News Digest for Town of Carrboro, NC 
(January 11, 2024) 

Here's what's new in Carrboro: Join us for a youth-led Martin Luther King Jr event, on Saturday, Jan. 13. Read the latest Council Update. Enjoy a recap of our uniquely Carrboro Libba Cotten Day event. Take note of traffic pattern changes around The 203 Project, the new library and civic building under construction on S. Greensboro Street. See you at the 2nd Friday Art Walk around downtown Carrboro! Enjoy the weekend! 

Carrboro to observe Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday

Town of Carrboro offices will be closed on Monday, Jan. 15, for the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday. 

Town Hall and other administrative offices will be closed. Monday's yard waste will be collected on Tuesday, Jan. 16. 

Be sure to join in the celebrations in Carrboro and across the community, including: 

• Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Event at the Carrboro Century Center, 100 N. Greensboro St. at 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 13, at the Carrboro Century Center. The event is planned by the Chapel Hill-Carrboro NAACP Youth Council and the Carrboro Youth Council. Learn more about this year's youth-led event.
• MLK Jr. Week of Celebration at UNC-Chapel Hill
• A listing of events celebrating Dr. King throughout the Triangle

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 a Council Work Session at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 16. The agenda will be available at https://carrboro.legistar.com/ . The Council is scheduled to discuss the recommendations of the Community Safety Task Force. The Council meets for work sessions the second Tuesdays of most months. Public comment is generally not accepted during work sessions, and votes are not taken. 

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 Meeting Recap 

The Carrboro Town Council met Tuesday, Jan. 9 to address the agenda available at https://bit.ly/41T7dX8 and took these actions: 

• Approved establishment of a program providing targeted financial assistance for housing, utilities, childcare, and transportation costs to qualified Carrboro families. 
• Authorized a contract to Clark-Powell Associates for furnishing materials and labor to complete the Audiovisual (AV) installation at the 203 South Greensboro Street Project, which is the new library and civic building under construction. 
• Received a presentation from FORVIS LLP, the Town's independent auditor, on the Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR) and audit for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2023.
• Received a presentation on a proposed new Stormwater Residential Assistance Program and scheduled a public hearing on February 27, 2024, to discuss potential modifications to the stormwater rate structure for program funding.
• Received information that the Town of Chapel Hill has proposed to expand the water and sewer services boundary in the southern part of Chapel Hill along the US 15-501 corridor to the Chatham County line.
• Approved changes to the 2024 Council Meeting calendar to hold two business meetings per month rather than three, beginning in March 2024.

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 is available at https://www.carrboronc.gov/248/Town-Council

Traffic Alert: Temporary E. Carr Street Closure

E. Carr Street will be closed between S. Greensboro Street and Maple Avenue from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays starting on Wednesday, Jan. 10, and lasting for about three weeks.

The temporary closure will accommodate utility and drainage work associated with construction of the new library and civic building. 

There will be flaggers at each end of Maple Avenue to guide alternating one-way traffic around the work zone. E. Carr Street will be reopened to traffic during non-work hours. 

All travelers are urged to slow down, be alert, and drive with caution through the area.

More information: https://www.carrboronc.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=2604

Severe Weather Update from Town of Carrboro

Severe storms with damaging winds and flash flooding moved through Carrboro and central North Carolina on Tuesday, Jan. 9. The storms delivered high intensity rainfall and gusty winds with the most intense impacts occurring late afternoon and early evening. The National Weather Service issued a tornado watch for much of the day. 

The Town of Carrboro’s crews from Public Works and Stormwater Management prepared in advance to ensure that many culverts and storm drains were clear of debris to reduce flooding. Public safety and public works personnel were on call to respond to reported issues. 

Two residents received assistance from Carrboro Fire-Rescue and the Red Cross after a tree fell on their home at Rock Creek Apartments off Rock Haven Road. Thankfully, there were no injuries reported. 

Several creeks overtopped their banks, consistent with the rainfall intensity. There was some street flooding during the deluge including along Carol Street, but in most areas it cleared quickly.  

There were power outages around town, especially in the area of Jones Ferry Road and Old Fayetteville Road. Due to power outages at Anderson Community Park, the public restrooms are currently closed. 

Access additional information and resources here.

2nd Friday Art Walk returns Jan. 12

The 2nd Friday Art Walk around downtown Carrboro and Chapel Hill returns this month on Friday, Jan. 12.

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. Exhibits at Carrboro Town Hall and Carrboro Century Center are open from 6 to 8 p.m. 

Learn more about the participating venues.

Carrboro Launches Family Financial Assistance Program

The Carrboro Family Financial Assistance Program will accept applications beginning on Jan. 16, 2024, for Carrboro families facing financial challenges with food, housing, utilities, transportation and childcare.

The program was approved by the Town Council on Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024.  Partnering on the program are the Town of Carrboro Racial Equity Commission, Race and Equity team, Housing and Community Services Department, and the Orange County Department of Social Services. 

Pick up and drop off completed applications (English or Spanish) at any of the following: 

• Access applications on the program webpage 
• Southern Human Services Center, 2501 Homestead Road, Chapel Hill, NC 27516
• Hillsborough Commons, 113-B Mayo Street, Hillsborough, NC 27278 
•  Fax completed applications to 919-644-3305

The Carrboro Family Financial Assistance Program will receive applications through Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2024.

For more information, contact Anita Jones-McNair at amcnair@carrboronc.gov or 919-918-7381 or Kannu Taylor at ktaylor@carrboronc.gov or 919-918-7351. 

Floraffiti comes to Carrboro and Chapel Hill

Floraffiti, a community engagement and placemaking project, is returning to Carrboro and Chapel Hill this spring. 

The  Floraffiti program will focus 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 upcoming poetry workshops. Workshops will address social-political challenges and inequities that are exacerbated by the climate crisis.

Carter Hubbard, Floraffiti founder, teams up with Carrboro Poet Laureate Liza Wolff-Francis and Chapel Hill Poet Laureate Cortland Gilliam. Floraffiti will combine eco-social engagement through poetry workshops. It will share the community members’ words by planting them in the ground to grow with the intent to inform and educate.

These free workshops are open to all skill levels for teens and adults:

• Saturday, Feb.10, 2024

  Floraffiti Poetry Workshop with Carrboro Poet Laureate, Liza Wolff-Francis
  1:30-3:30 p.m.
  108 Bim St., Carrboro, NC

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

The public is invited to volunteer with Carter Hubbard and poetry workshop participants in planting the seeds of Floraffiti in an atmosphere of welcoming and inclusive community engagement, supporting conversation, interaction, and a positive relationship-building experience. There are two opportunities to plant this year.  All tools, gloves, and materials will be supplied for ages 13 and up.

Various Carrboro locations

• Saturday, March 2, 2024  
  1-4 p.m., meeting at the Carrboro ArtsCenter

Various Chapel Hill locations

• Sunday, March 3, 2024
  1-4 p.m., meeting at the Morehead Planetarium and Science Center

Learn more about Floraffiti!

It’s a wrap! 2023 Highlights 

A Year in Review of the Town of Carrboro highlights. We’re celebrating all the great events and look forward to serving the community in 2024. 

• Watch the video on our Carrboro YouTube Channel
• Read the full 2023 Highlights document (PDF)

Carrboro recognizes Mentoring Month

Mayor Barbara Foushee on Tuesday, Jan. 9, proclaimed National Mentoring Month in Carrboro and encourages the recruitment of caring adult mentors throughout the community.

"I am grateful to have experienced the joy and impact of mentoring,” Mayor Foushee said. “Empowering our youth to realize their value and importance in the community and world is essential to ensuring a successful future for them."

National Mentoring Month is an annual campaign to focus attention on the need for mentors and on how each of us can work to increase the number of mentors to help ensure positive outcomes for young people.

Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Blue Ribbon Mentor Advocate and Volunteers for Youth Mentoring programs in Carrboro make our communities stronger by enabling impactful relationships that provide invaluable support networks, provide support to mentors, provide opportunities that engage and enrich youth.

• More info about Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Blue Ribbon Mentor-Advocate program
• Read the Mentoring Month proclamation

Mayor Foushee Proclaims Day of Racial Healing 

Mayor Barbara Foushee has proclaimed Jan. 16, the Tuesday following Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, as the National Day of Racial Healing in Carrboro and encourages all residents to share ideas, knowledge, and points of view related to truth, racial healing, transformation, and racial equity.

As part of the proclamation, Mayor Foushee invites residents to attend the Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration on Saturday, Jan. 13, from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Carrboro Century Center, 100 N. Greensboro St. Learn more about the youth-led program. 

National Day of Racial Healing is an annual observance initiated as part of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation program and promoted by the program’s many community partners across the United States. It is a way to promote relationship-building, truth telling, and racial equity; healing and solidarity; and transformative action. 

The Carrboro proclamation states: “We understand and recognize that we all must work earnestly and intentionally to heal the wounds created by racial, ethnic, and religious bias and build an equitable and just society in which all people can thrive and in which children have the opportunity to learn and grow in nurturing environments that safeguard their safety, dignity and humanity.” 

Read the proclamation and learn more.

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

Carrboro Celebrates Libba Cotten

Elizabeth Cotten was born on Jan. 5 in 1893. She has influenced generations of musicians around the world through her songwriting and unique playing style.

Mayor Barbara Foushee proclaimed Friday, Jan. 5, 2023, as Libba Cotten Day in her honor and led a community event at the NC Historical Marker at 201 E. Main St. Remarks honoring Elizabeth Cotten were shared by Mayor Foushee, U.S. Congresswoman Valerie Foushee and N.C. Representative Allen Buansi in attendance, with comments also from N.C. Representative Renée Price read by NC Representative Buansi. Also attending the program was Carrboro Council Member Catherine Fray.

“Elizabeth Cotten’s gift was manifested right here in Carrboro; her music was born out of a little Black girl’s world and experiences,” said Mayor Barbara Foushee. “She was a child genius who wrote songs, composed music and created her own unique playing style. Elizabeth Cotten also used her talent to express her desires, hopes and fears while growing up in the racially charged North Carolina Jim Crow era.” 

The celebration began with a community bike ride over to the Elizabeth Cotten mural at 111 N. Merritt Mill Road and back along the Libba Cotten Bikeway to the Historical Marker at 201 E. Main St. Thanks to the Carrboro Bicycle Coalition, Bicycle Alliance of Chapel Hill and Triangle Bikeworks for leading the ride through town.

Those gathered at the Historical Marker enjoyed a poem by Carrboro Poet Laureate Liza Wolff-Francis and the songs, “I’m Going Away” and “Freight Train Blues”, played by local musician Josh Kimbrough.

Read more about the celebration.

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.