Sierra Club hosts forum

Environmental debates run like the water cycle - everything comes back around.

The Orange-Chatham chapter of the Sierra Club hosted a forum Monday for the candidates for Carrboro's mayor and Board of Aldermen.

The group focused on protecting Bolin Creek, which they say ties into new construction and affects public transit and the watershed.

As alderman candidate Catherine DeVine said, future town leaders will need to "fly the whole plane."

The club will announce its endorsements following votes by several committees.

Aldermen Mark Chilton and Alex Zaffron, who are running for mayor, fielded questions about transportation downtown and in relation to Carolina North, the University's proposed satellite campus.

Chilton and Zaffron agreed that a certain amount of traffic congestion is a sign of a thriving downtown.

But to ease excessive traffic, Chilton advocated adding a connector road, while Zaffron suggested improving infrastructure to encourage walking.

With several large-scale development projects in the works, including the construction of a new high school, alderman candidates were asked for their ideas on environmentally sound construction.

Candidate Randee Haven-O'Donnell pointed to the design of the new high school as an example of a sustainable building.

"It's a clear example that we know what to look for," she said.

Candidate Katrina Ryan said she would support using solar energy to power government buildings.

"The primary initiative toward green buildings is to reduce fossil fuels," she said.

John Herrera, running for re-election to the board, said he supports mixed-use village style development design because it allows people to live near their jobs rather than commuting.

Alderman candidates' ideas differed about how to best preserve the corridor to Bolin Creek, one of the town's principal watersheds, and whether the controversial Winmore development project is affecting the creek.

DeVine argued that the current 50-foot buffer around the creek is not sufficient.

"Fifty feet is as far as my garbage can is from my back door," she said.

Ryan suggested that the buffer requirement be doubled and that the town must have a master plan for the Bolin Creek area.

While Herrera and Haven-O'Donnell agreed that Winmore is well-planned, Haven-O'Donnell said she thinks it is situated in the wrong place.

Jacquelyn Gist, an incumbent candidate, recalled that she voted to strengthen the penalties for developers who fail to meet the town's environmental requirements.

"The problem is that we can pass the best-intentioned ordinance, but if somebody comes along and breaks it, it's too late," she said.

Candidate David Marshall said he thinks that buffer rules should be examined on a case-by-case basis.

"The buffer code isn't one size fits all."

 

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