By Don Frantz
Cary, N. C. - The Triangle Transit Authority’s plans for regional and light rail, along with increased bus service have merit, and further planning for additional transit options so that our region is well positioned to handle the expected growth over the next 10-20 years makes sense. Increased rail service in Cary will help to spur reinvestment and redevelopment in Cary’s downtown, and in other areas along the rail corridor. (more…)
Photo by Hal Goodtree
Cary, NC – The construction of I-540 in south western Wake continues. The bulldozers are plowing their way south from McCrimmon Parkway to Green Hope School Road.
Likewise, the initiative to put tolls on the southwestern Wake section of the new roads gains both momentum and traction. NCTA awarded a contract in December for $37.6 million to build the toll infrastructure. (more…)
Cary, NC – We try to talk about the happy news in town, but these are some saddening pictures. Fortunately, the story has a happy ending. The dog saved the family. (more…)
Cary, NC – Like a patch of crab grass, CaryCitizen continues to spread into new areas of town.
STATISTICS
It’s a techie town we live in and everybody loves stats. Late in January, CaryCitizen topped 50,000 total page views. We’ve grown to over 15,000 page views a month. We also passed our six month anniversary and have posted over 300 stories about Cary thus far.
WHAT WAS POPULAR
Snow was a popular topic. We ran a great slide show of snow pictures from around town via Flickr.
The scandal at Impact Athletics continues to be a story with legs. Owner Frank D’Alonzo was arrested in New Jersey on 14 counts of embezzlement including collecting health care payments from employees after he’d canceled the policy.
3-time Olympic Gold Medalist Ryan Lochte’s visit to Triangle Aquatic Center sparked a lot of interest. Didn’t hurt that he’s better looking than teammate Michael Phelps.
TAGS: A NEW WAY TO FIND STORIES
Tags are like keywords. We attach them to stories as an additional way to find content.
You’ll find a Tag Cloud on the right side of the CaryCitizen home page. Click on a tag to see all the stories on that subject.
OTHER NEW FEATURES
We’re always experimenting with CaryCitizen as a platform for community info. Here are a couple of new features.
The Real Estate Page – We found a neat Google widget that shows all the homes for sale in town, including price, specs, a picture and a link to more info. See what houses in your neighborhood are worth.
Cary Business Report - Our colleague Brenda Larson is set to begin a new column about business in Cary. Email Brenda if you have business news to share.
Cary Chamber – We joined the Cary Chamber of Commerce, becoming the first new member of the new decade. Look for more stories and info about Chamber members and events.
NEW ADVERTISERS
CaryCitizen is pleased to welcome two new advertisers to the publication:
Cary Players
Don Frantz for NC House District 35
We’re also pleased to report that interest in the ad space has been brisk. We rely on our sponsors to underwrite the stories we publish about Cary everyday. Please consider advertising on CaryCitizen.
Our 50% Intro Sale on CaryCitizen is almost over. Contact Lindsey Chester for more information on rates you won’t see again this year. Contracts must be signed by Feb 28 so act now.
“Never worry about the size of your Christmas tree. In the eyes of children, they are all 30 feet tall.” — Larry Wilde
Cary, N.C. – It’s funny that one of our more read CaryCitizen stories was the controversy over what the Town would call our Christmas/Holiday/Community tree. The publisher insisted that I provide this update which I am doing dutifully.
But a common area of discourse and interest these days is what is and isn’t politically correct. I think we go over the line when we start renaming things to be PC, when the original name isn’t subversive or mean. Hence, my headline Psssst! We KNOW It’s A CHRISTMAS Tree!
CaryCitizen also set the record straight about what the media was reporting inaccurately (IMAGINE THAT?) – that the Town Council had recently changed the name of the tree to a “Holiday/Community Tree”, or that they wanted to change the name to that. Not true.
We saw this false report in blogs, local and national news. As Town Councilman Don Frantz told us, the Town of Cary has “never officially” referred to the town’s trees as “Christmas trees.” They have always been called either a “Holiday tree” or “Community tree”.
Jack Smith and Don Frantz of the Cary Town Council originally brought up the issue. Later, Mr. Frantz expressed some remorse for even bringing it up with bigger issues to be resolved.
Anyway, we are obligated to inform those of you that hadn’t heard what happened with this firestorm just in case you were “under a rock” to quote one of the Cary Town Council members’ blogs. After a month of debate the council voted 6-1 to call Cary’s tree lighting ceremony “Cary’s Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony”, and to refer to the Christmas Tree as ”Cary’s Community Christmas Tree”.
Crisis over. Common sense triumphs again.
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: Who told you?
Hermey the Elf, D.D.S: Everyone in Christmas town knows.
- From Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer and the Island of Misfit Toys 2001
Cary, NC – With all the complaints about people not getting to play in what happens around them, government-wise, I love the idea that our Town Government is asking our opinion. It was really one of the main planks of Mayor Harold Weinbrecht’s winning platform in 2007. And it is refreshing to see our town officials come through with actions that reflect promises.
The Mayor’s own homepage of his blog states that it is his desire to “open the governmental process to our citizens.”
The Biennial 2010 Survey
So, beginning Saturday, January 23, consultants working for the Town of Cary will start randomly contacting more than 400 Cary residents asking them to state their opinions on how well their government works for them.
Topics will include solid waste, taxes, safety, quality of life, customer service, communications, street repair, and recreation programs. The scientific poll will be conducted via telephone through February 28, with citizens being asked to spend about 25 minutes answering about 60 questions.
Take the Time to Respond
“We hope that those who are called will take the time to give us the feedback we need by participating fully in the survey,” said Town of Cary Public Information Officer Susan Moran. “We continue to learn a great deal about how we’re doing and what’s important to our citizens with our surveys, and we’re looking forward to hearing from citizens again this year.”
Moran added that few other governments—local, state or federal–have a regular program of gathering citizen opinion in a scientifically valid manner. The Town of Cary has been conducting its citizen satisfaction survey every other year since 1998.
This is the seventh Town-sponsored citizen satisfaction survey focusing on the operations and services handled each day by the Town government. As with previous surveys, Biennial 2010 has three parts:
How It Works
Following a national request for proposals, Cary has contracted with BKL Research of Salem, VA to conduct the study and related focus groups at a cost of $28,665. The survey report is expected in late March followed by a focus group report in late April.
All responses to the survey will be anonymous, and demographic information will only be used in the aggregate. However, respondents will be given the opportunity to give their identifying information if they are interested in participating in one of several focus groups that the Town’s consultants will conduct in March as part of the study based on the survey findings.
Results from Cary’s previous biennial surveys are available online in the Research section of the Town website.
My Vox
I, for one, welcome this. And I trust the feedback will be acted upon.
Vox Populi, Latin for “Voice of the People.” If you have something to say (about Cary, that is), contact Matt with your story idea.
Cary, NC – Today I had an “e-conversation” with Don Frantz (Cary Town Councilman District B) over the “controversy” about what we should call the coniferous green thing we cut down from the woods and put ornaments on and light up during the winter solstice. Our own Cary Citizen Publisher told me he thought the whole thing was just a ”tempest in a teapot.” Turns out it is.
I did a little sleuth work to see what the buzz was all about in the Cary social media and even in some of the local papers. Seems a lot of people have the story wrong. Contrary to what the press and the blogs are saying…this isn’t 21st century Cary political correctness run amok. According to Don, the Town of Cary has “never officially” referred to the town’s trees as “Christmas trees.” They have always been called either a “Holiday tree” or “Community tree”.
Don added that his ”request seeks to call Cary’s trees what they really are – ‘Christmas trees’. Calling a Christmas tree a Holiday tree is like calling the Jewish Menorah a candelabra. A Christmas tree is a Christmas tree. In our efforts to not offend anyone we have succeeded at offending nearly everyone.”
He pointed out that even the the White House continues to refer to their trees as Christmas trees.
Don also told me that he wanted to get the word out to make sure folks knew he was sorry “for all the media attention this issue has received” and that it was not his intent. Don had suggested that the subject be discussed in January after the holidays so as not to “put a damper” on everyone’s Christmas and other holiday celebrations. Don added, that he “maybe should have waited until May.”
I’m with Don, let’s call it what it is. A “Christmas tree”. Somehow, I have confidence the council will make the right decision. But let’s deal with it in May. For now – Merry Christmas!
Matt Young is Managing Editor of CaryCitizen.
In August, Hal Goodtree reported on David Bowden’s complaint against the Town of Cary.
Here’s the video from his Fox News interview this month.
Editor’s Journal – a potpourri of things that don’t fit elsewhere. This week, it’s Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, known throughout the land as a shopping decathlon. Sure enough, things were jumping at Cary Towne Center.
Photos by Hal Goodtree
A few blocks away, at the corner of Dry Ave and S. Academy St., the Jaycees were selling Christmas trees. About 60 volunteers man the lot 7 days a week until mid-December, selling fresh-cut trees from Ashe County to raise money for charities including the NC Boys & Girls Home, Jaycees Burn Center and the Duke Cancer Center.
Heather helps wrap a tree for the Jaycees
The Jaycees hope to sell 280 trees. They’ve been selling Christmas trees in Cary to raise money for charity for more 35 years.
Hours:
Over at Searstone, they lit their angel Christmas tree and placed ornaments for The Carying Place, a charity here in town. The goal is to fully equip a kitchen for a needy family.
The Carying Place tagged ornaments at Searstone
All in all, a merry Black Friday here in Cary. What did you do?
Vox Populi – Latin for voice of the people. In this installment, Liz Adams explains the Walker Street Extension in downtown Cary. The plan calls for the extension of Walker Street 1,200 feet from its current end at Cedar Street northwards to Chapel Hill Road. The project includes an underpass beneath the railroad tracks that cross the extension ~ Editor
Walker Street Extension Public Meeting
by Liz Adams
Cary held a public information exchange on Tuesday for the Walker Street Extension, railroad underpass, and traffic circle.
The project will receive $2.1 million in Federal funding for grade separated crossings for the High Speed Railroad project, $980,000 in 2008 Federal Budget, 1.104 million in Federal Railroad Administration Funding, and $14 million from the Town of Cary.
The current site plan features straight 20’-25’ foot walls adjacent to the sidewalk. While the wall heights decline to about 12’, they hug the sidewalks for nearly 500’. Screening and green buffers are eliminated in this plan; the median is brick (see artist’s illustration above).
Rough map of the project by CaryCitizen. Please refer to the Town website for official information.
I walked away from the meeting concerned about impacts to the stream that runs behind the Town Hall Parking Deck and how downstream neighbors will be impacted by the additional storm water runoff.
The artist Vicki Scuri had some good ideas about integrating green street design elements to help reduce the negative impacts of runoff from this project to the Black Creek and Lake Crabtree Watershed. The Town has hired Ms. Scuri for her expertise in greening, public art planning and adding public spaces and amenities to develop designs that will be fully integrated into the project infrastructure.
The Town also has the opportunity to work collaboratively with downstream neighbors through the Black Creek Watershed Association to integrate storm water management into the road project, to minimize downstream impacts.
I am also concerned about the location chosen for the underpass and how this will raise barriers to supporting safe, convenient and interesting experiences for pedestrians and bicyclists in accessing downtown and the future high speed rail transit station. Perhaps the high retaining walls could provide extra space for rock climbing enthusiasts! Seriously, those of us who are seeking infrastructure support for a more active lifestyle need to take a look at this plan and provide feedback to the Town.
The deadline for feedback is Nov 20th, 2009. For more information visit the Walker Street Extension info page on the Town website or contact Eric Simpson, the project engineer.
Do you have a story for CaryCitizen? Get in touch. No guarantees, but we rely on concerned Citizens for more than 25% of our content and growing daily.
