News Digest for Town of Carrboro, NC (February 21, 2023) 

We've got events for everyone! Learn about all we have to offer around town for National Invasive Species Awareness Week, Poetry workshops and open mic events, the final installment of this year's Black History Month Concert Series, and more! Hey! Your opinion matters so be sure to fill out the reader survey in this edition of Carrboro This Week!

Help Stop Invasive Species: National Invasive Species Awareness Week

The Town Council recognizes Feb. 20 to Feb. 26 as National Invasive Species Awareness Week in Carrboro.

NISAW is an international event to raise awareness about invasive species, the threat that they pose, and what can be done to prevent their spread.

The Town Council encourages residents to join in an upcoming effort to support native species and remove invasive species from Anderson Community Park, Saturday, Feb. 25, from 1 to 3 pm and to attend an educational presentation of the Town’s ecosystem module on Thursday, Feb. 23, from 7 to 8 pm.

To learn more about conscientious gardening and the full resolution, read the news release about National Invasive Species Awareness Week.

Dear Readers:

Please take a few minutes to share your views on our email updates including Carrboro This Week!

Here’s the link -  https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/YTJZPNX

The survey will be open through March 8.

Many thanks,

Catherine Lazorko
Communication & Engagement Director
Town of Carrboro, NC
clazorko@carrboronc.gov

Consul General of Mexico visits Town Hall

February is Black History Month in Carrboro

History is all around us.

It's in the ordinary spaces we call our community. Spaces known and long forgotten.

Triangle Bikeworks works to bring out the history of "ordinary" spaces for teens as they travel across the country discovering new places and breathing life into historic places.

For Black History Month, they  invite you to take a ride with them on February 26, 2023, to discover the known, little known, and forgotten history of Chapel Hill and Carrboro. 

They will  meet just before 12:30 p.m. and head off on a nice, leisurely Sunday afternoon bike ride. Not only that, they'll have refreshments to replenish you for the journey home.

The 5-mile ride will take you past at least 6 historic spots around the two towns.

This is a family friendly ride. We have a rich and combined history of both good and bad. On this day, we celebrate the good. This is a no trauma ride.

Link to site for event:  https://spokenrev.org/bhm-ride

Volunteer Signup: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040A4CAEAC2CA31-ride

Orange County’s Creek Week is March 17-26

Show your love for Orange County’s streams, lakes, and rivers during Orange County Creek Week, scheduled for March 17-26. The annual event is part of the Clean Water and Education Partnership’s (CWEP) third 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. 

“We had so much fun during last year’s events,” said Heather Holley, Stormwater Specialist with Town of Carrboro Stormwater Division. “We've been working with staff and our partners to plan some exciting events and activities to celebrate our creeks and promote waterway stewardship. I’m looking forward to seeing everyone out there!”  

Want to host your own event? Contact Heather Holley at (919) 919-918-7426 and hholley@CarrboroNC.gov.

For more information see our news flash on this year's Creek Week.

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/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 Carrboro Town Council will hold a Council Meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023. The agenda will be posted 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 at https://carrboro.legistar.com/   OR YouTube.com/CarrboroNC OR Cable TV 18 (in Carrboro). 

To download a copy of the full meeting calendar visit https://www.carrboronc.gov/DocumentCenter/View/12313

Past Meeting 

The Carrboro Town Council met Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2023, for the Council Work Session: Bolin Creek Greenway Phases 3 and 4. Agenda materials are available at https://bit.ly/3jMdoee and at https://carrboro.legistar.com/   The Council video is on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/live/QmhTFdQkVYc?feature=share  The Council occasionally holds work sessions to allow time for in-depth consideration of certain topics and to provide feedback to the town manager. The Council does not take formal action or receive public comment during work sessions.

• The Council discussed establishing a public input process for considering Bolin Creek Greenway Phases 3 and 4, outlining objectives for broad and inclusive outreach to ensure that all voices are heard. These include strategies to incorporate perspectives of renters, HOAs, neighborhoods, school communities and advisory boards; multilingual educational materials and outreach tools; online surveys, fact sheets and public comment cards; and outreach that will take place at different locations and different times of day. Public input processes will be informed by the Carrboro Communications and Community Engagement Plan and the One Orange Racial Equity Framework. 
• The Council requested technical information including transportation data, the design process, environmental information, and more. 
• Town Manager Richard J. White said he would return to the Council with a draft scope of work for consultant services to assist the Town with technical updates and a public engagement process.
• A project webpage has been established at https://www.carrboronc.gov/2762/Bolin-Creek-Greenway 

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 

Calling for Volunteers: Invasive Plant Removal Event

Join us as a volunteer at the Town of Carrboro Invasive Plant Removal event! This is scheduled from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 25, at Anderson Community Park, 302 NC Highway 54. 

We will fight invasive plants, save trees and native plant communities, and restore habitat. The spread of non-native and invasive plants is a threat to native plants and wildlife. The removal of these species will improve forest resilience and biodiversity and encourage the success of native species as outlined within the Town’s Community Climate Action Plan https://www.carrboronc.gov/928/Community-Climate-Action-Plan 

Invasive Plant Removal Event Details:

• Work will involve moderate exertion including cutting, pulling vines/roots.
• Please wear long sleeves, long pants, and close-toed shoes.
• Bring water and apply sunscreen/insect repellant as needed.
• Water, tools, gloves, and protective eye gear will be provided, but please bring your own if possible.

Contact Town of Carrboro Sustainability Coordinator Laura Janway to sign-up as a volunteer!

• Phone: (919) 918-7324
• Email: ljanway@carrboronc.gov

What's the Town of Carrboro's Ecosystem Module?

As part of National Invasive Species Awareness Week, the Town of Carrboro invites the public to learn more about local ecosystems and how they are affected by the changing climate. 

This virtual presentation on the Town's Ecosystem Module will discuss the differences between native and invasive plant species and detail how residents can improve ecosystem health and resilience at home.

The presentation will be held from 7 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 23. 

For the zoom link, please contact Town Sustainability Officer Laura Janway at ljanway@carrboronc.gov

Duke Energy Project Update for W Main Street

Duke Energy says they are doing work along West Main Street, which consists of upgrading reclosers to improve outcomes during outage.  Reclosers provide the ability to isolate outages for quicker response and shorter outages.  This project will conclude in late March, weather permitting. 

Vegetation trimming allows crews to safely access  equipment and minimizes the risks of outages due to fallen or overhanging limbs. 

Various phases of the work along roads will likely include temporary traffic flow changes and potential temporary lane closures. Large utility and construction equipment, as well as utility crews, will be present in work zones.

More information: https://www.duke-energy.com/our-company/future/self-healing-technology

FORWARDED NEWS FROM OWASA 

Temporary Change in OWASA's Water Disinfection Process in March

Water will remain safe to drink; taste and odor might differ.

In support of our commitment to provide high-quality drinking water, OWASA will temporarily alter its drinking water treatment process beginning at 12 a.m. Wednesday, March 1, 2023, and continuing through the month of March. Water will remain safe to drink during this time, but customers might notice a change in taste or odor of drinking water.

OWASA uses a combination of chlorine and ammonia, known as chloramines, to disinfect drinking water throughout the majority of the year. But, each March, we only use chlorine for the disinfection process. This change is only for the month of March and has no impact on the safety of the drinking water.

The change in treatment process is recommended by the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality and is standard practice among water providers, including neighboring utilities.

To ensure chlorine reaches all 400 miles of water pipes across Chapel Hill and Carrboro, OWASA will “flush” the system. This involves releasing water from fire hydrants in the service area. Flushing may cause some discoloration in water. If discoloration occurs, run the water for a few minutes until it becomes clear. If the discoloration does not clear after a few minutes, please call OWASA at (919) 968-4421.

Throughout the change, water will remain safe to drink. We do understand, however, that some customers may wish to neutralize the chlorine taste. To do so, customers can consider storing water in an open container in the refrigerator; chlorine taste and odor will dissipate over time. Customers can also add a few lemon slices to the tap water; the lemon has ascorbic acid, which neutralizes chlorine. Some home filters also use activated carbon to reduce the taste and odor. Lastly, customers can also boil water for one (1) minute and the chlorine will evaporate.

Dialysis patients and aquarium owners should continue to take special precautions to remove traces of ammonia and chlorine from the water prior to use. To learn more about the community’s water supply and treatment, visit www.owasa.org/water-health.

OWASA is Carrboro-Chapel Hill's not-for-profit public service agency. Our diverse team works across the community to deliver high-quality water, reclaimed water, and wastewater services. We invest regularly to upgrade infrastructure and increase system resiliency. Together, with the community, we conserve, protect, and sustain this vital resource. Learn more at owasa.org.

For more information:

Monica Dodson, Water Supply and Treatment Manager,  (919) 537-4205 or mdodson@owasa.org

Registration Opens for the 2023 Orange County Senior Games

Orange County Senior Games is one of 53 sanctioned programs of North Carolina Senior Games, Inc.  They are pleased to announce registration for the 2023 Games is now open through March 24, 2023.

Orange County Senior Games will be held April 13 – May 10.   Anyone interested in participating in the Senior Games Sports or SilverArts activities please visit www.ncseniorgames.org/orange or contact Local Coordinator, Dana Hughes at 919-918-7372 for more information. The deadline for registration is Friday, March 24, 2023.

North Carolina Senior Games is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing year-round health promotion and education for adults 50 years of age and better.  NCSG is sponsored statewide by the North Carolina Division of Aging and Adult Services. For more information visit www.ncseniorgames.org.

The coordinating agencies for Orange County Senior Games include the Carrboro Recreation, Parks & Cultural Resources Department, Chapel Hill Parks and Recreation Department, Orange County Department on Aging, and the Orange County Department of Environment, Agriculture, Parks & Recreation.

Sporting Events

Archery, Badminton, Basketball Throw, 3 on 3 Basketball, Billiards, Bocce, Bowling, Cornhole, Croquet, Cycling, Golf, Horseshoes, Pickleball, Shuffleboard, Swimming, Table Tennis, Tennis and Track and Field

SilverArts

Heritage: Basket Weaving, Crocheting, Knitting, Jewelry, Needlework, Quilting (hand-stitched), Pottery (hand-built and thrown), Stained glass, Tole/Decorative Painting, Wood Carving, Woodturning, Woodworking

Performing: Cheerleading, Comedy, Drama, Dance, Instrumental, Line Dance, Vocals

Visual: Acrylics, Drawing, Mixed Media, Oil Painting, Pastels, Photography (Digital and Film), Sculpture, Watercolor

Poetry Workshops Coming in March

Poetry Workshops for Women-identified Women

Come write a poem for women!

Two workshops are being offered on Saturday, March 4, (in English) from 1 to 2:30 p.m. and (in Spanish) from 3 to 4 p.m. at Carrboro Town Hall, 301 W. Main St. 

This workshop is for women identified women and young people who identify as girls. We will write about who we are, what we do, what challenges we face, and what we want the world to know. International Women’s Day is observed on March 8. In honor of women all over the world, we will write and share poetry by women. Free. 

Taller de Poesia- La primavera es un buen momento para escribir poesia. Aun si no piensas que eres poeta, tu puedes escribir con nosotros! El sábado 4 de marzo de las 3:00-4:00 estaremos en el edificio del Carrboro Town Hall (al lado del mercado de los granjeros).

El taller será en español y es para personas que hablan español. Para toda edad. Gratis. 

Ecopoetry Workshop on Zoom

Carrboro's Poet Laureate Liza Wolff-Francis is hosting an Ecopoetry Workshop on Zoom on Monday, March 6. 

Come read a bit of ecopoetry and write an ecopoem of your own. Zoom opens at 6:45 p.m., workshop is from 7 to 8 p.m. 

All are welcome. Free.

Join zoom here: https://bit.ly/3EtLWJ5

In April we'll begin to have live workshops out in nature!

Carrboro Seeks Volunteers to Serve Community

Consider applying for a Town of Carrboro Advisory Board or Commission. We need your voice at the table!

Please especially consider volunteering if you represent any of the following underrepresented groups: Black/African-American, Hispanic/Latinx, Native Americans, Asian-Pacific Americans, and Subcontinent Asian Americans, Senior Residents, Ages 20-34, Differently Abled, LGBTQ+ , and Families of Incomes of $50,000 or Less.

Learn more and apply: https://www.carrboronc.gov/228/Advisory-Boards-Commissions