This week was a busy week with an intercity visit to Carmel, Indiana and a long council meeting.

Monday started with phone calls to the council members for questions or comments that may concern them with the regular council meeting’s agenda. Unfortunately, I was only able to get in contact with one council member and left messages with the others.

Monday afternoon I met with staff directors to go over the agenda. This agenda was full of items that would generate a lot of discussion so I knew it would be a long meeting. I guessed it would take about 4 hours which would have put us at 10:30. Boy was I wrong. We didn’t actually get out of the meeting until close to 12:30. The meeting had four public hearings including a special use public hearing. Since that is quasi judicial the speakers didn’t have time limits.

Monday evening I taped the June episode of Cary Matters with council member Portman. The main topic was on floodwater issues. The question and answer portion of the episode included water conservation, internet service in public places, and unwanted material on mailboxes. We were able to knock this recording session out in about 45 minutes.

Tuesday, I along with roughly 30 others boarded a plane for Indianapolis for the Cary Chamber’s intercity visit. We arrived around 9:30 AM and started with a bus tour of Indianapolis. Lunch was held at the Lucas Oil Stadium (where the Colts play) with Carmel Mayor, Jim Brainard and several representatives of the NCAA which is headquarted in Indianapolis. The NCAA representatives are very important for Cary since we are one of the six NCAA championship cities in the US and want to continue to hold NCAA championships in Cary. The rest of the day was spent visiting sites such as the Carmel city square, their arts district, and one of the key roundabout interchanges (similar to US64 in Cary).

Wednesday started with a breakfast meeting at the hotel where we heard from a county commissioner on transit and several members of the Carmel staff on transit and road projects. The rest of Wednesday morning was spent visiting the Carmel aquatics center which was very impressive and even had several water park features such as giant slides and a lazy river. After lunch we finally got to a discussion of how Carmel paid for all the amenities they had. It turns out that they get about $30 million a year in income tax revenue in addition to a property tax rate that is about 40% higher than ours (assuming ours and the county rate were combined since they have their own school system).

On the way to the airport the bus went by the Indianapolis Speedway. It was “community day” as part of the Indianapolis 500 celebration which means people can ride around the track. So we asked if we could take the bus around the track. We were allowed to enter the infield and were queued up but were not actually allowed on the track. Oh well, it was impressive being in the infield anyway.

All in all it was a great trip. There were a lot of impressive things to see in Carmel which has about half our population. They are known in the region as the town with the roundabouts. Currently, they have around 60 of them. The one thing that stuck with me the most is how much more revenue they get than Cary. If we had their amount of revenue we could probably do wonderful things in short order. But in Cary I believe people want their representatives to be very conservative with their tax dollars and I believe our council does exactly that.

Thursday’s council meeting lasted close to six hours. Two of those hours were spent on the special use hearing that I mentioned earlier. Other discussions that took time included the Park at Westlake (approved), the Historic Preservation Master Plan (approved), the Cameron Pond Wall recommendation (approved), and the road waiver for Stone School Supply Store(approved). I voted against the road waiver because I strongly feel that waiving road improvements causes the next development to pay for them or the citizens to pay for them. One important point that I try to make is that someone WILL pay for them. In the past, it has been the taxpayers subsidizing development at over 90% in some cases. I want to make sure we don’t go back to that amount of subsidy. Having said that, I think it is important to do all we can to encourage new businesses in Cary. Balance is the key and that is how I approach each case.

Emails this week included a call for my resignation because I allegedly mix politics and religion and don’t know about the separation of church and state. Hmmm. I am very sure I do know and don’t mix them. Anyway, other emails included several requests for the wall option from Cameron Pond residents, several complaints about bridge guardrails on Kildaire Farm road near Lochmere, questions about Waverly place, a complaint about the lack of sidewalks on Dynasty Drive,  requests for money for non profits, and concerns about our fire policy on pine straw.

Next week I will be in Hilton Head so I won’t have anything to post other than I had a good vacation (I hope).

Well that is all for this week. My next post will be on Sunday, June 13^th. Please feel free to email me with a comment.

This week was a busy week with several receptions/dinners and a budget work session.

Monday I played my annual round of golf at the Augusta National Golf Course. Or maybe I should say the golf course played me. I only had a couple of good holes, the par 5 8^th and the infamous par 3 16^th. I played the 8^th very well and had about a 10 foot putt for birdie but missed. The 16^th I had about a 12 foot putt for birdie but missed. Although I didn’t score well I had a great time. It was a bit rainy for the first 7 holes but the sun came out and it was beautiful for the rest of the day. It was an honor and privilege to be able to play this course.

Tuesday was the first budget work session. Budget Director Scott Fogleman went over the budget and answered a few questions. To sum up the proposed budget: remain conservative, hold the tax rate, and hold on any major expenses. I think the council will come to an agreement soon about the budget with little or no modifications to the proposed budget.

Wednesday I started by attending the Cary Chamber’s Economic Development Industry Appreciation reception at MacGregor Downs. There were about three dozen industry leaders in attendance including one of our newest businesses Deutsche Bank. I gave a few words of welcome and thanked all the businesses for being in Cary and for supporting charities in the area.

Later Wednesday I met with major investors of Waverly Place. They provided drawings of a proposal to redo Waverly Place. If approved and built it will cost them about $40 million for the changes. Once completed the center will be a destination place with water features, fire pits, plenty of outdoor seating, and even an area for entertainment or small markets.

Thursday I attended a reception for the NCAA Division II baseball championship. This was a gathering of about three dozen people including members of the NCAA, Mount Olive College (co-host), the Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau, USA baseball, and National Training Center Staff. I gave a few words of welcome and promised a weekend of good weather. I guess it is a good thing that I don’t predict weather for a living. Cary is very fortunate to be an inaugural NCAA Championship city and holding championships in several sports including baseball.

Friday I attended a luncheon being held for Mary Henderson who is retiring as Director of Parks Recreation and Cultural Resources Director. Mary has been with the town 28 years and has basically worked in the department as the town has grown from a few thousand people to the seventh largest municipality of North Carolina. Through her work we have an accredited, national recognized, award winning department and one of the most desirable places to live in the United States. Mary is a big part of Cary’s success and she will be sorely missed. The reception was well attended and was a who’s who in Cary’s past with former mayors, former council members, former and current staff, and friends and family.

Friday night I attended the NCAA Division II baseball banquet. This was attended by all the people from the reception Thursday night but this time included players from all eight teams. These players were all glad to be at the championship and had great things to say about our facility. Here are a few of the quotes I received from a news report about the Kutztown players:

“It is just unbelievable how nice this place is.”

“You just dream about playing in a beautiful facility like this.”

“This facility is like the Taj Mahal of baseball complexes.”

“This is something you have to see for yourself. It’s by far the greatest field I have ever played on.”

“This is just a first class facility and I can see why the NCAA chose Cary to host the championships.”

Emails this week included complaints about a sex offender, sidewalks, potholes, annexation, and a request to fund a wall at Cameron Pond.

Next week I will be on an intercity visit to Carmel Indiana. We will also have our last council meeting in May.

Well that is all for this week. I will be on vacation starting Saturday so my next post will be on Friday, May 28^th. Please feel free to email me with a comment.

This week was a busy week which included a council meeting and some interesting events.

Monday started with the usual agenda meeting. In attendance were town management, directors, attorneys, and the town clerk staff. Earlier in the day I called council members to see if there were questions or comments about the agenda. The two items of interest included allowing employees to share sick leave and whether or not to try for LEED certification for fire station #8.

On Tuesday I was a judge in a biscuit contest held at the Gold LEED McDonalds on Kildaire Farm Road. This is the first time I have ever been a judge in a food contest. I was judging with a food writer from the N&O who had done many food judging competitions. She warned me in the beginning to take very small bites. Well, I was a little hungry so I took large bites. By the 10th contestant I was more than full. Although the contestants, from all over the region, used the same ingredients and the same oven the biscuits were different. I was told that the difference was created in the preparation and the cooking. And I COULD tell.  The judging criteria we used were appearance (pimply golden on top with white sides and 1 ½ inches high), taste (melts in your mouth and of course tastes good), and presentation (interesting since most cooks spoke very little English). The winner got a cash prize and was able to compete in the next level of competition. I was also a winner (in a sense) because I left with a food gift certificate, a pin, and a McDonald’s apron. It was a LOT of fun and I really enjoyed it. However, I will probably skip the biscuits for a while.

Tuesday evening I had an informal interview with a reporter from the Triangle Business Journal. They are interested in doing several interviews in the future with me regarding our downtown area. Some of their interest peaks around the railroad and how it impacts the downtown area. I explained that we currently had 3 major crossings. All of these are “at grade” meaning they do not have a bridge or tunnel and require crossing arms. Cary is in the process of designing a tunnel at Walker Street which will give the downtown a grade separated crossing. This is important because NCDOT Rail plans to increase traffic on the rail over the next few years. One of the goals of the high speed rail is to reduce and/or eliminate at grade crossings from Raleigh of Charlotte. This would include Cary crossings at Maynard, Academy, and Harrison. However, eliminating or grade separating those crossings will be difficult because of several reasons: 1) they are vital links that connect the town, 2) the rail station is being rebuilt with federal dollars fixing the vertical and horizontal position of the tracks at Maynard and Harrison, and 3) the tunnel at Walker Street will also fix the vertical and horizontal position of the tracks. And of course all the rail issues could have a significant impact on how our town develops in the future. More on this at a later date.

Wednesday I played in a 4 game tennis exhibition at the Cary Tennis Park as part of the Senior Appreciation Day. Our exhibition included the head pro Sean Ferreira, Western Wake Tennis Association Donna Gast, NC Tennis Association Kelly Gaines and myself. I got off to a slow start but was paired with Kelly Gaines who is a strong player. We rallied to end in a 2-2 tie. It was a lot of fun and I really enjoyed it. I thanked the crowd for their attendance and support of the Cary Tennis Center and encouraged them to help get youth interested in the game to keep it moving forward.

Wednesday evening I attended the “Step into Africa the AIDS crisis” exhibit being held at the YMCA on Cary Parkway. This exhibit allowed you to step from room to room as the story was presented via headphones. Volunteers also interacted with you to enhance the experience. The experience walked you through the tragic lives of those who have AIDS in Africa and the help they need. It was a moving experience and I was glad I went.

Thursday I met with Hub Sum representatives to brainstorm on events for this year. I am an honorary member of Hub Sum board. Their biggest event is Diwali which will be held in September. This will be the 10th year of the Diwali celebration in Cary. The Diwali celebration is Cary’s biggest event at the amphitheater and usually draws in the 12 to 15 thousand range. We brainstormed about ideas of promoting the event to help Cary citizens understand that this is a Cary event and not an Indian event.

Thursday night’s council meeting focused on two topics as predicted. The first discussion was the shared sick leave which was a staff recommendation that came from council direction. I agreed with the staff report but also wanted it to go back to committee to get more information about further things we could do. The majority of council agreed.  The second item that generated discussion was on whether or not to pay for LEED to certify the new fire station being built. The council decided to not pursue LEED certification because of the $41,000 cost. I contended that the staff cost of ensuring the fire station met the green standards might be the same as or exceed the cost of the LEED certification by a third party. We have no way of knowing since this information wasn’t provided but we do know significant staff time will be involved. It is also disappointing to me that we ask our citizens and businesses to become more environmentally sensitive and encourage their LEED certification but we don’t. Thank goodness for McDonalds (Ric Richards), Siemens, and SAS who continue to step forward to lead our community in LEED certification.

Friday I briefly attended the Public Works celebration over at the town facility on James Jackson Avenue. Our public works people go out of their way to bring the best possible service to our citizens. A perfect example was three of them who noticed 6 year old and 10 year old girls walking next to US1. They called police and stayed with the girls until the authorities arrived. Thank God they cared. Without them there might have been an unthinkable tragedy. At the event on Friday I thanked the three men: Cliff Norman, Larry Coe, and John Spey. Their acts were heroic in my eyes.

Friday night I attended a private dinner with a friend and member of the Indian Community’s political action committee. We had great food and conversation and of course talked politics. I look forward to their support next year.

Emails this week included a complaint about the required irrigation backflow testing, a complaint about barking dogs, a complaint about a water bill, a complaint about a utility project on Stephens Road, a request to make fire station #8 LEED certified, an invitation to an eagle scout ceremony, and a request for an interview.

Next week looks busy for me. On Monday I have the privilege of playing the Augusta National Golf course which is one of the most, if not the most, prestigious privately owned golf courses. The rest of the week includes a budget work session, a couple of receptions, a retirement ceremony, and a banquet. I will probably be speaking at all of these which require some preparation on my part.

Well that is all for this week. I plan to next post on Sunday, May 23^rd. Please feel free to email me with a comment.

This week was about meetings and a graduation ceremony.

On Monday I met with a president of a homeowner’s association about a water leak that created a water bill of several thousand dollars. While I couldn’t personally help them in my capacity as mayor, I did listen and suggest people they should contact.

Tuesday I met with the town manager and mayor pro-tem to go over any pressing issues. One item I have asked for is a map to be put on line that will distinguish DOT roads and Cary roads. People are constantly complaining about roads and it is hard for citizens, council members, and staff to know what roads belong to whom. Hopefully, this new map will be available soon and be a great reference for all.

Wednesday I met with developers on a potential residential development in the Weston Office Park. Basically, they wanted to know if I would support this. Usually, I am not a big supporter of swapping office for residential but the Weston Office park would probably benefit a better mix of uses. So I would be willing to see the details of this case.

Wednesday night I attended the 27^th graduation ceremony of Citizens Police Academy. I am proud that Cary has citizens who not only want to learn about our police department but want to assist in making the best police department in the state even better. God bless each and every one of them.

Thursday I met with a gentleman who is interested in downtown revitalization and development. This person had a lot of ideas and our discussion was about all the possibilities for Cary’s downtown area. It is my hope that we can make downtown more of a destination point in the future. This year’s budget will have an item for a downtown manager. It will be interesting to see if council will support that.

Emails this week included a complaint about sidewalk and guardrails on Kildaire Farm Road, several complaints about a bridge in Weston Manor, a request to make our new fire station LEED certified, several complaints about roads in the Green Level area, a complaint about mailbox damage, and a complaint about the convenient center.

The most interesting announcement this week came from a press release stating that Cary now has the highest bond rating for Revenue bonds. There are three types of bonds: General Obligation bonds (voter approved) which has the lowest interest rate, Revenue bonds which has the second lowest interest rate, and asset bonds. Cary has had the highest rating for General Obligation bonds for years. Now we have the highest bond rating for our Revenue bonds as well. This will result in lower tax rates and savings for our taxpayers.

Next week promises to be a busy week. In addition to a council meeting, I will be judging a biscuit bakeoff and participating in an exhibition at the Cary Tennis Park. Should be fun.

Well that is all for this week. I plan to next post on Sunday, May 16^th. Please feel free to email me with a comment.

This was a busy week for me with a taping of Cary Matters, a council meeting and events including an elected officials gathering and the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame benefit concert.

Monday started with calls to all the council members about questions they might have on Thursday’s council agenda. That afternoon I met with directors, town management, legal, and administrative staff to go over the agenda. Topics we discussed included the annexation of properties at West Lake, road alignments at Weldon Ridge and Kit Creek, and the award process associated with the C-Tran bid. At the end of this meeting I figured the council meeting would last until about 10 PM. The meeting did actually end close to 10.

Monday night I did a taping of Cary Matters with council member Don Frantz. He and I do very well together and have actually won a gold AVA award. We did the taping fairly quickly. The main topic was on the state legislative agenda. The questions were on the budget, applying for town advisory boards, and upcoming shows at the Booth Amphitheater.

Later Monday night my wife and I had dinner with the chaperone for the culinary students from La Touquet, France. Over the years my wife and I have hosted many students from La Touquet and have become friends with Madame Chatel. Each year we catch up, talk a little about golf (The Masters), and about visiting France. It was a good time and the meal was excellent (we ate at Giorgios).

Tuesday council held a work session on the town’s stormwater services. Our staff categorizes flooding as catastrophic, structural, or nuisance. Catastrophic is defined as a flood that washes out roads and collapses buildings and homes. Structural flooding is defined as getting into the lower portions of homes that may damage homes. Nuisance flooding is defined as standing water in the yard. Some interesting takeaways for me from this work session included:

· There are 593 single family homes in the flood plain in Cary.

· Cary will get a FEMA grant to determine the worst flooding areas in town.

· If the town decided to purchase homes next to streams that are prone to flooding it would cost over $170 million just in the downtown area.

· If the town decided to purchase homes that experience nuisance flooding it would cost somewhere in the $17 million price range.

· Council decided the current policies were working well. That is, we have a policy to share 50-50 for homes that experience structural flooding.

After the work session I headed over to Grace Christian School to watch an Irish Dance recital that my daughter was in. These are a talented bunch of kids and they did a wonderful job. My daughter was in several dances and of course she was great as usual.

Wednesday evening I attended the Elected Officials reception at the Matthews House. I gave welcoming comments and introduced the council members. All council members were in attendance except Robison. The event was very well attended (I had trouble finding a place to park). I would say over half the crowd was elected officials or candidates. The remainder seemed to be made up of local business people. All the officials and candidates were introduced. I mingled and talked until they closed the event down (another late dinner for me).

Thursday was a regularly scheduled council meeting. We got through the West Lake annexations fairly quick. The most controversial item of the evening seemed to be the bid award for C-Tran. Several drivers and management spoke in favor of current operator First Transit which did not have a bid that qualified. Council agreed on the staff’s recommendation on a new company and will review their performance after six months.

Friday night my wife and I attended the Raleigh Rocks concert by the Rock n Roll hall of fame. We enjoyed the acts, some of which were to perform at the Koka Booth Amphitheater the next night. I spoke with several people associated with both events including the President of the Rock Hall Terry Stewart. He is still interested in keeping an annual benefit event at the Booth Amphitheater. I was very glad to hear that and thanked him and the Rock Hall for being here.

Saturday morning I participated in the SPRUCE spring litter sweep. I was on a three member team sweeping US1 from Cary Parkway to Walnut Street. We ran out of time but decided to continue at least to the ramp at Walnut Street. We collected 20 bags of trash, and 4 bags of recyclable material. Interesting things found included a pot pan lid, an army boot, $55.05 in cash, a credit card (not expired), and a drivers license. One of our members will try to contact the person with the credit card. I also had a little surprise when I lifted a piece of trash and found a good old black snake. While it was a great day and we accomplished a lot, it was sad to drive by on Sunday and see several pieces of litter already back on the side of the road. I believe we are stewards of this earth and town and need to educate everyone the importance of not littering. It is my goal to do all I can to keep Cary clean, green, and beautiful. If you want to help please let me know.

Saturday afternoon and night I attended the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame benefit concert at the Booth Amphitheater. The proceeds went to the local United Way. It was a fantastic concert and I really enjoyed the lineup especially Cheap Trick.

Emails this week included complaints about a developer, complaints about a road alignment ,a  complaint about the town’s growth rate, a complaint about the town’s recycling, a complaint about traffic, and a complaint about having affordable housing in Cary.

Next week will be a light week for me with just a few meetings and one ceremony where I will be the keynote speaker.

Well that is all for this week. I plan to next post on Sunday, May 9th. Please feel free to email me with a comment.