From the blog of Cary Mayor Harold Weinbrecht, covering the week through February 5, 2012. Photo by Hal Goodtree.

Cary, NC – A week that was supposed to be relatively light and have some open days, filled up quickly. So I was unexpectedly busy this week.

Technology and Communications in Cary

Monday I met with a friend about technology, social media, and the media. We tossed around a lot of ideas about how the town could improve. I believe this is the year for the town to catch up with the rest of the world in technology. And updating our web site would be a great start. Council member Bush has an excellent background in this area and I believe will provide invaluable input.

Tuesday

Tuesday I had my weekly meeting with the town manager. We discussed at length all the opportunities and issues related to downtown. So far, what has been surfaced is just a small portion of the exciting things going on or being negotiated. I hope to have exciting news to tell everyone within the next month or so.

Western Wake Dems

After meeting with the town manager I headed over to the Western Wake Dems meeting for about 15 minutes. I talked with Morrisville council member Rao, shook a few hands, and then was on my way to a private dinner.

Mayors Want Regional Centers

Wednesday, Mayor Holcombe and I headed to Fuquay Varina to meet with Mayor Eagles, Commissioner West, county officials and others about the Southern Regional Center and other regional centers.

This facility, and others like it around the county, brings county, community, and private services and resources to local residents by having them in one central location. These centers not only provide services to the needy but to all parts of the population.

Some of the services include: operating as a location for paying taxes, providing free flu shots, and providing shots for overseas travel. The purpose of our visit was to tour the facility and hear their pitch for creating one of these county facilities in Western Wake County. It was pointed out that the county commissioners have funded one of these facilities in each part of the county except Western Wake. And before they invest in a facility in the western wake area they want advocacy from the mayors and towns.

Mayor Holcombe and I asked for specific data of these facilities by zip code so we could analyze what part of Cary and Morrisville these facilities are drawing from. While a facility like this would be beneficial in Cary it would be a hard sell in many areas. The perception is that visitors to these facilities are the needy and down trodden and that it would run down neighboring property values. Their data proves this is not the case. At the conclusion of our meeting we stated once we receive data from them we will touch base with them again.

Thursday I had a meeting with Mayor Pro-Tem Adcock. It is important that we have regular meetings to keep each other informed of issues that are ongoing. Our meeting lasted a couple of hours and most of our discussion was about when to create a process for the replacement of council member Robison.

Saturday I joined the Xi Mu Mu Alumni Chapter of Omega Psi Phi fraternity for a blood drive at Mt. Zion Church in Cary. This is the 100th anniversary of Omega and these men are looking for ways to give back to their communities. And since blood is the give of life it is probably one of the best ways to give back to the community. God bless them!

There was a lot of information from staff this week.

Costco

The proposed Costco has generated a lot of information from staff. You can up to date information by visiting the town’s “Get the Facts” section on the web site. The Planning Director sent detailed information on the proposal which included the following:

No site plan has been submitted to the Town of Cary for review, thus nothing has been approved by us.  Here is a summary of the status of this issue thus far, and how this project would be reviewed according to Town regulations if this site is pursued by the developer.

Zoning

This shopping center land is zoned for General Commercial (GC) uses, and a Costco retail store is allowed by law on this property.  Neither the Town Council nor staff has discretion whether such a retail use might be permitted at that location based on zoning.  No changes to the zoning will be necessary if the landowners decide to move forward with this proposal.  And because a Costco-type store is allowed, no public hearing is held.  This potential developer will, however, have to submit a plan that meets all established development standards related to transportation, landscaping, architecture, stormwater, and the like.  Determination of compliance with all of those requirements occurs at the next stage in the development process.

Site Plan Submission

Should they decide to proceed, the next step would be for the applicant to submit a formal site plan that meets our requirements.   Several months ago, at their request, Town staff did conduct a “pre-submittal” meeting with representatives from Costco to discuss a “conceptual plan” to remove all the current buildings except for the existing bank (at the corner of Edinburgh and Highway 64).  They would be replaced with a 147,000 square foot store and an associated gas station.  This pre-application meeting is a required first step in the Town’s development process.  That conceptual plan does not constitute a formal submittal, however, so there is no decision before the Town at this time.  Staff does not know whether – or when – an applicant might submit a plan for development.  Sometimes the pre-application meetings do lead to developers taking next steps, but frequently we never hear from them again.

Site Plan Review

When/If a site plan is submitted, the Town will ensure that any proposal meets the Cary Land Development Ordinance (LDO).  Again, this is when traffic would be evaluated against applicable traffic and transportation requirements.  The site plan review process takes several months and is typically handled by Town staff as an administrative function.

A site plan typically undergoes several cycles of review.  At the beginning, staff conducts an initial review (to determine submittal completeness and ensure that it generally meets the basic Town requirements).  Then, when we receive a 2nd submittal, we notify landowners within 400′ of the property by letter that a plan is under formal review.  This is not required by law, and it should not be viewed as an opportunity to deny a project if it meets the zoning and development requirements.  The notification is a practice that Town Council has established as a courtesy to adjoining property owners to allow interested parties to look at the plan and offer comments.

Availability of Information

You can obtain general information about the Town’s development process and follow the progress of an individual, specific development plan as outlined below.

1.     General information that describes all of the Town’s development processes is located in the award-winning VIP (Virtual Interactive Planner) section of our website:  http://vip.townofcary.org/

2.     You can monitor development submittals on our website in a couple of ways.  First, you can go here: http://www.townofcary.org/Departments/Planning_Department/Development_Regulations/Plan_Review_and_Design.htm   Go to the bottom of the page and select “Active Projects in the Review Process (sorted alphabetically) or (sorted by date).”

3.     You can also register and create an account on our online plan review page and see what’s going on: http://townofcary.contractorsplanroom.com/secure/

4.     Of course, you can also call us at 469-4082 or visit our offices on the 3rd Floor of Town Hall at 316 N. Academy Street.

Davis & High House Construction

The Planning Director also sent out information about the two controversial construction projects at Davis Drive and High House. It appears they will be under construction at the same time:

We publish final versions of approved site and subdivision plans here: http://sitesubplans.townofcary.org/projectlist.htm. As you will see, each plan has a multitude of various pages (”plan sheets”) for the overall site layout, details, landscaping, drainage, utilities, erosion control, infrastructure, building elevations, etc.  General info about the project (like zoning conditions & development data) are usually on one of the early sheets.

For example, using a couple of projects of interest, the Bradford’s plan sheets are found here: http://sitesubplans.townofcary.org/Bradford_07-SP-114/planindex.htm (NOTE: Additional revisions of this site plan are presently under review, so will not be found at this location.)  And Searstone’s residential portion (with a whopping 99 plan sheets!) can be reviewed here: http://sitesubplans.townofcary.org/SearstoneCCRC_07-SP-035-B/planindex.htm (NOTE:  I don’t think that any further changes are under review.  I will advise you if that is not the case.)

ICE

We also had information forwarded from staff about a proposed ICE facility in Cary that drew a lot of attention this summer. It appears they are once again beginning the process to locate in this area. Here is the information we received from the General Services Administration:

DHS/ICE – Raleigh-Cary Weekly Stakeholder Update

The purpose of this weekly Update is to brief the municipalities and other stakeholders within the delineated area on the progress of GSA Solicitation 1NC2136.

The weekly update will contain information on procurement milestones that have taken place along with upcoming scheduled milestones.  To date, the following activities have occurred:

• January 30, 2012- GSA submitted an advertisement on Fedbizopps (www.fbo.gov) for 19,841 ABOA office space to include 65 parking spacing on behalf of Department of Homeland Security/Immigration and Custom Enforcement.  Deadline of expressions of interest is February 13, 2012
• February 27, 2012 – March 2, 2012 – Market survey scheduled to tour submitted locations
• March 6, 2012 – Estimated date for release of the Request for Lease Proposals (RLP) to all locations accepted on the market survey

Any questions in reference to this procurement should be forwarded to Saudia Muwwakkil, GSA Public Affairs Officer at (404) 331-3200 or at saudia.muwwakkil@gsa.gov.

Swift Creek Sewer

Staff also sent out a detailed update on the Swift Creek Sewer Main project. Here are details sent by the Engineering Director:

The Town of Cary is approaching the midpoint of the Swift Creek Parallel Force Main Project.  This is a four mile long sewer project that will benefit the economic and environmental vitality of the region.  The project starts along Holly Springs Rd near Swift Creek and heads southward before turning and continuing east along Ten-Ten Rd.  The sewer main then turns south along Lawdraker Rd before continuing across country toward the South Cary Water Reclamation Facility.

We have received concerns with the project brought about by both our own citizens and those residing outside the Town limits.  We want to assure you that we are working diligently to address these matters.  While the primary complaint continues to be about the loss of trees along Holly Springs Rd, we are confident in our decision to move forward with the project knowing the additional protection the line will provide to this sensitive water shed.  Once the Swift Creek Parallel Force Main is completed, we will have an additional level of redundancy in our system, our capacity for future growth will be expanded, and the existing force main will receive a thorough inspection and necessary repairs.

This project had been in the development stage for over 10-years.  Early on in the process we received public comments that set us on a course for selecting the corridor where we are currently installing pipe today.  The real motivation to move this project ahead however, came after the 2006 spill at the Swift Creek Pump Station.  One of the primary recommendations to come from our study and investigation was the need for this second force main between the pump station and the treatment plant for redundancy.

Construction is anticipated to be complete before the October deadline. Should you receive any inquiries about this project, feel free to direct citizens to the Town of Cary Engineering Department at 469-4030.  Additional information and project updates are available on the project website at http://www.townofcary.org/Departments/Engineering/utilities/Sewer_Projects/Swift_Creek_Parallel_Force_Main.htm.

Plans in Review

Staff also sent out email about plans currently in review. Included in those plans are:

• A Walgreens at Waverly Place
• 80 dependent care units at Weatherstone Springs on Weather Ridge Lane.
• 51 single family lots in the Westvale Subdivision
• 206 apartments at Cary Parkway and Tryon Road
• 14,162 square foot building added to Syracuse Plastics

Quarterly Report

The quarterly report came out this week. Highlights include:

• Construction of the Western Wake Regional Wastewater facility has begun
• The Aquastar automated water meter system is 90% installed (54,000 meters).
• The town continues to purchase strategic properties downtown
• C-Tran’s fixed routes saw a 30% increase in ridership this quarter compared to last year
• Single family permits were 432 units compared to 224 last year
• Multifamily permits were 463 units compared to 184 last year
• Population as of January 1st is estimated to be 141,132 which is an increase of 2932 people
• A refinancing will save over $800,000.   The vast majority of those savings will reduce our debt service commitments for FY 13 and FY 14.
• Although water meters have grown by 2.5% our overall consumption was down 5% during the last six months
• Our leaf collection picked up 5,946 tons of leaves
• Project PHOENIX now has participation of 32 apartment complexes which is over 50%.
• Wake Med Soccer Park expansion was bid in November and is on schedule and on budget
• Over 31,000 people attended the Cary Arts Center from October through December
• The town has over 1100 employees with a turnover rate of 4.8%.

Staff also gave a very informative response to a citizen regarding induction loop hearing devices at town venues. Induction loop systems work with hearing aids. An induction loop wire is permanently installed (typically under a carpet or in the ceiling) and connects to a microphone used by a speaker. The person talking into the microphone generates a current in the wire, which creates an electromagnetic field in the room. When you switch your hearing aid to the “T” (telephone) setting, your hearing aid picks up the electromagnetic signal. You can then adjust the volume of the signal through your hearing aid.

Here is the staff response:

“…Thanks much for writing regarding the induction loop hearing technology.  At the Cary Arts Center, we have not yet put installed a permanent sound system.  As we move towards doing that, we will be looking at several types of auxiliary sound aids.  We will certainly explore further the induction loop technology.

We currently do have assistive listening services at USA Baseball, Koka Booth Amphitheatre, and Town Hall.  We will continually look at and asses these systems and compare it with the new technology that you mentioned. …”

Emails

Also in email this week was a notice from American Airline Chairman and CEO Thomas Horton about restructuring and changes. Bottom line was summed up in these statements: “…all workgroups will have total costs reduced by 20%, including management. While the savings from each work group will be achieved somewhat differently, each will experience the same percentage reduction. …”

Apolitical

There were a lot of emails from citizens this week. I had a couple of separate requests to do resolutions about national issues. The Cary Council doesn’t typically pass resolutions to take political stands. Personally, I would oppose any resolution that is of a national or state nature that would be perceived as a political position. Why? It is very important that this council, with positions on both ends of the political spectrum, work loosely together to do the business of the town. We hold non-partisan positions and our goal is to be passionate about protecting and enhancing the quality of life of our citizens. With a political divide we will not be nearly as effective. Currently, our council is in sync and focused on local issues that have a direct impact on our citizens. I believe we have been successful with the lowest tax rate in Wake County to go along with the highest quality of life.

Other emails included concerns about Chapel Hill Road, a complaint about the state portion of Electra Drive, and a concern about neon lighting for the downtown theater. I also had many requests for meetings with most of them related to council member Robison’s future resignation. It is important to understand that while the council can create a process it cannot act on that process until council member Robison actually resigns.

Next week will be much busier with meetings, events, a work session, and a council meeting.

Well that is all for this week. My next post will be on Sunday, February 12th. Please feel free to email me with a comment. Email all Town of Cary questions or comments to Harold.Weinbrecht@townofcary.org. Email personal comments to augustanat@mindspring.com.

From the blog of Cary Mayor Harold Weinbrecht, covering the week through January 29, 2012. Photo of Jordan Lake by Hal Goodtree.

Cary, NC – This week was a tough week for me with a council meeting and two speaking engagements.

Good Bye Julie

Monday started with calls to council members about concerns or issues they had with the agenda. I contacted every council member and there were very few issues. In my phone call to Julie Robison she let me know of her intention to resign her council seat.

Julie’s husband Dan has taken a position at West Virginia as a Dean. Congratulations Dan! Julie and her two girls will move sometime this summer when they are out of school. Somewhere in that timeframe Julie will give up her seat. While I am very excited for the new opportunities to Julie and her family, I will sorely miss her. She has dedicated and committed over 10 years of her life in service to the citizens of Cary and has done an outstanding job which included serving with three vastly different mayors. God bless Julie Robison!

Later Monday I met with town management, department directors, and administration to go over the agenda. Mayor Pro-Tem Adcock joined via telephone. Most of our discussion focused on the federal legislative agenda. I communicated that I believe some council members were interested in sending the Fryar property back to the Planning and Zoning board for another review since it had changed significantly since their last review. We also discussed the possibility of a long public hearing for the joint land use plan with Chatham County. At their public hearing speakers voiced opinions for over two hours. Based on all the information presented at this meeting my estimation for the meeting’s conclusion was 9 PM.

Land in Chatham County

Tuesday began the weekly meeting with our town manager. We mostly discussed issues in confidence of a sensitive nature so I will not repeat them.

Tuesday was also a regularly scheduled town council meeting. Usually town council meetings are held the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of each month. So this date was an exception.

The main interest in the meeting seemed to be the Public Hearing on the joint land use plan with Cary and Chatham County. Unfortunately, many Chatham County residents see this as Cary aggression. It is important to understand that the Town of Cary isn’t acquiring land in Chatham County.

Instead some property owners want to develop their land. For this to happen they need Cary water and sewer. For a property owner to get Cary water and sewer, you have to be annexed into Cary. It is our hope that density and intensity will decrease towards Jordan Lake which is our drinking source. So we believe it is important to have a plan. Development in this area is up to the property owners and not the Town of Cary. It may or may not develop in my lifetime which is again up to the property owners.

Another item that brought a great deal of discussion was the Fryar property at Highcroft Drive and Green Level Church Road. Since the proposal had changed significantly since it was denied by the Planning and Zoning board, Council decided it would be best to send this back to them for another review before taking action. The council meeting also included a closed session. We adjourned around 10 PM.

Eye Opener

Wednesday morning I gave the State of the Town address at the Chamber of Commerce’s Eye Opening Breakfast. This is probably my biggest presentation of the year. I started writing the State of the Town around Thanksgiving and it was taped for Cary TV in December. I presented it with slides at Glenaire in early January.

For this presentation, I took the State of the Town address and made it into bullet points so I could elaborate on certain issues. This presentation included much more detail especially about trends, legislative concerns, and technology. I received many positive comments afterwards and my impression was that it was well received.

Wednesday evening I taped the February version of Cary Matters with our newest council member Lori Bush. She seemed like an old pro and had no problems being in front of the camera. Even with a few technical difficulties we were done in less than an hour. I believe the chemistry between Lori and I was good and I can’t wait to see how it turned out. The main topic for February was the council/staff retreat that was held a couple of weeks ago.

Meet the Mayors

Thursday morning I participated in a “Meet the Mayors” panel discussion put on by the Triangle Community Coalition. The event was well attended by a few dozen people with developer, real estate, and business interest. I was joined by Mayor McFarlane of Raleigh and Mayor Weatherly of Apex.

We all gave a few opening comments and then opened the floor for questions from the audience. I received several good questions which included: What are we doing to become more business friendly? What are we doing with our sports venues to provide economic benefit? And when considering incentives to attract jobs how do you decide between a local business and out-of-town business? Almost all of this information is covered in my state of the town address. On the subject of deciding between a local and out-of-town business, we always want to help existing local business and incentives are considered on a case by case basis.

Thursday evening I attended a meeting of the Western Wake Policy Advisory Committee. This is the committee that gives direction on the Western Wake Wastewater Management Facility. I was joined by mayors and town managers from Apex and Morrisville. In this meeting we rejected all proposals for the bio-solids portion of the facility because the bids were higher than expected. The staff will redo requirements and rebid it later.

Saturday

Saturday I spent most of the day at a church retreat with my Confirmand. I have been honored to mentor a young man as he goes through the process of becoming a member of our church. One of the goals of a mentor is to hopefully create a friendship that will last a lifetime.

Emails: Billboards, Spying on People and More

Emails from staff this week included one about billboards. Bill 183 passed the legislature in 2011 and now sign companies can clear cut trees (380 ft. on either side of the sign on interstates, 340 on controlled access roads, and 250 ft. on other state roads). It does not apply to all state roads, but to primary and interstate highways.  The roads in Cary that are impacted include: I-40, I-540, Western Wake Freeway (existing and proposed – Southern Cary), US 1, US 64, Cary Town Boulevard, Portions of Jones Franklin, Aviation, and Airport Roads.

In another email from staff the Town of Cary’s population is estimated to be 141,132 as of January 1, 2012.  This is an increase of 2,932 people, or 2.12%, compared to the January 01, 2011 estimate.  The population estimates are based on the reported number of Certificates of Occupancy issued in the Town.

Staff also sent email that introduced its newest K9 Team member Robby and his partner Cary Police Officer Phil Humphries.  Three-year-old Robby is a long hair, black and tan German shepherd from the Czech Republic.  Humphries was a K9 handler in the United States Air Force before coming to Cary. He also has experience as a K9 trainer and Kennel Master. K-9 Robby replaces K-9 Max, a German Shepherd that retired after serving the community for seven years.

Staff also notified citizens through email that they are invited to view conceptual design plans for the downtown theater at a public meeting scheduled for 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, January 31 in Council Chambers. This issue has been become controversial by the focus on neon by the local media. The conceptual plans will be presented by staff which includes three schematics illustrating a standard marquee, a marquee with a vertical element and a light enhanced marquee with a vertical element. The Town Council decided to move forward with the last option. Following input from the public meeting, staff will work with consultants and make final design recommendations for materials and color to the Town Council.

I received a lot of complaints through emails this week. They included complaints about the new façade on Hibernian Grill, a development proposal that will impact Highcroft Drive, our automated meters are spying on people, re-evaluation and tax increases, signs on a building at Highway 55 and Green Hope School Road, the length of yellow lights, sewer costs on East Green Forest Drive, a Costco in Cary, the Morrisville Parkway and Carpenter Upchurch intersection, our police are corrupt because Brad Cooper was convicted, sign ordinance too strict for businesses in Waverly Place, and Chapel Hill Road is not wide enough.

I also received many invitations to events during the week. I try as much as possible to attend events but sometimes I am not able. I do hope that people understand.

Next week’s schedule is very light for me which will be refreshing. I have a couple of meetings and one event.

Well that is all for this week. My next post will be on Sunday, February 5th. Please feel free to email me with a comment. Email all Town of Cary questions or comments to Harold.Weinbrecht@townofcary.org. Email personal comments to augustanat@mindspring.com.

From the blog of Cary Mayor Harold Weinbrecht, covering the week through January 22, 2012. Photo collage by Hal Goodtree.

Cary, NC – This week consisted mostly of three events: the Mayors Association Meeting, a meeting of the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO), and a council work session on downtown.

Mayors Association Meeting

The Mayors Association met on Monday and all twelve mayors of Wake County were present (which happens maybe once a year). Two new mayors were present at this meeting; newly elected Mayor McFarlane of Raleigh, and Mayor Hinnant of Wendell. We discussed several interesting topics and the following were some of the notable points:

There are several municipalities with various mailing addresses that cause confusion. For example, there are people in Cary with Raleigh, Apex, and Morrisville mailing addresses. The mayors would like to reduce these.

There may be three referendums on the ballot this fall including the ½ cent sales tax for transportation, a school bond, and municipal bonds.
Speaking of schools, the mayors decided to set up a meeting with the school board members. The mayors would like to discuss their capital project plans and their reassignment plans. School board members have indicated that they are interested in meeting the mayors again. We have only had one other combined meeting which was a breakfast meeting in Cary a few years ago. Our meeting lasted about two hours. The mayors will have an outing in February and next meet in March.

Successful Retreat

Tuesday I met with the town manager for a little over an hour. We mostly compared notes on the council/staff retreat the previous weekend. We both believe the retreat was very beneficial and much more was accomplished since it was out of town. If we can make sure to keep the costs down, as we did this year, we will look at holding it out of town in the future. Another topic we talked about was the Joint Land Use Plan with Chatham County. Public Hearings on this plan will be held in the near future for both boards.

Transportation Planning

Wednesday I attended the monthly meeting of the CAMPO TAC (Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Association Transportation Advisory Committee) on behalf of the town. This has almost 30 representatives from neighboring towns and counties. We make decisions that will prioritize transportation improvements for the region. This month’s agenda can be found at http://www.campo-nc.us/TAC_Agenda/2012/Agenda-TAC-2012-01-18.pdf. Items of note for Cary include a proposal that the Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA) for the Wake-Durham Commuter Rail project be approved prior to any action on the Wake Transit Financial Plan. CAMPO decided to send this to the technical staff for their review and recommendation. Another item of interest was the Cary Parkway extension which was referred to by CAMPO as the Gorman Street extension (these two are on the plans to connect). CAMPO agreed to study the Swift Creek area excluding this route. In addition, CAMPO has started the process, which will include public hearings, to remove the route from the transportation plan.

The Theater

Thursday the council held a work session to review the progress of the downtown theater. The theater is expected to be finished around August of 2013 and will hold approximately 180 people. The project will include significant work on Chatham Street to install new water lines and to create the streetscape. There will be times when Chatham Street is reduced to one lane in this area. This may pose a problem during events like Lazy Daze. All work on the streetscape is scheduled to be completed by the end of the year. As part of the streetscape the town seal located in the middle of Chatham and Academy will be removed. Instead council asked that a seal be placed in a prominent area near that intersection, hopefully in the Fidelity plaza. One note of interest presented at that intersection was that negotiations were ongoing to add another story to the Kitchen and Bath building.

In the previous days and weeks there was a lot of emphasis placed on the theater’s marquee and its lighting by the media. Specifically, the media talked about a neon sign. All that was presented in this update were three possibilities: a baseline marquee, a marquee with a vertical component, and a marquee with a vertical component that is accented by lighting. The council decided they would prefer a marquee accented by lighting. It is too early in the process to decide what type of lighting will be used. While there was some interest expressed by one council member for neon the rest of the council did not seem interested. Contrary of what was reported and implied in the local newspaper in Sunday’s article, the decision on the type of lighting will be made at our next update which is scheduled in the spring.

Carolina Tiger Rescue

Saturday I, along with my wife and oldest daughter, toured the Carolina Tiger rescue outside of Pittsboro. This facility houses abused, neglected and otherwise unwanted large cats (lions, tigers, etc). The public can learn about the plight of these animals through tours and other programs. This is a “no touch” facility which means that hardly anyone ever touches these animals. That is an important rule since many of them were abused by humans throughout their lives. These animals are magnificent creatures and it was a real treat to visit them up close. If you are an animal lover this is a must see.

The Marathi Children’s Theater

Sunday I attended an impressive performance of Kilbil Kalavishkar by children that are a part of The Marathi Children’s Theater group. It was a performance written, produced, and performed by children. I was joined by Mayor Holcombe, Mayor Pro-Tem Johnson, and council member Rao of Morrisville. It was a great time and we were all privileged to be present.

Emails: Cell Phones, Yellow Lights and Cable, Complaints

Emails from staff this week included a response to a citizen concerning emergency 911 coverage in areas with poor cell coverage. The following is the response:

“…I did check with our carriers locally and they do not block 911 calls even during peak periods. This would be a potentially significant liability for them and they have a lot to lose and nothing to gain by blocking 911 calls. However if a caller has made a 911 call and is connected, continues to drive and drives out of the coverage area of that tower and there is no other tower to pick up the call it will be dropped. In addition if the service area is overloaded and no circuits are available or if there is no service at all the caller will not be able to make a 911 call or any other type of call. This is also true for conventional phones. If you cannot get dial tone you can’t make a call. … “

There was also an email from staff to a citizen concerned about short timing on yellow lights and how we set the timing:

“… The yellow light times are calculated based on a nationally accepted equation that uses set parameters such as travel speed, width of the intersection, and approach grade of the road.  Yellow light times at all signalized intersections in Cary are reviewed and approved by the North Carolina Department of Transportation for correctness and consistency.  Each intersection configuration is unique, thus the parameters will be different at each intersection, making the yellow interval timing unique at each intersection.  To ensure that the timings stay correct, the Town performs inspections at every intersection four times a year.  During these inspections, staff checks the signal timing, operational equipment and vehicle detectors.  This operation ensures all traffic signals are operating as designed.  …”

Emails from citizens this week included a complaint about Time Warner Cable rate increases, a complaint that our police department is corrupt because Brad Cooper was convicted, complaints about a potential neon sign at the Cary Theater that is being renovated, chain email complaints about a townhouse proposal on near Mills Park school, a complaint about future round-a-bouts in Cary, and complaints about a potential Costco in the MacGregor shopping center.

Growth, My Soapbox

In the local newspaper on Sunday this week was a story about a potential bond referendum in Cary. This story implied the bond referendum is a tax increase needed because we are not growing fast enough or at a fast rate. There were even quotes stating that there are consequences to “no growth, slow growth”. Unfortunately, I was not asked for my opinion so I will use this medium.

[Begin soapbox]

Whenever something is built in Cary it creates an impact on the town’s infrastructure which includes things such as roads, water, sewer, fire and police protection, etc. While Cary has developer fees to pay for some of the impact of new developments, these fees are set at a competitive rate which is about 60% of the cost of the infrastructure needed. This is an improvement of the less than 10% of the costs (in some cases) before I took office. The remaining portion of the infrastructure cost is absorbed in the tax rate.

It is important to understand that capital projects have operational costs associated with them which are not calculated in the development fee. This is also absorbed in the tax rate. In addition, operational costs have continued to increase over the years yet Cary has not increased taxes in decades. As a result there is a lot of pressure on the tax rate.

For years Cary has continued to do more with less and is one of the most efficient municipalities in the state. For example, the town operates with 8 ½ employees per thousand residents compared to an average of 11.

There are many that argue that slower growth is the reason there are money pressures, implying that a faster growth rate would create more money to pay for infrastructure. While this is partially true it is an incomplete thought. Today’s growth will create money to pay for yesterday’s infrastructure demands created by growth during that time. But today’s growth will also create infrastructure demands for the future. To put it simply, it is like using a credit card to pay off a credit card. Eventually, you will have to pay for that credit card. I believe we are at the point where we are going to have to pay for the infrastructure and associated costs created by years of growth. If not, we will see capital improvements at a much slower rate (as we have the last couple of years) and town operations adjusted to reflect the reduced revenue available. And adjusting town operations is essentially changing the level of service that we provide today. I certainly don’t want that nor do I want a tax increase. So it will be extremely important for council to decide what capital projects are needed to maintain the quality of life we have today, while at the same time create a tax rate that is as low as possible. Currently, we have the lowest tax rate in Wake County and I would like to keep it that way.

[End soapbox]

Next Week

Next week will be busy for me. It will include giving the State of the Town live at a Chamber Breakfast, speaking with other mayors at a panel of realtors, a council meeting, and a policy advisory committee meeting of the Western Wake Partners.

Well that is all for this week. My next post will be on Sunday, January 29th. Please feel free to email me with a comment. Email all Town of Cary questions or comments to Harold.Weinbrecht@townofcary.org. Email personal comments to augustanat@mindspring.com.

From the blog of Cary Mayor Harold Weinbrecht, covering the week through January 8, 2012. Photo by Martin Abeggien.

Cary, NC – This was the first full week of the New Year but included a holiday so things were still a little slower than normal.

On Monday I had dinner with a longtime supporter and talked about the next four years and the new council makeup.

Transit

Tuesday I had a work session on the Wake County Transit Plan. The presentation was given by David Cook, the Wake County Manager, and David King, the Triangle Transit Executive Director.

The transit plan work session lasted about two hours and included the following points:

• The plan is a 25 year plan and includes the approval of the half cents sales tax.
• The half cents sales tax can only be used for new service and cannot be used for existing service. To cover inflation and other costs of existing service the plan recommends increasing vehicle registration fees by $7.
• If the half cents sales tax existed in 2011 it would have created over $53 million.
• By 2017 Raleigh and Cary will combine for 57% of the county’s population.
• The plan would create an additional 322,000 hours of buses which equates to an additional 107 buses running all day.
• Cary’s service will go from approximately 31,000 hours to 85,000 hours.
• The new plan will have a route from downtown Cary to the airport by 2017.
• Currently, some of Cary’s routes run every hour. Within five years all will run every half hour or less.
• Cary will be a transit provider to other municipalities like Apex that do not have a transit system. Providing to other communities will be 100% paid for by the half cents sales tax.
• Commuter rail will not be available for four to six years. New tracks will be needed to accommodate existing freight and additional passenger traffic.
• Core transit, which is the bus along with commuter rail, would use existing state and federal funding along with the half cents sales tax.
• Light rail would require significant federal funding. If funding were available it would still be ten years before it could be implemented according to the plan.
• Total costs for the Wake County bus plan in the first five years would be over $343 million. Approximately $138 million would be from local funding and the rest would use existing state and federal funding.

After the work session the council went into close session to consult with attorneys about the Fairways lawsuit on the town’s only billboard.

Fracking

Wednesday I was contacted by WRAL about fracking. I told them that in December the council directed staff to investigate the impact of fracking in Cary and bring back pros, cons, and recommendations. In addition, I stated that we do not believe fracking will impact Jordan Lake but may impact citizen’s wells. Any request for fracking would require a permit and would fall under zoning regulations. Staff will bring back information to council in a few weeks.

Wednesday evening my meeting with Chatham County mayors was postponed until the 11th. The meeting, called by the Chatham County mayors, is to discuss issues of mutual interest for municipalities in Chatham County.

Costco Coming to MacGregor?

Thursday night and Friday morning WRAL did a story about a potential Costco coming to MacGregor Village Shopping Center. Here is the summation sent from staff to council about the proposal:

In September 2011, the Development Review Committee (an internal development plan review group) held a pre-submittal meeting with representatives from the Costco Wholesale Corporation. Prior to the meeting, representatives submitted the attached application which included an “Existing Conditions Plan,” a “Preliminary Site Plan,” and “Building Elevations.” As with all pre-submittal meetings, staff provided preliminary feedback on the conceptual plan and held a discussion of town requirements and the review process.

The conceptual plan shows all the current buildings except for the existing bank (at the corner of Edinburgh and Highway 64) being demolished and replaced with a 147,000 square foot Costco Building and an associated gas station. Since it appears that nearly the entire site is being changed, the site plan will most likely need to meet all thoroughfare buffer and other Town standards. If the site plan does not meet buffer and other major requirements, the plan will need to be approved by Council. The plan can be approved by staff if it meets our land development requirements.

The site is approximately 21 acres in size and is zoned for General Commercial. A Costco store is a permitted use.

The representatives were asked to submit additional information regarding the uses within the Costco Building to determine whether a traffic impact analysis would be required. As of this date, the representatives have not submitted this information.

Today, I contacted a representative for Costco and they stated that corporation representatives were still negotiating with the current owner of the shopping center (CPG Partners, Indianapolis, Indiana) for the property. It appears that the site plan will not move forward until an agreement is reached.

A pre-submittal application does not constitute a formal site plan submittal so there is no decision before the Town. The next step would be for the applicant to transmit a site plan that meets our submittal requirements. Staff does not know whether or not the applicant will submit a plan.

Based on the emails I have received so far from citizens that live in the area, they have concerns about having a Costco at this location.

Neon

Friday I was interviewed by the Cary News about a marquee proposal for the Cary Theater on Chatham Street that is being renovated.

The reporter was focused mostly on neon. I told him I had not seen the proposal and that I envision a marquee that has very little neon. Needless to say my comments weren’t used.

In my opinion what people want is something spectacular which does not equate to neon. I think we should even think about something creative like maybe using LED lighting.

State of the Town Speech in Glenaire

Saturday I gave the State of the Town live for the first time at Glenaire. There were about three dozen residents in attendance and it was broadcast throughout Glenaire. My presentation lasted twenty to thirty minutes and included slides and pictures. That was followed by a brief Q&A session. Afterwards I talked with residents and then had lunch. It was a good time and I have already been booked for the first Saturday in 2013.

Emails

Emails from citizens this week included a complaint about not seeing the word “Christmas” enough in the Bud publications, a complaint about “misfeasance in the execution” of my duties because of the lack of cell towers, a complaint about cell phone coverage in NW Cary, a recommendation to get involved in the Gig U initiative, a complaint about our automated water meter system, several complaints about the proposed Costco in the MacGregor Shopping center, a request to have police give out vests to those running and biking in the dawn/dusk hours, and a request to get Chatham County to build schools in the Cary portion of Chatham County.

Council/Staff Retreat in Wilmington Next Week

Next week will be a busy week for me and the rest of the council. We will have a regularly scheduled council meeting on Tuesday and travel to Wilmington for the Council/Staff retreat on Thursday. The retreat will be held at the Wilmington Riverside Hilton on 301 North Water Street. Council will start checking in at the hotel around 5 PM and meet for dinner at 6:15. Because a majority of us are meeting we cannot discuss any council related items. In addition, since it is social the council will pay for their own meals. The retreat will begin on Friday morning at 8 AM.

Well that is all for this week. My next post will be on Sunday, January 15th. Please feel free to email me with a comment. Email all Town of Cary questions or comments to Harold.Weinbrecht@townofcary.org. Email personal comments to augustanat@mindspring.com.

From the blog of Cary Mayor Harold Weinbrecht, covering the week through January 1, 2012. Photo of downtown Cary by Hal Goodtree.

Cary, NC – Happy New Year!

This was a holiday week so there is not a lot to report except for the State of the Town Address.

During the week I did talk to the town manager, staff members, and the Mayor Pro-Tem about minor issues. In addition, I talked with a consultant that will be facilitating at the council/staff retreat on January 13th.

I was also interviewed by the local newspaper about the death of Thomas Griffis. While I did not have the honor or pleasure to know or work with Mr. Griffis, I do know he was a council member in the days when planning for Cary’s future was crucial. Without the careful planning of the 1960’s and 1970’s Cary would not be the great town it is today.

State of the Town Address

The State of the Town Address is now available for public review. I started writing the address during the Thanksgiving holidays and passed it to staff for fact checking in mid-December. It was taped on December 22nd (see http://media.townofcary.org/stateofthetown2012.htm).  I will give it live at Glenaire on January 7th and again at the Chamber’s Eye Opener Breakfast on January 25th. I will modify the address slightly for each audience. Here is the text of the last version of the state of the town:

I am very proud to have called Cary my home for more than three decades. Here my wife and I, along with many other Cary citizens, are extremely fortunate to have realized the American dream: We live in a beautiful place where we can raise our families, work in satisfying jobs, and enjoy the good things that life has to offer. Because Cary continues to be a place where dreams are lived, it also continues to be recognized as one of the most desirable destinations in the country.

In fact, in 2011 Cary was the safest community in the state, in the Southeast, and, again, one of the safest in America.  We have the healthiest of 100 US Housing markets, one of the top 5 most inventive cities, and one of the top 4 small cities for quality of life. Cary was recognized as being in the top 5 small cities for economic potential while remaining home to the best company to work for – SAS Institute. I am also proud to note that Cary is the second biggest brain magnet in the US, meaning that it attracts some of the most educated citizens in the world.

We continue to have the best town manager and staff in the state. And I am honored to be a part of a council that is committed and dedicated to working together serving the public. A united council and excellent staff, willing to put in countless hours of service, has helped Cary thrive and prosper. This is a significant achievement especially during these continued uncertain economic times.

2011 was another good year for Cary and I am proud of what we accomplished, and we start 2012 on very solid ground.

Cary remains in a healthy financial position despite the continuing significant, negative financial impacts of the recession. Even so and once again, we have been able to maintain the lowest property tax rate in Wake County with the highest quality of life.

This year like last year, we issued no new debt due to the economic uncertainty. Our debt remains well below our self-imposed 15% limit. Our reserves remain in excess of our 4 month minimum. And our operating costs are very low as Cary operates with 8.3 employees per 1000 citizens compared to the average of 11. These aspects, combined with others allow us to have the highest bond rating possible with all three national agencies.

We all know that residential growth is much slower than in previous years due mostly to these continuing tough economic times.  That said, people are continuing to come to Cary. Cary was on pace to issue more single family permits in Wake County than any other jurisdiction as of November.  Our growth rate is sustainable, remaining close to our targeted 3% and 140,000 people now choose to call Cary home.

Our community continues to attract jobs and we are poised for future economic growth and success. Some of the jobs announced in 2011 included 117 new jobs at Lord Corporation, 200 new jobs at Research in Motion, 70 New jobs at Biologics, and 500 New jobs at SAS. The town continues its strong partnership with the Chamber, aggressively pursuing bringing more high paying jobs to Cary. This influx of jobs has allowed our unemployment rate to remain about half of the state and one of the lowest in the region at 5.7 % as of October.

Cary continues to look for ways to get the highest return for tax dollars invested. Our past investments in our three major sports venues – the Cary Tennis Park, USA Baseball National Training Complex, and Wake Med Soccer Park – generate millions of dollars in economic benefit each year. These three special facilities have had an economic impact of over $31 million in Wake County since they have been in operation. Almost 3 million people have come through the gates as either players or spectators. Based on events and programs anticipated, another 1.5 million people are expected to visit the venues during the next three years.

This year we celebrated the opening of the Cary Arts Center. This is the first of many investments in downtown Cary, which will not only generate economic benefit but provide a great service to our citizens. This year we purchased the historic 19th century Jones-Foy house across from the Cary Arts Center, which we hope will be refurbished to provide service amenities. In addition, we purchased the old Cary Theater on Chatham Street and allocated funding for an adjacent three story building to enhance visits to the theater by our citizens and to provide private office opportunities. We also purchased the Indian Bazaar building, adjacent to the theater, to be renovated as shops and/or restaurants. Money was also appropriated to help improve the façade on that entire block as part of our downtown streetscape. Our Land Development Ordinance was amended to allow more flexibility in downtown development. Through bold visioning, careful planning, and sound investment, our downtown will transition into a vibrant destination and this will, in turn, create many economic development opportunities.

One of Cary’s strengths is providing excellent core services and making sure we invest in our infrastructure, not only for today’s citizens but for tomorrow’s as well. This year we began construction of the Western Wake Wastewater Treatment Facility, which will provide much needed sewer capacity to Apex, Morrisville, and Cary. When this facility comes on line it will serve as many as 230,000 citizens in Wake and Chatham counties; supplying us well into the future.

Our water treatment plant, which we share with Apex, is at about three fourths capacity. Planning has already begun for the next expansion even though conservation efforts will provide enough water capacity for several more years. In the meantime we are exploring ways to improve and protect our water quality at Jordan Lake, our main water source. By using an aeration system we could create better circulation in the lake improving overall water quality.

Aquastar, the Town’s new automated water meter system, will be completed later this year. Not only will this system help detect leaks but it will provide information that can help our citizens with water usage and payments.

Cary’s fire department remains one of the best in the state. All of our firefighters are certified to provide medical assistance as first responders. We continue to hire the best of the best and train in emergency response. Our new fire station at Mills Park Drive, which went out to bid in December, will aid in reducing response times in western Cary when it is online in 2013 and it will include a district office for the Cary Police Department.

As I mentioned, Cary is ranked as the third safest community in the nation for municipalities our size, thanks in large part to the excellent work of our police department. While crime statistics for 2011 show an increase in property crimes, violent crimes dropped 7 percent. Members of our excellent police force continue to look for new and innovative ways to get involved in our communities and help make us even safer. This includes outreach events such as child safety talks, home security surveys, community watch talks. In 2011 Project Phoenix was launched. This program is designed to partner with our apartment property managers and residents to educate, network, facilitate the exchange of information, and reduce the fear of crime in and around our multi-family housing communities. Participating communities must meet several crime prevention requirements and include a Drug and Crime-Free section in their lease.  Education and improved communications between our police and property managers, coupled with this lease section, allows managers to evict residents who commit, or whose guests commit, crime on or near their properties. So far, more than thirty apartment communities have signed on with Project PHOENIX. And let me say that if I had friends or family looking for an apartment, I’d only let them consider one that is PHOENIX certified.

Cary’s park system is recognized as one of the nation’s best. In addition to the venues mentioned earlier and dozens of existing parks, the planning for a new trailhead  park has begun along  Old Reedy Creek Road, which will provide parking and access to trails within Lake Crabtree Park, and the Black Creek Greenway. Speaking of greenways, eight new greenways will be expanded or created to add to our existing 60 miles of greenways – all helping to make Cary one of the most recreationally friendly towns in America.

Entertainment continues to expand in Cary with performances of all types at the Booth Amphitheater. And with the addition of the new Cary Arts Center Theater there will be even more opportunities in the coming years.  In fact, the arts center is nearly fully programmed after being open less than a year.

Cary continues to be one of the environmental leaders in the state. In 2011 SPRUCE, our beautification and litter reduction program had hundreds of volunteers spend hours planting, spreading mulch and removing hundreds of pounds of litter along our highways and roads. To enhance the SPRUCE effort the town launched Adopt a Spot. This new program allows a group to adopt an area, keep it litter free, and beautiful. I was honored to kick off the first Adopt a Spot at Cary High School this past September.

The Town also took other majors steps toward being more environmentally aware in 2011. Energy efficiency enhancements were made to five Town centers like the Town Hall Campus, including LED street lighting. The town will see a proposal from staff this year to provide LED street lighting town wide. If implemented, this would result in substantial savings. An electric vehicle charging station was added at the Cary Arts Center. Idle reduction batteries were added to police and utility vehicles. A hybrid trash truck has will soon be in operation to add to the existing hybrid vehicles already in use. This spring solar panels will be installed at the South Cary Water reclamation facility, with more panels to be installed on the Herb Young Parking deck in 2013. And our sustainability manager continues to look for ways to make us more environmentally friendly and obtaining funds for these initiatives.

C-Tran, the Town’s bus system, experienced significant ridership increases this year. In addition, several new bus shelters were added to the fixed routes. C-Tran is a major part of the plans to expand regional bus service. The half cents sales tax, if approved in Wake County, will result in a doubling of bus transit services by 2017 including express commuter routes to and from Raleigh and other destinations.

When I first took office as mayor four years ago the economy, both nationally and locally, was flourishing. Today there is global financial uncertainty and our nation’s economy continues to struggle with unemployment, debt, foreclosures, and gridlocked governing bodies. Cary is fortunate in that we have been somewhat insulated from these problems but we do have our challenges. These challenges require us to make difficult decisions in the days, weeks, and months ahead and to work together to maintain the high quality of life that our citizens expect; a quality of life which has earned Cary national recognition.

As we move forward into this year we will once again be faced with an increase in demand for services and amenities from an increasing number of new residents while dealing with reduced revenues. It is extremely important that we continue to invest in our future now while keeping taxes low. First and foremost making sure that there is water, sewer, fire and police protection, and parks to serve our population at the highest level of service we can afford, we must remain committed to enhancing our downtown, understanding that investments now not only prevent future problems but create economic development opportunities.

This year we will have to face many tough and complex questions that will need to be answered in a thoughtful and careful way. For example, we must ask what to do with almost $90 million of delayed capital projects. Are these projects still needed?  Which ones are the highest priorities? How do we pay for them?  When do we pay? Do we take on more debt? Which projects can we afford to move forward with now? What happens to service levels for those that continued to be delayed?

Our ability to be successful as a Town is also being challenged as more and more legislation is introduced that will tie our hands and erode our authority at the local level. It is becoming increasingly important to our future that each and every council member, supported by Town staff, work hard to protect our town’s ability to decide what is best for our citizens.

While focusing on existing and past issues we must understand that the world around us is constantly changing. We must change, too, by capitalizing on the innovation and talent of our community. We need to become more technical and reaffirm the title as the “technology town”. While we have already taken some steps in this direction we must do more. Smart phone technology is here to stay and we must be integrated with it and other social media.

In closing and as I begin my second term as Mayor, I have to say that I’ve never been prouder to serve you and to work with my Council colleagues to keep Cary the place you want it to be.  Our quality of life remains one of the best in the nation, and we continue to move forward despite the worst recession since the Great Depression.  All that Cary has become and all that Cary will be is rooted in the values, vision, and commitment of the wonderful, talented people who have come from all over the world to call Cary home.  And by continuing to work together, we can fully achieve our bright and promising future.

From Staff – CTP Lighting, Biennial Survey

Information from staff this week included additional lighting at the Cary Tennis Park. There will be two additional poles and 5 fixtures with LED lighting.

Staff also notified the council and public about the beginning of the Town’s biennial survey.  Consultants will start contacting more than 400 Cary residents asking them to state their opinions on how well their government works for them.  Topics will include solid waste, taxes, safety, quality of life, customer service, communications, street repair, and recreation programs.  The scientific poll will be conducted via telephone throughout the month of January, with citizens being asked to spend about 25 minutes answering about 60 questions.

Emails: Bio Solids, Rezoning, Traffic, Tax Decrease

Emails from citizens this week included a complaint about the proposed bio solids at our new waste water facility, a complaint about a proposed rezoning near Southbridge, a complaint about DOT putting in a turn lane on Holly Springs Road, a complaint about several issues related to DOT intersections and school bus stops, and a recommendation to refund the town’s surplus in the form of a tax decrease.

Next Week

Next week will see the pace pick up for me and the rest of the council. We will have a transportation work session on Tuesday which should be interesting. I also have a potential meeting with Chatham County mayors on Wednesday but that has not been confirmed. And as I mentioned, I will be giving the State of the Town on Saturday.

Well that is all for this week. My next post will be on Sunday, January 8th. Please feel free to email me with a comment. Email all Town of Cary questions or comments to Harold.Weinbrecht@townofcary.org. Email personal comments to augustanat@mindspring.com.

From the blog of Cary Mayor Harold Weinbrecht, covering the week through December 18, 2011. Photo of Gurkan’s holiday-decorated Mercedes by Hal Goodtree.

Cary, NC – This was a busy week with meetings, events, and dinners.

Monday

Monday started with the agenda call to all council members, and council-elect, to see if they had any questions or issues with the upcoming agenda for Thursday’s meeting. I was able to contact all council members except Robinson.

At the agenda meeting we mostly went over the meeting process since there will be the oath of office for four of us. We also talked about a few issues that were raised by council members. The town attorney noted that we will have five items in closed session. Based on all of this my prediction for the conclusion of the meeting is 11:30.

Too Many Lawsuits

After the agenda meeting I met with the town attorney to go over current issues and lawsuits. Based on recent legislation, filing a lawsuit against a municipality has been made easier. This means that legal expenses for all towns will increase. This is very disappointing since many lawsuits may be frivolous.

Mayors and Town Managers Meet

Tuesday started with a meeting of the Western Wake Partners Policy Advisory Committee (PAC). This committee is made up of the mayors and town managers of Apex, Morrisville, and Cary. We are responsible for making decisions related to the Western Wake Wastewater Treatment Facility. The only decisions at this meeting were to approve a construction contract and to delay decisions on others and to delay an interlocal agreement. We will address the delayed items at our next meeting.

After the PAC meeting I met with the town manager and the staff member in charge of the council/staff retreat in January. Our main focus was how to structure the team building portion of the retreat. Based on our discussion we will probably have a two hour session on Friday morning of the retreat. But of course that is subject to change at this stage.

Tribute to Meeker

Later Tuesday I attended a reception for outgoing Raleigh Mayor Meeker at the Raleigh Convention Center. The event was very well attended and included former elected officials and current elected officials.

I was able to talk with several including Mayor Bell from Durham, Mayor Killen from Knightdale, and several members from Raleigh council and chamber. Several people spoke before Meeker including representatives from his law firm. The Convention Center ballroom was named after Meeker and artwork was commissioned by his partners. In addition, a plaque will be installed in the lobby.

It was a fitting event for the longest serving elected official of Raleigh. He also tied for the longest serving mayor. I enjoyed working with Meeker over the years and he will be missed.

Cary and D.C.

Wednesday night I had a dinner meeting with representatives from the Ferguson group, our federal lobbyists from Washington D.C., our town manager, and our staff liaison to state and federal governments. We discussed the ongoing climate in Washington and how it will impact our ability to receive grants as we have in the past.

Last year we spent most of our visit in Washington visiting granting agencies which we believe was very beneficial. This coming February we will likely use the same strategy. Our goal is simple. Bring more of our tax dollars back to Cary.

Representatives from the Ferguson group will be part of our council/staff retreat in January and will help with how to best interact with state and federal officials.

Forecast for Cary Economic Climate: Flurries Now Mild Later

Thursday started with a meeting of the Economic Development Governing board. In attendance were the Chamber President, the Chamber Chair, the Chamber Vice President of Economic Development, the town manager, the budget director, mayor pro-tem Robison, council member Robinson, and me.

They reported a “flurry” of economic development activity but warned that next year would probably be slower because election years are usually slower. The also reported that our vacancy rates for Class A office was about 12% (7% or less is desirable) adding that Class A office was leasing at Class B rates.

The quarterly report given by the Chamber Vice President of Economic Development included the following:

• Epic games last launch of an application sold for $2.99 and generated $20 million in revenue. Their newest application is $6.99 and is expected to generate much more.
• SmallHD, that makes High definition monitors and viewfinders, noted they were moving to MacGregor Park and employ 40 individuals.
• A biopharmaceutical project is expected to invest $80 million in Cary. They will employ at least 125 individuals making an average of $90,000 a year.
• KeneXa Corporation, which provides employment and retention services, is signing two additional leasing contracts in Weston and will bring 100 additional jobs.
• The “Factory”, which is a sports and retail venue in Wake Forest, is looking to open a similar facility in Cary. It would be a 100,000 square foot facility on 30 acres.
• Overall office vacancy is 15% with class A at 12%. Retail vacancy rates are at 11%
• For the 13th consecutive year Cary has been named one of the nation’s safest municipalities with a ranking of 3rd.
• Cary’s unemployment rate at the end of October was 5.7% compared to 7.7% in Wake County, 8.4% in RTP, 10.5% in North Carolina, and 9.0% in the rest of the United States.

Oaths

Later Thursday I attended a reception for the newly elected council members at the Page Walker. It was a well-attended event with several past and current elected officials and many supporters. I was honored to be able to talk with former Mayor Harold Ritter and his wife. The event lasted about an hour and then all of us headed over to the council chambers to prepare for the meeting that includes the oath of office.

Before the meeting, each group doing the oath of office practiced and signed all legal documents. Once the council meeting started I recognized current and past officials and then called on members to take the oath one at a time.

Council member Adcock went first, followed by council member Frantz, then me, and then newly elected council member Bush.

I had the privilege of being given the oath by the honorable mayor of Morrisville, Jack Holcombe. This was special especially since we have known each other since our adult daughters were in pre-school. It was also nice since I gave her oath two years before.

Others giving the oath included Justice Hudson for council member Adcock, Town Clerk Roland for council member Frantz, and Secretary of State Marshall for council member Bush. After the swearing in ceremony we took a 10 minute break before beginning our regularly scheduled council meeting.

Adcock

The December council meetings is usually one of our longest and by that standard, it was a relatively short meeting ending around 10:30. It was a full agenda starting with the election of the Mayor Pro-Tem.

Mrs. Adcock was nominated by council member Frantz, seconded by former Mayor Pro-Tem Robison, and unanimously elected by the council.

Mrs. Robison served four years as Mayor Pro-Tem attending numerous meetings on the town’s behalf. She did a fantastic job and I am so very proud of her. It will be difficult to fill her shoes.

Appointments

The next part of the meeting was the mayor’s appointments of council members to various positions within and outside Cary. I worked on these appointments for weeks to try and create more of a balance for council members.

Notable appointments include Mr. Frantz as the Chairman of the town’s Planning and Development committee and Mrs. Robinson as Chairman of the town’s Operations committee. I also asked that council allow an additional appointment to the Economic Development Governing Board which was approved. That board will now include Mrs. Robinson, Mr. Smith, and me. The rest of the appointments were liaisons to boards and commissions and were as follows:

• Mrs. Bush to Citizen Issue Review Committee
• Mr. Smith to Economic Development
• Mrs. Robison to Environmental
• Mrs. Bush to Information Services
• Mr. Frantz to Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Resources
• Mrs. Adcock to Planning and Zoning
• Mrs. Robinson to Public Art
• Mr. Frantz to Town Center
• Mr. Smith to Zoning Board of Adjustment

The appointments to liaison positions outside the town were divided up so that no one council member would have such a heavy load as Ms. Robison did the last four years. These appointments were as follows:

• Mrs. Robison, Mrs. Robinson, and Mrs. Bush to Chatham County/Cary Joint committee
• Mrs. Robinson, Mrs. Adcock, and myself to Morrisville/Cary Joint committee
• I with Mrs. Adcock as alternate to Transportation Advisory Committee
• Mrs. Adcock to the Metropolitan Coalition
• Mrs. Robinson with Mrs. Robison as alternate to Triangle J Governing Board of Delegates
• Mrs. Robison with Mr. Smith as alternate to Triangle J Development and Infrastructure Partnership
• Mr. Smith with Mrs. Robison as alternate to Triangle J Center of Region Enterprise
• Mrs. Robison with Mr. Smith as alternate to Triangle J Water Resources Advisory Committee
• Mr. Frantz with Mrs. Bush as alternate to Triangle J Smart Growth Committee
• I with Mrs. Adcock as alternate to Triangle Area Mayors Group
• Mr. Smith to Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau
• Mrs. Robinson with Mrs. Adcock as alternate to Tri-Map (Triangle Mobility Partnership)
• Mrs. Robinson with Mrs. Adcock as alternate to Wake County Regional Elected Officials Transit Roundtable
• Mr. Smith and Mr. Frantz to Wake County Growth Issues Task Force
• Mr. Frantz to Friends of the Page Walker Board of Directors
• Mr. Smith to Sister Cities Association

Employee of the Year

Next in our meeting was the recognition of Cary’s Employee of the year. This year Police Officer Tony Melendez was the recipient. He has done a fantastic job receiving accolades from citizens. Congratulations Tony.

Annexations, Rezonings, and Development

The meeting also included several public hearings including annexations, rezonings, and land development amendments. A quasi-judicial hearing was held for a site plan on the old Austin Food site off Chatham Street. The main concerns seem to focus on the soil contamination. Council approved the request. The council also approved the sidewalk list which includes:

A. SE Cary Parkway from Kildaire Farm Commercial Park to Seabrook Avenue – $59,200
B. W. Chatham Street-missing gap at 404 W. Chatham Street – $6,260
C. SE Cary Parkway from Coorsdale Drive to Thursdale Drive – $82,380
D. Bissett Drivefrom Farmington Woods Drive to High Meadow Drive – $55,388
E. Westhigh Street from Tussled Ivy Way to Westwood Baptist Church – $24,420
F. Queensferry Road (Phase IV) from Govan Lane to Glasgow Road – $153,850
G. McCrimmon Parkwayfrom Twin Lakes Drive to Davis Drive – $78,100

There were four council initiated requests from council. Three directed staff to come back with information and recommendations. Those included:

• Tethering of dogs
• Trap, Neuter, and Return of Cats
• Fracking in Cary

The fourth item which would join Raleigh in removing the Cary Parkway extension from the Comprehensive Transportation Plan was directed to the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization to study. My preference was to have this removed from the transportation plan for several reasons:

• It would better serve the region closer to Penny Road
• Raleigh as requested the majority of the road be removed
• Its purpose would mostly funnel traffic through Cary to and from Raleigh which would not benefit Cary as much as Raleigh.

The council also addressed an employee incentive program proposal. Staff will come back to us with more information on this at our January meeting.

Friday and Saturday Events

Friday I attended a retirement ceremony for the doctor that has been looking out for me for over 10 years. What is special about this doctor is that he not only prescribed medicine but took time and did research to figure out why certain things happened to me. He is responsible for a vitamin regiment I use that has doubled my energy. I wish all doctors were as dedicated as he.

Friday night my wife and I attended the Holiday Suite performance of the International Ballet Company. The talent of these kids was amazing and it was a great show. I understand that these kids practice over 20 hours a week and some of them are homeschooled to allow for more practice. They really help put Cary on the map when it comes to the performing arts. I look forward to attending their next performance.

Saturday I attended two Christmas parties. Both were great parties including one at Wake County Commissioner Portman’s house where we sang Christmas carols.

Emails: Lower Grants, Goose Busters

In emails this week, staff reported that they received a rather data-heavy email from HUD regarding our CDBG (Community Development Block Grant) allocation for next year. HUD incorporated the 2010 Census information into an allocation formula. Cary’s share has increased by about 4% compared to other entitlement cities. Most of the increase is due to a relative increase in persons living in poverty and an increase in pre-1940’s housing. Allocations to the CDBG program for 2012 are expected to be down by 11% over current year figures. The net effect of our increase in share, and the decrease in CDBG allocations, is that our CDBG grant for next year is expected to fall from $452,429 (FFY 2011) to $420,150 (FFY 2012), a net decline of 7.1%.

In other emails I received a solicitation from Goose Busters III. This business uses border collies to chase away geese which I think is an interesting idea.

Emails from citizens included a complaint about the noise and odor at the dump, the need for a traffic light at the Whitebridge subdivision, a complaint about town information on a sewer hookup, and a request to exclude a portion of Lochmere from the town’s leash law.

Next week slows down as we approach the Christmas Holidays. I have a few more luncheons and dinners to go along with a couple of meetings and the taping of the State of the Town.

Well that is all for this week. My next post will be on Sunday, December 25th. Please feel free to email me with a comment. Email all Town of Cary questions or comments to Harold.Weinbrecht@townofcary.org. Email personal comments to augustanat@mindspring.com.

From the blog of Cary Mayor Harold Weinbrecht, covering the week through December 11, 2011. Photo by Hal Goodtree.

Cary, NC -  This week was filled with events and meetings.

Since I had no scheduled meetings or events on Monday, I spent time on the State of the Town message. During the rest of the week I reviewed and fact checked the best I could. Tomorrow it goes to the Public Information Office for further fact checking and review. We will tape it the following week for Cary TV and I will give it live for the first time at Glennaire on January 7th.

Tuesday I had a phone meeting with the town manager to catch up on items. There was really nothing new and only status updates which is the reason we decided to use the phone.

Later Tuesday I went over my appointments of council members to inner town committees and external committees. It is important that council members share responsibility and are placed in an environment that they can provide the most benefit to the town. My appointments will be the first order of business after I am sworn in for my second term on December 15th.

Heart of Carolina Food Drive

Wednesday was a very busy day. It started in the morning with brief on air spot with WTVD for the Heart of Carolina Food Drive. I have done this each year as a mayor. Basically, I go on air and urge everyone to bring can food by to fill up the truck. These trucks are located in Cary, Raleigh, Durham, and Fayetteville. The contents will be distributed to the various agencies that serve the public such as the soup kitchens.

I believe Cary and its citizens are blessed. We all should give at least a little to help those that are not as fortunate as we are.

Honored to be Mayor, Citizens Assisting Police

At mid-day I had the honor and privilege of being the greeter of several hundred employees at the town’s holiday luncheon. I was joined by council member Smith and council-elect Bush. This year I shook hands with 600 to 650 people. I was then able to give them a few words of thanks before I left. The 1100 folks that work at the town of Cary have dedicated their lives to service. It is because of them we enjoy such a high quality of life. Words cannot thank them enough for the great job they do. I am honored to be their mayor.

On Wednesday night after a private dinner meeting I attended CAP (Citizens Assisting Police) team appreciation dinner held at Bradford Hall in the Carolina Preserves. CAP is a great group that enjoys helping and each other. There are over 150 active CAP members compared to just over 180 Cary Police Officers.

Hopefully one day we will have a one to one ratio. I gave a few comments which included:

“… I always say that the hallmark of Cary’s strength and success lies in the ideas, talent, and commitment of the people who call our community home.

… Regardless of race, age, city or country of origin, those who come to Cary give back to Cary, making Cary one of the greatest places to live, work, do business, raise a family, and retire in America.

… As CAP team volunteers, you expand the reach of programs and activities, and you offer knowledge, energy, and expertise. …”

I had a great time and I believe the hundred or so in attendance did as well.

Council Photos, St. Charles Place

Thursday the council had their group picture taken. This is the picture that will be on the website until the group changes or four years pass. The photographer took two sets of pictures. I was right-center on the first set and center on the second set. One thing that was a first was the photographer letting us do a silly picture. I don’t believe we will ever see it or it will ever see the light of day but I am hoping it does.

Later Thursday I participated in the Planning and Development meeting. There was only one item which was about the 2003 agreement with St. Charles Place for road widening.  Currently, the terms of the agreement are ten years. The applicant requested a ten year extension.  Staff and the committee recommended extending the certificate of offset for five years.

Christmas Events and the Skittles Incident

Saturday afternoon I had the joy of riding in the Cary Jaycees Christmas parade. I rode along with council members Smith and Adcock. It was a lot of fun and I threw out lots of candy. My apologies go out to Cary Citizen editor Hal Goodtree who I hit in the head with a packet of skittles while he was taking a picture. Sorry about that Hal!

Saturday night I had the privilege of participating in the first, of what I hope are many, tree lighting at the New Waverly Place. It was very well attended with lots of families. The biggest draws were the snow with sledding and Santa Claus himself. The new owner of the shopping center promises several new stores and restaurants in January. I can’t wait!

Cary Cop Tony Menendez is Employee of the Year

In news from staff this week, Tony Menendez was named Employee of the Year. Tony is a senior police officer and was chosen out of 25 nominees from nearly 1,200 employees. He was honored with a plaque and will receive a $1,000 savings bond. The council will recognize him at the December 15th regular meeting.

Senior Center Closed for Repairs

In other news the Senior Center will close from December 19, 2011 through January 15, 2012 while crews upgrade the building’s heating and air. This is good news for most of the program participants who have complained about temperatures for years. Most of the programs will continue as scheduled in other Town facilities. During the closure, Cary Senior Center administration, including C-Tran services, will operate out of Jordan Hall, on Harrison Avenue. Staff will contact participants with adjusted program location information.

Current Cary Projects

Staff released a list of current projects this week. These can be viewed at:

Town of Cary/Planning/Active Projects – PDF

Some of the most recent submittals include a Walgreens at Waverly Place, Phase 2 development at Weatherstone Springs, 51 single family homes in the Westvale subdivision off of Green Hope School Road, and 206 apartments at Tryon Road and Cary Parkway.

Wake County has provided an overview of the draft Transit Plan on its website at http://www.wakegov.com/transportation/transitplan.htm. This page, which is a brief overview, has links the entire plan, the executive summary and the appendixes. The council will review this topic at its January 3rd work session.

Third Safest in the Nation

Cary was named the third safest in the nation among municipalities with populations of 100,000 to 499,999 by CQ Press.

Cary keeps its status as the highest-ranked municipality in North Carolina and in the southeast among the nation’s safest cities overall.

This year, Cary ranked 11th safest overall when compared with every community of any size in the report. The rankings are based on final 2010 crime statistics. To see the rankings of all cities go to http://os.cqpress.com/citycrime/2011/City_Lo-Hi_2011.pdf. You will notice the next closest city to Cary is Raleigh at 164.

This coming week will be a full week for me with the highlight being the beginning of my second term.

Well that is all for this week. My next post will be on Sunday, December 18th. Please feel free to email me with a comment. Email all Town of Cary questions or comments to Harold.Weinbrecht@townofcary.org. Email personal comments to augustanat@mindspring.com.

From the blog of Cary Mayor Harold Weinbrecht, covering the week through December 4, 2011. Photo of Old Time Winter Festival by Hal Goodtree.

Cary, NC – This week’s activities were comprised mostly of meetings and events.

Northwoods Elementary: Courage

Monday I was a “character education” reader at Northwoods Elementary. The county school system has a character trait each month and the schools focus activities around this character trait. This month’s character trait was courage. I read a fictional book to the entire fourth grade class based on courage. It was about a tiny girl in a Far East empire that saved the emperor, her father, from evil people. After reading I went and visited each class and answered questions. The students were a well behaved and an intelligent group of kids and I had a wonderful time. I hope to be invited back again soon.

Bonding Authority: Tax Increase?

On Tuesday I met with the town manager for our regularly scheduled meeting. Joining us was Scott Fogelman, Cary’s Budget Director, and Mayor Pro-Tem Robison. Our discussion centered on existing bonding authority and the potential for future bonding authority. Our current bonding authority, approved by voters in 2003, has not been completely used. It will expire in 2013. If we use that bonding authority it will probably require a tax increase. Unfortunately, many people were told by elected officials in 2003 (including me) that taxes would not go up if those bonds were approved. So I would have a difficult time supporting using that authority because it would increase taxes. On the other hand, we have close to $90 million in capital projects that are becoming more and more needed. Continuing to delay these projects could eventually result in levels of service to drop in Cary. So council will have tough decisions to make in the coming months on how to proceed with this bonding authority.

On Wednesday night my wife and I had dinner with a good friend and political ally. It was nice to have time to spend with friends.

Cell Towers on Town Property

Thursday started with a meeting about cell towers with an individual that wants them on town property.  He is interested in working with the town to place towers in prime locations. After the meeting I spoke briefly with town management about this and they are already working on moving in that direction. So we may start seeing cell towers on town property in the coming months.

Town Employee Health Programs and Sidewalks

Later that evening I joined council member Robinson for the Operations Committee. We had nine items on consent and two for discussion. The first discussion item was about a health program for town employees which the committee unanimously supported.

The second item was about what sidewalks to build with this year’s funding of $500,000. Each year sidewalks are prioritized based on a set of criteria and built based on funding appropriated. The remaining sidewalks on the list are to be evaluated during next year’s budget. Staff said that approximately 15 sidewalks are added to the list each year. The committee agreed with the staff on this year’s recommend for sidewalks. The recommendation included three sidewalks that were pulled off the sidewalk priority list because they involved more than just building sidewalks. In other words, they were significant capital projects. These were Jenks Carpenter Road from High House Road to Collins Road, Optimist Farm Road from Glade Hill Drive to entrance of West Lake Middle School, Widdington Lane from High House Road to Fawley Court. For these sidewalks to be built the council would have to add them to our capital projects list.

Thursday night my wife and I hosted several people to discuss retiring debt at our church. It is clear that debt is an issue that confronts us on every level.

8th Annual Old Time Winter Festival

Saturday morning I had the honor of giving welcoming comments for the 8th Annual Old Time Winter Festival in downtown Cary. I was joined by council member Frantz and Wake County Commissioner Portman who used to serve on our council. After my comments a group from Cary High School sang several holiday songs. They were outstanding.

Cary Legends and Christmas Tree Lighting (and Trains)

Saturday night I had the privilege of leading the lighting of the Cary Christmas Tree.

There were several outstanding performances before we got to the tree lighting portion of the celebration. Before one rendition of Silent Night we were interrupted by a freight train and so we waited five minutes for it to pass while the emcees (characters George Baily and Clarence Odbody from ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ adlibbed). Then a dance and song group, a few groups later, was interrupted by yet another freight train. The group took it in stride, kept dancing with the music, and waited for the train to pass.

After all the acts (and trains) I introduced the tree lighter. The tree lighter is always one of Cary’s finest citizens that have demonstrated love for the town. This year’s 2011 Official Tree lighter was no exception. Jimmy Burns, who was band director at Cary High School from 1965 to 1994, was our honorable lighter. He led the Cary High School band in performances in Switzerland, the Rose Bowl parade, and the Orange Bowl parade. We couldn’t have picked a better tree lighter.

There were several notables in the crowd including former mayors Booth and Ritter. Mayor Ritter told me that he brought in the first tree for the first tree lighting 24 years ago. I would like to know more about that event (hint to media that is reading my blog). The event was a great success and was well attended.

AA Bankruptcy

Information passed to me this week included a message from American Airlines announcing the bankruptcy filing. They assured us that no jobs would be lost at the Cary call center in MacGregor Park.

Emails

Emails this week included complaints about cell towers, garbage truck safety, the decision to renovate the Cary Theater downtown, lighting at the tennis center, landscaping at the McDonalds at Cary Glen and Green Level Church Road, and the cost of tying into the town’s sewer.

Next week will be much like this week with meetings and events. The week will be capped off by the Cary Christmas parade on Saturday.

Well that is all for this week. My next post will be on Sunday, December 11th. Please feel free to email me with a comment. Email all Town of Cary questions or comments to Harold.Weinbrecht@townofcary.org. Email personal comments to augustanat@mindspring.com.

From the blog of Cary Mayor Harold Weinbrecht, covering the week through November 27, 2011. 

Cary, NC – This week was a holiday week so there were just a few events and meetings.

Mayors Association

Monday I met with the Wake County mayors at our monthly Mayors Association meeting.

All mayors were in attendance except Mayor Eagles of Rolesville and Mayor Sears of Holly Springs. Joining Mayor Meeker from Raleigh was Mayor-Elect McFarlane. We said our goodbyes to outgoing Mayor Meeker and Mayor Broadwell of Wendell.

In our first order of business we elected new officers for the Mayors Association. The new president will be Mayor Holcombe of Morrisville and the new vice-president will be Mayor Eagles of Rolesville.

Our meeting was full of great dialog. We were honored to find out that Mayor Byrne of Fuquay will receive Papal Honors from the Catholic Church on December 6th. He blessed us with the great story of his involvement in the church from an altar boy up until today.

In other discussion the mayors talked about the legislators and various topics associated with their actions. One general feeling was that municipality’s authority is increasingly threatened. We adjourned around 8:30.

We Can’t Support Lowerering Standards or Increased Cost

Tuesday I held a brief meeting with the town manager via the phone. Our main topic of conversation was on the last work session on the Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance and the Transportation Development Fees.

I expressed my displeasure with the direction the consultant was going and that I would find it difficult to support anything that would lower our standards or place more of the infrastructure cost burden on the citizens.

Police Oaths of Office

Wednesday I was the keynote speaker Oath of Office ceremony for nine new police officers. It was an honor and a privilege for me to address these new officers. While some of them were new officers most of them served in other police departments around the state. In my comments I talked about how the Cary Police Department is the best of the best and how the standards are set very high.

After the ceremony I was able to spend some time with motorcycle officer Chad Penland and talk about his recovery from the accident in July. He still has a way to go but remains very positive and is eager to get back to work. What an incredible guy.

Thankful

Thursday was Thanksgiving. I was blessed to have so many family members over to celebrate. In addition to my wife and daughters I had my brother, Aunt Fellas (former Mayor Bond’s wife) and her youngest son, Tim and daughter, Lisa. We had a fantastic time and of course a lot of good food. My cousin, Lisa, gave me a lot of Mayor Bond’s notes and pictures to look over. For example, there were old pictures of the dedication of town hall.  I will be going over to the copy machine soon to preserve these treasures.

Rallying with Morrisville’s Rao

Friday started with a tennis meeting with council-elect Steve Rao of Morrisville. We hit tennis balls for about an hour and talked a little politics. Steve is very eager to serve in Morrisville. That should be an interesting council since it has so many new faces.

Council-Elect Bush

Later Friday I met with council-elect Lori Bush. We went over her ideas and goals. I am confident that she will be a fantastic addition to Cary’s council.

Expanding WakeMed Soccer Park and Sewer Mains

Information from staff this week included the Wake Med Soccer Park expansion which has now begun and is expected to take ten months. It will increase stadium seating and will add new team facilities, restrooms, concessions and multipurpose space in a new three-story building that will be constructed on the stadium’s east side.

In other news the town announced the beginning of a sewer main project along Holly Springs Road. This will go from Birkhaven to Penny Road. This is sure to cause traffic issues on this heavily traveled two-lane winding road. So be careful!

Cary – Low Fees/Low Taxes

Staff also issued an annual report on taxes and fees. Cary has the fourth lowest property taxes and utility fees in the county if you add city and county property taxes, water/sewer, solid waste and recycling fees. Based on property valued at $316,000, Cary’s total taxes and fees would be $3935 compared to the highest in Zebulon at $4899 and the lowest in Raleigh at $3740.

The town’s water and sewer rates were 6th out of the 12 municipalities in Wake County.  It was also important to see that out of the largest municipalities in the state, Cary taxes and fees were among the lowest. The report also gives a historic view of our property taxes which have gone from 54 cents, just a few years ago, to our current 33 cents tax rate.

Emails: Noise and Smells, and Events

Emails this week had continued complaints about noise and odor at our facility on Dixon Avenue, and a McDonalds at Cary Glen and Green Level Church Road. Other emails included several invitations to various events.

Next week will be busier and will include a trip to Northwoods Elementary, a homeowner’s association meeting, an operations committee meeting, and the town’s tree lighting ceremony.

Well that is all for this week. My next post will be on Sunday, December 4th. Please feel free to email me with a comment. Email all Town of Cary questions or comments to Harold.Weinbrecht@townofcary.org. Email personal comments to augustanat@mindspring.com.

From the blog of Cary Mayor Harold Weinbrecht, covering the week through November 20, 2011. Photo by Angela & Andrew.

Cary, NC – This week was a busy one.

Cary and Morrisville Joint Subcommittee – Transportation and Development

It started with a joint subcommittee meeting of the Cary and Morrisville councils at the historic Christian Church of Morrisville. In attendance were council members Robinson, Adcock, and me from Cary and council members Diehl, Johnson, and Mayor Holcombe from Morrisville. Topics of discussion included Highway 54 corridor, bus service in the region as part of the regional plan, and land development comparisons. The bus service transit plan took up most of our discussion time. Presentations showed a more than 100% increase in bus service if the ½ cent sales tax referendum passes. It looks like that referendum will be on the November 2012 ballot. If it doesn’t pass then Cary and Morrisville will work on extending C-Tran into Morrisville. To prepare for our next meeting in March, we agreed that we would discuss the hotel/motel/food and beverage tax.

Tuesday started with a round of calls to council members to see if they had any issues or concerns with Thursday’s council meeting agenda. There were no concerns expressed by the council members I contacted.

I, along with a couple council co-sponsors, will add an item to the agenda to direct staff to present pros and cons of removing the Cary Parkway extension from the thoroughfare plan. If approved they will report back to council in December along with a prepared resolution to present to the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization for removal of the road extension. The reasons behind this request include the fact that Raleigh, which has 90% of the extension, has already requested that their portion be removed. In addition, the planned road extension crosses environmentally sensitive areas in the Swift Creek watershed. Studies have also shown that a route further south would accommodate traffic better by eliminating North/South movement to reach the East/West connector.

That afternoon I met with administration and directors to go over the agenda. There was not a lot of discussion but we did talk about the presentations and the special use process. I predicted the meeting would last close to midnight.

Citizens Needed

Later that evening the council met in the first of two work sessions. The first work session was on transportation and growth strategies. A consultant presented a set of recommendation from two groups: a focus group of 20+ developers and a group of a couple of citizens.

Council suggested that a bigger group of citizens be involved for the input and that the focus groups be combined. In addition, council eliminated 6 of the 25 tools presented on the grounds they would never be considered. I have serious questions about most of the remaining tools because they involve lowering standards and levels of service and/or requiring more citizen subsidies of infrastructure for development.

Theater

Our second work session was to give direction on how to proceed with the downtown theater. The council had the option to just renovate the tiny theater or build an additional three story building annex.

The addition would allow for backstage facilities for expanded programming, provide for additional lobby overflow and address many of the storage needs.  The backstage would provide for both men’s and women’s separate dressing rooms, equipment storage, isolation of mechanical equipment and loading and unloading areas that would allow for larger-scale performances.  While all of the programming areas in the original theater would be accommodated, the additional building would allow larger bands to perform. In addition, larger theatrical events could take place and because of having equipment on site, programming time would be maximized due to not needing to take up time for bringing in equipment.  Lobby restrooms could be larger which increases audience satisfaction, concession storage could be on-site as well as the equipment needed to maintain flexibility for performances.  Similar to the Page-Walker expansion, the original building could be devoted to more of its original function while support areas which include an elevator (that is now required), storage, mechanical could be accommodated in the addition.  Finally, the upper floors in the addition could be rental spaces or accommodate additional programming.

The council approved the second option. The cost of the addition was an additional $1.7 million which will come out of the $8 million allocated for downtown.

Other Downtown News

In other downtown news given at the work session, the downtown manager reported that land acquisition of the town site across from the Cary Arts Center has almost been completed. He also reported that the Indian Bazar building, which was Mitchell’s drug store when I was growing up, has been purchased. This building, adjacent to the Cary Theater, will be given a new façade and leased. The town manager also notified us that property that belongs to the Suggs has been purchased. Plans are forthcoming about this property.

Cary Matters

Wednesday started with the December taping of Cary Matters. My co-host for the month was council member Frantz. We usually do very well together and this taping was no exception. We were done within 30 minutes. The main topic for the December Cary Matters will be cell towers so make sure to tune into Cary TV or watch it online.

Saving Cats

Wednesday night council member Frantz and I met with interested parties of Trap/Neuter/Return cats (TNR) project in Cary. Currently TNR is ongoing in Chatham Estates and the mobile Estates mobile home parks with much success. They are totally funded by Cat Angels Pet Adoptions, Safe Haven for Cats, Operation Catnip, SPCA of Wake County, and Wake Voice for Animals.

Cary’s ordinance only allows animal control to give callers one option when reporting a stray. That is to have the animal carried to the shelter to be euthanized. If the ordinance were changed to allow TNR as an option then more cats would be saved and the costs of the animal shelter would be reduced.

Council member Frantz agreed to bring this forward to our December meeting and I will co-sponsor.

2011 Hometown Spirit Award – Keith Bliss

Thursday was a busy day. It started with a reception for Cary’s hometown spirit award nominees. The Hometown Spirit Award is awarded each year to one Cary resident who enhances the quality of life in Cary by preserving, promoting and carrying out positive and quantifiable traditional small-town community values and traits. This year we were blessed with four outstanding nominees that included Mary Lou Addor, Kerry Beach, Keith Bliss, and Scott Korbin. It’s a shame that we could only pick one. Later that evening in the council meeting I, along with 2010 award winner Kay Struffolino, had the pleasure of awarding the 2011 Hometown Spirit award to Keith Bliss. Congratulations Keith!

Recognition of Jessica Elliott for Saving Motorcycle Officer’s Life

Thursday night’s council meeting was a long one. It not only included the Hometown Spirit award but  the recognition of Jessica Elliott who saved the life of Officer Chad Penland. On July 15, 2011, Ms. Elliott and her young daughter were traveling on Highway 55 and witnessed the vehicular accident of on-duty Town of Cary Motorcycle Officer Chad Penland. Ms. Elliott, a registered nurse, immediately called 911 and rendered life-saving aid and comfort to Officer Penland. It was an emotional ceremony to hear from both Penland and Elliott and to see the bond they have created.

After recognitions the council moved into the regular portion of the meeting which included two quasi-judicial hearings. These hearings and other business lasted until about 10 PM when the council went into closed session to discuss two issues. We adjourned our meeting around 10:30 which was better than I expected. Usually November and December meetings, since they are the only meetings of the month, last a long time. Our next meeting will be on December 15th when the elected council members take their oath of office.

Cary Hosts General Federation of Women’s Club of North Carolina

On Friday I had the pleasure of giving welcoming comments to the General Federation of Women’s Club of North Carolina. This group holds a fall conference every two years to coordinate and review policies, programs, and goals. My comments thanked them for choosing Cary as the host city and to enjoy all that Cary has to offer.

Emails

Emails this week included one from Dorcas ministry that had a link to their Capital Campaign video project. It was hosted by Bill Leslie of WRAL. I also had a small part. To see the video go to http://youtu.be/E5_mhw_Ye6k.

Emails this week also included complaints about the lack of schools in Cary inside Chatham County, various issues about the McDonalds on Cary Glen, lighting at the Cary Tennis Center, noise and odor at the Dixon dump, greenway repairs on weekends, and concerns about a potential ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) facility in Cary.

Next week is Thanksgiving week so mayoral duties will be light. However, I will have to start on the State of the Town message though since it will be taped in mid-December.

Well that is all for this week. My next post will be on Sunday, November 27th. Please feel free to email me with a comment. Email all Town of Cary questions or comments to Harold.Weinbrecht@townofcary.org. Email personal comments to augustanat@mindspring.com.