News Digest for Town of Carrboro, NC 
(September 6, 2023) 

Here's what's new in Carrboro This Week: September is the final month for the Bolin Creek Greenway survey, so be sure to take the survey! Celebrate the weekend in a beautiful way by visiting artist exhibitions, supporting local galleries, and connecting with friends at the 2nd Friday ArtWalk this Friday! Mark your calendars for Clean Up Day in Carrboro. See what else is coming up soon in this issue! 

Just a few more weeks to take the Bolin Creek Greenway survey!

Which way for the greenway? The Town of Carrboro needs your help with a survey about the remaining phases of the Bolin Creek Greenway. Mayor Damon Seils says that your input at this early stage will help the Town plan and design, address engineering and environmental details, and secure federal funding and other grants to make the project a reality. As you respond to the survey, think about how you and your friends use the greenways in Carrboro and Chapel Hill today. How do you envision using them in the future? 

Take the Bolin Creek Greenway Survey today. 

For more information, contact the staff team at communications@carrboronc.gov 

Join us for National Clean Up Day in Carrboro! 

We need your help to clean up the town! Meet at the Century Center on Saturday, Sept. 16 at 9 a.m. and join us as we walk through town, removing trash and recycling debris along the way.

Please call to let us know you are attending and remember to dress in clothes you don’t mind getting dirty. 

If you, your family, or group would like to help with the annual cleanup, please contact Galen Poythress at (919) 918-7392 or email jpoythress@carrboronc.gov.

Date: Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023

Time: 9 - 11:30 a.m.

Location: Carrboro Century Center, 100 N. Greensboro St., Carrboro, NC 27510

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 https://www.carrboronc.gov/list.aspx 

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 Carrboro Town Council will meet for a Council Work Session at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023. The Council will hold a discussion about the residential traffic calming process and how it might be simplified. Also, the Council is scheduled to discuss street connectivity and the Town’s Connector Roads Policy. The agenda will be available at https://carrboro.legistar.com/   

Please note that public comment is generally not received nor is Council action taken during work sessions. The Town Council meets at Carrboro Town Hall, 301 W. Main St. Members of the public are welcome to attend in person or can view the livestream YouTube.com/CarrboroNC  OR at https://carrboro.legistar.com/  OR Cable TV 18 (in Carrboro). 

Past Meetings

The Carrboro Town Council held a closed session on Thursday, Aug. 31, to discuss the recruitment process to fill the upcoming town manager vacancy.  The Town of Carrboro has issued a request for proposals seeking an executive recruitment firm to conduct the town manager search. Once a firm is selected, the national search is anticipated to last until early spring 2024. The posting can be found at https://www.carrboronc.gov/bids.aspx

The Council has appointed Assistant Town Manager Marie Parker to serve as interim town manager starting on Nov. 4. Read more

Town Council 
The Town Council, which is the legislative and policy-making body for Carrboro, comprises Mayor Damon Seils, Mayor Pro Tempore Susan Romaine, Council Member Barbara Foushee, Council Member Randee Haven-O’Donnell, Council Member Danny Nowell, Council Member Eliazar Posada, and Council Member Sammy Slade. More information is available at https://www.carrboronc.gov/248/Town-Council

Carrboro gathers for Truth Plaque unveiling at the Strayhorn House

"Little did I realize that one day this would be a historical site. When I think about the house, it reminds me of the old hymns of the church. She has stood the test of time, she has weathered many storms for 144 years, she has been a refuge for many souls, and she has been a welcome center for many that have passed this way. Today she still stands with open arms to welcome you here.” Excerpt from the remarks by Georgia Bradsher at the unveiling of the Town of Carrboro Truth Plaque for the Strayhorn House.

The community gathered Friday, Sept. 1, 2023, to recognize the Strayhorn house as one of Carrboro’s most historically significant structures. The home was built around 1879 by Toney and Nellie Strayhorn, who were both former slaves. Home to five generations of the Strayhorn name, the house stands as a testament to one Black family’s success in the midst of racial violence that consumed Orange County during Reconstruction.

The truth plaque will educate readers on their journey, which included buying 30 acres of property and building a one-room log cabin in 1879. Since then, the house has been upgraded and the great-granddaughter of Toney and Nelly, Dolores Clark, still owns the house.

Read more about the Town of Carrboro Truth Plaques and the Strayhorn house

Watch a video from the unveiling at the Strayhorn House

Put your ideas into action! Apply to serve the Town of Carrboro

The Town of Carrboro is seeking volunteers to provide a fresh perspective on important local issues.

Carrboro local government has various advisory boards and commissions that advise the Town Council on a wide range of issues. We are currently looking to fill vacancies!

When you serve, you become an advocate for the Town of Carrboro, provide feedback to the Council, and help strengthen the community with your unique perspective. It’s a great opportunity to meet new people as you put your ideas into action.

Learn more about the openings available.

Carrboro In Motion rides in this Saturday

Carrboro In Motion is bringing the party back to Carrboro neighborhoods this Saturday, Sept. 9 at Estes Park Apartments.

Come Zumba with us, learn how to load your bike onto a Chapel Hill Transit bus, visit the bike fix-it station, watch a dance performance, enjoy games and free sno-cones from Pelican's. 

We will offer information on upcoming Town events, services and engagement opportunities. There will be bike and ped resources, map and routing resources, and reflective gear, and water bottles. Town staff will showcase volunteer opportunities and ways to connect with programs. Our community partners will offer bike and ped resources, information on literacy and education resources, and technology resources.

The block party will be in front of the leasing office at Estes Park Apartments (306 Estes Drive Ext., Carrboro, NC 25710)  this Saturday, Sept. 9 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.   All are welcome! 

Learn more about Carrboro In Motion.

Advancing language access in Carrboro  

The Town of Carrboro is thrilled to be working alongside Building Integrated Communities and Refugee Community Partnership to develop a language access plan based on community recommendations to improve the accessibility of Town services and resources for residents who speak languages other than English.

Learn more about the Town's partnership with BIC and RCP.

Carrboro announces lineups for marquee 
Fall Arts Festivals

The Town of Carrboro announces festival lineups and dates for three of the Triangle’s most beloved fall festivals starting with the Carrboro Music Festival this September. 

Fall festivals are made possible with support from the Town of Carrboro and the Carrboro Tourism Development Authority.

Following the successful return of another iconic music festival this past summer – the Freight Train Blues concert series, Carrboro is happy to continue to showcase a diversity of musicians from the Piedmont with FREE concerts at Town Commons, the Cat’s Cradle, and venues across the town with the return of the Carrboro Music Festival (opening night on Saturday, Sept. 30, with a full day of outdoor concerts on Sunday, Oct. 1); West End Poetry Festival (Oct. 19-21) featuring Poetry in the Round and a Community Poem Reading, and Carrboro Film Fest (Nov. 17-19) producing numerous independent films that challenge and expand our understanding of Southern culture.

"Carrboro has a proud tradition with these longstanding festivals, which have been offered for 15 to nearly 25 years running,” Mayor Damon Seils said. “Collaboration is key to our success, and we’re grateful to our partners for their commitment to cultural offerings that are shared so widely and are part of Carrboro’s arts legacy.”

FALL FESTIVAL 2023 LINEUP IN CARRBORO

• Carrboro Music Festival – October 1, 2023 
• West End Poetry Festival – October 19-21, 2023
• Carrboro Film Fest – November 17-19, 2023

Read the full news flash to learn more about our fall festivals.

Save the Date: Good Neighbor Initiative Community Cookout

You're invited to the Good Neighbor Initiative Community Cookout, an annual community event and opportunity to build strong, healthy connections between student and non-student residents of neighborhoods surrounding downtown Chapel Hill, Carrboro, and UNC-Chapel Hill. Join us at Hargraves Community Center (216 N. Roberson St. Chapel Hill, NC 27516 ) on Thursday, Sept. 28  at 5:30 p.m.

The event is FREE and open to everyone. There will be FREE FOOD including Al's Burger Shack and Ben & Jerry's, music, and games for all ages.

This event is sponsored by the Town of Chapel Hill, Town of Carrboro, UNC-Chapel Hill Office of Off-Campus Student Life, The Jackson Center, Empowerment, Inc., the Downtown Partnership and many others.

Bolin Creek pedestrian bridge slated for reopening with temporary support structure

Carrboro Public Works plans to begin work on Tuesday, Sept. 5, to make temporary repairs to a bicycle and pedestrian bridge that was damaged by a fallen tree during an August storm. The bridge crosses Bolin Creek off Homestead Road near Chapel Hill High School. 

Town staff met with structural engineers on the site of the damaged bridge to develop an engineered repair plan.  As recommended by consulting engineers, the Public Works team will build a temporary support timber cribbing system to support the damaged bridge. 

The Town is moving as quickly as possible so the bridge can be opened to pedestrian and bicycle traffic by Sept. 18. 

The temporary support will stay in place until a permanent solution is in place.  The original cost of the bridge was $489,000 including the abutment work and piers. 

2nd Friday Art Walk is on for Sept. 8 in Carrboro and Chapel Hill

The 2d Friday Art Walk around downtown Carrboro and Chapel Hill is back in full swing with participating galleries excited to welcome visitors on Friday, Sept. 8. 

The second Friday of every month through November, rain or shine, Downtown Carrboro and Chapel Hill will showcase The Carrboro-Chapel Hill 2nd Friday Art Walk. 

Explore art galleries, artist studios, shops and restaurants. There will also be live music, performances, spoken word poetry and more. Venues are generally open late afternoon and evening hours. 

Participating Venues:

• The ArtsCenter
• FRANK Gallery
• The Frame & Print Shop
• North Carolina Crafts Gallery 
• Peel Gallery + Photo Lab
• This & That Gift Gallery
• The Wallflower Gallery

Learn more about participating venues and their exhibitions.

Pictured here -- At FRANK Gallery located at 370 E. Main St. Suite 130, Carrboro, NC: 
Along with their individual work, R. Scott Horner and Kaidy Lewis are displaying their collaborative pieces. Working together to create paintings is a dynamic process that has been in the works for a little over a year. Learn more at https://www.frankisart.com/exhibits-events/ 

Click the above image to view our Monthly Events Newsletter and discover all of the exciting programs and special events that are coming up! Registration for our Fall programs started on August 30^th for Carrboro residents and August 31^st for all others.

Solarize the Triangle enters Tier 4 as the deadline to enroll approaches

The regionwide group-buying program Solarize the Triangle has entered another tier of lower prices based on additional property owners in the Triangle purchasing new renewable energy systems. 

This week, the community-based campaign entered Tier 4 of progressively lower-priced tier levels. 

The program enables residents and businesses to save on the ordinary cost of solar energy and battery power through combined buying with others within 12 communities in the Triangle. 

Federal income tax credits of 30 percent make this form of clean energy even more affordable. Acting to enroll for free and without obligation prior to Sept. 30 ensures access to the lowest-price tier achieved. Rebates provide everyone the same final price regardless of when a contract is completed before the final deadline later this year. 

The deadline to sign up at no cost is Sept. 30, 2023. All residential solar and battery contracts must be completed by Dec. 31, 2023. A separate deadline for commercial/non-profit contract completions is Feb. 28, 2024. 

Read the most recent press release from Solarize the Triangle for more information on how to enroll and upcoming events in the area.