71 items found for your search. If no results were found please broaden your search.
(01/30/07 5:00am)
Members of the Carrboro Board of Aldermen left their annual planning retreat Jan. 22 focused on the goal of stimulating the town's economy and keeping profits close to home.
This goal, called "leakage prevention," gained more support than any other item discussed by the board.
Carrboro Mayor Mark Chilton stressed keeping money circulating locally.
"The idea is that when you spend money at a local store, the money stays and circulates in the local economy," he said.
"As a comparison, if you were to drive to Durham and shop at Wal-Mart, a little bit of your money would be sent all around the world."
Alderman Jacquelyn Gist said it is important to attract new businesses that will benefit Carrboro residents.
"We need to make sure that jobs created are for people that live here rather than bringing in people from elsewhere," she said.
"I don't see much benefit in bringing in a company that is just going to bring in strangers."
The aldermen's conclusions resulted from a discussion that took place throughout the day. The board took time at the beginning of the afternoon meeting to set up the criteria it would use to prioritize the proposals it spent the morning session formulating.
Many of those criteria were based on expanding the local tax base and making sure proposals were viable in the long term. Alderman Joal Hall Broun advocated focusing on the long-term benefits the programs would have on the town.
"I would say that we need to look at whatever we propose in terms of what's doable in six or 12 or 18 months," she said.
After the criteria was discussed, the board moved to vote on the items as a way to focus its work and created a hierarchy of issues.
Alderman Randee Haven-O'Donnell said these items should be used to guide future discussion and should not be ignored.
"I am really struck by the potential enormity of what we're doing in redirecting Carrboro's economy, and we need to continue with conversations that extend beyond today on well-targeted topics," she said.
The board also considered the establishment of networks within the town to connect small-business owners, and Aldermen Dan Coleman and Gist presented their opinions on the issue.
Gist suggested creating town-supported networking nights where business owners could connect.
Coleman also endorsed the networks but said it should be their own responsibility to hold events.
Gist said the retreat was the best out of the 18 she has attended.
"In the old days, we would walk out of here with 120 items we were supposed to work on during the year," she said. "I think this retreat had a focus that was excellent."
Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
(01/25/07 5:00am)
CORRECTION: Due to an editing error, this article incorrectly states when the report was compiled. It has been compiled every year since 2002. The Daily Tar Heel apologizes for the error.
Chapel Hill town employees are more diverse than the area from which they are recruited, according to a report released by town staff.
Town leaders lauded the demographics statistics, which they compared to the overall population in their recruitment base: Orange County and four surrounding counties - Wake, Durham, Alamance and Chatham.
(01/23/07 5:00am)
Chapel Hill Country Club leaders are still trying to pick up the pieces from a blaze that erupted at their facility Sunday and burned late into the evening.
The fire ignited shortly after the club closed up shop Sunday night, ripping through the main clubhouse building. No one was hurt.
The fire is under investigation by the Chapel Hill Fire Department, town spokeswoman Catherine Lazorko said.
She said the fire department traveled to the country club, located at 103 Lancaster Drive near N.C. Highway 54, Monday to look into the blaze.
"We have not heard back yet on that," she said. "I would say a report on the investigation is forthcoming."
Club general manager Brent Burkhart said that the investigators have told him there were multiple hot spots within the building and that it would be difficult to pinpoint exactly where the fire began.
Chapel Hill firefighters worked with the Durham, New Hope and Parkwood departments to fight the blaze that first was reported around 6:30 p.m. by a maintenance worker on the tennis courts.
Linda Shockley, who lives next to the club, was alerted to the fire by fire truck sirens.
"I heard the sirens, saw the lights and thought that they sounded so close," she said. "I walked out to my garage and saw the flames shooting through the roof of the club."
Burkhart said the fire destroyed the more-than-30-year-old main clubhouse building. The pro shop was spared from the flames.
"Right now it looks like a total loss," he said. "The entire second floor was destroyed."
According to a press release by the town fire department, the fire presented a problem for the firefighters due to the roof's unique, tiered design.
Shockley said that as she watched the fire from her garage, she could tell the firefighters were facing some difficulties fighting the flames.
"The firefighters looked like they were having a tough time," she said. "It looked like a really severe fire."
Both Shockley and Burkhart said the firefighters were on the scene until around 1:30 a.m.
Burkhart said that aside from tangible destruction to the clubhouse, the fire caused other damage.
"Obviously the members are upset; there is a lot of history here," he said. "We have been at this location since 1975 when we moved here from our previous location on Country Club Road."
Although the club experienced significant damage, Burkhart remains resilient.
"This is a very healthy club," he said. "Right now we have already started planning to rebuild and come back better than ever."
Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
(01/23/07 5:00am)
Despite Monday's gray and cold weather, some Chapel Hill residents were thinking about swimming.
As the blades of Mayor Kevin Foy's and other town officials' golden shovels dug into the wet soil at Homestead Park, a nearly decade-long process to bring a new aquatic center to the town came a little closer to completion.
Mayor Pro Tem Bill Strom said he is excited about the prospect of getting the aquatics project under way.
"This has been a long identified need, and it is nice to get the shovels in the ground and get started."
The facility is the result of a long public process of assessing community needs. The $5.5 million budget for the project was approved by voters in referendums presented on the ballot in 1996, 1997 and 2001.
The facility, located at 100 Northern Park Drive, will be Chapel Hill's second indoor swimming facility. The other facility, at the Chapel Hill Community Center, is closed for a year for renovations.
The city will be working with Resolute Building Co., a Chapel Hill-based company, on the project. Although the contract term is 18 months, Assistant Town Manager Bruce Heflin said the actual construction time could be shorter.
"We will take as much time as we need," Heflin said. "There is a chance, though, that the project could be completed faster."
Construction is scheduled to begin within the week. Once the facility is completed, it will feature two pools, locker rooms and bleachers for competitions.
Chapel Hill Parks and Recreation Commission Chairman Terry Blaylock said there will be one pool for lap swimming and another with zero clearance to serve more relaxed swimmers and special populations.
"The zero clearance pool will provide wheelchair access and also serve other special populations," he said. "Since the facility is so close to the senior center, I would not be surprised to see an integration of programs."
The facility also will feature a public art display in the main lobby. Artist Ray King will create a mosaic on the floor using about 2,000 light-responsive mirrors. Blaylock said the project will add a great deal to the aesthetics of the building.
"I think it will be a nice feature," he said. "The light from mirrored tiles should create an aquatic feel, which is obviously appropriate for the facility."
Parks and Recreation Interim Director Bill Webster expressed relief that after years of planning, the project will get under way.
"Despite difficulties, we have pressed forward," he said, noting that rising construction costs caused a delay in getting the project started. "The facility is still worth it."
Blaylock agreed, saying the groundbreaking represents an important step for the town.
"This is a milestone in a long journey," he said. "I am awfully glad this day is finally here and construction can begin."
Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
(01/12/07 5:00am)
With Carrboro High School set to open its doors to students in August, there has been discontent about which students will be walking through those doors.
The newest school in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro school district, located in Carrboro at 201 Rock Haven Road, initially will have around 800 students, with a capacity for as many as 1,200.
Students who have been zoned to attend the new school but who wish to remain at their current schools have until today to file a written appeal for transfer with the district's assistant superintendent for support services, Steve Scroggs.
He said the people who present before the board will be those whose transfer requests he has denied.
"They are appealing because I initially denied their request and they did not like my decision," Scroggs said.
"Now they are appealing that decision before the school board."
In the resolution passed by the school board, only seniors and their siblings will be permitted to stay at their current high schools.
All other students will attend their newly assigned school. Seniors' siblings who will be freshmen or sophomores next year will move to Carrboro High after their older sibling has graduated.
This plan was approved by the school board with a 4-3 vote.
City school board member Lisa Stuckey, who was in favor of the plan, said the policy existed so there would be enough students in the school when it opened.
"We understood that we would begin with fairly small numbers, but we wanted to make sure we had enough students in place to offer a full curriculum," she said.
Out-of-district students would have to provide their own transportation to and from school.
Scroggs said that so far he has received close to 45 transfer requests but expects that number to greatly increase today.
School board member Jean Hamilton said the board has yet to see the process they will use to review the appeals.
"There has been a plan outlined by our board chair Jamezetta Bedford, but we as a board have yet to review the plan."
The resolution passed allows for transfers in matters of exceptional need, not simply convenience, but Scroggs said there are a number of reasons people do not want to make the move.
"There are various reasons why people would want to stay put, everything from familiarity and friends to extracurricular and good relationships with teachers," he said.
"I think that it's a good thing that so many people want to stay at their current schools."
Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
(11/20/06 5:00am)
Residents will have the opportunity to share their opinions at a public forum tonight about a revised plan to bring major changes to downtown.
The $75-million plan, which is part of the Chapel Hill Town Council's Downtown Economic Development Initiative, calls for expansive development of lot 5, located on Church Street between Rosemary and Franklin streets.
Ram Development Co., the town's partner in the public-private endeavor, presented the council with conceptual plans in March that called for the development of the Wallace Deck at the same time as lot 5. The new plan delays that growth indefinitely.
It also eliminates plans to develop lot 2, located behind Spanky's on Rosemary Street.
The lot 5 development would include a 345-space underground parking garage, approximately 28,540 square feet of commercial space and 137 condominiums. The Orange Community Housing and Land Trust would inherit 21 of those units for affordable housing.
In addition to the retail and residential space, the plan calls for $671,000 for public art and 27,000 square feet for a town-owned public plaza.
The council likely will vote on whether to draft an agreement with Ram for the plan Dec. 4. The agreement then would be up for approval in February.
Once approved, the project would undergo the town's normal development review process before construction could start.
This plan is a scaled-back version of the original plan to develop both lots 2 and 5.
Although the development of lot 2 has been eliminated from the plan, special project manager Chris Berndt said the new plan for lot 5 is basically the same as the original.
"In general, the plans are very similar," she said.
Ram will make a $12.5 million down payment on the project for a 99-year ground lease.
The town will purchase 161 parking spots from Ram for an estimated cost of $7.25 million.
The town expects to start making a profit on the project in the fourth year after completion.
Mayor Pro Tem Bill Strom, chairman of the negotiating committee, said the plan achieves the council's downtown development goals.
"We've had guiding principles, and those have been to provide more affordable housing, public art, parking, to have environmentally high standards," he said.
"Personally, I think we have a deal that meets plan goals and criteria."
Town documents state that the Wallace Deck development ceased to be affordable in large part because of increasing construction costs.
Town information officer Catherine Lazorko said residents should not dwell on the differences in the plan.
"Details have shifted and changed, but the council has not changed their goals," she said.
Strom said although the changes for lot 2 are not part of the current plan, he expects them to come back to the table.
"This project will energize downtown by creating places for people to live," he said. "I feel strongly that this will create more stable real-estate market downtown and more projects will follow."
Strom said the most important part of the meeting tonight will be to inform the public about exactly what the town plans to do on the site.
"We want a good dialogue so that they understand what we're doing and how we're going about it."
Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
(11/17/06 5:00am)
In an effort to improve its services, the Triangle Transit Authority held a town hall-style meeting Thursday night at the Chapel Hill Public Library.
The meeting was the last in a series of four around the Triangle where the TTA solicited feedback from riders on ways to improve its transit programs.
In addition to the meetings, there is an online survey on the TTA's Web site, www.ridetta.org, available through December.
TTA Communications Officer Brad Schulz said officials will spend the next few weeks going through the feedback before presenting it to the public in January.
"After the first of the year, we will let the people help us prioritize the information, and they will tell us which of these things would be best for them," he said.
"After that, we will present it to our board of directors in the spring to be considered while they are making the budget."
One of the suggestions that received a great deal of attention at the meeting was making buses more environmentally friendly.
Chapel Hill resident Tom Jensen, a member of the Sierra Club, who first presented the idea at the meeting, said the response was unexpected.
"As the TTA makes choices on new buses, I would like to see them become a leader for the environment," he said.
"I was pleasantly surprised at the way people responded."
Durham resident Jonathan Blackwell said he is curious about the prospect of making the buses more environmentally friendly.
"I am most interested in the idea of biofuel," he said.
"That would be a win-win situation for everyone. It would benefit the environment and, I think, increase the number of people using the bus system."
Meeting attendees offered suggestions for new buses that will begin running in 2008. Some amenities suggested for the new buses were wireless Internet access, wider seats and windows that the rider can open.
Blackwell also said he would like to see more visible signs on the new buses.
"As it is right now, there is only a sign with the bus number on the driver's side," he said.
"If you aren't looking from that side the bus can be easy to miss."
Many in attendance also voiced concerns about the service to Raleigh-Durham International Airport.
"Increased airport service would be great," Jensen said.
"I would like to be able to come back on Sundays without having to pay for a cab or having to get a friend to come and pick me up."
Transit Service Planner Patrick McDonough stressed the importance of the feedback provided at the meeting.
"These buses don't really belong to us, they belong to the customers," he said.
"You wouldn't let someone pick out a car for you, or a pair of sneakers, we want to give people a chance to tell us what they want from the new buses."
Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
(11/10/06 5:00am)
After the final whistle of each football game, the mad dash out of Kenan Stadium begins.
Fans rush to their cars, students turn toward their residence halls and those taking advantage of the Park and Ride shuttle service head to the stop located on South Road.
These Tar Heel Express buses are advertised as the most convenient way to get to and from Carolina football games.
But starting with the N.C. State University game on Nov. 18, the system will undergo major changes.
The Fifth Quarter program, a collaboration between the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce and the University Department of Athletics, will seek to keep fans in town a bit longer.
Right now, the buses run for only 30 minutes after games. The new program will extend the service by three hours, giving fans the chance to experience more of Chapel Hill.
Tickets cost $5 for a round trip.
"The existing service is great, but bringing people directly in and out diminishes the experience," said Liz Parham, executive director of the Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership. "We hope this will create more of a buzz downtown and make game days into a great experience."
Aaron Nelson, executive director of the chamber of commerce, said he is confident businesses will benefit.
"We have made it much easier for people to go and enjoy the downtown area after games," he said.
Jeff Barcelona, general manager of Jack Sprat Cafe, said giving people more time to get downtown after games will have a positive impact.
"This will be better for us: Giving people more of a chance to get downtown after games will be great for both food and bar business."
Luke Stepelton, manager of Top of the Hill Restaurant and Brewery, said that anything that brings more people downtown is a good thing.
Michael Beale, director of marketing for the athletics department, said the organization will try to inform fans of the new service.
"We will work to market the program with video-board announcements during the game. There will be information on our Web site and we will have announcements during our radio broadcasts, which actually began during last weekend's Notre Dame game," he said.
The downtown partnership also will try to get the word out.
"We will have our downtown ambassadors, both downtown and in the lots, passing out fliers to help people know that there are special events going on," Parham said.
The program will apply to the University Mall and Friday Center lots.
After the trial run during the N.C. State game, the chamber and the athletics department will evaluate the program and brainstorm ways to improve it for next season.
Beale said he is confident the change will be a success.
"We really want to turn football weekends in Chapel Hill from just a game to a much larger event."
Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
(10/30/06 5:00am)
Pumpkins and sweets - two of the things that Halloween is best known for - were combined on Saturday in record-breaking fashion.
In an event hosted by A Southern Season, the Immaculate Baking Co. baked the world's largest pumpkin cookie.
The 10-foot-wide, 500-pound creation was part of a fundraiser for Volunteers for Youth, a mentor program.
The cookie was baked on a large, round trailer and covered by a polyester foil.
"We've just got this blow heater hooked up and it is blowing in air at 300 degrees and heating the cookie," said Scott Blackwell, founder and CEO of Immaculate Baking.
"We cover it with this foil to keep the heat in - it's the same foil used on satellites."
After the cookie was unveiled, attendees were encouraged to purchase a piece of the cookie and make a suggested donation of $10 to Volunteers for Youth.
Ann Marshall, Immaculate Baking's director of marketing, said an event such as this usually brings in about $1,500 for the organization.
Blackwell said this type of event is commonplace for his company, which created the world's largest chocolate chip cookie in 2003. That treat was 100 feet in diameter.
"Stores approach us about doing this sort of thing all the time, but we don't want it to just be a gimmick," he said.
"We always get the stores to provide us with a list of nonprofits that we feel can benefit the most from this sort of fundraiser."
For Blackwell, the Volunteers for Youth program was a perfect fit.
"We usually look for organizations that fly a little under the radar," he said.
"We are very involved with programs for at-risk youth, especially arts and education programs."
Volunteers for Youth matches at-risk youth with qualified adult mentors.
"After young people are paired with mentors, they just do things that are going to be fun for both of them," said Guney Acipayamli, a volunteer and UNC graduate student.
Volunteers for Youth Executive Director Susan Worley said the money from Saturday will fund the Volunteers For Youth-sponsored dance team, Flava, which performed at the event. The team of eight travels around the Triangle for dance competitions.
"Flava really needs new uniforms," Worley said. "We would also like for them to be able to put on dance clinics for younger girls."
Flava's coach, Kadia Kaloko, emphasized how important the team is for its members.
"I think this provides these girls with something positive to do in the evenings - it keeps them out of trouble," she said.
The cookie fundraiser was a hit with those in attendance.
Carrboro resident Mysha Sissine was surprised by the cookie's taste.
"It's just so big," she said. "I really didn't expect it to taste this good."
Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
(10/16/06 4:00am)
In a community known for its historically anti-war stance, the U.S. Army has found a place to call home.
On Nov. 15 the Army will open a recruiting station at 1502 E. Franklin St., in the same shopping center as El Rodeo, in an attempt to inform prospective recruits about opportunities in the armed forces.
"This station is much smaller than others in the area," said Bob Harrison, public affairs officer with the Army. "It will not be nearly as large as ones found in more metropolitan areas like Raleigh."
Currently, the closest recruiting station to campus is located at 3400 Westgate Drive in Durham.
The Franklin Street station will have the same recruitment goals as similarly sized N.C. stations.
"For our other smaller offices we usually look for around four enlistments a month," Harrison said.
To reach those goals the station will be staffed by three recruiters who will tell all those interested about the opportunities the Army provides.
Harrison said the recruiters will give presentations to groups and also will participate in community events. They will be around town, on campus and in local schools.
"We will definitely be doing activities to generate interest," he said.
"One thing that has been successful in the past are tours that we have done where we get musicians to come and try and get people excited."
Harrison stressed the money enlistees in an active duty role can receive: up to $70,000 available to put toward tuition after a tour.
Though the recruiting station sends enlistees to active duty and reserve positions, another option for students interested in service lies in the University's ROTC program.
ROTC gives scholarships to students and graduates, who are commissioned as officers after completing the program.
"The arrival of the recruiting office will not have any effect on us at all," said Lt. Col. Michael Mullins, recruiting officer for ROTC.
"We want officers and they want people willing to go into active duty."
Mullins said ROTC is not having a problem attracting students.
Harrison said he does not anticipate interest being a problem for the new recruiting station either.
Junior Megan Earles, whose father is serving in Iraq, said she expects the new station to increase the military's visibility in the area.
"The military isn't a bad option," she said. "I expect this to pique curiosity."
But freshman Drew Weiner said he thinks the increase in recruiters on campus will be a nuisance.
"Instead of trying to pressure people, they should just take those willing to volunteer," Weiner said.
Harrison said the prominent anti-war attitude of many members of the community will have little effect on the station.
"I don't think that the Army is anything but anti-war," he said.
"When war is declared, we are the ones that actually have to fight. You'd have a hard time finding a pro-war soldier."
Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
(10/13/06 4:00am)
During his life, Gene Strowd had two loves - roses and the people of the Chapel Hill community.
And since his death in 1991, this love continues to shape the Chapel Hill-Carrboro community.
The Strowd Roses Inc. foundation, founded in 2001 and primarily funded by Strowd's estate, announced the recipients of its grant awards for the third quarter of the year Oct. 9.
Recipients include El Centro Latino, N.C. Arts in Action, Project Compassion and the Sonja Haynes Stone Center for Black History and Culture.
The diversity of the organizations receiving funds is a reflection of the foundation's concern with the general well-being of the community, not just specific causes.
"Our charter is pretty broad," said Jennifer Boger, a Strowd Roses board member. "We are generally concerned with any cause that makes life better for residents of the community."
Since its incorporation, Strowd Roses has awarded grants to 129 different organizations.
Any nonprofit that works in the community is eligible to apply for a grant from the foundation. Applications for fourth quarter grants are being received until Oct. 31.
The foundation has been active in both the town and University community. The UNC Public Service Scholars program is a result of funds received from Strowd Roses. The foundation also regularly provides grants to faculty members concerned with public service.
Strowd's foundation focuses on many programs that serve the children of Chapel Hill.
"Mr. Strowd loved children," Boger said. "He was always very patient and generous with his time."
The Ronald McDonald House of Chapel Hill has been a beneficiary of Strowd's generosity. In the past two years, it has received a total of $15,000.
Development Director Michael Lowery said the majority of these funds go toward general operating costs.
"The foundation is very important," Lowery said. "They do lots of great work in the Chapel Hill community and we are very lucky to have them as a partner."
Another organization that receives support from the foundation is the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Public School Foundation. It receives a total of $40,000 annually from Strowd Roses grants.
The bulk of this year's funds will be put toward an assisted technology program for elementary school students with special needs.
Kim Hoke, director of the Public School Foundation, said the programs they want to receive funding are placed on the application for the approval of Strowd Rose board members.
"When we apply, we tell them how we plan on using the funds and they decide on the funding," Hoke said.
"They enable individual schools, teachers, and districts to do projects that wouldn't be possible through tax sources."
Although Strowd Rose funds help support community organizations, the foundation's primary focus is the community rose garden proposed by Strowd in 1987 and dedicated shortly after his death.
The foundation collaborates with the Chapel Hill Parks and Recreation Department on the upkeep of the garden. Although the garden is available for reservation for weddings and parties, the foundation's main goal is to fulfill Strowd's vision of keeping it open for all to enjoy.
"Roses were Mr. Strowd's real joy," Boger said. "He loved talking with people about roses and sharing his passion for them."
Boger said she is impressed with the passion she sees in leaders of the groups that get Strowd Roses' funds.
"People in this area are very creative in the ways that they solve problems," Boger said.
"We have been impressed with the quality of applications that we have received."
Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.