Chapel Hill Town Council space sees overflow problems

The Chapel Hill Town Council has enjoyed its shorter meetings during the past few months, but its temporary location is not without drawbacks.

Town Hall sustained major damage from flooding after torrential rains in June. The first floor of Town Hall and the council chamber have been closed since.

The Town Council has instead been holding its meetings in the Orange County Southern Human Services Center, located at 2501 Homestead Road.

Relocating to the Southern Human Services Center means fewer members of the community can sit in on important Town Council discussions.

“The room is pretty significantly smaller than the one at Town Hall,” Town Council member Gene Pease said.

No more than 109 people are allowed in the meeting room, according to the town spokeswoman Catherine Lazorko.

“It is a rarity for us to reach capacity at our meetings, but when we have a discussion item that we know has a large degree of public interest, we plan accordingly,” Lazorko said.

Last month, a Town Council discussion about the Central West Steering Committee drew a crowd of more than 100 people, and audience members were forced to find places in the hallway, without audio or visuals during the meeting.

The council has also been forced to turn attendees away due to limited space.

“We heard some complaints when all citizens could not sit in the chamber area at a recent packed meeting,” Lazorko said.

Using the Southern Human Services building also comes with a deadline. Fire alarms are set to go off at midnight, meaning that the council must leave by 11:15 p.m. to allow town staff enough time to clean up.

“I like (the deadline) because it forces us to have tighter agendas and less time to chit-chat,” Pease said. “We don’t really do good work after 11. We’re tired and cranky.”

Interim Fire Marshal Dace Bergen said attendees couldn’t safely sit on the floor or gather in the aisles because it blocks the room’s exits .

But Lazorko said the council is not currently searching for a new meeting location.

“There are very few setups that allow us to conduct a meeting and also to capture video for our website and for later replay on Channel 18,” she said. “The county is permitting us to use its channel as well.”

Pease said the Town Council is going to work with what it has for the time being.

“We need a room like the one we’re using, that’s set up for public comment,” he said.

The town is open to alternatives if suggestions for a new meeting space are made.

“We are always looking for opportunities to increase public awareness of and participation in town decisions,” Lazorko said.

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