News Digest for Town of Carrboro, NC (June 23, 2023) 

Here's what's new in Carrboro This Week: Save the date for the Pride Piper Parade, Pride Food Truck Rodeo & Dance Party, our July Fourth Festival and the 10th Annual Frederick Douglass Community Reading. Other local news includes the adoption of the Town Budget, which supports plans for design and renovation of Town Hall, employee raises, and continued efforts toward climate action and affordable housing. Notably, the $81 million budget does not include a property tax increase. Have a great weekend, and note that this Friday's Freight Train Blues concert has moved indoors to the Cat's Cradle! 

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 hold the next Council Meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 27, 2023. The agenda will be available at https://carrboro.legistar.com/   

These meetings will be held 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 met Tuesday, June 20, 2023, for a Council Meeting and took the following actions related to the agenda posted at https://carrboro.legistar.com/    Watch the video at  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aThYNv1MEkI 

• Adopted the Town of Carrboro Annual Budget for Fiscal Year 2023-24. This complete agenda item with attachments is available at bit.ly/3Xg4sgv. The adopted budget will be posted at https://www.carrboronc.gov/2601/Annual-Budget-Documents 

“As we continue to make operating adjustments in the post-pandemic landscape, budgeting continues to be a challenge,” said Town Manager Richard J. White III. “We have, however, produced, as best we can, a balanced budget based on revenue projections that are not overly aggressive, nor unduly regressive. 
 
 “Through thoughtful and careful planning and execution, the Town continues to remain in strong financial condition.” 

The Town Budget centers around the Council’s 13 Strategic Priorities adopted in February 2023. These priorities are Race and Equity Initiatives; Community Action Plan; Zoning Amendments; Connectivity, Bicycle, Pedestrian; Comprehensive Plan; Safety Task Force; Affordable Housing; Develop/Achieve Operational Efficiencies; Strategic Plan/Performance Management; Town Building Renovations; Infrastructure Improvements; Economic Development; and The 203 Project. 
 
 Highlights of the adopted budget totaling $81.1 million for fiscal year 2024 are as follows: 

• No property tax rate increase. The Town of Carrboro tax bill for the owner of a home valued at $400,000 will be $2,417.60. Carrboro property owners also pay Orange County and Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools district taxes.
• A 5% across-the-board salary increase for Town employees. 
• A Small Area Plan for Downtown Carrboro. 
• Stipends for members of Advisory Boards and Commissions.  
• Planning and design of Town Hall renovations. 
• A subgrant award from Orange County Criminal Justice Resource Department for the hiring of a social worker for the Carrboro Police Department. 
• Purchase of several replacement vehicles.
• A paid parking and parking enforcement program for Downtown Carrboro. 
• Continued implementation of the Energy and Climate Protection Plan and the Community Climate Action Plan.
• Continued efforts to increase affordable housing through the Affordable Housing Fund. This 1.5 cent property tax will continue for FY24.

In other matters, the Council also took the following actions during this meeting: 

• Approved the funding recommendations of the Human Services Advisory Commission in support of 42 agencies in the amount of $274,000.
• Approved a minor modification to a special use permit for the ArtsCenter at 400 S. Roberson St. for the construction of a rooftop solar array facility. 
• Approved a request of the Community Safety Task Force to extend its work for up to six months to November 2023.
• Received an update on activities of the Orange Water and Sewer Authority from OWASA representatives. 

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

Freight Train Blues Concert Series Presents Shelton Powe, Pat “Mother Blues” Cohen

Enjoy the final Freight Train Blues of 2023, Shelton Powe and Pat “Mother Blues” Cohen, Friday, June 23, 2023. The concert starts at 6:30 p.m. and due to weather has been moved indoors to Cat's Cradle.

The concert series runs every Friday night through June 23 and is a collaboration among Music Maker Foundation; the Town of Carrboro; WUNC 91.5 FM; and The Forests at Duke.

Public parking is available and free in downtown Carrboro.

Shelton Powe plays in the Piedmont finger-style guitar tradition of his parents and elders, but it took him a long time to get back to that music. Powe was born in 1957 in Charlotte, N.C., into a family of gifted instrumentalists, singers and dancers. His mother gave him harmonicas and guitars at Christmas, hoping to awaken a dormant musical aptitude, to no avail.

It wasn’t until the deaths of his mother and father in the late 1980s that Shelton became reacquainted with the rhythms and melodies of the old songs his parents used to sing. Picking up the guitar as a tribute to his deceased mother, Shelton set out to learn old-time blues and gospel the way he remembered it from his childhood. Living in Georgia, he immersed himself in the blues scene of Atlanta and soon found what he was looking for. Today, listening to him play and sing, you find yourself back at the wellspring of the Carolina Blues tradition. 

Pat “Mother Blues” Cohen shares the mettle, pathos and ocean-deep compassion of the blues singers she idolizes — Billie Holiday, Koko Taylor and Etta James. Despite losing her home twice, she keeps taking her talent and heart to the world. Pat’s performances have always unfurled the tapestry of her life experiences to her audience in soulful words and music. That compassion began to flow from Pat in brand new ways during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. As her scheduled gigs disappeared, she began playing one-woman shows at nursing homes. She even made phone calls to individual people and sang to them. These works of compassion wound up making her the subject of touching stories on PBS Newshour and in Rolling Stone Magazine.

More information: www.freighttrainblues.com 

2023 Juneteenth Celebration

This year’s third annual Chapel Hill – Carrboro Juneteenth Festival was held on Saturday, June 17. Attendees enjoyed listening and dancing to music, delicious food from several food trucks, and wonderful crafts from local vendors.

In addition to music, food and festivities, the celebration included a historic marker dedication for the Hargraves Community Center, which was marked as a spot on the North Carolina Civil Rights Trail.

Which way for the greenway? Come take the survey about the Bolin Creek Greenway! 

The Town of Carrboro invites participation in an engagement process for the Bolin Creek Greenway to receive input on alignment options for segments of the greenway identified as Phases 3 and 4.

Learn more at our project webpage, take the survey, view maps, take a virtual tour, and draw a route or make a comment on a Wikimapping platform where public input is collected on a map. The project webpage is located at https://www.carrboronc.gov/2762/Bolin-Creek-Greenway ;

Town staff will be available at some of our town’s favorite community events that draw lots of people. We’ll be hosting tables with information, maps and surveys at the Carrboro Farmers Market, Carrboro In Motion, July Fourth and the Latin American Festival, and the Carrboro Music Festival. Information will be provided in various formats and languages. 

We will also connect with people in less formal settings and will be seeking out participation throughout town at drop-by or pop-up stops. You may find Town staff outside your favorite grocery store, laundromat or hair salon as they seek public input on this project. Community outreach will occur through early October. 

The Bolin Creek Greenway Conceptual Master Plan, adopted by the Town of Carrboro in 2009, plans for improvements to the corridor along Bolin Creek and Jones Creek to allow for walking, wheeling and bicycling, including action steps, project prioritization and phasing, land acquisition strategies, and potential renovation recommendations. The corridor for these segments of the Bolin Creek Greenway extends about three miles. View the plan at https://www.carrboronc.gov/DocumentCenter/View/12366/Bolin-Creek-Greenway-Conceptual-Master-Plan-

The planning area (Bolin Creek Conceptual Master Plan) starts at Estes Drive and encompasses the land around the creek through Carolina North Forest under Homestead Road. It continues to a point of connection with the existing Jones Creek Greenway in the future Twin Creeks Park that extends to Morris Grove Elementary School.

The Town’s project webpage https://www.carrboronc.gov/2762/Bolin-Creek-Greenway includes: 

• Survey to receive input on alignment options
• Map illustrating the alternative alignments 
• Background information and FAQs
• Story map to offer a virtual tour of the area
• Wikimapping platform to allow people to draw lines and make comments on a map

The Bolin Creek Greenway engagement effort was requested by the Town Council and is organized by the Communication and Engagement Department with technical support from the Planning, Zoning and Inspections Department and Steve Spindler Cartography. For more information, contact the staff team at communications@carrboronc.gov 

It's Pollinator Week in Carrboro!

Mayor Damon Seils has proclaimed June 19-25, 2023, to be Pollinator Week in Carrboro.

Pollinator species are essential partners in producing much of our food supply and provide significant environmental benefits necessary for maintaining healthy, diverse urban and suburban ecosystems. Pollination plays a vital role for trees and plants, enhancing our quality of life, and creating recreational and economic development opportunities.

In October 2014, the Town of Carrboro became the third municipality in the nation to be recognized as a Bee City USA and, in doing so, agreed to meet the standards required of all Bee City USA affiliates, including an annual celebration of National Pollinator Week or other appropriate occasions through events, proclamations, and promotions that showcase the Town’s commitment to being a Bee City USA.

A goal of Bee City USA is to promote healthy, sustainable habitats for bees and other pollinators.

“I encourage all residents to learn about the vital role pollinators play in sustaining our natural environment and to join efforts to create pollinator-friendly habitats,”  Mayor Seils said.

The Town has worked to create pollinator habitats by installing native bee nest boxes, establishing a pollinator garden, and planting pollinator-friendly vegetation to restore a riparian buffer.

Read the full Pollinator Week Proclamation: https://www.carrboronc.gov/DocumentCenter/View/12890/2023-Pollinator-Week-Proclamation- 

Carrboro Celebrates Pollinator Week with Free Movie Screening

As part of its commitment to Bee City USA, the Town of Carrboro celebrates Pollinator Week 2023! 

Join us for a free screening of the film, Nature: The Hummingbird Effect to learn more about these pollinators.

Costa Rica is bursting with some of the most spectacular wildlife and pristine ecosystems in the world. All this diversity thrives, in part, thanks to one surprising little creature: hummingbirds. Watch how these tiny birds play an outsize role in maintaining some of the richest and wildest environments on Earth. 

The screening will be held at the Cybrary at the Carrboro Century Center, 100 N. Greensboro St. Carrboro, NC 27510,  at 2 p.m. on Sunday, June 25, 2023.

Contact Laura Janway, Environmental Sustainability Coordinator, with any questions at ljanway@carrboronc.gov or 919-918-7326.

More information can be found at this link: pbs.org/wnet/nature/abouthummingbird-effect/28638/.

Small Town Pride in Carrboro and Chapel Hill continues this June with the Pride Food Truck Rodeo & Dance Party from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, June 30, at Carrboro Town Commons, 301 W. Main St.

To get the party started, join the Batalá, an international samba reggae music group, to help roll the Rainbow Ram down Weaver Street from the Century Center to Town Commons for the Pride Food Truck Rodeo & Dance Party.  Join the group at the corner of Greensboro and Weaver Streets at about 4:30 p.m.  and be a part of the Pride Piper Parade! 

There will be food, dance and frolicking on the lawn! Grab your friends, and come on out!

Bring your appetites 
 So much great food will be available, so kick your weekend off right! Sample the offerings from El Molcajete, Drizzle D’s, Golden K Dog, Sister Liu’s Kitchen, Vegan Ice Cream Man, Death By Taco, Funnel Cakes by Tonio, OMG Lemonade – and much more! 

Community resources, crafts, and more  
 Participants offering information, crafts and service resources include Queer Ride Carrboro, Flyleaf Books, Epilogue Books Chocolate Brews, Chapel in the Pines, Chapel Hill NOW and Piedmont Health Services. 

Music with WXYC - UNC-Chapel Hill  
Join us for curated tracks from the DJs at WXYC who will play the songs that will bring out your Freak-A-Zoid on the dance lawn! 

Drag Queen Show
 Diamond Productions is coming to Carrboro! Created with community in mind, KiKi Diamond says her shows are designed so that everyone feels welcome, comfortable, and excited. "We believe that drag is for everyone, and we strive to create a space where everyone can enjoy the art of drag."

Carrboro In Motion at Royal Park

Carrboro In Motion rolled into Royal Park Apartments last weekend on June 16, 2023! Residents strolled and learned more about Town programs, made bee houses, had their blood pressure checked, climbed aboard a Chapel Hill Transit Bus and Fire truck and so much more. 

The Town of Carrboro is deeply appreciative of community partners including Chapel Hill Transit, Red Ridge NC, NEXT, Takiri Folclor Latino dance group, Oscar Garcia’s Zumba group, Carrboro Fire-Rescue, and El Centro.

Between performances of Zumba and Latin dance, we provided information about Town of Carrboro services and programs; offered bike, ped and transit resources, map and routing info; provided information on recreation, housing, climate action and educational resources; and encouraged volunteering and neighborhood connections. 

Learn more about Carrboro In Motion at https://www.carrboronc.gov/2735/Carrboro-In-Motion  

2023 Carrboro 4th of July Celebration

Join us for a day of family fun and entertainment at the 2023 Carrboro 4th of July Celebration.

The day will kick off at 9:30 a.m. on the Weaver Street Market lawn. Listen to music, make a hat, color a flag, decorate your wagon, and enter the costume contest.  

Join the People's Parade to Town Hall at 10:50 a.m.

From 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. enjoy music, face painting, carnival games, pie eating contests, food & drink vendors, non-profit booths and so much more!

Carrboro to hold 10th Annual 
 Frederick Douglass Community Reading: 
 “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?"

Carrboro Mayor Damon Seils is pleased to announce that the Town of Carrboro will hold its 10th Annual Community Reading of the Frederick Douglass essay "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?" on Tuesday, July 4, 2023.

The reading will occur from noon to 1:30 p.m. at the Carrboro Century Center, 100 N. Greensboro St. Introductory remarks will be provided by Reginald F. Hildebrand, a retired professor of African American Studies and History at Williams College in Williamstown, Mass., and at UNC-Chapel Hill. Professor Hildebrand served as keynote at Carrboro’s first annual Frederick Douglass Community Reading.   

After retiring from UNC, Hildebrand served for three years as an adjunct instructor of history at Durham Technical Community College.  He is the author of “The Times were Strange and Stirring: Methodist Preachers and the Crisis of Emancipation” (Duke University Press, 1995), and is currently working on a book with the working title, "'The Cleverest Document Issued This Century': Abraham Lincoln, the Emancipation Proclamation, and the Meanings of Freedom."  

In 2012, Professor Hildebrand was chosen to receive the Tanner Faculty Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching at UNC-Chapel Hill.  He is a former co-chair of the North Carolina Freedom Monument Project and a former trustee of the North Carolina Humanities Council.  In addition, he has served as a member of the North Carolina African American Heritage Commission and as a member of the Advisory Board for the North Carolina Historical Review.  In 2018, he served as a member of the Historic Civil Rights Commemorations Task Force of the Town of Chapel Hill.  

About the Frederick Douglass Speech and Community Reading 

"What to the slave is the Fourth of July?" posed Frederick Douglass to a gathering of 500-600 abolitionists in Rochester, N.Y., on July 5, 1852. Admission to the speech was 12 cents, and the crowd at the Rochester Ladies' Anti-Slavery Society was enthusiastic, voting unanimously to endorse the speech at its end. This speech would be remembered as one of the most poignant addresses by Douglass, a former slave turned statesman. Douglass gave it on July 5, refusing to celebrate the Fourth of July until all slaves were emancipated.

Frederick Douglass’ essay reflects a sobering point of view about what is commonly considered to be America’s Independence Day, and is a part of the history of this country that should be recognized and remembered. The community is urged to attend and listen to the reading of this compelling work.

• For more information, contact Mayor Damon Seils at dseils@carrboronc.gov
• The reading is one of the events included in the day-long Carrboro July 4th Celebration.
• View past Carrboro’s Frederick Douglass Community Readings at https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5JEg4H8hocMjjl2BVMny6nnw_gMI6AAv
• Learn more at https://www.townofcarrboro.org/308/July-4th-Celebration

Poetry in the Park with Liza Wolff-Francis

Come write poetry in the park with Carrboro Poet Laureate Liza Wolff-Francis this summer.

Free ecopoetry workshops are offered from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Mondays on June 5, July 10, and August 7 at Martin Luther King Jr. Park, 1120 Hillsborough Road in Carrboro. The group will gather in the pavilion located inside the park (the pavilion furthest from the parking lot, located on the right-hand path).

Ecopoetry is poetry about the planet and our relationship to Earth. It supports ideas of conservation and sustainable living. Anyone can write ecopoetry and participants are welcome to write about whatever comes to them and whatever moves them. All are welcome. 

For more information, email lizawolff.francis@gmail.com

Recreation, Parks & Cultural Resources 
Summer Brochure now available 

This session also includes registration for our youth Fall Baseball and Flag Football programs. 

View the full PDF Brochure to learn more