Community invited to Carrboro Conversations
Note: A new topic has been added to Carrboro Conversations. The process to advance Carrboro's affordable housing goals calls for researching town-owned property for possible future development. Learn more about the process and ask questions of staff members.
Carrboro Conversations kicks off this month with opportunities to meet virtually or in person to chat with Town of Carrboro staff about current issues.
These are drop-in community sharing sessions with the Town of Carrboro.
Carrboro Conversations topics coming up include the 203 Project, American Rescue Plan Act funding priorities, opportunities to get involved in stream clean-up efforts this spring, and the process to advance affordable housing.
The drop-in sessions are scheduled as follows:
The in-person sessions will follow all current protocols including required face masks.
You can learn more about these topics before attending the sharing sessions, or just drop by!
For more information, contact communications@carrboronc.gov or call Communication and Engagement Director Catherine Lazorko at 919-918-7314
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Orange County Officials leave Indoor Mask Mandate in place, will monitor situation continually
Orange County local elected leaders, after meeting with Orange County Health Director Quintana Stewart, have opted to leave the county’s indoor mask mandate in place and to continue to meet and reassess the situation on an ongoing basis.
Key metrics in Orange County are dropping, including number of cases and percent positivity for test results. Extending the mandate for another few weeks will ensure those numbers continue to fall.
“We have a community responsibility to minimize strain on UNC Hospital because it serves as a healthcare hub not only for Orange County but for our entire region,” said Renee Price, Chair of the Orange County Board of Commissioners. “We want to slow the spread as much as possible to protect children under 5 and adults who are unable to take a COVID-19 vaccine."
Hillsborough Mayor Jenn Weaver, Chapel Hill Mayor Pam Hemminger, and Carrboro Mayor Damon Seils joined Price in the decision. The elected leaders and health officials will meet with other community partners in early March, including representatives from local school systems, UNC Hospitals, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and first responders.
Price urged residents to get vaccinated and boosted if they are eligible. “Most of the deaths and serious illnesses are among the unvaccinated. Vaccines provide the strongest level of protection from serious illness or hospitalizations due to COVID-19,” she said.
Related Links
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Public Hearing set for Tuesday on Carrboro Connects Comprehensive Plan
On Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2022, the Carrboro Town Council will hold a remote public hearing to continue to receive public comment and discuss the Draft Carrboro Connects Comprehensive Plan. The meeting will be held virtually at 7 p.m.
View the latest Carrboro Connects Draft Plan at https://www.carrboroconnects.org/public-hearing-draft
Since posting the latest draft plan on Nov. 12, 2021, more than 300 people have viewed the document! Read a summary of what has changed since the preliminary draft at Summary-of-Changes-Preliminary-Draft-to-PH-Draft-Plan.pdf The plan has also been reviewed by the Town’s advisory boards, commissions, organizations and residents. These comments will be summarized and presented to the Town Council.
Following feedback and direction from Town Council, the project team will prepare the next version of the draft plan for further review by the Council. At this time, the Comprehensive Plan is on track to be adopted in the spring of this year.
To submit a public comment or sign-up to speak at the hearing, please email: publiccomment@carrboronc.gov.
You can also view the livestreamed meeting via any of these options:
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Our first year with Black Lives Matters murals
CARRBORO, N.C. (Feb. 16, 2022) – One year ago today, this video youtu.be/T6MkHBxPkbY was played at a Carrboro Town Council meeting to dedicate the new Black Lives Matter (BLM) murals.
In 2020, the Carrboro Town Council directed that the Black Lives Matter murals be installed in the community to raise the consciousness in all who view them. This Black History Month, we are once again putting a spotlight on these recognizable murals in our town.
The public artwork recognize BLM, a movement that has been called the largest civil movement in U.S. history. It also visibly highlights and advocates for values that are important to Carrboro. Our mayor at the time Mayor Lydia Lavelle explained that the murals express our community’s acknowledgment of and opposition to systemic and institutional racism.
The stars of the Town Council meeting-dedication event were the primary muralists Tyrone Smalls and Ebriyon Barrett alongside student-artists Cyani Jacobs, Theo Preston, Ash Granda-Bondurant, and Carina Rockart. They painted murals at Communityworx, 125 W. Main St. (completed Dec. 18, 2020); and at the Century Center at 100 N. Greensboro St. (completed Jan. 15, 2021).
The virtual celebration was a joyous event, with comments shared by the Mayor, Town Council, the artists and community members.
"The BLM mural done by myself and the students was a testament to what we can all do as a people if we can just put our differences aside and come together to create something beautiful and lasting forever," mural artist Tyrone Small said.
“I encourage all of you to experience it up close. Experience it with all your senses. Sit with it. Listen to it. Feel it. Go beyond yourself. It has much to say. For the many of us who have felt historically invisible and silenced, it says ‘I see you, and I hear you.’ Unapologetically. The mural empowers someone who looks just like me,” said Zaria Clark of Communityworx in an address to the Town Council at its dedication meeting.
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Dive in and celebrate Creek Week with us!
Show your love for Orange County’s waterways during the first-ever Orange County Creek Week, held March 12-19.
Come volunteer, hike, learn, and celebrate with a variety of activities the entire family can enjoy. The week of events is designed to help people of all ages learn about, take care of, and enjoy Orange County’s waterways. Residents will have a chance to join trash clean-ups, nature hikes, community science activities, a virtual 5K, and other events throughout the county.
Visit Orange County’s Creek Week webpage at https://www.orangecountync.gov/2887/Creek-Week to see all the fun events planned for Creek Week.
Learn more about Creek Week at https://nc-cleanwater.com/regional-creek-week
“We hope that by celebrating our town’s unique waterways and how they connect us as a community, we can foster a deeper knowledge of your watershed and how you can play a part in promoting clean and healthy creeks,” said Heather M. Horner Holley, stormwater specialist for the Town of Carrboro. “The stormwater staff is excited to share Orange County Creek Week with Carrboro."
Questions? Contact Heather Holley at 919-918-7426 or HHolley@CarrboroNC.gov
The inaugural event is part of the Clean Water and Education Partnership’s (CWEP) second annual Regional Creek Week. This year’s theme is “Water Connects Us.” The initiative will engage the public on the importance of clean and healthy waterways. This year’s Orange County Creek Week is made possible by Orange County Department of Environment, Agriculture & Parks & Recreation (DEAPR); Orange Water and Sewer Authority; the towns of Chapel Hill, Carrboro, and Hillsborough; UNC Energy Services; UNC Environment, Health and Safety; UNC Institute for the Environment; and Sustainable Carolina.
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El Centro Hispano opens new ToolBank program
CARRBORO, N.C. (Feb. 12, 2022) – On a bright, sunny Saturday morning, El Centro Hispano unveiled its new ToolBank program.
Many community members and elected leaders were on hand to cheer and celebrate the program’s joyous launch. As part of the ToolBank program, workers enrolled in El Centro Hispano's Casa for Employment & Leadership (CEL) Program will be able to rent professional tools and equipment at a minimal cost. The Town of Carrboro financially supports the program’s operations as well as the Carrboro office of El Centro Hispano.
ToolBank allows registered CEL workers to take better-paying jobs which require them to bring their own tools. Currently, the ToolBank rents 40 tools including leaf blowers, lawn mowers, hedge trimmers, chainsaws, weed whackers, pressure washers and others.
In 2015, El Centro Hispano became the first day laborer employment center created in the South. Day laborers are hard-working men and women in our community who find work to support their families. El Centro Hispano protects and defends the rights of these workers and connects them with employers who will pay a fair wage.
The shed was ushered into reality by tireless local volunteer Marilyn Alexander. Volunteer workers donated their time and talent to construct the shed that will house the tools. The ToolBank was sponsored in part by a grant from PNC Bank. The Town of Carrboro financially supports CEL’s operations as well as the Carrboro office of El Centro Hispano.
El Centro Hispano connects small businesses and town residents with skilled workers in the fields of construction, plumbing, landscaping, domestic work, moving, yard work, and painting.
Specials guests attending the event included Mayor Damon Seils, Town Manager Richard White III, Carrboro Town Council Member Randee Haven-O'Donnell, Jon Hartman-Brown (Economic Development), Aaron Nelson (Chamber of Commerce Chapel Hill-Carrboro), John (J.B.) Buxton, Jaclyn Krohn and Constanza Gómez-Joines of Durham Tech, Lori Jones (PNC Bank) and Marilyn Alexander (Carrboro resident and volunteer).
For more information on the Center for Employment and Leadership, call 919-945-0136.
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BIPOC Elected Officials Present Poem for Black History Month
BIPOC Elected Officials of Orange County, N.C. Present “Let America Be America Again” for Black History Month
For Black History Month 2022, the BIPOC elected officials of Orange County, N.C., have released their video presentation of the Langston Hughes poem “Let America Be America Again.”
WATCH THE VIDEO on YouTube at https://youtu.be/iFscQ_oyMtA and consider its meaning and message this Black History Month. The poem highlights the discrepancy between the ideals of the American Dream and the realities of American life. Has the United States fulfilled its promised vision of freedom and equality for all people? Read the poem at https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/147907/let-america-be-america-again
“I chose this 1936 poem by Langston Hughes because of its correlation to Dr. Martin Luther King’s ‘I Have a Dream’ speech,” said NC Senator Valerie P. Foushee. “Although the references and images are different, the messages are inextricably linked; that the ‘ordered liberty’ experiment that George Washington spoke of remains a dream deferred for many. America is not perfect. It is not what it can be, but it is still a great nation. It is still the land of hope. We must ensure that it remains the land of opportunity.”
The elected officials representing the Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) coalition who are featured in the video presentation are as follows:
- N.C. State Senate
Valerie P. Foushee
- District Court for 15B Judicial District
Joal Hall Brown
- Carrboro Town Council
Barbara Middleton-Foushee
- Chapel Hill Town Council
Camille Berry
Allen Buansi (former member)
Tai Huyn
Paris Miller-Foushee
- Hillsborough Board of Commissioners
Robb English
Matt Hughes
- Orange County Board of County Commissioners
Jean Hamilton
Renée Ann Price
Anna Richards
- Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Board of Education
Rani Dasi
Riza Jenkins
Deon Temne
- Orange County Schools Board of Education
Brenda Stephens
Black History Month
Since its beginnings as a weeklong recognition by historian Carter G. Woodson in 1926, Black History Month has grown to include opportunities for education, reflection, and celebration.
Everyone is invited to participate in Black History Month events this February and continue interest in the meaning and impacts of Black Americans throughout the year.
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Got two minutes? Help Carrboro make some decisions.
Take the ARPA Survey today!
Help the Town decide the best way to use our American Rescue Plan funds. Please take two minutes to share your ideas!
http://townofcarrboro.org/2583/American-Rescue-Plan
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Low-Cost Rabies Clinic for Pets
If you have a fur baby, save some money on rabies shots and microchips at the discount clinic offered by Orange County Animal Services on February 26. Get more details at https://www.orangecountync.gov/308/Low-Cost-Clinics.
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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 townofcarrboronc.gov/signup
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 Town Council will meet next virtually at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 22, to consider the agenda https://bit.ly/3LSnofc that is also posted at carrboro.legistar.com
To view, access livestream at carrboro.legistar.com or YouTube.com/CarrboroNC OR Cable TV 18 (in Carrboro).
To participate via zoom and receive access to the zoom meeting to provide public comment, please contact publiccomment@carrboronc.gov
Past Meeting
The Carrboro Town Council met virtually Tuesday, Feb. 8, and took the following actions on the agenda posted at https://bit.ly/3gucAoR
Adopted a strategy to use Town-owned land to create affordable housing.
Received an update on the Energy and Climate Protection Plan and Community Climate Action Plan.
About the Town Council
The Town Council is the legislative and policy-making body for Carrboro, consisting of the following: Mayor Damon Seils, Mayor Pro Tempore Susan Romaine, Council Member Barbara Foushee, Council Member Randee Haven-O’Donnell, Council Member Danny Nowell and Council Member Sammy Slade. More information is available at http://townofcarrboronc.gov/248/Town-Council
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E. Main Street Sewer Rehab Project Continues
OWASA's sewer rehabilitation project is underway in Carrboro with weekend work on E. Main Street. While a temporary nuisance for most, it was Saturday night entertainment for 3-year-old Beau, watching the backhoe in action with mother Cecily Kehoe.
Stay updated on this project at https://www.owasa.org/project/east-main-street-sewer-rehabilitation-project/
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We are hiring!
The Town of #Carrboro offers competitive salaries and one of the richest benefits packages available in our region.
➡️ https://nc-carrboro.civicplushrms.com/careers/
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