We’re breaking ground on a new library and cultural center!
CARRBORO, N.C. -- Everyone is invited as our community breaks ground on the Orange County Southern Branch Library and Cultural Center at 203 S. Greensboro St.
The groundbreaking ceremony is scheduled for 4 p.m. Thursday, May 5, on the current parking lot site across from Open Eye Café at 203 S. Greensboro St. The event will include remarks by local officials, a reading by the poet laureate of Carrboro, and a dance performance by Takiri Folclor Latino. Refreshments will follow at Open Eye Cafe, 101 S. Greensboro St.
Parking will be available nearby at the future site of The ArtsCenter at 400 Roberson St. Find more parking options at https://www.carrboronc.gov/DocumentCenter/View/11225/Carrboro-Parking-Map
The library will serve residents in or near southern Orange County. The facility will also provide a permanent home for the Orange County Skills Development Center; Carrboro Recreation, Parks and Cultural Resources Department; WCOM Radio, the Virtual Justice Center; and performance/multipurpose uses.
Learn more about the 203 Project at www.the203project.org
For more information about the groundbreaking event, please contact Libbie Hough, communications manager for the Orange County Public Library at lhough@orangecountync.gov; Catherine Lazorko, communication and engagement director for the Town of Carrboro, at clazorko@carrboronc.gov or Todd McGee, community relations director for Orange County at tmcgee@orangecountync.gov
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Small Business Week in Carrboro
Mayor Damon Seils has proclaimed May 2-5 to be Small Business Week in Carrboro.
Did you know that 96% of businesses in Carrboro are small businesses, and together they employ more than 3,350 workers? Let's celebrate them during Small Business Week and support them year-round!
“I encourage all residents to support the small businesses in our community, appreciating and celebrating the personal touches and unique expertise small businesses offer and the economic resilience they foster,” Mayor Seils said.
Accepting the proclamation on behalf of the local business community was Josh Moorhead, who is chair of the Carrboro Business Alliance Leadership Council and manager of Weaver Street Market.
The Town’s Economic Development Department supports the business community, with a special emphasis on locally owned businesses, by serving as an information hub to help businesses succeed. It also administers loan programs to support job creation, business retention, and energy efficiency; partnering with the Carrboro Tourism Development Authority, the Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitors Bureau, and the Carrboro Business Alliance to promote local businesses.
Access the complete proclamation for Small Business Week in Carrboro at http://www.carrboronc.gov/DocumentCenter/View/11228/2022-Small-Business-Week-Proclamation-May-2-5
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We saw you at Carrboro Day!
Thanks to all who came out to our annual Carrboro Day event on Sunday, May 1. Finally, we were back in person for poetry, music, local history, and to meet our neighbors.
Carrboro Day is an annual event that is traditionally held at Town Commons on the first Sunday in May. This event is about meeting your neighbors, learning about aspects of the Town’s history, connecting with the Town and learning about Town services, and taking a day to celebrate Carrboro!
https://www.carrboronc.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=2125
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Carrboro Town Council Update
Meeting agendas and updates are issued from the Town Clerk’s Office. To receive these by email or text, sign up for Carrboro Town News at carrboronc.gov/signup
Civic involvement is a valued tradition in our community. Reach the Town Council with your ideas, views, and questions at Council@carrboronc.gov
Coming Up
The Town Council will meet next at 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 3, to consider an agenda posted that is posted at https://bit.ly/3OMlVIM and https://carrboro.legistar.com
This in-person meeting will be held at Carrboro Town Hall, 301 W. Main St. Members of the public are welcome to attend in person or can view the livestream at https://carrboro.legistar.com OR YouTube.com/CarrboroNC OR Cable TV 18 (in Carrboro).
To submit a comment on this agenda, please contact publiccomment@carrboronc.gov to reach the Town Clerk.
Past Meeting
The Carrboro Town Council met Tuesday, April 26, and took the following actions on the agenda posted at https://bit.ly/3MrPz3L
- Set a public hearing for May 24 to consider The ArtsCenter Special Use Permit located at 400 Roberson St.
- Authorized the Town Manager to execute a contract for the traffic signal work and approved the revised project ordinance for the East Main Street restriping project.
- Approved a Minor Modification to the Conditional Use Permit for Royal Park Apartments to allow the construction of a new sidewalk and retaining wall.
- Approved a permit extension request for a previously issued Conditional Use Permit for Veridia AIS.
- Held a public hearing and approved a minor modification request to the Conditional Use Permit for Winmore Village Mixed Use (VMU) to allow conversion of Lot 179 to three single-family lots and assigned the community pool to serve as civic use for the VMU.
- Held a public hearing to consider a Special Use Permit application for a new commercial building at 201 North Greensboro St. and continued this public hearing until June 7.
- Received a presentation about the Downtown Parking Study.
- Authorized the Town Manager to sign a parking lease agreement with Fitch Lumber for temporary parking during the 203 Project construction.
About the Town Council
The Town Council is the legislative and policy-making body for Carrboro, consisting of the following: Mayor Damon Seils, Mayor Pro Tempore Susan Romaine, Council Member Barbara Foushee, Council Member Randee Haven-O’Donnell, Council Member Danny Nowell and Council Member Sammy Slade. More information is available at http://carrboronc.gov/248/Town-Council
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May is Bike Month
Take delight in every bike ride this May!
Mayor Damon Seils has proclaimed May to be Bike Month in Carrboro. And that’s not all!
“I encourage residents to add biking to their transportation routines; to become advocates for biking, bicycle infrastructure, and bicycle-friendly laws and policies; and to take delight in every bike ride, Mayor Seils said.
- Wednesday, May 4 is Bike to School Day
- May 16-22 is Bike to Work Week
- Friday, May 20 is Bike to Work Day
Biking is an easy way for people to reduce their carbon footprint and advance the Town’s climate action goals by avoiding the use of single-occupancy vehicles and reducing reliance on nonrenewable resources for transportation.
The Town of Carrboro will promote biking at several upcoming events:
- Ride with the Mayor at 8 a.m. May 10
- Bike on Bus event at the Carrboro Farmers’ Market from 9 a.m. to noon May 10
- Bike Breakfast at the Libba Cotten Bikeway from 7 to 9 a.m. May 17
- Additional events are being organized with local partners, including the Town of Chapel Hill, the Carrboro Bicycle Coalition, the Orange County Commuter Options program, and UNC Transportation and Parking.
Did you know? In 2010, Carrboro became the first community in North Carolina to be designated a Silver Level Bicycle Friendly Community by the League of American Bicyclists.
Learn more by accessing the proclamation at https://www.carrboronc.gov/DocumentCenter/View/11227/2022-Bike-Month-Bike-to-School-Day-Bike-to-Work-Week-and-Bike-to-Work-Day
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OWASA Bill Assistance Information
Orange Water and Sewer Authority instituted a suspension of service disconnections due to non-payment in March 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
As the Orange County State of Emergency prompted by the pandemic expired on May 1, 2022, at 5 p.m., OWASA will be resuming standard collection practices on June 1, 2022. Under standard collection practices, a customer is subject to service disconnection after missing two consecutive OWASA bills.
OWASA is offering 6-, 12-, and 18-month extended payment plans for any debt accrued before May 31, 2022. These payment plans will be fee-free and allow for customers to incrementally pay down debts accumulated during the pandemic while also paying their monthly OWASA bill.
You can register for an extended payment plan by filling out the forms linked below.
Help Paying Your Bill|
OWASA understands the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic as it continues to affect our community. If you need assistance paying your OWASA bill, support is available from several resources to help pay down that debt. See https://www.owasa.org/save-water-save-money/#bill_assistance COVID-19 extended payment plans must be signed up for before August 1, 2022, by filling out the below form.
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Freight Train Blues Concert Series starts May 13
The Town of Carrboro will present the Music Maker Foundation’s Freight Train Blues series of live concerts every Friday evening between May 13 and June 10 at the Carrboro Town Commons, 301 W. Main St. The series is a collaboration among the Town of Carrboro Recreation, Parks & Cultural Resources; the Music Maker Foundation; and WUNC 91.5FM.
More information: www.freighttrainblues.com
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COVID Emergency Declaration expires this May
News from Orange County NC Government
The longest-running state of emergency declaration in Orange County history will expire at 5 p.m. on Sunday, May 1. Orange County originally declared a state of emergency due to COVID on March 13, 2020, and extended it more than a dozen times as conditions warranted. With the overall situation improving, officials will allow the current declaration to expire as scheduled.
As a result, masks will no longer be required in some indoor settings, including public transportation. Even so, Orange County Health Director Quintana Stewart urges individuals to wear masks while using public transportation.
“Wearing a mask is most beneficial in crowded or poorly ventilated locations,” she said. “Wearing a well-fitted mask over the nose and mouth in indoor travel or public transportation settings protects the individual wearing the mask and those around them, including those who are immunocompromised, unvaccinated or not yet vaccine-eligible. This helps to keep travel and public transportation safer for everyone.”
Key metrics like number of hospital admissions and percent of emergency room visits due to COVID remain low across North Carolina, and no counties in the state are considered at high risk of straining their healthcare system.
Gov. Roy Cooper’s state of emergency declaration for North Carolina is still in effect, and NCDHHS continues to recommend masks for individuals in high-risk settings (health and long-term care facilities, correctional facilities and homeless shelters).
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Weigh in on proposed transit improvements!
Each year, a work group with representatives from Orange County, GoTriangle and the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization puts together a work program for transit service and infrastructure improvements that will be funded in the next fiscal year (July-June).
The draft FY23 Orange County Transit Work Program is now available for a 21-day public review and comment period through May 11. The work group will collect and review comments before the work program’s adoption in June.
Be sure to review the plan and submit your comments!
Comment at https://goforwardnc.org/county/orange-county/get-involved/
Questions? Email publicengagement@gotriangle.org or call 919-475-7433.
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SCMs: What are they and what do they do?
Hi I’m Moe! Today I’m kicking off a new series to introduce SCMs to you. In the first Carrboro This Week newsletter of each month you can join me to explore the types of SCMs that can be found in Carrboro.
SCM stands for Stormwater Control Measures. These are engineered devices that are designed and constructed to manage stormwater. The goal of SCMs are to reduce the impact of development on downstream streams, creeks, and lakes by:
- Minimizing the amount of runoff
- Slowing down the runoff
- Infiltrating runoff
- Evapotranspiring runoff
- Filtering runoff
SCMs are regulated stormwater devices that treat runoff to reduce both water quantity and quality impacts. The Town of Carrboro requires the property owner to take responsibility for maintenance and inspection of stormwater devices. Visit the Town of Carrboro’s SCM Maintenance and Inspection Program webpages at https://townofcarrboro.org/751/SCM-Maintenance-and-Inspection for more information on the requirements of SCM ownership and a map of SCMs locations in Carrboro at https://townofcarrboro.org/2631/Map-of-SCMs-in-Carrboro
Stormwater flows downstream, and we all must do our part on our property to protect the streams for everyone. We all play an important role in the health of downstream waters. All of the homes in our community drain directly to a stream or creek that drains to where we get our drinking water. When we maintain stormwater SCMs in our own neighborhood, we protect waterways for everyone.
Check out the Homeowner’s Watershed and Stormwater Handbook https://townofcarrboro.org/2324/Stormwater-Homeowners-Manual for more information on what you can do to limit your impact to stormwater runoff.
See you next time when we'll talk about Bioretention Areas!
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Save the Date: PRIDE Food Truck Rodeo and Dance Party
The towns of Carrboro and Chapel Hill are collaborating on Pride Month to show LGBTQ+ Pride, and to affirm community values ensuring that all residents, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, are treated with respect and dignity. Small Town Pride will promote equality and celebrate diversity and acceptance in the towns of Carrboro and Chapel Hill. It will involve the entire community, with local businesses, artists, volunteers and community partners. Watch for details to be announced soon!
The PRIDE Food Truck Rodeo and Dance Party is scheduled for 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, June 24. Food trucks, organizations, vendors and crafters wishing to participate with tables at the event can apply at:
https://www.carrboronc.gov/FormCenter/Communication-and-Engagement-Department-31/PRIDE-Events-at-Carrboro-Town-Commons-201
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