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(01/24/08 5:00am)
The Chapel Hill Town Council received the first public input on the University's master plans for a proposed research campus at a hearing Wednesday.
Carolina North Executive Director Jack Evans presented UNC's master plans for Carolina North, situated on the 963-acre Horace Williams plot off Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, at the request of the council.
The plans call for the eventual development of approximately 250 acres of academic, research, commercial and residential space during the next 50 years.
(01/14/08 5:00am)
The Chapel Hill Town Council and top staff met Saturday to identify top priorities for the coming years.
At the annual retreat were new faces, after Town Manager Roger Stancil spent his first year filling vacant positions and realigning each department's function.
That restructuring brought in people such as Economic Development Officer Dwight Bassett; Brian Curran, who replaced Gregg Jarvies as police chief; and Ken Pennoyer, hired last week as the town's new business management director.
New council member Matt Czajkowski, who narrowly beat incumbent Cam Hill in November's election, was another new face.
The retreat focused on four town priority areas: championing the downtown; continuing a focus on land use, transit and development; maintaining and improving community facilities and services; and improving the town's fiscal condition.
"I just think we need to embark on a strategy," Mayor Kevin Foy said. "A strategic plan that is more useful for us as a council, as the town, as citizens and for the staff, to make sure that we're all in sync with each other."
The retreat was modeled differently from last year, when groups of participants identified top five goals they wanted to see accomplished.
Instead they brainstormed solutions around key challenges identified by staff and council members.
One major goal identified by the group that looked at the downtown concerned finding a new location for the men's shelter, now located at the corner of Rosemary and Columbia streets.
"We need to reclaim that intersection," Curran said.
That group also talked about what to do with the temporary decrease in parking spots after Lot 5 closes to allow construction on a new mixed-use development.
Czajkowski said the town must look at how Franklin Street is perceived. He cited a Friday article in The New York Times that described Franklin Street as "the strip of bars and sports memorabilia shops bordering the campus."
"When we define the quality of life in Chapel Hill and want to make it better, what should we be doing in terms of growth?" Czajkowski asked.
The University's proposed satellite research campus also figured into the discussion Saturday as the council members prepared for a special session with UNC officials Sunday to talk about Carolina North.
"There's absolutely nothing wrong with having a conversation," Council member Laurin Easthom said.
Stancil asked department heads to create a work plan in the next few months to accomplish the goals identified at the retreat.
Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
(01/14/08 5:00am)
Town and University officials charged with plotting the course of the school's growth chatted Sunday about where a major expansion is headed.
(11/30/07 5:00am)
Concerns about pedestrian accessibility and transit options for the first project of the University's proposed satellite campus dominated discussion at a public forum Thursday.
(11/29/07 5:00am)
A fire ripped through a Carrboro apartment Wednesday, destroying one building and injuring three emergency personnel.
(11/28/07 5:00am)
Good fences make good neighbors. A shared building makes even better ones.
The five nonprofit agencies that share the Douglass Building at 110 W. Main St. in Carrboro have found this out after living under one roof together.
With fewer public dollars available for nonprofits, El Futuro, El Centro Latino, the Inter-Faith Council, JOCCA Building Futures Youth Center and People of Faith Against the Death Penalty work together out of one roof.
"It's been a great benefit," said Ben Balderas, director of El Centro Latino. "Collaboration and networking are so crucial."
The five nonprofits have shared a roof for more than a year. The building belongs to the IFC, and El Futuro moved in about three years ago, Balderas said. El Centro Latino moved in in November 2005, and JOCCA moved in shortly after.
Tuesday, the nonprofits hosted an open house to highlight the services each provide.
"It was a good opportunity to inform people," Balderas said.
Having one building where residents can access multiple services was IFC Executive Director Chris Moran's dream, Balderas said.
"We just have this unique opportunity of having five organizations together," Balderas said. "It's been a great endeavor."
Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
(11/28/07 5:00am)
View the slideshow.
A fire ripped through a Carrboro apartment Wednesday, destroying one building and injuring three emergency personnel.
The Carrboro Fire-Rescue was dispatched to a structural fire at Ashbrook Apartments on Jones Ferry Road at about 6:30 p.m.
(11/28/07 5:00am)
A chemical explosion at Morehead Labs sent two students to the hospital and closed part of South Road on Tuesday afternoon.
(10/30/07 4:00am)
Joe Herzenberg sent his friends hundreds of postcards.
The longtime Chapel Hill resident sent the notes from his home and his travels: a photo on one side and on the back, a few funny observations or words of support.
"He's the only person who sent me postcards," said Chapel Hill Town Council member Mark Kleinschmidt, a friend of Herzenberg's. "He would sometimes send postcards with just a simple thought or idea to remind us what was important. It was just this charming way of conveying a message."
Friends said Monday they will miss Herzenberg and his postcards. The civil rights activist and the first openly gay elected official in the Carolinas died about 6 p.m. Sunday at UNC Hospitals. He was 66 years old.
Herzenberg was born June 25, 1941, to Morris and Margaret Herzenberg, and grew up in New Jersey.
He received a bachelor's degree from Yale University in 1963. After graduating, Herzenberg was one of the nearly 1,000 student volunteers who went to Mississippi to register black voters during Freedom Summer in 1964.
Herzenberg then joined the faculty of Tougaloo College, an historically black university, where he served as chairman of the history department. The Delta Sigma Theta sorority named him an honorary member while he taught at Tougaloo.
"He had fond memories of teaching there," Kleinschmidt said. "He thought of that as one of his great achievements in his life."
Herzenberg came to Chapel Hill as a graduate student in history at UNC.
In 1979, he led his first campaign for Chapel Hill Town Council and lost. Herzenberg was appointed to the seat vacated mid-term by Gerry Cohen, but failed to win re-election in 1981. He lost a third attempt for the council in 1983.
Friends said they will remember his determination to fight for progressive issues.
"He really set the bar for infusing our public policy decisions with progressive values and his commitment to civil rights and fairness and equality," Kleinschmidt said. "He found a role for those decisions in all that the town does."
Orange County Commissioner Mike Nelson managed Herzenberg's first successful attempt in 1987.
Nelson, who was the first openly gay elected Mayor of Carrboro before serving on the board of commissioners, was a student when he campaigned with Herzenberg.
Nelson met Herzenberg in 1983 at the Henderson Street Bar and said it was exciting to be involved with the successful campaign.
"Joe and our volunteers knocked on virtually every door in Chapel Hill," Nelson said. "We put together an extraordinary grassroots effort."
On the council, Herzenberg was responsible for the creation of the town's greenway system and the enactment of the tree protection ordinance.
"You look around Chapel Hill and you see his fingerprints on anything that's worth anything here," Kleinschmidt said.
He also was a mentor to many UNC students who later went on to elected offices in Orange County. Kleinschmidt, Nelson and Carrboro Mayor Mark Chilton were supported by Herzenberg when they ran for office.
"I remember how excited he was whenever I told him I wanted to pursue getting a seat on the council," Kleinschmidt said. "He taught me not just how to fight for the things I cared about, but also how to be effective with the people I was serving."
Chilton was a student when he first ran for a spot on the Chapel Hill Town Council. He and Herzenberg both ran in 1991, and Chilton said Herzenberg became a key adviser.
"Joe was a real important figure in Chapel Hill politics," Chilton said. "It seemed kind of strange, kind of unusual having someone like that supporting me."
Chilton said he learned a lot working with Herzenberg after they both were elected - Herzenberg with the highest vote total ever in a council race up to that time.
"Joe was somebody who was not afraid to stand up for the things that he believed in even if his point of view might be unpopular," Chilton said. "Joe and I were at the losing end of a couple of votes together over the years."
The two were the sole dissenting votes when the council decided to establish new policies allowing public housing apartments to be searched for drugs.
"We were quite vilified for that," Chilton said, who keeps a copy of an editorial cartoon that shows the two being burned at the stake together.
Herzenberg resigned from the council in 1993, but continued to remain active in Chapel Hill, serving on several town boards, including the committee that worked to rename Airport Road in honor of Martin Luther King Jr.
He was a longtime Democratic Party supporter, and served as a precinct captain for many years. On Election Days, Herzenberg would go around in the afternoon to convince people to vote.
"He and others would go knocking on doors and all but drag them to the polls," Kleinschmidt said. "He didn't care if they were going to vote for him or not. At the end of the day, he appreciated people participating whether they agreed with him or not."
The upcoming municipal elections mark the 20th anniversary of Herzenberg's election. Equality NC, which Herzenberg helped found, planned to honor him at its Equality Conference and Gala Saturday.
Nelson now will share a personal remembrance during the gala.
Herzenberg is survived by his brother Bobby; his sister-in-law, Debbie; his nephew, Michael; and his niece, Sarah. He was preceded in death by his brother David.
A memorial service is being planned and likely will occur in the coming weeks. Friends and family have asked that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Interfaith Alliance or Equality NC PAC.
Herzenberg's friends have taken to calling him an unofficial mayor of Franklin Street, recognizing the time he spent downtown meeting new and old friends.
And, in typical fashion, Chilton said Herzenberg reached out to everyone downtown.
"It wasn't just all the business owners and patrons he was friends with," Chilton said. "Joe knew all of the panhandlers by name. He really knew everyone."
Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
(10/16/07 4:00am)
Chapel Hill Town Council candidate Penny Rich showers with a bucket to collect extra water.
(10/10/07 4:00am)
Candidates for Chapel Hill's elected offices were asked how they would guide town development while balancing residents' needs at a forum Tuesday.
(09/27/07 4:00am)
Chancellor James Moeser has set a high bar for his replacement, town leaders said Wednesday.
(09/24/07 4:00am)
Residents of the Rogers Road and Eubanks neighborhoods want to make sure their plea to elected officials doesn't fall on deaf ears.
(09/20/07 4:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>When Chapel Hill Town Council members expressed surprise at a request from the University last week, some accused board members of exaggerating their protests because of the upcoming municipal election.
"It's kind of a drama," said Will Raymond, candidate for town council. "A little soap opera that usually pops up around election time. This is maybe act one of a three-part play."
Similar sentiments were made on the OrangePolitics blog, where Terri Buckner, vice chairwoman of Chapel Hill's technology committee, posted and attributed the reaction to the ongoing campaigns.
"If this wasn't election season, I suspect the Council's response might have been a bit less surprised," the post stated.
With more candidates running for the council than seats available, those trying to keep their seats must balance the pressure of both the office and the campaign.
Eight candidates are running in Chapel Hill for four seats, including incumbents Sally Greene, Cam Hill, Mayor Pro Tem Bill Strom and Jim Ward.
Signs for candidates aren't up in many front yards yet, but the election is on the minds of elected officials - those running and not.
Election season holds incumbents accountable to extra scrutiny from voters, which some say could affect how board members act.
"I think it would be natural for it to change," Hill said. "I'm sure it changes things a little."
This is Hill's first election as an incumbent. He said he thinks the board members running for re-election are "a pretty close-knit group."
"I don't feel a lot of competition," he said.
But with 47 days still remaining until the Nov. 6 election, Hill said it is too early to see if the election is impacting the board.
"Well, frankly, I've noticed that they haven't changed," he said. "It's just getting started. It's too early to say."
Council member Laurin Easthom echoed that and said she thinks voters have been too busy with the start of school to start watching the council race closely.
"We're not thinking about the election coming up," she said. "Even though it's September, it's still early for the constituents out there to really get tuned in to the fact that there's an election coming up."
Easthom, who was elected in 2005, said she doesn't expect the campaign season to change how the board acts.
"We're doing the same old work we always do," she said.
Hill said not everything the board says and does has political overtones related to the election.
"I think it's incredibly easy to say that anything a politician says is politically motivated," he said.
But he added that he thinks the council's response that many interpreted as overly surprised would have been the same regardless of the election.
"It would have elicited the same comments," he said.
Tom Jensen, a member of the town's planning board, said this year's election might generate more tension between those running for re-election and those trying to get on the board instead of creating tension among incumbents.
This is the third election Jensen has followed here. He said that animosity among the board was greater the last time council members were up for re-election in 2005.
"My guess is that the incumbents all like each other," he said. "I think it will be contentious, but I don't think it will competitive."
By this time in 2005, two groups already had issued endorsements. Several forums also had been held, all contributing to overall heightened election fever.
Even then, only 14 percent of registered voters made it to the polls.
The first forum for Chapel Hill candidates to present their views to the public is Tuesday. Two more forums also are planned.
Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
2007 municipal elections
Important dates:
(09/12/07 4:00am)
Chapel Hill Town Manager Roger Stancil has taken an unusual oath.
(08/31/07 4:00am)
County commissioners discussed Thursday what to do with a state law that allows the county to offer either a land-transfer tax or an increased sales tax on upcoming ballots.
The General Assembly granted counties the choice to present either option to voters. At the commissioners work session, the board discussed whether to present either of the options in November or May.
One of the proposed taxes would attach a 0.4 percent land-transfer tax to property sales, which would be levied upon the seller. Also being considered is a quarter-cent increase to the local sales tax.
The commissioners differed on which option to present and when to put it on the ballot.
"There's a price to pay for putting it on if it fails," Board Chairman Moses Carey Jr. said.
Carey said that while the board is allowed to put the measure back on the ballot if it fails, that isn't a scenario he wants the board to face.
"It just rubs me the wrong way as a citizen who votes, and I just wouldn't be willing to do this," Carey said.
The commissioners expressed a concern that they wouldn't have enough time to educate the public about the options before the November election.
Either must be approved by voters. If approved, the board may use the revenue raised for any purpose.
Board discussion also began on next year's upcoming budget cycle. The board considered the proposed timeline for addressing the budget.
One upcoming meeting was the source of tension among board members. Commissioners considered adding a Sept. 14 work session to allow the board to meet and identify long-term goals and priorities.
Carey expressed concerns voiced by Commissioner Mike Nelson in an e-mail. Carey said Nelson, who was not present at the meeting Thursday, requested the date be changed. Carey said Nelson would be unable to attend the Sept. 14 meeting because of his work schedule.
Barry Jacobs, board vice chairman, noted the difficulties in finding meeting times but said he understood Nelson's desire to be present and asked the board to try and find a better meeting time, if possible.
Commissioner Valerie Foushee said that having everyone present would be ideal but noted that she and other board members have missed work for county business.
"Anytime we have a meeting during the week, I'm going to have to miss work," she said. "And if that's going to be the consideration, then that should be the consideration for everyone."
Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
(08/29/07 4:00am)
The Chapel Hill Fire Department still is investigating a Sunday morning fire that destroyed the S building at Kingswood Apartments.
Firefighters responded at 2:02 a.m. to reports of fire at 1105 N.C. 54 Bypass. It took 55 minutes to contain the flames, which caused damage of at least $300,000.
The origins of the fire are considered suspicious. Chapel Hill Fire Marshal Matt Lawrence declined to comment on the investigation, which is ongoing, he said.
"We have to rule out all kinds of things before we come to a determination," Lawrence said.
The fire started in an apartment on the third floor and quickly spread to the rest of the complex.
The State Bureau of Investigation also is investigating the fire but could not be reached for comment.
Building S had 12 apartments, two of which were vacant at the time of the fire, said Kingswood Apartments General Manager Imelda Carbajal. On Tuesday, signs around the building declared it "condemned." A blue tarp covers the roof, and burn marks are evident around the windows.
Juniors Audrey Clark and Hilary Babu live together in Building R, which is across the street from the fire's location. They woke up to the fire and watched as firefighters fought the flames.
"Whenever we first went out there, it was just police, and they were knocking down doors making sure people were out of the building," Clark said.
She said the fire started in the rear left apartment. By the time firefighters arrived, the flames that were 10 to 15 feet high engulfed the back side of the apartment.
Smoke began pouring out of the windows to the front apartments shortly after, and Clark said firefighters created holes in the roof to release some of the smoke.
Both said evacuated residents responded calmly.
Babu said many of them, assuming the police were burglars when they knocked on their doors, brought knives with them when they left the building. "They were all sitting out in a row with their knives."
Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
(08/27/07 4:00am)
The public will have a chance to comment on the first draft of a plan that will direct future growth in Orange County.
Tonight's public hearing will give residents an opportunity to voice concerns about an early draft of the county's comprehensive plan.
The comprehensive plan will guide future growth in eight areas, including economic development, land use and housing for the next 25 years.
The present long-term plan dates to 1981 but only concerns land use.
"It's important to understand how interconnected everything is," said Frank Thomas, a member of the Home Builders Association of Durham, Orange and Chatham Counties.
The Home Builders Association is one of the groups that has joined a coalition seeking to guide the formation of the comprehensive plan. Other coalition partners include the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce, Inter-Faith Council for Social Service, Walkable Hillsborough, Empowerment, the Village Project and the Community Action Network.
The coalition met Friday to announce its vision and interest in helping direct the formation of the comprehensive plan.
"(Our goal is) to keep the committee focused on what the coalition thinks is important," said Kevin Schwartz, government relations chairman for the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce. Schwartz also is general manager of The Daily Tar Heel.
The coalition is a grassroots effort, whose members want to encourage input from various community groups in the county.
"We're not just doing things in our own little sphere," said Fred Black, chairman of the Community Action Network. "Regional decision-making becomes even more important. You don't just make decisions that only affect you."
The coalition will focus on raising public awareness about the revisions to the comprehensive plan.
"It's a real challenge to get people to show up for a public meeting," said Allan Rosen, co-chairman of the Village Project.
A final version is expected to be released to the public next May, with the commissioners set to adopt the plan in fall 2008.
The coalition's work will continue after the plan is approved. Schwartz said the coalition will work to ensure the commissioners follow the blueprint.
"Plans like this get passed all the time and then go on the shelf," he said.
"We'll be there to say 'Hey - don't forget the plan.'"
Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
ATTEND THE PUBLIC HEARING
Time: 7:30 p.m. today
Location: Gordon Battle Courtroom, 106 E. Margaret Lane, Hillsborough
Info: www.co.orange.nc.us/
planning/compre_cpupdate.asp
(08/23/07 4:00am)
A Chapel Hill group is looking at ways the downtown can grow without taking business away from existing shops.
The Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership's Board of Directors met Wednesday at the Franklin Hotel and discussed how to grow the downtown marketplace in new ways.
The group's goal is to identify business ideas that can provide goods not already offered downtown, said Liz Parham, executive director of the partnership.
There is a lot of overlap that makes it harder for businesses to survive, she said.
Downtown customers generate a demand of $19 million in food and drink purchases each year, but the 81 restaurants create a supply of $92 million, according to statistics provided by the partnership. The surplus means restaurants have a hard time attracting enough sales to stay in business.
Despite the 81 restaurants downtown, the food and beverage industry still has room to grow, Parham said.
Specialty shops such as a butcher shop, an ABC Store or a bakery could join the downtown lineup without taking business from other restaurants.
Sugarland, a bakery and gelato shop is scheduled to open in October on Franklin Street, and Parham said it is a good example of how the downtown can grow.
Another partnership concern is keeping residents from leaving the downtown area to shop elsewhere.
There are more than 59,000 residents in the three-mile radius from the intersection of Franklin and Columbia streets, and many of them are forced to shop elsewhere to find items not offered downtown.
Dwight Bassett, economic development officer for the town and a member of the partnership, said the town is looking to do a more specific study about where the leakage occurs.
"There is room in the market to grow," he said. "There is a tremendous amount of opportunity."
The group also discussed marketing strategies for the fall, including Fifth Quarter, the campaign encouraging visitors to spend time in the downtown area before and after Tar Heel football games.
Fifth Quarter will kick off for the first home football game against James Madison University on Sept. 1. For $5, visitors will be able to park and ride shuttle buses to Franklin Street. The buses will run for three hours before and after the games.
Home football games draw an estimated 60,000 spectators to the town.
Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
(08/21/07 4:00am)
A heat wave blanketing much of the southeast has left many Orange County residents seeking relief from triple-digit temperatures.
The National Weather Service is forecasting highs of 97 degrees for today and Wednesday, with temperatures expected to drop to the low 90s by the weekend.
"We're looking at some well-above-normal highs," said Gail Hartfield, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Raleigh. "The normal high is 87 or 88 degrees."
Hartfield said the recent heat is the result of a slow-moving air mass that is suppressing much of the rainfall that normally helps keep temperatures lower.
Across the southeast, 49 heat-related deaths have been reported. Three individuals have been treated for heat exhaustion as of Sunday at UNC's Memorial Hospital.
Those most at risk for heat exhaustion include children and the elderly, hospital spokeswoman Stephanie Crayton said.
"Those are the ones you want to be concerned about in extreme temperatures, in terms of folks making sure they're getting plenty of fluid in their body and not being out in extreme heat," she said.
The heat also is increasing energy use as people crank up air conditioners to escape the heat.
Duke Energy, which serves 1.6 million users in North Carolina, including 46,000 in Orange County, reported an all-time high of energy use early in August. The previous record was set July 27, 2005.
"It stressed our system," Duke Energy spokesman Tom Williams said.
This year's peak also comes as Duke Energy has expanded its available capacity by 17 percent since 2005, Williams said.
While residents with air have been turning down the thermometer, the Orange County Department of Social Services is trying to help those without air conditioning.
Families that meet the eligibility requirements can receive window air conditioners and fans while they are available.
Elizabeth Phillips, an economic-services intake supervisor for the department, said that demand for the air conditioners and fans varies, but that there are only a few air conditioners available right now.
"It really depends on the weather and when our funding comes through as to whether or not we will really have anything," she said.
Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.