Showing posts tagged “Carrboro”
Samiha Khanna ·
15 Mar 2010, 10:49 AM ·
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In a follow-up to our cover March 10 cover story, “Gaga for Google’s fiber,” we’d like to update metrics of the involvement of the Triangle’s top three participants.
Durham’s still ahead in Facebook presence, with 2,180 fans on its “Bring Google Fiber to Durham N.C.,” page, while 935 people have signed up for “Bring Google Fiber to Raleigh!”. The western part of the Triangle is not far behind: the Facebook group “Bring Google Fiber to Chapel Hill & Carrboro N.C.” boasts 906 members.
The towns of Chapel Hill and Carrboro, and UNC-Chapel Hill, will hold a public forum at 7 p.m. today at Chapel Hill Town Hall, 405 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., to receive public comment regarding community interest in the fiber optic trial and how residents would use an ultra-high speed Internet network.
On Thursday, Durhamites hope to make a splash by corralling thousands of locals into the Durham Bulls Athletic Park at 11 a.m. Thursday to spell out “We want Google” on the field, to pose for an aerial photograph. More here >>
Carrboro, Chapel Hill, Durham, Durham County, North Carolina, Raleigh, Wake County, business, media, national, news Carrboro, Chapel Hill, Durham, Google, Google Fiber, Internet, Raleigh, Triangle
Joe Schwartz ·
3 Mar 2010, 4:21 PM ·
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Topeka municipal leaders renamed the town Google, Kansas. Others across the country are forming Facebook groups and bringing tech gurus together hoping to be selected for Google’s high-speed Internet project.
Chapel Hill, Carrboro and UNC are forming a joint task force, holding a forum and inviting residents to complete a survey.
The group is geared toward becoming a pilot community for Google Fiber, a program announced last month that seeks to build and test Internet service that’s one gigabit per second — 100 times faster than what’s available today.
To qualify, towns of 50,000 to 500,000 people must apply by March 26 and demonstrate that they have adequate resources and infrastructure to make the partnership successful.
The forum is set for 7 p.m. March 15 at Chapel Hill Town Hall.
Read next week’s Independent for a story on what else local municipalities are doing to try to woo Google.
Carrboro, Chapel Hill, Orange County Add new tag, Carrboro, Chapel Hill, Durham, fiber, Google, UNC
Joe Schwartz ·
27 Oct 2009, 4:40 PM ·
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When I called Orange County Board of Elections Chairwoman Tracy Reams today I thanked her for her time. “You must be very busy these days, so I appreciate it,” I told her.
“Well, not as busy as we’d like to be,” she replied.
That might seem odd for a woman whose overseeing three early-voting sites, one per Hillsborough, Chapel Hill and Carrboro, but Reams says the sites haven’t been used nearly as much as she expected.
At the close of Monday it was 11 days since early voting began in Hillsborough and a full week since Chapel Hill and Carrboro joined in. So, how many have turned out to the polls? In Chapel Hill, 454 came to the Morehead Planetarium. The Carrboro Town Hall has seen 310 voters. Hillsborough has had a scant 48 residents vote thus far at the Board of Elections office on King Street.
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Carrboro, Chapel Hill, Orange County 2009 municipal election, Carrboro, Chapel Hill, Orange County, Tracy Reams
Joe Schwartz ·
17 Oct 2009, 10:12 PM ·
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The Thorpe-Anderson Breakfast Club, a group of progressive NAACP supporters and members, is backing incumbents in races for Chapel Hill Town Council, Carrboro mayor and Board of Aldermen and the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City School Board. The group’s endorsements, always sought after by the candidates, were released today. They are as follows:
Chapel Hill Mayor - Mark Kleinschmidt
Chapel Hill Town Council - Lauren Easthom, Ed Harrison, Jim Merritt and Will Raymond
Carrboro Mayor - Mark Chilton
Carrboro Board of Aldermen - Randee Haven-O’Donnell, Jacquelyn Gist and Sammy Slade
Chapel Hill-Carrboro City School Board - Greg McElveen, Michelle Brownstein and Joe Green
The breakfast club was formed in the 1970s by Hank Anderson, the South’s first black parks and recreation director. The late Bill Thorpe, a former councilmen who passed away while in office in 2008, served as the group’s leader after Anderson died. The group fights for racial justice and lobbied to town to rename Airport Road as Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.
This is the first endorsement this season for Raymond. All the other Chapel Hill and Carrboro municipal candidates earned support from the Sierra Club and the Indy. The three school board hopefuls also earned the Indy’s support.
Early voting began Thursday. Election day is Nov. 3. Visit our elections page to read candidate questionnaires, get links to campaign pages and learn more about the candidates.
Carrboro, Chapel Hill, Orange County, politics Carrboro, Chapel Hill, CHCCS, Ed Harrison, endorsements, Greg McElveen, Jacquelyn Gist, Jim Merritt, Joe Green, Laurin Easthom, Mark Chilton, Mark Kleinschmidt, Michelle Brownstein, Randee Haven-O'Donnell, Sammy Slade, Thorpe-Anderson Breakfast Club, Will Raymond
Joe Schwartz ·
31 Aug 2009, 10:53 AM ·
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A letter distributed by 61 members of the historically black Northside Neighborhood in Chapel Hill-Carrboro, adjacent to the under-construction 10-story mixed-use condominium complex dubbed Greenbridge, urges residents to avoid giving money or support to any Greenbridge Developments venture.
The letter, placed as an ad in Sunday’s edition of the Chapel Hill News, claims the development will ruin the neighborhood.
“Greenbridge is being promoted as a new frontier in environmental sustainability, but the vast majority of the energy used by these condominiums will come from coal and other outside sources. A building that destroys the historic community around it is not sustainable by any measure,” it reads.
The project at 601 W. Rosemary Street has received national attention for its environmentally friendly concept, but has been controversial from the get-go, with posters distributed around town claiming, “Greenbridge is racist,” and assertions that the expensive units will create gentrification.
Earlier this month someone called in a bomb threat to the project, and graffiti has also been prevalent. Tim Toben, a managing partner in Greenbridge Developments, wrote a column just after the bomb threat for both the Chapel Hill News and Chapel Hill Herald defending the project. He argues that the environmental benefits and the low-cost of some units are signs of progress.
Here’s the full text of Sunday’ s ad:
To prospective buyers of Greenbridge condominiums:
For many months, the shadows of two cranes have hung over the historically African-American Northside neighborhood in Chapel Hill and Carrboro. These cranes are part of the Greenbridge Condominium development at 601 W. Rosemary St., a luxury housing project of unprecedented size for our small town.
Greenbridge condominiums will fundamentally change the character of our neighborhood. We are concerned that luxury condominiums such as these will raise property taxes and rent for neighbors already stretched thin by the economic recession. In addition to keeping older residents awake at night, the development has already displaced one beloved African-American-owned enterprise and has cost businesses like Knott’s Funeral Home thousands of dollars in destroyed property and lost sales. A slick PR campaign has glossed over Northside residents’ concerns, and Greenbridge has refused to meet neighbors’ demands that might mitigate the effects of the development.
Greenbridge is being promoted as a new frontier in environmental sustainability, but the vast majority of the energy used by these condominiums will come from coal and other outside sources. A building that destroys the historic community around it is not sustainable by any measure. Ultimately, it is less resource- and energy-intensive to buy and make changes to an older house than to build an entire new one, particularly when that new housing involves a $1,459,000 price tag.
Future condominium owners will be moving into a building unwanted and unwelcomed by Northside residents, some of whom are already facing threats of foreclosure or eviction. We feel it is irresponsible to construct luxury housing in the midst of a recession, with the possibility that such housing will increase the economic pressures of rent and property taxes on Northside families.
For these reasons, as Northside residents, with the goal of preventing similar developments from being built in the future, we ask that you do not give your money to any present or future Greenbridge Developments project.
Sincerely,
the following concerned residents of Northside:
Maura Burnett, Shannon Saunders, Dorcas Saunders, Cassandra Cainer, Megan Somerday, Alex Henderson, Angela Vargas, Amanda Jenkins, Heath Britiar, Jamellena Riggsbee, Nicole Garland, Ellen Harton, Vickie Weaver, Ellen Weaver, Shannon Weaver, Sheryl Weaver, Randel Riggsbee, Debra Griffin, India Minor, Gayle Baldwin, Chelsea Flowers, Wanda Halman, Elizabeth Albiston, Davin Burnette, Steven Davidson, Mike Swofford, Jr., Michael Scott, Trude Mclaren, Kim Fearrington, Linda Fearrington, Lena Paylor, H.J. Edwards, Max Bushell, Sarah Myers, Brenda Jackson, Steven Purefoy, Wayne Purefoy, Carol P. Brooks, Doris H. Cotton, Jennette L. Farrington, Jewel Francis, Louise Felix, Jessica Willis, Coretta Sharpless, Joey Baldwin, Valenda Baldwin, Timmeshia Arrington, Nancy Fearrington, Kevin Wilson, Deneara E. Worthy, Vilita Worthy, Joanna Bledsoe, Lakia Taylor, Antonika Edwards, Devon Paylor, Krystal Neal, Tyqwan Alston Shantina Alston, Kevin Noel, Montez Edwards, Carlos Gould
Carrboro, Chapel Hill, Orange County Carrboro, Chapel Hill, Greenbridge, Northside, Tim Toben
Joe Schwartz ·
25 Aug 2009, 8:40 PM ·
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The Carrboro Board of Alderman agreed to leave the John Herrera seat open and to appoint Randee Haven-O’Donnell as mayor pro tem Tuesday at its regular business meeting
The board moved swiftly while convening for the first time since Herrera, the previous mayor pro tem, announced he would move to Holly Springs and give up his seat with five months left in his term.
Mayor Mark Chilton said he gathered from colleagues that they supported leaving the seat open, given the short window before it will be filled by election. He also suggested immediately appointing the November winner, rather than waiting until the official swearing in. The board put off that discussion.
Alderman Dan Coleman then suggested that Haven-O’Donnell, serving in her first term and running for re-election, be given the second-in-command post.
“I do think we should have a mayor pro tem,” he said. “We usually go in terms of seniority as far as who hasn’t done it yet.”
O’Donnell fit the bill. After Joal Hall Broun said she didn’t want the responsibility and a few minutes of hemming and hawing, O’Donnell was unanimously approved. She’s now empowered to act as mayor in Chilton’s absence.
“Only three years and nine months into your service, and you get to be mayor pro tem,” Chilton remarked after. “It’s a very democratic type of town. Both big ‘d’ and little ‘d.’”
Herrera, who recently remarried and is moving to be with his family, did not file to run in the 2009 election, so the board has known for months that at least one new alderman would be on the board.
In addition to Haven-O’Donnell, incumbent Jacquelyn Gist and challengers Sharon Cook, Tim Peck and Sammy Slade are vying for three seats.
Carrboro, Orange County, politics Aldermen, Carrboro, John Herrera, Randee Haven-O'Donnell
Joe Schwartz ·
20 Aug 2009, 1:46 PM ·
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Another one bites the dust. Carrboro Alderman John Herrera is leaving office early, following neighbor and former Chapel Hill Town Councilman Bill Strom out of the area.
Herrera, who opted against running for a third election, is stepping down five months before the end of his term.
A native of Costa Rica, he was the first Hispanic immigrant elected to a N.C. municipal office in 2001. He is the chairman and co-founder of the Latino Community Credit Union in Durham.
It’s not immediately clear how Carrboro will proceed. Mayor Mark Chilton is on vacation, and the Board of Alderman hasn’t met since June 16. The next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday.
Herrera sent the following message to colleagues:
Dear Mayor, Colleagues and staff:
It is with mixed feelings that I am writing this short note to notify you that I am submitting my resignation to the Board of Alderman of Carrboro. Due to my new change of residence outside of the city limits. I just bought a house in Holly Springs, NC and I am in the process of moving.
It has been a pleasure and an honor to have work with you and served this beautiful town a an Alderman and Mayor Pro-Term. The appreciation for community diversity and the progressive community values that Carrboro has, it is what makes us unique from most towns in North Carolina and in the United States. I am very proud and grateful for the opportunity that Carrboro granted me to be a public servant. I will continue following the new developments of Carrboro and will continue to pray that the Creator always grant you wisdom and knowledge to continue to lead and serve this great community of Carrboro.
My most sincere greetings to all of you. If I can be of help in any capacity and I am able to help, please do not hesitate to contact me. Please let me know if there is an official protocol that I need to follow to do this. I will like to have had the chance to thank in a public meeting all the people of Carrboro for this unique opportunity.
Sincerely,
John A. Herrera
Carrboro, politics Aldermen, Carrboro, Herrera
Joe Schwartz ·
6 Aug 2009, 4:56 PM ·
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Students in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools district passed the test during the 2008-2009 academic year. All 17 schools in the achieved “Expected Growth” status with all but two earning “High Growth” marks, based on End-of-Grade and End-of-Course exams.
High growth means 60 percent or more of the students met growth targets. Culbreth Middle School and Frank Porter Graham Elementary were the sole institutions to not reach that mark in this latest ABCs of Public Instruction analysis.
Glenwood and Seawell Elementary and Phillips Middle School each were dubbed as a “Honor School of Excellence” with 90 percent of more pupils performing at or above grade level. FPG was a “School of Progress” with 70 percent. The 14 others are named as a “School of Distinction” at 80 percent.
Carrboro, Chapel Hill, Orange County Carrboro, Chapel Hill, CHCCS
Joe Schwartz ·
6 Aug 2009, 11:58 AM ·
4 Comments
All’s quiet on the Carrboro front. Officers in the Paris of the Piedmont filed 12 incident reports and responded to two traffic accidents Wednesday. No arrests were made.
Among the incidents (police narratives in parentheses):
• an animal call (Complainant states that there is a black snake in front of her front door. On arrival the snake had moved to the bushes in front of the house. I was unable to locate the animal. I advised her to call if it came back.)
• three men attempting to smoke a blunt at the Carrboro-based Chapel Hill Tennis Club (Mr. Powell disposed of the marijuana by opening the piece of bag and emptying it in a large trash can along with the cigar paraphernalia. No charges were filed in the incident. All parties involved were advised they should not return to the business unless during business hours.–no further)
• a parking space dispute (I responded to 310 N Greensboro St in reference to communicating threats. The complainant, Charlotte Livingston, advised that she and a black male, identified as Anthony Paige, had gotten into a verbal altercation over a parking spot. She stated that she pulled into a parking spot in that Paige had been waiting for. She advised that once she pulled in he yelled at her “that`s fucked up.” She stated that she then yelled back “kiss my ass.” She advised that once inside Harris Teeter, Paige approached her and told her “you don`t know who you’re fucking with.” She stated that Paige also threatened to hit her in the face. Paige advised that Livingston had cut him off pulling into a parking spot. He advised that he did yell at her and used profanity. He stated that he told her “you don`t know who you`re fucking with.” He stated that he did not make any threats to Livingston’s safety.
Livingston was referred to the magistrate in reference to the threats. She advised that she did not wish to pursue charges. Both parties left the area. No further assistance needed.)
The Indy has no further at this time.
Carrboro, Orange County, Uncategorized Carrboro, police
Joe Schwartz ·
28 Jul 2009, 4:00 PM ·
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There are some awfully strange looking dogs out at the Hank Anderson III Community Park in Carrboro these days. Well, they’re not actually dogs. More like goats really, and they’re spending today and Wednesday at the dog park chowing down on poison ivy. Why? It’s quite simple really.
The Carrboro Parks and Recreation Department received complaints that the overgrown woody vine adorning the fence line was being transported from dog fur to owner skin. Rather than subjecting residents to rashes, Carrboro officials found their solution in goats, which love the taste of some good poison ivy for breakfast lunch and dinner.
“They have a handful of things (sweet gum, honeysuckle and wild grape) but in the top 10, poison ivy is definitely up there,” said Alix Bowman, owner of the Bull City-based Goat Patrol. “Typically an adult goat can eat 5 to 8 pounds a day. My goats, roughly depending on how high the plants are, can clear 1,000 square feet a day.”
Bowman and her 16-member goat gang, including, of course, Buster, Magnus, Genghis, Nimoy and Mr. Pickles, are tasked with beating back the plants to a manageable level before chemicals come in to finish the job at the park, located off of N.C. Highway 54.
It’s a win-win. The goats meet Carrboro’s goal of using the least toxic method possible (no gas needed here), and they take away the hazard of exposing humans to the poisonous plants.
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Carrboro, Orange County, environment Carrboro, Goat Patrol, Hank Anderson III Community Park
