A Week Without a Post
How did I get through last week without a single blog post? Probably because of the unusual number of meetings. Here’s how it went:
Monday, 7:30pm: the Sierra Club forum was a great opportunity to discuss important issues with our leading environmental advocacy group.
Tuesday, 7:30am: Meeting of the ArtsCenter Capital Campaign Planning group to continue to develop the plan for funding the upcoming ArtsCenter redevelopment. The ArtsCenter has doubled its programming in the last few years and is bursting at the seems.
Tuesday, 11:30am: Monthly meeting of the Transit Partners Committee where we reviewed some new regional efforts toward bus service and inter-system connectivity; also looked at the university’s annual report on how people get to campus.
Tuesday, 7:30pm: Board of Aldermen meeting focused extensively on the public hearing for the Shoppes at Jones Ferry. The big question: how to balance needed economic development with neighborhood concerns. We also gave staff the go-ahead on a number of proposals for improving conditions at the day laborer pick-up site also on Jones Ferry Rd.
Wednesday, 9:30am: campaign interview with Chamber of Commerce. Lots to talk about on economic development in Carrboro, including the living local economy, commercial development, and my trip to the annual conference of the Business Alliance on Living Local Economies.
Thursday, 9am: Long Range Transit Study committee met with our consultants from Transystems. Major activity was to settle on high investment and low investment routes for further study.
Thursday, 7:30am: Orange County Assembly of Governments met with lots on the table including cooperative arrangements with Chatham County, needs of the Land Trust, and an eloquent presentation from Neloa Jones on Rogers Road justice issues.
Friday, 11am: HOME committee meeting with reps from Chapel Hill, Hillsborough, and Orange County to get updated on some of the affordable housing projects benefiting from federal HOME funds.
Fortunately, most weeks are not quite so intense but this one should give you a sense of the commitment it takes to be an alderman in Carrboro.
