The week was a busy week with a council meeting, the Christmas parade, the College Cup, two opportunities to administer the oath, and a meeting with the Turnpike Authority.

Monday started with an agenda meeting. We identified three items of potential controversy that would draw speakers or long discussion. Those included the Cary Parkway/High House proposal, the Bailey proposal, and the Carolina Legacy parking reduction. I estimated that the meeting would keep us there until midnight. I was only about a half an hour off.

After the agenda meeting I met with the town attorney to go over current legal issues. Based on the input I received I believe we are being represented well and making good progress (wish I could be more specific but you know I can’t since it is a legal matter).

I started Tuesday with my town manager weekly meeting. We discussed various issues none of which were crucial. I did ask if staff could find out from the Turnpike authority the design cost to have the turnpike around Cameron Pond include a wall.

Tuesday night I headed over to Morrisville with my wife to administer the oath of office to newly elected Mayor Jackie Holcombe. First, I would like to say that I have enjoyed working with Mayor Faulkner over the years and that she has been a good friend. Jackie Holcombe and I first met when my oldest daughter was in pre-school with her daughter Lindsay. Our daughters were very close so we got to know each other through our daughters. From day one the Holcombe family has been very kind, generous, and helpful. They are definitely the “good people” you always hear about. I was not involved when Jackie ran for Morrisville town council the first time. However, I was able to communicate with her on occasion about her run for mayor. Of course, I encouraged her and wished her the best. Once she was elected we sat down and talked. From that discussion I can tell you that she is still the wonderful person I met years ago. I believe she and the new council in Morrisville has great potential and can do great things for Morrisville in the future. It was an absolute honor and blessing to be asked and to perform the oath of office for Mayor Holcombe. I look forward to working closely with her as our towns partner on many issues in the coming years.

Wednesday morning I participated in the ABC 11 live cut in for their Heart of Carolina Food Drive. There were about a dozen or so volunteers to collect non perishable goods for the food bank. Their goal was 3 million pounds. I hope folks can find a little time and money in this holiday season to help those that are in need. With this year’s economy it is especially important.

Wednesday evening I met with several staff members from the Turnpike Authority. In the meeting with TPA yesterday we discussed options for noise abatement which included:
1) Sound Barrier - Would provide a visual and noise buffer. A typical wall would be 15 feet in height and as proposed would be approximately 1600′ in length at an estimated cost of $1.3 million. This wall option does not cover the entire neighborhood as the highway excavation encroaches within the Progress Energy easement and a wall is not permitted within the easement.
2) Earth Berm option - This would only provide a visual buffer to half the area in questions. This option would be minimally effective and has constructability concerns. The price is to be determined.
3) Landscaping option - This could provide a visual barrier but not a significant noise barrier. These options were presented as the most feasible considering the construction and financial constraints. Ricky Barker is part of the NCTA steering committee for the upcoming landscaping project
4) a combination of options.
It should be noted that the TPA would have to have any changes to the current plan resolved within roughly two months. This would mean finding $1.3 million in two months if we are to do a sound barrier wall. Another item of note is that clearing will begin on Monday. However, they estimate it will be late spring or early summer before they reach the Cameron Pond area.

Wednesday night I headed over to the Matthews House to welcome guests from the NCAA and colleges that were here for the college cup (NCAA Division 1 Soccer Championship). This was the 7^th consecutive college cup to be held at our soccer stadium. Thanks to our partners, CASL and NC State, this will once again be a sell out event. We have been awarded the 2010 college cup for women making it eight College Cups in a row for Cary. Getting the College Cup for 2011 will be difficult since the NCAA is considering a combined event with men and women and want a bigger venue. But we will see how that plays out The College Cup means millions of dollars in economic benefit for Cary and surrounding areas. Showcase teams competed in a tournament and were given tickets to the College Cup. Those teams were from 42 states, Bermuda, and Canada.

Thursday started with a meeting of the retreat committee. The retreat will be held on Friday and Saturday January 15^th and 16^th. Friday will be more of a higher level discussion of the vision for the town. Saturday will probably have much more detail. We will focus on four areas: 1) Community Planning - Planning for Quality of Life, 2) Making sure we’re ready when you are, 3) Financial Condition - Making sense with the dollars, 4) Municipal Services - Providing excellence in service to the citizens.

Thursday night was our only council meeting for the month of December. The item that seemed to generate the most public interest was the Cary Parkway and High House Intersection improvement proposal. This initiated from council asking staff to come up with future alternatives for the intersection because the intersection has no future plans. Without plans any development in the area will not require road improvement fees from developers. Although, this solution is clearly not the one we will need, we should continue to look for other options. Otherwise, the eventual widening will drastically change the aesthetics and character of the intersection. I insisted that we continue the public hearing on this topic, as advertised, until January 14^th which was supported by council. I have received criticism for this but to me protecting a citizen’s right to speak, no matter what their opinion, is of utmost importance and a right I pledged to protect when I was elected.

Saturday was the annual Jaycees Christmas parade. I was honored to participate. What was even more special is that my entire family was in the parade too. I rode in a 1957 car driven by Mr. Cooper and a former pastor of Cary’s First Baptist. I was flanked by both of my beautiful daughters. My wife rode in Erv Portman’s car with his wife. We had a wonderful time and passed out lots of candy. After the parade my family and I spent the rest of the day shopping.

Sunday I attended the finals of the College Cup soccer match between Virginia and Akron. This was a thrilling match won by Virginia on penalty kicks 3-2 after two overtimes ended in a 0-0 tie. The event turned out well even though the weather was lousy on Sunday. The estimated economic benefit for this event and the CASL event is estimated to be around $3 million dollars. The College Cup alone was estimated to have brought $300,000 in economic benefit. This event really gave the area a boost at the time we needed it. I am glad Cary was a host and hope we get to host many more College Cups.

I received numerous emails this week. Most of them were concerning the Cary Parkway and High House Intersection Improvements proposal. There were also several emails regarding the road stub for the Bailey subdivision. I also received a complaint about Cary’s water and another round of complaints from the Cary Watchmen (again full of half truths and misinformation).

Next week promises to be another busy week. Highlights include a ribbon cutting with the Governor on Monday and a work session on Capital Projects on Tuesday.

Well that is all for this week. I plan to next post on Sunday, December 20^th. Please feel free to leave a comment on my post.