News Digest for Town of Carrboro, NC 
(February 13, 2024) 

Show your #CarrboroLove, an annual tradition in February celebrating all that makes Carrboro a great place to live, learn, work, play, and visit. Get engaged (pun intended) on our social media accounts, and tell us what you love about Carrboro! We hope this nice weather continues for the Great Backyard Bird Count this weekend. Carrboro's Black History Month programs have been amazing, and several programs are coming up this Sunday. Open this issue for all the details! 

BLACK HISTORY MONTH in Carrboro

Check out all the community events planned and organized by the Carrboro Recreation, Parks & Cultural Resources Department for Black History Month! 

Sunday, Feb. 18 – Diane Faison in “The Spirit of Harriet Tubman”    
2:30 p.m. at Carrboro Century Center, 100 N. Greensboro St., Carrboro NC 27510

Step back in time as Diane Faison entertains with the one-woman stage play, “The Spirit of Harriet Tubman.” Ms. Faison is a retired teacher, actress, artist, speaker and writer. Her rendition of Harriet Tubman will captivate you and leave you wanting more! The cost of this program is $3. People of all ages are welcome! 

Sunday, Feb. 18 – Black History Month Concert featuring Collective Groove Band   
4:30 p.m. at Carrboro Century Center, 100 N. Greensboro St., Carrboro NC 27510

Celebrate local Black artists and their contribution to our area’s vibrant music scene. This concert is free and open to all. Families are welcome!

The NC-based Collective Groove Band gives an invigorating spin to Jazz, R&B, Neo-Soul, Pop, Classic Soul and Gospel music. The debut of their first single Definition Of Funk (D.O.F) took radio by storm in 2021.  The Smooth Jazz-Funk Fusion record has been recognized by the BDS Billboard and Groove Jazz Music Radio charts for being one of the most added singles to radio during its debut.

• Learn more about the Black History Month Proclamation.
• Learn more about all the Black History Month events in Carrboro. 
• Watch our special events and programs at Carrboro's YouTube Celebrating Black America playlist.

Historical Marker Unveiling Honors Manly McCauley, Victim of 1898 Lynching

The Orange County Community Remembrance Coalition, the Equal Justice Initiative and the Town of Carrboro announce their partnership to commemorate the life and tragic death of Manly McCauley, a Black man who suffered a white mob lynching in October 1898, just west of Carrboro, N.C.

The Historical Marker Unveiling for Manly McCauley is scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 18, at 2 p.m. outside Carrboro Town Hall, 301 W. Main St.  With a welcome from Carrboro Mayor Barbara Foushee, this event will feature Dr. Reginald Hildebrand as the distinguished guest speaker and Poet CJ Suitt delivering a spoken word performance. The program will also include remarks from NC Representative Renée Price; Diane Robertson, past political action chair of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro NAACP; former Hillsborough Mayor Jen Weaver; and a musical performance by Brown Sugar Strings.  

Learn more about the unveiling of the marker and the history of Manly McCauley.

BIPOC Elected Officials of Orange County, N.C. Present Poetry Reading for Black History Month

For Black History Month 2024, the BIPOC elected officials of Orange County, N.C., have released their video presentation of the poetry reading of “Rosa Parks” by Nikki Giovanni. 

WATCH THE VIDEO at https://youtu.be/f2fzoCZ48xk

Giovanni is one of the foremost authors of the Black Arts Movement. She has published numerous collections of poetry -- including her first self-published volume, Black Feeling Black Talk (1968), and New York Times best-seller, Bicycles: Love Poems (2009). The poem "Rosa Parks" is from Quilting the Black-Eyed Pea, HarperCollins Publishers Inc. (2022). 

Join Carrboro in the 2024

Great Backyard Bird Count

The Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) is on Feb. 16-19. 

It's a free, fun, and easy event that engages bird watchers of all ages in counting birds to create a real-time snapshot of bird populations. Participants are asked to count birds for as little as 15 minutes (or as long as they wish) on one or more days of the four-day event and report their sightings online at www.birdcount.org. 

Anyone can take part in the Great Backyard Bird Count, from beginning bird watchers to experts, and you can participate from your backyard, or anywhere in the world!  For more information contact Town of Carrboro Stormwater Specialist Heather Holley at 919-918-7426 or hholley@carrboronc.gov.

Learn more about how to participate!

Poetry Workshops for Floraffiti

Carter Hubbard, Floraffiti founder, teams up with Carrboro Poet Laureate Liza Wolff-Francis and Chapel Hill Poet Laureate Cortland Gilliam to bring poetry workshops to Carrboro and Chapel Hill. 

Floraffiti, a community engagement and placemaking project, is a program that focuses on environmental justice (EJ), a movement of environmental concern and activism. The adverse consequences of climate change and its environmental crises will be explored in these upcoming poetry workshops. The workshops will address social-political challenges and inequities that are exacerbated by the climate crisis.

This upcoming workshop is open to all skill levels for teens and adults:

• Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024
  Floraffiti Poetry Workshop with Chapel Hill Poet Laureate Cortland Gilliam
  2-4 p.m.
  Chapel Hill Public Library, Room C

Learn more about Floraffiti!

Town Council Update

CARRBORO, N.C. -- 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.

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 hold its next regular Council Meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024. You can find the agenda on legistar.

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 on YouTube OR at on Legistar OR Cable TV 18 (in Carrboro). 

Recap of Past Meeting  

The Council met for a regular meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 6, considered this agenda, and took the following actions:

• Approved the Affordable Housing Advisory Commission’s funding recommendation for three nonprofit applications to the Affordable Housing Special Revenue Fund. The funds are approved to Pee Wee Homes ($51,100) to construct three small homes on the corner of Hill and Broad Streets that will be available for rent to individuals earning less than 30% AMI, often transitioning from being unhoused; to Rebuilding Together of the Triangle ($33,730) for  critical repairs, modifications, and/or weatherization for two Carrboro homes owned by low-income households; and to EmPOWERment ($100,000) to acquire 10 rental units off Homestead Road, considered to be part of the town’s Naturally Occurring Affordable Housing (NOAH) stock.           
• Authorized the submittal of an application for Central Pines Regional Council’s FY25-26 Triangle Transportation Choices grant program.
• Adopted amendments to the Town Code to establish new interment options at Westwood Cemetery as outlined in the approved Westwood Cemetery Master Plan, and to set associated fees and charges for these new options to cover costs and ensure cemetery sustainability. The plan provides for 1,672 additional burial spaces with 631 for traditional burials and 410 for natural burials, and spaces for remains from cremation and other offsite processes.
• Amended the Town Code to change all references of E. Carr Street and W. Carr Street to E. Braxton Foushee Street and W. Braxton Foushee Street. Read the newsflash.
• Amended the Water and Sewer Management, Planning, and Boundary Agreement (WASMPBA) requested by the Town of Chapel Hill to expand the service boundary in the southern part of Chapel Hill along the US 15-501 corridor to the Chatham County line. 
• Received a status report on a number of local transportation projects that are underway. Review project update webpage.

Watch the livestream of the Feb. 6 meeting.

Council Meeting Schedule 
The Carrboro Town Council has updated its 2024 Meeting Calendar to a schedule of two business meetings per month rather than three. This schedule takes effect in March 2024. The Council will continue holding work sessions in addition to business meetings most months. View the 2024 Council Calendar.

Town Council 
The Town Council, which is the legislative and policy-making body for Carrboro, comprises Mayor Barbara Foushee, Mayor Pro Tempore Danny Nowell, Council Member Catherine Fray, Council Member Randee Haven-O’Donnell, Council Member Jason Merrill, and Council Member Eliazar Posada. More information about our Town Council. 

Carr Street renamed Braxton Foushee Street

Carr Street is being renamed Braxton Foushee Street in honor of a local civil rights leader, a current Planning Board member, and the first Black member of the Carrboro Board of Aldermen (now the Town Council).  

The Council made its initial vote on the street name change on Nov. 29, 2023, approved financial assistance on Jan. 30, 2024, to qualifying residents for expenses related to changing addresses, and then on Feb. 6, 2024, it officially amended the Town Code to change all references of E. Carr Street and W. Carr Street to E. Braxton Foushee Street and W. Braxton Foushee Street. The change will take effect on March 27, 2024.

Carr Street is named for Julian Carr, a noted white supremacist. The namesake of Carrboro, he was an active and influential participant in Jim Crow era efforts to create a system of racial segregation. A Truth Plaque at Town Hall reads, in part: “Although the town continues to bear his name, the values and actions of Carr do not represent Carrboro today.”

The street renaming was proposed last fall on Oct. 17, 2023, when the Council heard a request from Dave Mason, president of the Lincoln High School Alumni Association, Pat Mason and Herman Murrell Foushee for a street to be named “Braxton Foushee Street.” 

Learn more about Braxton Foushee and the renaming process.

Disparity study for local business owners 

The Town of Carrboro has contracted with Griffin & Strong, P.C. (GSPC) to conduct a disparity study for local business owners to learn more about their experiences doing business or attempting to do business with the Town of Carrboro. 

The survey, distributed by Creative Research Solutions (CRS), will provide valuable data for the Town to inform policies, practices and procedures addressing the needs of the business community. 

If you are a local business owner and are interested in participating, please take the disparity survey here.

If you have questions, concerns or additional comments, please email carrborostudy@gspclaw.com

Save the Date: Carrboro Open Streets

See what happens when the Town closes a street to cars and reclaims this public space with all sorts of other car-free activities! 

Come downtown to bike, dance and do your thing. Experience your street in a new way - fun for everyone with new activities every year! 

The event will be held Sunday, April 7 from noon to 4 p.m. along Weaver Street in downtown Carrboro.

Want to have a booth at Open Streets? Contact Jpoythress@carrboronc.gov .

Countywide Public Safety Hiring Event 

 Join us at the Countywide Public Safety Hiring Event on March 7, 2024, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Durham Technical Community College!

We're actively recruiting dedicated individuals to join our team of heroes! If you're passionate about making a difference and serving your community, this is your chance.

Positions available:

• Police Officers
• Firefighters
• Paramedics
• EMTs
• Telecommunicators
• and More!

Don't miss this opportunity to embark on a rewarding career in public safety. Bring your resume and be prepared for on-site interviews. We look forward to meeting you and building a safer community together!

2024 Winter-Spring Recreation, Parks and Cultural Resources Program Guide Available

The 2024 Carrboro Recreation, Parks and Cultural Resources Winter-Spring Program Guide is now available!  This guide covers programs and events from January through April, including Spring Athletic Leagues, and registration for 2024 Summer Camps.

Registration for Carrboro residents will open at 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 3.  Registration will open to all other participants on Thursday, Jan. 4. 

Registration will be accepted in the Carrboro Century Center during regular business hours (8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.) and online via RecConnect.

If you are a new participant who wishes to register online, please be sure to set up an via our online registration site (linked below).  Please allow at least 3 business days for account review and approval.

If you have any questions, please contact the Recreation, Parks and Cultural Resources Department at 919-918-7364.

Important Information:

• Program Guide (PDF format)
• Online Registration Site
• Financial Assistance Program Information

Public parking available in downtown Carrboro

It’s easy to find free two-hour public parking in Carrboro, where you can access convenient parking at 10 public lots all over town.

Please remember that the Carr Mill Mall parking area is for mall customers and is not a public parking lot. Leaving the mall premises after parking risks towing. When in doubt, always park in public lots, and enjoy a hassle-free and relaxed shopping and dining experience.

Find more information including an interactive parking map on our Downtown Parking webpage.