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Schools

New School Site Selected

The Chapel Hill-Carrboro School District’s next elementary school will be located in the Northside neighborhood, a historically black neighborhood. The school will be located between Caldwell and McMasters streets, an area that was the site of the segregated Orange County Training School. The site selection is not final since Orange County owns the land, requiring the Commissioners to formally approve the site. According to Neil Pedersen, School Superintendant, the Commissioners have informally been very supportive. If all goes well, the school should open in the fall of 2011.

From the Chapel Hill Herald

Chatham Hires New School Superintendant
Robert L. Logan was unanimously selected by the Chatham County Board of Education as the next superintendant in mid-April. Logan comes to Chatham from the State Department of Public Instruction, a position he has been at for about a year. Prior to working for the State, Logan was superintendant of Asheville Schools. Logan was selected by the Board from among 29 candidates for his enthusiasm and innovative ideas. He will receive a salary of $140,000 plus benefits. For the full story, click here.

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Orange County

UNC and Town Announce Major Downtown Acquisition
In a press conference held on Friday, Chancellor James Moeser and Chapel Hill Mayor Kevin Foy announced that the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Foundation will purchase the University Square-Granville Towers complex in downtown Chapel Hill. The Foundation is purchasing the 12-acre property for $45.75 million. One of the best parts of the deal is that the property will remain on the Town’s tax rolls since the Foundation, not the University, is purchasing the property. Last year, the total tax bill for the property was $868,279. Chancellor Moeser said the Foundation will honor the leases of businesses in University Square and utilize community input to develop a master plan for the long-term use of the property.
From Joint Press Release by Town and University

Chapel Hill Council Votes for 11 Percent Tax Hike
The Chapel Hill Town Council voted to approve a budget that would increase property taxes by 5.9 cents, making the new rate 58.1 cents per $100 valuation. According to Mayor Kevin Foy, the main drivers of the increase are the new Aquatics Center on Homestead Road, the new Town Operations Center on Mill House Road and the new Southern Community Park off U.S. 15-501. Other factors in the budget were a 3 percent increase in staff salaries and a 10 percent increase in the cost of health insurance. For the full story, click here.

Planning Board Votes to Support N.C. 54 Moratorium
At a May Chapel Hill Town Council meeting, Sherwood Forest resident Henry Lister petitioned the Council for a moratorium along N.C. 54. The next day, the Planning Board voted 6-0 in support of the petition. Planning Board Chair George Cianciolo remarked, "We just want to find out -- get a sense of -- what is it that the council and the citizens want for this town: Do they want high density residential? Do they want more commercial?" According to Lister, the moratorium would buy time to plan for more careful growth along 54. Right now, 54 East is under construction in the corridor and plans have been proposed for Woodmont, a mixed-use office project, and Aydan Court, a residential project, though all three projects would not be affected by the moratorium. Developers looking at redeveloping Glen Lennox would be affected by the moratorium. For the full story, click here.

Orange County Comprehensive Plan Update
The Orange County Comprehensive Plan, which is the guiding document of development in this county, is currently undergoing an update for the first time in twenty-five years. The Greater Chapel Hill Association of REALTORS, as a member of the Orange County Comprehensive Plan Coalition, has played a key role in influencing the contents of this plan and the update process. You can also weigh-in on the plan contents by submitting written comments up until July 9 or speak publicly at the County Commissioners meeting on August 25. You can email the planning board your comments at this address and you can view the draft Comprehensive Plan here. The Comprehensive Plan is a critical document that will guide the development of the County over the next 20 years, please take some time to express your views on what you want to see Orange County become.

County Commissioner Showdown Set for June 24
In the District 2 Orange County Commissioner race, Leo Allison has requested a second primary with Steve Yuhasz. Allison was entitled to the primary since no candidate garnered more than 40 percent of the vote. In the May primary, Yuhasz garnered 37.2 percent of the votes while Allison came in second with 27.7 percent.  Early voting in District 2 began June 5 at the West Tryon Street voting site. The primary will be held on June 24. For the full story, click here.

Glen Lennox Property Owners Seeking Neighborhood Conservation District
Sixty one percent of property owners in and around Glen Lennox have asked the Town of Chapel Hill to hold an information session so that they can learn more about forming a Neighborhood Conservation District (NCD). The request for a session will go to the Council on June 25 and from there could go to the planning board who would orchestrate the information session. Grubb Properties who owns Glen Lennox is looking to submit a concept plan to the Community Design Commission in August and could pursue approval for the project while the neighborhoods seek the NCD. The new plan for Glen Lennox would replace the 440 apartments with 908 new homes (single family, apartment and condominium) as well as retail, restaurant, a hotel and office space. For the full story, click here.

Orange County Sales Tax Revenues Falling
In a work session last Thursday Orange County Commissioners received a report from county manager Laura Blackmon and budget director Donna Coffey who said that sales tax revenue for the County will be $1.5 million under projections for FY 2007-2008. Manager Blackmon cited the slowing economy as the problem; county residents are reducing their spending and thus limiting the amount of sales tax collected on potential sales. County staff did report that there would be a small pot of state lottery money available for capital projects. For the full story, click here.

Orange County Hires New Economic Development Director
Orange County Manager Laura Blackmon announced the hiring of Bradly Broadwell, formerly director of economic development in Dorchester County, Maryland, as the new Economic Development Director in Orange County. Broadwell will begin May 19 and has worked for US Agency for International Development in Mongolia and U.S. deputy secretary of commerce in Washington D.C. In a written statement, Manager Blackmon said, “Brad's vast experiences in developing successful economic programs, as well as his extensive background working with international communities are skills Orange County can put to use today.” For the full story, click here.

Church’s Expansion Proposal Could Bring Park-and-Ride Lot
The Orange United Methodist Church at 1220 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. brought expansion plans before the Chapel Hill Town Council during its February 18 meeting. The church, almost 180 years old, is proposing to build a 57,000-square-foot addition and 188 extra parking spaces on the 16-acre site. The construction will include a new worship space, classrooms, a youth facility and administrative offices. Currently, the sanctuary has a capacity of 240 seats and the campus has 110 parking spaces. The Planning Board requested the council to encourage the church to consider a park-and-ride facility at the site. The board reasoned that it's a good location for one because, among other reasons, it is on the bus line and a park-and-ride lot would help the town meet its goal of increasing the number of residents who take advantage of the bus service. For the full story, click here.

OWASA Considering Raising Rates, Instituting New Surcharges
The OWASA Board of Directors are weighing a 17 percent water and sewer rate increase that would affect residential users and businesses alike. The Board will decide whether or not to enact the rates at their June 26 meeting; if enacted the rates would be effective October 1, 2008. Beyond the increased rates, the Board is considering implementing increased surcharges during Stage 1, 2 and 3. Currently, surcharges do not go into effect for businesses until Stage 3 restrictions. Under the new proposal, businesses would pay 115 percent of the seasonal water rate during Stage 1, 125 percent during Stage 2 and 150 percent during Stage 3. If both the surcharges and rate increases are enacted, a business could face a 32 percent increase in their water bill under Stage 1 restrictions. For the full story, click here and here.

County Seeking Board Volunteers
The Orange County Commissioners are seeking citizen volunteers to serve on the Board of Adjustment. Members are appointed by the Board of Commissioners to serve three-year terms. The Board of Adjustment is responsible for hearing, reviewing and deciding appeals filed by citizens arising from a decision made by a zoning officer. For more information about the Board or to apply, contact the office of the Clerk to the Board at 245-2125 or email athompson-rockett@co.orange.nc.us.
From the Chapel Hill Herald

Orange County Human Services to Occupy Former Wal-Mart
Orange County Human Services, currently located in downtown Hillsborough on Tryon Street, will soon be located in a vacant Wal-Mart building at Mayo and Churton Streets. The new 56,000 square foot location will vastly expand the human services ability to confidentially interview patients and move more people through the system. The County executed a 10-year lease on the property with the option to purchase the entire 108,000 shopping center in February of 2012.
From the Chapel Hill Herald

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The Triangle

Chatham Commissioners Vote to Extend Development Moratorium
In a June 2 meeting, Chatham County Commissioners voted to extend a year long development moratorium another six months. The ban is on developments with 26 or more residential lots, not commercial real estate, and does not apply to the county’s two incorporated municipalities Pittsboro and Siler City. In statements made by commissioner chair George Lucier, the moratorium was meant to revisit county rules governing growth and that county staff have found that those revisions are more complicated than originally thought. For the full story, click here.

Chatham County BOC Website Offers New Ways to Stay Informed
The Chatham County Board of Commissioners announced many new features to their website that are designed to help keep Chatham County citizens informed.  At the center of this effort is the new “E-Notifier” system through which Chatham County residents may receive agendas for upcoming meetings, county news releases, new county job postings, and special events.

Signup is available at the county website, www.chathamnc.org.  The E-Notices are also customizable; clicking on “Sign Up for E-Notices” opens a menu where the user can select types of information about which they receive e-notices.  Each e-notice provides a link to revise a subscription or to unsubscribe the user from the e-notices service. The website also offers a chance to leave comments for the Board of Commissioners as well as an online signup form to speak at the next Board meeting.
From Chatham County website

Durham County Seeking a Prepared Food Tax
State lawmakers are working with Durham County to develop legislation that would allow the county to put a proposed food tax on the ballot in November. If the tax is passed, Durham could tax food and drink in restaurants up to 1 percent. The City and County have agreed to split the revenue with 3 percent going to the county to administer the tax, 80 percent going to civic and cultural amenities, 10 percent to destination marketing, 5 percent to workforce training and 5 percent to community cleanup. For the full story, click here.

Raleigh Considering Increased Water Rates
Raleigh City Council is debating a possible increase in water rates that would be used to pay for roads and parks and cover the loss in revenue associated with conservation. Raleigh City Manager Russell Allen proposed a budget that would include 15 percent increase in the water and sewer rate. For a typical 6,000 gallon per month water user, that increase would amount to $4.86 per month or nearly $60 for the year. The Raleigh water system is projecting an 8 percent decrease in water use for next year due to tougher water restrictions and changes in consumer use. For the full story, click here.

Durham Athletic Park to Undergo Renovations
At the end of April, Durham City and Minor League Baseball officials participated in a historic groundbreaking event at Durham Athletic Park. The DAP, where the movie “Bull Durham” was filmed will undergo a $5 million renovation over the next six months and soon become home of the NCCU and Durham School of the Arts baseball teams. The DAP will also serve as a training ground of sorts for minor league baseball grounds crews and umpires. If everything goes according to schedule, the park will be finished in November.
From the Herald Sun

Progress Energy Carolinas Seeks Rate Hike to Cover Increased Energy Costs
Progress Energy filed a petition Friday to hike residential rates by 16 percent, or a total of about $424 million, in response to the increased cost of the fuels they use to create power.  According to Progress, coal prices are up 160 percent while natural gas prices have risen 55 percent since June of last year. If approved by the North Carolina Utilities Commission, the rate hike will take effect December 1 and raise the average residential customer’s bill to $96.86.
From the Triangle Business Journal

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State

State Draws Overseas Tourists
Governor Mike Easley announced in a press conference that North Carolina is attracting more international tourists than in previous years. In 2007, a report conducted by the U.S. Department of Commerce, North Carolina drew approximately 358,000 international tourists, putting the state 15^th in the nation. In 2005, the state was ranked 18^th. The report states that international visitors spend an average of $2,568 during an average of 12 days in the North Carolina. By comparison, domestic tourists spend $549 during a an average 3.3 day trip. For the full story, click here.

Governor Pushes for Drought Legislation
Governor Mike Easley has endorsed various bills related to the drought and is urging the General Assembly to follow suit. The bills, according to Gov. Easley, would “modernize” the state’s public water systems, mandate conservation and efficiency and improve state response to water emergencies. For the full story, click here.

Amtrak to add Third Charlotte-Raleigh Train
Governor Mike Easley’s office announced Wednesday that Amtrak will add a third passenger train to its service between Raleigh and Charlotte.  Increased ridership due to the recent spate in gas prices has prompted the addition of a mid-day run. Ridership on the current Charlotte-Raleigh was up 22 percent between October 2007 and April 2008. The Governor’s office said that the $3 million needed to operate the new route will come from the federal government for the next three years.  The new train should be operational within a year. For the full story, click here.

North Carolina Unemployment Rate 5.8 Percent in May
North Carolina’s unemployment rate increased to 5.8 percent in May, according to the Employment Security Commission of North Carolina.  The 5.8 percent rate reflects the fifth consecutive increase in as many months and the highest rate since February, 2004. ESC Chairman Harry E. Payne, Jr. noted that unemployment often rises during this time of year, in part due to students and recent graduates looking for work. 

The labor force did increase by 2,587 people for the month of May, part of a year-to-date increase of 39,818. Overall employment decreased, however, by 18,330 workers. Seasonally adjusted unemployment increased by 20,917 workers, to 265,776. Since this time last year, unemployment has increased by 49,576 people. Employment is down by 9,758 workers since May 2007. The state unemployment rate in May 2007 was 4.8 percent, preceding a one percent increase to the current rate of 5.8 percent.  This mirrors the national unemployment rate increase of one percent, up from 4.5 percent in May 2007 to the current rate of 5.5 percent.
From the ESC Website