Greetings from Our New Town Manager
Hello! After serving the past couple weeks as Carrboro Town Manager, I’d like to introduce myself. I am grateful and excited to join with the Town Council, town staff, and you to achieve extraordinary outcomes in our community.
Twenty years ago, I served as Assistant to the Town Manager for the Town of Carrboro. Since then, my career path has included serving as the Elon Town Manager, as well as executive management positions with the Unified Government of Athens-Clarke County, GA and most recently, the City of Asheville. While I had great experiences in those communities, I am pleased to be back in Carrboro!
Each community has its own distinct character, and Carrboro has long held a special place in my heart. It’s still the progressive, open, welcoming, and culturally diverse community that I remember – but there are more than a few changes. I look forward to visiting my old favorites – coffee at Open Eye, concerts at Cat’s Cradle, and hikes along the Adams Tract – while discovering what’s new at the Martin Luther King Jr. Park on Hillsborough Road and the new Grata Café at Carr Mill Mall, just to name a few.
I know the past 17 months have been challenging, and I want to thank you for showing concern for neighbors and the most vulnerable members of our community as we seek ways to continue to help during the ongoing pandemic. If we continue to work together, then our town will emerge stronger. There is a lot of excitement on the horizon - the development of a comprehensive plan, downtown redevelopment, racial equity initiatives, and the 203 Project that will bring a new library and cultural center to the heart of town.
I consider it a privilege and an honor to have been selected by the Town Council to serve as the town manager to lead an organization made up of dedicated professionals who work around the clock to provide an exceptional level of customer service in a professional, responsive, and courteous manner. It will take all of us - elected officials, town staff, and you working together to move our community forward.
As I get started, I will be learning about the organization and reconnecting with the community to better understand the challenges and opportunities that are in front of us. Please contact me with any questions, concerns, or suggestions you may have to help us achieve our goals.
I look forward to seeing you around town.
Sincerely,
Richard
Richard J. White III
Carrboro Town Manager
Carrboro Connects Comprehensive Plan Update
After one year of virtual engagement over computer screens and telephone lines, the Carrboro Connects team was so excited to finally get out into the community for real life, in-person pop-up events around Town!
The June pop-ups were an opportunity to reach new people who haven’t yet heard about the comprehensive plan, as well as check-in with “old friends” to get input on ideas that have been percolating in the planning process. The Carrboro Connects Task Force has been critical in moving the process along as chapters of the plan are now being written after extensive outreach and community engagement. Advisory boards will continue to review the elements of the plan and the Task Force members participated in Racial Equity - The Role of Government training in June. Preliminary drafts of a number of the plan elements are under review in early August. A community meeting, Task Force meeting and Town Council presentation on a more refined draft are scheduled for the week of Sept. 20.
We hope you will continue to follow the project and share your ideas. At the link below, find the draft vision, goals and strategies, as well as ways to offer comments on a map of Carrboro.
Important upcoming dates!
- Town Council Update – Sept. 21
- Community Workshop #3 – Sept. 22
- Planned Public Hearing – Nov. 16
Town Council Resumes Meetings This Fall
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 townofcarrboro.org/signup
Civic involvement is a valued tradition in our community. Reach the Town Council with your ideas, views and questions at council@townofcarrboro.org
The Town Council will meet next at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 14, to consider an agenda available through the following link: https://bit.ly/3tyS4cE
This will be a virtual meeting available for viewing through zoom or via carrboro.legistar.com or YouTube.com/CarrboroNC OR Cable TV 18 (in Carrboro). To speak at the meeting, please email publiccomment@townofcarrboro.org
New Mural for Carrboro High
Carrboro High School at 201 Rock Haven Road is sporting a new mural, ready for the return to in-person classes that began Aug. 23.
The mural is a gift from the Carrboro High School Class of 2021, students who had not been in school most of their senior year and for about half of their junior year.
Muralist Loren Pease (photographed above), in collaboration with Michael Brown, involved students on the conceptualization and painting of the mural, which depicts a purple jaguar and “Welcome to Carrboro High” message. It's located on the outside wall facing the football stadium and athletic fields. If you look carefully, you also will see bees, a nod to Carrboro’s affiliation as a Bee City USA and the school’s commitment to environmental stewardship.
“They wanted something bright, vibrant, and unlike other school murals that are designed to be intimidating to opposing teams,” said Ms. Pease, who also happens to be a bee enthusiast and beekeeper. “The students chose a Carrboro welcoming vibe.”
Completed in July 2021, the $3,000 mural was supported through fundraising efforts, including a $500 grant from the Town of Carrboro and some in-kind donations from Ms. Pease, whose son is a rising sophomore at Carrboro High.
Governor Cooper Visits Carrboro
North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper stopped by Pizzeria Mercato in Carrboro on Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021, and talked with owner Gabe Barker about his experience during the pandemic and what they’re doing now to keep the community safe. Mercato was one of the first restaurants in the area to require proof of vaccination to dine inside.
At a news conference, Mr. Barker said the rule has been good for business while keeping people safe. "Health and safety are my top priority," he said. Governor Cooper is encouraging other businesses across the state to do the same.
Attending the news conference was Carrboro Mayor Lydia Lavelle, NC Rep. Graig Meyer, NC Rep. Verla Insko, NC Sen. Valerie Foushee, Chapel Hill Mayor Pam Hemminger and Carrboro Town Manager Richard J. White III.
Mayor Lavelle remarked that cooperation among leaders in Orange County and the towns of Carrboro, Chapel Hill and Hillsborough has helped keep COVID-19 rates low in our county. She also shared that since the Town of Carrboro required that employees demonstrate proof of vaccination status by Sept. 1, about 99% of employees are now vaccinated.
203 Project Update
The 203 Project, located at 203 S. Greensboro St., will be the future home of the Orange County Southern Branch Library, the Town’s Recreation and Parks Department, WCOM radio, and much more. The Project will host traditional services as well as new collaborative programming that interconnect learning with arts and leisure. A public hearing at which the site plan and Design Development cost estimate were presented took place on June 15. Construction is expected to begin in spring of 2022 and completion of the project is anticipated in summer of 2023.
Trash Collection Schedule Over the Holidays
Thanksgiving Nov. 22-26 Household Trash Schedule
- Wednesday collection is on Monday, Nov. 22
- Thursday collection is on Tuesday, Nov. 23
- Friday collection is on Wednesday, Nov. 24
- Yard Waste - No collection Thanksgiving week
Christmas Dec. 20-25 Household Trash Schedule
- Wednesday collection is on Monday, Dec. 20
- Thursday collection is on Tuesday, Dec. 21
- Friday collection is on Wednesday, Dec. 22
- Yard Waste - No collection Christmas week
Keep Carrboro Independent. Shop Local!
Thank you for supporting locally owned businesses!
New Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Stations Coming Soon
The Town of Carrboro is installing two Level 2 EV charging stations in Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Park at 1120 Hillsborough Road and in the municipal lot at 604 W. Rosemary St.
Each station has two charging ports (and each port has a corresponding parking spot). There will be two spots for charging at MLK Park and two spots in the Rosemary lot. They will be free for use. Project work is scheduled to be completed this fall. There are also existing charging stations located at Carrboro Town Hall.
The new EV charging stations are funded through a NC Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ) Division of Air Quality (DAQ) grant through the Volkswagen Settlement Level 2 Zero Emission Vehicle Infrastructure Program.
South Greensboro Street Sidewalk Update
The Town has engaged an engineering firm to prepare construction plans for a sidewalk along the west side of S. Greensboro Street from the north end of Old Pittsboro Road to the NC-54 eastbound off-ramp, and onto the Public Works driveway.
The sidewalk would fill a major gap for pedestrians from along Smith Level Road south of NC-54 bypass to downtown. It will contribute to a safer and more comfortable walking environment for pedestrians traveling north and south on S. Greensboro Street and underneath NC-54 bypass. Plans are 65% complete and have been submitted to NCDOT and other agencies for review.
Carrboro Unveils New Truth Plaque
The official unveiling of the Town of Carrboro Truth Plaque for the Freedman School took place on Monday, Aug. 9, 2021, next to St. Paul’s AME Church at 101 N. Merritt Mill Road.
Background about the Freedman School
In 1866, freedmen Benjamin Craig and Green Cordal bought a plot of land near the current intersection of West Franklin Street and Merritt Mill Road, and donated a portion of it to the Quakers for the establishment of a school for freedmen. The remaining portion was donated to create a place for the present-day St. Paul AME Church.
By 1868, the Quaker school had begun operations as a private school. In 1890, the school expanded to serve Black children in grades 1-7, with the Orange County school system providing teachers and supplies. By 1910, about 130 students were enrolled.
Tip of the Helmet
For the first time in the history of the department the CFRD has an all-female crew! The crew working to keep #CarrboroSafe includes Driver Donahue, Relief Driver Kreplak, Firefighter Joyce, and Firefighter Christopher. Please take a moment to thank these hard working, dedicated firefighters!
2021 Carrboro Music Festival Canceled
The Town of Carrboro is announcing the cancellation of the 2021 Carrboro Music Festival. The festival was scheduled to be held on September 25-26 at venues throughout downtown Carrboro.
When planning for the event began earlier this year, there was the hope that the newly-available vaccines would move us in the direction of being able to offer our traditional event which has featured 150-200 acts at over 20 venues and drawn thousands of people into the downtown area to enjoy a full day of live music.
Since that time, the Delta variant has created a much different situation. At this time, all of our surrounding counties are now classified as either ‘Very High Risk’ or ‘Extremely High Risk’ of transmission to unvaccinated community members, so the idea of bringing in potentially a couple of thousand festival attendees is of concern, especially for our community members who are immunocompromised or unable to be vaccinated.
As a result of the uncertainty the pandemic has caused, we have some venues that closed since our last in-person festival. While we were excited to partner with some great new venues, some of the community’s favorite outdoor spots were not available this year.
Additionally, as we have been communicating with our performers, their safety is paramount and crowded performances, particularly within indoor venues, is a concern. Both locally and regionally, we have seen events cancelled or greatly reduced in scale in recent weeks. Our goal for this year has been to try and offer a festival that continues to offer a wide-variety of music and accommodates as many of the performers who applied as possible.
While we were hopeful and very excited for the opportunity to return with our traditional event, our number one priority is the safety of our performers, our volunteers, the staff of our participating venues, and the overall community.
We appreciate everyone who is a part of this event, especially all of the great musicians as well as our partnering venues and sponsors.
Stay safe and we look forward to seeing everyone for next year’s event, which is scheduled for Sunday, October 3, 2022.
Register Today for Fall Recreation Programs
The Carrboro Recreation, Parks, & Cultural Resources Department’s Fall program brochure is now available! Registration is currently underway.
We're recruiting!
Serving on an advisory board or commission is a great opportunity to give to your community and participate in local government!
Help Us Better Serve Our Community!
As part of the Town of Carrboro’s race and equity initiative, maintaining data is important to ensure we are reaching and serving all members of our community. In order to achieve this goal, we hope to gain a better understanding of who we are currently serving. Therefore, we have added an ethnicity component to our RecTrac/WebTrac registration and reservation system.
How can you help?
We are asking that everyone who currently has an account through our RecTrac/WebTrac system to update their family’s information by providing the ethnicity of each household member. This will help us with reporting and evaluation of participation in recreation programs and activities, which will help guide our strategies to better serve the community.
- If you already have a WebTrac account, please visit http://carrbororec.org and click on the RecConnect registration button:
- From there, log into your account. Next, go to ‘Update Account Details’. From here, you can choose the ethnicity of family members in the drop down menu under each person. If you need assistance with your account, you may call the department at 919.918.7364 or email our Administrative Assistant at dsanders@townofcarrboro.org)
- If you do not have a WebTrac account and the ability to update online, please contact our Administrative Assistant at the above phone number or email address and we can assist you with entering this information.
THANK YOU FOR HELPING US BETTER SERVE OUR ENTIRE COMMUNITY!
Improving Bike Lanes
Protected bike lanes now in place along Jones Ferry Road between NC Hwy 54 and Barnes Street!
Walk/Bike to School Day
International Walk to School Day is Oct. 6! We are currently working with Carrboro Elementary to hold a Walking School Bus as part of Walk to School Day!
Photograph above is from a 2019 Walk to School Day with Mayor Lydia Lavelle and community.
Morgan Creek Greenway Update
The Morgan Creek Greenway is a 1.9-mile multiphase greenway system that will extend from the Smith Level Road bridge by the Public Works Department to University Lake with a possible spur to Carrboro High School. The greenway will connect via an underpass to future phases of the Morgan Creek Greenway system in Chapel Hill that extends to the east along Fordham Boulevard.
Work on Phase 1 is underway. The paved trail would begin at the Smith Level Road bridge and follow along the north side of Morgan Creek to a new pedestrian bridge that would cross the creek and lead to a terminus point near the recreation area for the Berryhill neighborhood where it will connect to an existing network of informal paths. Phase 1 was bid in 2019 and is anticipated to be re-advertised in the spring of 2022 after the completion of design modifications.
Jones Creek Greenway
The project will provide walking and cycling options for the Lake Hogan Farms, Legends, Ballentine, and Fox Meadow neighborhoods to destinations such as Morris Grove Elementary and Twin Creeks Park. Plans are approaching 90% completion, and work on the associated permit applications is underway. Staff continues to work with NCDOT on review. Carrboro and Orange County staff met in early June 2021 to discuss the project details and schedule.
Pedestrian Crossings Coming Along NC 54
Signalized pedestrian crossings are coming along NC 54 at Westbrook Drive and Abbey Lane, the result of an NC Department of Transportation Safety Study. Carrboro staff have coordinated with the Town of Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill Transit, and NCDOT to submit the joint project to the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization (DCHC-MPO) for funding.
Chapel Hill Transit Update
Starting Monday Sept. 20, Chapel Hill Transit will implement reductions due to a shortage of bus drivers. These temporary schedule adjustments are intended to increase the reliability of the bus system in the face of staffing shortages.
Emergency Housing Assistance
If you or someone you know needs emergency housing assistance, the Emergency Housing Assistance (EHA) program can help pay for rent, security deposits, or fees. Visit EHA online to see if you qualify or to complete an application. Or contact the Housing Helpline: 919-245-2655 HousingHelp@orangecountync.gov
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