News Digest for Town of Carrboro, NC (June 7, 2023) 

Here's what's new in Carrboro This Week: Pride Banners are up all around downtown. Juneteenth is the 19th. There is a great Freight Train Blues concert and it's the last day of school for CHCCS on Friday. All this and more!

Banners Coming to Downtown 

Look up! The Town of Carrboro is hanging new banners in downtown.

The banners spotlight new Carrboro marketing/values logos designed by The Splinter Group  as part of an update of the Brand Guidelines approved by the Town Council in May. The banner layouts are created by the Carrboro Communication & Engagement Department and printed by the Merch at 101 Lloyd St, Carrboro, NC 27510.

The Public Works Department will hang the banners for seasonal observances such as Pride Month, Juneteenth, July Fourth, Earth Month, Women’s History Month, Black History Month, Elizabeth Cotten’s Birthday, Celebrating Hispanic Heritage and Bike Month, as well as festivals such as the Carrboro Music Festival, West End Poetry Festival and Carrboro Film Fest. 

For more information, contact the Carrboro Communication & Engagement Department at communications@carrboronc.gov

Small Town Pride Events this June

• ORGULLO LATINX PRIDE | Saturday, June 10 from 5-9 p.m. (Carrboro Town Commons)
• Celebrate Pride at Carrboro Farmers' Market - featuring Drag Storytime | Wednesday, June 14 (Carrboro Town Commons) 
• Pride Piper Walk | Friday, June 30 at 4:30 p.m. (Carrboro Century Center)
• Pride Food Truck Rodeo & Dance Party | Friday, June 30 from 5-8 p.m. (Carrboro Town Commons)

Read the full Small Town Pride News Flash to learn more about the events offered throughout June.

Freight Train Blues Concert Series Presents Conjunto Breve

Enjoy Conjunto Breve at this week’s Freight Train Blues Concert, Friday, June 6, 2023. The concert starts at 6:30 p.m. at the Carrboro Town Commons, 301 W. Main Street. Bring your picnic, lawn chairs, and blankets for an evening of live music on the lawn. 

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.

Multinational Salsa Band Conjunto Breve was founded by renowned percussionist Brevan Hampden in 2012. Conjunto Breve’s members hail from across the Americas. They have played with and supported legendary Salsa innovators including Celia Cruz, La India, Tito Rojas, Richie Ray & Bobby Cruz, Paquito Guzman, Tito Gomez, Luis Enrique, N’Klabe, and many others. Their music is a blend of New York Style Salsa and Cuban Salsa, incorporating and refining traditions reaching back generations in the sounds of Puerto Rico, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and the United States.  Expect jubilant horns and woodwinds over dizzying rhythms that dissolve inhibitions and loosen up those hips!

More information: www.freighttrainblues.com 

Chapel Hill, Carrboro to Celebrate Juneteenth 

The third annual Chapel Hill – Carrboro Juneteenth Festival returns to the Hargraves Community Center on Saturday, June 17 from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Hosted by the Towns of Chapel Hill and Carrboro, along with numerous community partners, the event celebrates Black culture and community with music, art, food, and more.

The Towns of Chapel Hill and Carrboro proclaimed the observance of Juneteenth in 2020 and encourage residents and employers to recognize the holiday. John French, Director of the Hargraves Community Center, says “Juneteenth is important for our country and for our community. We are excited to once again partner with Carrboro and many community organizations to celebrate local Black culture and excellence.”

Here's what’s in store for this year’s celebration:

Historic Marker Dedication
Hargraves Community Center has been selected as a spot on the North Carolina Civil Rights Trail, with a marker that describes the Center’s importance in the local and national fight for civil rights. At 10:00 a.m., the community will gather to dedicate this new marker and celebrate the past, present, and future of Hargraves Center.

Live Music & Entertainment
The Juneteenth stage will welcome a variety of local artists, representing a range of musical genres. Pittsboro-based group The Dowdy Boys will provide gospel music, while Mickey Mills & Steel will offer Caribbean music featuring steel drums. Local favorite Zone will play a rap set, while Finesse will get everyone on their feet with upbeat rhythm and blues. In between acts, DJ Dominic will keep everyone dancing and entertained.

Small Business Fair & Nonprofit Showcase
A wide variety of Black artisans and Black-owned businesses will be highlighted at the festival, with everything from handmade jewelry and figurines to roofing, healthcare, and other services. Likewise, a wide range of community organizations that represent and serve the Black community will have booths at the event, including the Marian Cheek Jackson Center for Saving and Making History, the Hannah Ruth Foundation, and the local alumni chapters of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated, Zeta Beta Phi Sorority Incorporated, and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated.

Food Trucks & Kids Zone
Black-owned food trucks and businesses will offer festival-goers a variety of food and drink, including African cuisine from Yagg Sii Tenn, soul food from McCamm’s, and wings, hotdogs, and more from Jolly’s Catering. The Kids Zone will have face painting, street performers, mural making, and more – including a visit from Chapel Hill Public Library’s Circulator. The Northside Gymnasium will be open with basketball activities throughout the event.

An estimated 4,000 people attended last year’s event and a large crowd is expected again this year. Attendees are encouraged to consider biking, walking, carpooling, and riding Chapel Hill Transit. Festival parking will be available at Northside Elementary, and general information about parking around downtown Chapel Hill and Carrboro can be found at www.parkonthehill.com

Green Neighborhoods Grant Program

As part of its Community Climate Action Plan (CCAP) implementation, the Town of Carrboro is pleased to announce the Green Neighborhoods Grant Program that offers grants for projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, enhance ecosystem resiliency or contribute to climate action awareness or engagement. The maximum grant award is $2,500.

Applications are due by June 9, 2023 at 3 p.m. 

Read more information on the Green Neighborhoods Grant Program.

For questions and additional information, contact Environmental Sustainability Coordinator Laura Janway at ljanway@carrboronc.gov or (919) 918-7326. 

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

In celebration of Juneteenth, all Town offices and facilities will be closed Monday, June 19, 2023. Yard waste and loose leaf collection regularly scheduled for Mondays will be moved to Tuesday, June 20.

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 13, 2023. The agenda will be available at https://carrboro.legistar.com 

This meeting 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). 

The Council will hold a Work Session at 7 p.m. on Thursday, June 15, 2023 for a cemetery discussion. The agenda will be available at https://carrboro.legistar.com/

Past Meetings 

The Carrboro Town Council met Tuesday, June 6, 2023, for a Council Meeting and took the following actions on agenda posted at  bit.ly/3NgMRRU    Watch the video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XW_S7KJJpvI 

• Adopted a resolution to issue a Street Closing Permit Application submitted by El Centro Hispano, Inc. for the temporary closing and usage of W. Weaver Street from N. Greensboro Street to Elm Street from 12 to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 27, 2023, for Festival Latinoamericano.
• Awarded a service side arm to Lieutenant Willie Quick. Police Lieutenant Quick will retire from the Town of Carrboro Police Department on July 1, 2023 after about 10 years of service with the Town and 30 years of total law enforcement service.
• Awarded the 2023 Resurfacing Project to Daniels Inc. of Garner.
• Appointed members (Lindsay Griffin, Muhsin Omar and Rahat Sajwani) to the Affordable Housing Advisory Commission (AHAC) 
• Approved additional funding not to exceed $237,000 to close out the Homestead Road - Chapel Hill High School Multi-Use Path (previously referred to as the Bolin Creek Greenway Phase 1-B) project with NC Department of Transportation (NCDOT), NC Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ), and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). 
• Held a public hearing to receive public comment on a request for voluntary annexation of three properties, 820 and 904 Homestead Road and 310 Lucas Lane. 
• Held a public hearing on Proposed Conditional Rezoning at 820 and 904 Homestead Road and 310 Lucas Lane. This matter responds to a petition from Parker Louis, LLC, to rezone three properties at 820 and 904 Homestead Road, and 310 Lucas Lane from R-20 to R-3-CZ (Residential, 3000 square feet per dwelling unit, conditional) to allow for the subsequent submittal of an application to develop an Architecturally Integrated Subdivision (AIS) including single-family and multi-family residences. A draft ordinance has been prepared. This public hearing was continued to a date to be announced. 
• Held a public hearing to consider amending the Land Use Ordinance to establish a complete streets policy. Council approved the amendment to establish the policy. The National Complete Streets Coalition was formed in 2005 and provides a framework for establishing complete streets policies (https://smartgrowthamerica.org/program/national-complete-streets-coalition). 
• Received the Town Manager’s Recommended Budget for Fiscal Year 2023-24. The recommended budget will be posted for public review at https://www.carrboronc.gov/2864/Recommended-Annual-Operating-Budget-2023 

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

Attention Food Truck Operators!

We are accepting application for the 2023 Freight Train Blues Concert Series at Carrboro Town Commons. 

Contact Michelle Blume at mblume@carrboronc.gov or 919-918-7367