience Center will operate with modified hours, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. All Wake County COVID testing sites, including WakeMed Soccer Park, will be closed on Friday.

Public Works will begin their winter weather response this evening with spreaders and repairs crews standing by and prepared to address any potential black ice issues as a result of Thursdays rain. Public Works will establish Snow Command at 6 a.m. Friday morning and are prepared to address road impacts and will operate through Saturday or until conditions no longer warrant it.

Our 311 Center will operate on a normal schedule Friday, 7am to 7pm and will remain flexible to weather conditions through Saturday if additional activation is needed. Fire, Police and our Emergency Communications Center are staffed and at the ready!

Our first messaging to citizens will go out late this afternoon with a listing of closings and service modifications, but our focus, as always, will be on safety, encouraging citizens to limit travel over the next few days so snow crews can do their work effectively.

With the forecast currently indicating less precipitation, our biggest concern for this event is the freezing weather, which could make black ice a major risk factor in the days to come. We’ll continue to drive traffic to our website and social media channels to give timely information throughout the event, and we’ll keep you informed about any significant issues as they arise.

COVID-19 Update

There are 81 active cases among the town’s staff bringing the total to 365 since the pandemic began. The vaccination rate for staff is 89% and for Cary citizens it is 75%. The transmission rate remains high in Cary even though Cary has one of the lowest transmission rates in the county.

Council Tour of NCSU Compost Facility

Council Members Lori Bush, Jack Smith, and Ya Liu joined staff and members of Toward Zero Waste Cary to tour North Carolina State University’s (NCSU) compost facility. NCSU shared best practices, current procedures, and the value of composting collected food scraps from designated locations to reduce food waste at the university.

The facility is an impressive, closed-loop system that returns the finished compost to their gardens and fields.

Solar Masters Service Agreement

Cary is excited to continue promoting solar on Town properties by starting our search for qualified Solar companies through the release of a Solar Master Services Agreement Request for Qualifications (RFQ). This RFQ will help Cary find qualified firms to support municipal solar related planning, analysis, and design services. The RFQ continues Cary’s assessment of the potential for solar installations on Town buildings as well as helping Cary understand and manage the carbon footprint of all Cary facilities. It is also the next logical step to meet and further the goal(s) of Cary’s Strategic Energy Action Plan and Carbon Reduction Recommendations from the Environmental Advisory Board.

Keeping Trees in Tip-Top Shape

Two dozen citizens joined the recent online Pruning Tips class in Cary’s Tree Talk series. Topics covered in the pruning workshop included how, when, and why to prune trees, as well as appropriate tools to use for different applications.

The free series of tree care workshops provide opportunities for citizens to gain valuable tips on how to support tree health across the seasons and the years. Keep an eye out for the spring workshop, Soil Care, that will provide information on how to keep trees rooted in healthy soil.

Chapel Hill Road Mobility Study

The next step of the Chapel Hill Road Mobility Study is a 3-day charrette Jan. 24-26. Cary’s consultant on the project, Stantec, will facilitate the charrette with designers and illustrators on-hand. A charrette is a collaborative planning process, open to the public where they can attend virtual open houses to review different scenarios and maps drafted each day.
At the charrette, the design team will examine two alternatives: 2-lanes with a left-turn lane and 4-lanes with a left-turn lane. The goal is to build public consensus for a future project, identify preferred bike, pedestrian and transit facilities, and gather feedback for Council and staff to use when planning the future cross-section.
Residents may attend virtually to learn about the study, and provide feedback on different design elements and conceptual plans. For more information about the project go to the project webpage, www.townofcary.org/chrstudy.

Upcoming Meetings

Hybrid Athletic Committee
Monday, Jan. 24 at 6 PM

Planning and Zoning Board
Monday, Jan. 24 at 6:30 PM

Hybrid Cultural Arts Committee
Wednesday, Jan. 26 at 6 PM

Mayor’s Mailbox

Emails from citizens this week include:

  • A complaint that the town’s sanitation workers were working on MLK day
  • A thank you for having pickleball at Bond Park
  • A complaint about information/misinformation from the 21-REZ-09 neighborhood meeting

Next week’s activities include staff meetings and a meeting of the North Carolina Metro Mayors. The schedule is light due to the RTA planned trip to Miami.

Well, that is all for this week. My next post will be on Sunday, January 30th. 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.

Meeting with Metro Mayors & Town Council

Cary, NC — I hope everyone had a great holiday season and a Happy New Year.

Performance Reviews & Interviews

Monday I attempted to contact each council member for questions or concerns about Thursday’s council meeting agenda. The agenda was light so there were not any questions. Later in the day I met with staff to briefly go over the agenda. We anticipated the meeting would be short.

Monday night the council met in closed session for about two and a half hours to give a performance review of two of its three employees.

Wednesday I had an interview with an N&O reporter about our DEI efforts and task force. Our talk lasted about ten to fifteen minutes. I mentioned that Cary has been celebrating and embracing its diversity for decades. We are always trying to better ourselves so we look forward to what recommendations the task force can bring.

Council Addresses 2 Discussion Items in Jan. 13 Meeting

Thursday was the first council meeting of the year. The agenda included six consent agenda items, no public hearings, and two discussion items. The two discussion items were the sidewalk priority list and the joining the FEMA Community Rating System.

Each year, staff compiles and ranks sidewalk requests to provide a list of prioritized projects for Council approval and is based on the Town’s adopted Sidewalk Policy criteria. Three sidewalk projects located on NW Cary Parkway, Wrenn Drive and W. Chatham Street were unanimously approved for funding using sidewalk funds and a $100,000 for contingencies due to higher construction and material costs.

The second discussion item was a resolution to join FEMA’s Community Rating System (CRS) which the council unanimously approved. This is a voluntary incentive program that recognizes and encourages community floodplain management activities. The goals of the CRS program align with Cary’s adaptive approach to stormwater, as well as policies in the Imagine Cary Community Plan.

This is good news for Cary property owners in CRS is that they receive discounts on flood insurance premiums. The more credit-earning activities a community participates in, the higher the discount for residents.

The council meeting’s regular agenda only took about fifteen minutes, but the council spent about an hour in closed session.

NC Metro Mayors Start Off New Year

Friday I attended the first meeting of the year for the North Carolina Metro Mayors. Here is a summary of that meeting from the Executive Director:

Federal Update

New Guidance on ARPA funds – Beau and Chris Nida, NCLM Research and Strategic Initiatives Director

  • Final ruling issued by US Treasury on ARPA funds was issued last week (guidance link), and there were significant changes, most good for municipalities.
  • There is a category of spending eligible under ARP based on “revenue loss due to the pandemic.” The final rule says every municipality may claim up to $10 million of revenue loss OR use a formula to determine the level of the “revenue loss.” “Lost revenue” funds may be spent on any government services, with a few restrictions.
  • Please be advised that even though the funds are flexible, there are still reporting or tracking requirements connected to this funding. Be very diligent about what projects you are using these funds for and how it is being tracked.
  • A NCLM/NCACC webinar on How to Manage your State Grant will be held on Tuesday, January 25 at 10 am.
  • If you have additional questions regarding ARP funding, please do not hesitate to contact Beau or Chris (cnida@nclm.org).

General Assembly/State Policy

General Update –

NCLM End of Session Bulletin

Transportation

  • NC DOT Summit Jan. 19-20 & Metro Mayor luncheon (Jan. 19 at Noon).

Economic Development – SPECIAL GUEST

  • Affordable Housing Update from NC Housing Coalition and New County Profiles – https://nchousing.org/county-fact-sheets/ – GUEST Samuel Gunter, Executive Director
  • Every year, profiles for each county in NC are put together to show a snapshot of affordability. Information such as how many households are cost-burdened, how many of those are renters or homeowners, what is the average market rate housing, etc. can be found by accessing the links above.
  • A big victory during this past legislative session was addressing the significant gaps in the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit development (exacerbated by rising costs). The General Assembly allocated $170 million from the state’s ARP funding to address this gap through the Workforce Housing Loan Program. One of the problems is the final guidance issued from the US Treasury last Friday that disallowed use of the funds for loan programs that extend the use of the funds past 2025, making most loan programs ineligible. This guidance means that we cannot use those funds in the way that they were set up by the General Assembly. NC Housing Coalition and the NC Housing Finance Agency are looking for a fix this problem, but it will take legislative action at the State or Federal level to fix this issue, not a timely solution. Mayors and city leaders may hear from local affordable housing developers that this problem is having a detrimental impact on projects in your city.
  • If you have any questions, please contact Samuel at 919-433-6635 or sgunter@nchousing.org.

Public Safety – nothing to report

Local Control/Local Revenues – nothing to report

Elections Update

Lawsuits and impact on 2022 municipal elections – Erin Wynia, NCLM Govt. Affairs Director

  • Municipal elections dates (for now…)
  • Filing: 8 AM Feb. 24 through noon March 4

Candidates do NOT have to refile if they have already filed for the same seat.

  • Primary: May 17
  • Second municipal election (proposed by State Board of Elections): July 26
  • Please contact Erin Wynia at ewynia@nclm.org or (919) 961-6108 if you have additional questions.

Friday afternoon I was interviewed by a N&O reporter about future developments in Cary including the Eastern Gateway and downtown.

Report from Cary’s Deputy Town Manager

The deputy town manager’s report for this week includes:

Russ’s Message

This was my first week back to work following a family trip to Disney World. I always enjoy visiting Disney as it reminds me a bit of Cary; perhaps it’s their continual pursuit of excellence and their exceptional customer service. One major way Cary excels is in its winter weather preparedness, which we are currently doing in advance of forecasted inclement weather that is expected to impact our area Sunday morning into Sunday afternoon.

Public Works has been working diligently to prepare our roads and anticipate that all major thoroughfares will be fully brined by this evening. They are ready if plowing is needed and will have chainsaw crews on standby in the event of downed trees. Police and Fire are ready to help for any emergency responses. PRCR has cancelled programming and closed all PRCR facilities for Sunday and are monitoring forecasts into Monday. Our Marketing and 311 staff are ready to assist with citizen requests and external communications. Staff from all departments will continue to monitor and make adjustments to operations and services as the weather forecast and storm impact predictions evolve.

As a reminder, Town Hall and most staffed facilities will be closed on Monday in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. The Town’s annual Dreamfest, a celebration of the life, work, and vision of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., started this week and will continue into next week.

I hope you can stay inside this weekend and watch the weather while staying safe.

Take care,
Russ

Public Safety Update

There are 76 active COVID cases among town employees. This brings the total number of cases to 316 since the pandemic began. 89% of town employees have been vaccinated. 75% of Cary citizens over the age of 5 have been vaccinated.

Record Attendance at NC Chinese Lantern Festival

Cary’s NC Chinese Lantern Festival welcomed more than 200,000 visitors recently, setting a new attendance record compared to 121,645 visitors in 2019. The festival generated more than $5.54 million in direct economic impact according to figures released by the Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau. The $5.54 million is a conservative estimate that does not include spending from local attendees, nor does it include a multiplier of indirect or induced impacts.

Three Kings Day

On January 8, Cary partnered with Diamante Inc. to present their annual Three Kings Day Parade & Gift Giving campaign. The end of the holiday season in many Spanish and Latin American communities officially ends on January 6, which is the 12th day of Christmas known as Three Kings’ Day. The holiday celebrates the Los Tres Reyes or Three Kings/Wise Men, visit of baby Jesus after birth. This year’s parade celebration featured the Three Kings and 29 participants, most notably Los Rayados, a Mexican indigenous group that showcased Mayan customs and culture. The parade welcomed 1,000 spectators. Directly following the parade, 135 families were given bags of groceries, gifts, and a sweet bread known as rosca del rey.

Crabtree Creek Sewer Rehabilitation Update

Work to rehabilitate the 48-inch sewer pipeline along Lake Crabtree is progressing. The contractor is completing installation of the temporary bypass piping and ground protection mats. Sewer line cleaning is scheduled to begin the week of January 7, which will be followed by installation of cured-in-place pipe liners. With the beginning of more intensive construction operations, the Crabtree Creek Greenway will be closed beginning January 24 through the Spring of 2022 to facilitate construction and maintain safe conditions for the public and contractors.

Greenwood County Officials Visit SCWRF

County officials from Greenwood, South Carolina visited the South Cary Water Reclamation Facility (SCWRF) to see the thermal biosolids drying facility. The group was interested in our facility and utilizing similar technology in their service area. The biosolids dryer at SCWRF has been in operation since 2006 and provides exceptional quality, class A biosolids as classified by the EPA, for beneficial reuse in agribusiness applications.

Town Hall Field Trip

On January 7, students from Connections Academy Middle School visited Town Hall to learn about local government as part of a school project to design a city of their own. While on their field trip, they received a tour of the Police Department, the Traffic Management Center, Council Chambers, Fire Station 9, and Planning.

Virtual Neighborhood Rezoning Meetings

The following case will be discussed on Feb. 2 at an upcoming neighborhood meeting that will be held virtually on WebEx from 6 – 8 PM. To learn more about the case click on the rezoning name to view the neighborhood letter and vicinity map.
21-REZ-17 Destin Phase 3 Rezoning
For more information and to register visit the Virtual Neighborhood Rezoning Meeting page.

Upcoming Meetings

Hybrid Greenway Committee Meeting
Thursday, Jan. 20 at 6 PM

Mayor’s Mailbox

Emails from citizens include:

  • A complaint about EMS and first responders not wearing masks (EMS are county employees, first responders are Cary employees)
  • A complaint that a Wellington property owner is preventing a neighborhood from getting a daycare on the site
  • A request for lights at pickleball courts
  • A complaint about the Epic Games rezoning proposal on the mall site
  • A complaint about the lack of COVID testing sites (the county allowed WakeMed soccer park to be used)
  • A thank you for my service as mayor
  • A complaint about the Hatcher rezoning
  • A complaint that planes are “flying over and discharging something”
  • Complaints about the developer representing the Old Apex rezoning at the neighborhood meeting

Next week’s activities include a Wake County Mayors Association meeting, staff meetings, a meeting with a Congressional candidate, and a meeting of the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization.

Well, that is all for this week. My next post will be on Sunday, January 23rd. Although I have Facebook and Twitter accounts those are not the best means of communication with me. Please send all Town of Cary questions or comments to Harold.Weinbrecht@townofcary.org and email personal comments to augustanat@mindspring.com.

Economic Outlook & Staff COVID Updates

Cary, NC — I hope everyone had a great holiday season and a Happy New Year.

Monday I met briefly with the town manager. We talked about the COVID spread among staff. We also talked about the pandemic in general and how vaccinations are helping Cary residents. Other topics included the Epic rezoning proposal for the mall site.

Take-Aways from the 2022 Economic Outlook

Wednesday Dr. Michael Walden from NC State presented the economic outlook for 2022. Here are some of the points from his presentation:

  • NC GDP is doing better than the national average
  • NC Sectors doing well in terms of %GDP:
    • Information 119%
    • Professional Services 114%
    • Administrative Services 114%
    • Finance 109%
    • Wholesale Trade 105%
    • Manufacturing 104%
    • Health Care 102%
    • Restaurants 102%
  • Raleigh-Cary has 100% of employment of the February 2020 number of jobs
  • Labor participation rate in NC is well below national rate
  • Reasons why fewer people have been looking for work:
    • Continue to worry about COVID
    • Uncertainty about school schedules
    • Reduced availability of childcare
    • Cash stimulus checks, child payments, additional jobless benefits, expanded food stamps, expanded “Obamacare”
    • More retirements
  • Many workers using time during pandemic to improve their skills
  • Business response to labor supply issues:
    • Attract labor with higher pay and/or benefits
    • Substitute technology and automation for workers
    • Improve worker productivity
  • Labor Availability
    • Should improve as supplemental unemployment payment ends
    • Up-skill of workers will present on-going issues for some industries
    • Long-term solutions will take time
  • Raleigh-Cary Market
    • Strong job market
    • Ranked 17th among 368 metros in building permits
    • 75% increase in new commercial space over 2020
    • Profile rising as one of the growth centers of the country
  • Federal assistance is $5.5 trillion or 25% of GDP, $80 billion to NC
  • Assistance errored on size of too much help; wanted to prevent collapse of economy which would have been catastrophic
  • Federal Reserve rate near 0; holdings at $8 trillion
  • Money supply up 85% since beginning of pandemic
  • Inflation rising with 6% change
  • View #1 of inflation:
    • Economy is flush with cash and pent-up demand
    • Higher inflation rate (4% to 5%) through 2022
    • Higher inflation is the price of the enormous federal help
  • View #2 of inflation:
    • Faster inflation is related to disruption in the production of products and services as the economy recovers from the pandemic
    • The disruptions are temporary
  • Federal Reserve Challenge: reduce stimulus by increasing interest rates and decreasing money growth without hindering economic growth
  • We faced the same situation in the late 1070s
  • Forecasts have NC real GDP with strong growth but growing less with new COVID variants
  • Forecasts have NC unemployment rate moving to less than 4% this year but slightly above 4% with variants
  • The economy after the pandemic:
    • More labor market disruption
    • Shift from production to delivery and services
    • More jobs in technology
    • Post high school training apprenticeships, on-the-job training, collaborations
  • Education after pandemic will have some level of distance learning. It is here to stay at all levels.
  • High Speed Internet is now a necessity. We should see continued expansion of cable provision. Our country could reach full internet by 2030.
  • Tele-working: 8% pre-virus, 60% at pandemic peak, 20% – 30% long term
  • We will see more drone deliveries of products
  • Reconsideration of residential location:
    • Proximity to work, schools, shopping is no longer needed
    • Internet from the “sky” could impact location
  • NC implications:
    • NC had strong economy in 2021
    • Record job growth with bigger gain in production than nation: $10 billion of announced investments
    • Continued or accelerated growth; Some forecasts have 13 million rather than 12 million
    • Considered a safe state
    • Look for suburbs to have fastest growth
    • Potential game changer – universally available high-speed internet

We are so thankful to have Dr. Walden’s economic outlook every year. Based on my experience, he has been very accurate.

Town Manager Report

The town manager’s report for this week included:

Sean’s Message

Like I’ve heard from several of you, I’m glad that 2021 is in our rearview mirror and am looking forward to all of the good things we’ll make happen in 2022 – together. While, in many ways, this year is beginning much as the last two, we have all grown and learned so much, and our organization has never been stronger.
The most important event of 2022 will be our municipal elections, and staff has been busy monitoring the developments in court and plan to update you on relevant outcomes next week.
As a reminder, the only January Council meeting is scheduled for next Thursday, Jan. 13. At this point the agenda appears to be relatively light.
Until we all get together again, stay safe and reach out if you need anything.
Sean

Public Safety Update

89% of town employees are vaccinated. Mandatory testing for the remaining will occur weekly. Currently there are 62 active cases of COVID-19 among town staff bringing the total since the beginning of the pandemic to 262. 75% of Cary residents over the age of 5 have been vaccinated.

DEI Task Force Recruitment

The application period for the new Human Relations, Inclusion & Diversity Task Force is open through January 14. Cary citizens that have a passion and interest in diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), experience being a change agent or would like to give back to the community are encouraged to apply.

Task force appointments will be made by Mayor Harold Weinbrecht and terms will begin in April with task force orientation scheduled to occur in March 2022.

Development Pulse Report

The December 2021 Development Pulse Report is now available.

Highlights:

  • Protolabs, 3615 Pleasant Grove Church Road: The building permit was approved to construct the shell building for a new 120,000 sq ft manufacturing and warehouse facility. The building permit to upfit the building for Protolabs is currently under review.
  • Cary Towne Center Partial Demolition Permit, 1105 Walnut Street: The building permit was approved to the demolish the former Cary Towne Center with the exception of the former Belk building.
  • Annie Jones Restroom Facility, 1414 Tarbert Drive: The building permit was approved to construct a new restroom building to replace the former building near the baseball field at Annie Jones Park.
  • Fenton Tenant Permits –The following building permits were approved for new tenants within the Fenton Development: Athleta, AltardState Arula, Bailey’s Fine Jewelry, Dram & Draught, Lunchbox Wax, M Sushi, Nike Live, Pottery Barn, Southern Tide, and four future tenant spaces. Restaurants receiving Certificates of Occupancy (COs) in December:
    • Fangs Kitchen, 677 Mills Park Road: New Chinese restaurant in the Greystone Shopping Center.
    • Hibachi 88, 675 Mills Park Road: New Hibachi and Japanese restaurant in the Greystone Shopping Center.

First Walk 2022

On January 1, members of the Cary Teen Council and the Greenway Committee held the annual First Walk to start the year off on the right (or left) foot.

More than 120 citizens joined the early morning trek along the White Oak Creek greenway starting at Davis Drive Park. Thanks to the warm temperatures, participants enjoyed a nice walk with family and friends to kick off 2022.

Storm Event Impacts

Crews responded quickly to remedy storm-related impacts along greenways following a heavy rainstorm on January 3. Saturated soil conditions and heavy winds caused a large oak tree to fall onto the Crabtree Creek Greenway.

In addition, a sewer line was damaged along the Black Creek Greenway due to high water levels. Staff and contractors quickly completed repairs and removed fallen trees and debris.

The significant rainfall from the storm positively impacted Jordan Lake after several weeks of declining lake levels. The lake is now more than a foot above its normal pool elevation.

Using Native Plants Just Got Easier

Cary continues to provide information and programs to help citizens plant native species. A new list of trees and plants that do well in this area, along with tips on where the plants prefer to grow, is now available on the Tree Planting Projects webpage as a resource guide.

Citizens will also find a list of invasive species to avoid or remove from their yards. Additionally, to jumpstart the upcoming tree planting season, the spring My Tree, Our Tree webpage describes the selected native trees Cary is giving away in conjunction with Cary’s Arbor Day celebration at Bond Park.

While the registration period for My Tree, Our Tree doesn’t begin until early February, now’s the time for citizens to investigate which native tree best suits their landscape, prepare a myCary account to enable registration for a tree, and sign up to attend a virtual tree planting tips webinar.

Upcoming Meetings

Hybrid Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources Advisory Board

Monday, Jan. 10
5:15 PM

Hybrid Environmental Advisory Board
Tuesday, Jan. 11
6:00 PM

Historic Preservation Commission
Wednesday, Jan. 12
6:30 PM

Council Meeting
Thursday, Jan. 13
6:30 PM

Mayor’s Mailbox

Emails from citizens included:

  • Complaints about not having a mask mandate. Some of the quotes include “YOU make me feel unwelcome” and “You are not helping with my depression”
  • Requests to not move to “draconian” mask mandate
  • Kudos for changes in downtown
  • A complaint about a pothole on Maynard causing car damage (NCDOT maintained road; we put him in touch with NCDOT claims person; fixed NCDOT’s pothole)
  • Complaints about The Terraces proposed rezoning (not scheduled, put them in touch with staff)
  • Kudos to police and fire for finding a lost child in the Christmas parade
  • A request to update town ordinances to prevent someone from having a light that shines into someone else’s house
  • A complaint about not receiving funding for a project for Partners For Environmentally Justice
  • Kudos for downtown holiday decorations (staff has plans to double them next year)

Next week’s activities include staff meetings, a meeting to do performance reviews of council staff (attorney and clerk), and the first regularly scheduled council meeting of the year.

Well, that is all for this week. My next post will be on Sunday, January 16th. Although I have Facebook and Twitter accounts those are not the best means of communication with me. Please send all Town of Cary questions or comments to Harold.Weinbrecht@townofcary.org and email personal comments to augustanat@mindspring.com.