It’s one of those weeks where the heat index “will peak as high as the upper 90s to around 105” which means many in Chapel Hill and Carrboro have scattered to the wind, and it’s easier to get a same-day reservation at Tesoro.
There’s not a whole lot of news happening. Councils and the school board have a few weeks off. (We’re still writing up their June meetings which is taking a while because one of them clocked in at over 6 hours. Chapelboro has a good summary of the school board meeting.)
As we melt, here are some bits of note:
🚌 Chapel Hill Transit is about to turn 50, but doesn’t look a day over….here’s the first story from the Daily Tar Heel’s July 30, 1974 edition.
📝 A draft remediation agreement for 828 MLK Boulevard is coming July 1: Chapelboro summarizes this well: NCDEQ posted the draft agreement and will begin a pubic comment period on Monday, July 1. The details will be on the department’s Public Comment webpage, and should be posted there until July 30. DEQ has a summary of everything that’s gone on so far. We have been following this for some time.
👍👎Downtown Chapel Hill has their annual survey and they want you to take it.
🚲 The Bike Rodeo needs volunteers: On Friday, July 12, from 8 a.m to noon, BikeCarrboro (CBC) and Bike Alliance of Chapel Hill (BACH) will once again be hosting the annual bike rodeo at the Rogers-Eubanks Neighborhood Association (RENA) Summer Camp.
Volunteers are needed to help set up the course, fit helmets, check air in tires, do bike checks, help guide the rider to the different stations, etc. There are 2 shifts. Sign up here.
🗳️ Isaac Woolsey files to run in the Carrboro Town Council race: A registered Republican, Woolsey is a self-published author and former Walmart employee with high-functioning autism. Woolsey has attended recent council meetings in both towns to advocate for more accessible transportation for the disabled. In a statement, he writes: “My platform is all about accessibility and disability rights. As someone with high functioning autism and someone with a stigmatism in both eyes I am disabled and need accessible transportation. As you may know the Chapel Hill Transit has had reduced hours for the last 3 years making it difficult to find employment and even with the EZ rider I couldn’t go to my overnight job in Chatham County after certain hours. Which leads me to my second point. We need equal job opportunities for disabled residents in Carrboro and other parts of Orange county. A lot of times businesses won’t hire anyone who’s disabled because we are viewed as liabilities. Some companies will specialize in hiring disabled people because the business will get kickbacks from the government and vocational rehab. Once disabled folks are hired by these companies they’re put at an entry-level position or salary without any opportunities to be promoted or given raises. Basically they want us to be token mascots for the companies public image. I’ve worked in the retail and service industry for almost 10 years and was never made a supervisor or manager. My third point in my campaign is for more affordable housing. In summary if elected to Carrboro town council, I will try to solve the transportation issue which is promised by the ADA of 1990 by negotiating with Chapel Hill Transit and telling them to hire more drivers and use the 9 month to a year contract with new drivers so they won’t just get CDL certified and leave whilst also giving them pay increases. Also making jobs easier for disabled residents to achieve in Carrboro, and making housing more readily available. The final point I want to try to find a way to bring back group homes to Carrboro because there are a lot of folks who need them and have no where to go.”
Woolsey is the second candidate to file for the open seat in a special election this upcoming November to replace the council seat held by now-mayor Barbara Foushee. Cristobal Palmer, a long-time volunteer in the local Democratic Party, was the first. Filing ends July 5th.
✏️ TransparUNCy writes about the new School of Civic Life and Leadership at UNC with a detailed timeline.
💧 OWASA is holding a PFAS community chat on Thursday June 27th at 6:30 pm at the Chapel Hill Public Library (Meeting Room C). The event features local environmental law, regulatory, and utility finance experts to discuss how to fund PFAS removal from drinking water.
🛝Carrboro’s going to update the playground at Baldwin Park and wants your input.