News Digest for Town of Carrboro, NC

Find stories here about the Carrboro Film Fest this weekend, Carrboro In Motion, and all the holiday events that are right around the corner! Due to the Thanksgiving holiday, household trash collections in Carrboro are two days early the week of Thanksgiving. 

North Carolina on the big screen at Carrboro Film Fest

Carrboro Film Fest returns to The ArtsCenter for its 17th year, Nov. 18-20, 2022, bringing to the big screen a distinct combination of award-winning and North Carolina-based films. The festival continues its mission to showcase a variety of new Southern films and provide a venue to both celebrate and interrogate Southern culture. This year’s lineup includes seven blocks of short films and two features, representing diverse filmmakers from across the South, all screening at The ArtsCenter's Early and Rhoda Wynn Theater.

A festival pass grants admission to all screenings and costs only $50. Tickets for individual screenings are $10 each. Masking and either proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative test will be required to attend. The full schedule of films can be found at carrborofilm.org    

“What distinguishes Carrboro Film Fest from other festivals is that the films mean so much more because of their Southern connection,” says festival director Bradley Bethel. “Plus, our more intimate venue allows audience members to interact with the filmmakers more. It’s a community experience as much as it's a film experience.”

Click here for more information.

OWASA to conduct smoke testing 

OWASA will be testing the sewer lines the week of Nov. 14-18 by putting non-toxic smoke into the sewer lines.  You may notice smoke coming out of plumbing system vent pipes above the roof of a house or other building. This is expected and does not indicate a problem in the plumbing system. See map the area of town that will be involved in the testing.

The purpose of the testing is to find locations where:

• There are leaks or other opening in OWASA sewers and in private pipes that drain to our sanitary sewer system. Openings in our sewers will be corrected to help keep stormwater and groundwater out of the OWASA sewer system, which is designed to collect wastewater. If excessive stormwater or groundwater gets into a sewer, a wastewater overflow may occur. 
• Storm drains are connected improperly to OWASA's sanitary sewer system.
• There are unauthorized connections to an OWASA sewer.

Weather or other conditions may delay the start or completion of the work.

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 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 Town Council will meet next at 7 p.m. Tuesday Dec. 6, 2022, to consider an agenda that will be posted at carrboro.legistar.com. 

This in-person 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 carrboro.legistar.com OR YouTube.com/CarrboroNC OR Cable TV 18 (in Carrboro). 


To submit a comment on this agenda, please contact publiccomment@carrboronc.gov to reach the Town Clerk.
 
Past Meeting 
 The Carrboro Town Council met Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2022, and took the following actions on the agenda posted at http://bit.ly/3gdVq2s

• Received an update on Transportation Projects. The status report provided information to the Town Council on a number or local transportation projects that are underway.

• Received the third quarter report (2022 Q3) for the Town of Carrboro’s Community Development Glock Grant – Coronavirus (CDBG-CV) award from the NC Department of Commerce.

• Appointed the following people to the Appearance Commission: Sharon Reilly, Ana Jafarinia and Whitney Fry.

• Held a public hearing and approved a request for a minor modification to the Perry Place Special Use Permit-A Project at 800 and 802 Merritt Mill Road. The modification will allow NCDOT to complete right of way improvements within the Merritt Mill Road corridor.

• Received the Fiscal Year 21-22 Affordable Housing and Community Services Report.

• Received information about Transportation Projects for Regional Flexible Funding. Information was provided about federal funding allocated to the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization (DCHC MPO) for transportation projects. The Council received the information and directed staff to continue to evaluate projects and to submit a final list of projects to the DCHC MPO by a December deadline.

About the Town Council
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  http://carrboronc.gov/248/Town-Council 

Carrboro In Motion is on the way! Saturday, Nov. 19

Our next neighborhood block party will be held Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 19 at Estes Park Apartments off Estes Extension in Carrboro. Stop by to join the free event - no registration required.

The Town of Carrboro together with community partners is hosting a series of Carrboro In Motion events to increase neighbor-to-neighbor participation and engagement with the community. 

The events leverage community assets and strengths from public agencies and partners, including El Centro Hispano, Bike Carrboro, NEXT, Red Ridge NC Bike Share, Orange Literacy, Orange County Public Library, and Carrboro Transportation Choices. 

Carrboro In Motion will feature the following: 

• Live Zumba class led by Oscar Garcia. Come join in!  
• Chapel Hill Transit will provide a bus and information about routes, and tips like how to load a bike on a bus. 
• Storytime for kids from librarians of Orange County Public Library 
• Mobile Health Unit from El Centro providing basic health screenings and information about exploring greenways for recreation
• Bike and ped resources including repair for bicycles, map and routing resources, and reflective gear and bike lights 
• Town Programs: Staff from Communication and Engagement will provide general information from across all town services including volunteer opportunities and programs. 
• Recreation Programs: The Town’s Party Trailer will provide games and activities for children
•  New Resident packet information 
• Snacks and drinks provided. A food truck is coming! 

Applications now accepted: Human Services Funding

More information: https://www.carrboronc.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=2302

Care to Share 2022

Mayor Damon Seils has proclaimed Thursday, Nov. 17, 2022 to be Care to Share Day in Carrboro, in conjunction with the Orange Water and Sewer Authority.

The Inter-Faith Council for Social Service has partnered with OWASA since 1997 to provide water and sewer bill assistance to members of our community through the Care to Share program.

Donations can be made to the program by OWASA customers as part of their monthly bill or by a direct donation to the IFC designated for the Care to Share program. All of the funds donated to the program will directly help local residents in need. 

Over the last year, Care to Share has provided nearly $10,000 of utility bill support to 46 Carrboro households

For more information and ways to donate see the full news flash here: https://www.carrboronc.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=2308  

Orange County Launches Zero Waste Survey,
Schedules Public Meetings

Orange County Solid Waste has released a survey and scheduled a series of public meetings seeking feedback on services and help in shaping its Road to Zero Waste master plan.

The survey, which takes about 10 minutes to complete, asks people who live or work in Orange County to share their opinions on and experiences with current Orange County Solid Waste services. The survey will remain open through Dec. 7 and is available in English, Spanish, Chinese and Burmese at www.orangecountync.gov/ZeroWaste. Results will help inform the department’s Road to Zero Waste master plan and will be presented to the county's Solid Waste Advisory Group.

For the plan’s purposes, zero waste is defined as: “The reduction of solid waste to nothing, or as close to nothing as possible, by minimizing excess consumption by means of responsible production, consumption, and reuse and maximizing the recovery of material through recycling and composting.” The plan aims to reach this goal in Orange County by 2045.

In addition to the survey, four public meetings will be held to give people who live or work in Orange County an opportunity to share feedback.

Click here for more information.

Thanksgiving Week Waste Collection
Schedule (Nov 21 – 25)

 
Residential Trash will be collected two days prior to your normal collection day.   

Due to the holiday, household trash collections are two days early the week of Thanksgiving.

Wednesday’s waste collection route will be collected on Monday, Nov. 21; Thursday’s waste collection route will be collected on Tuesday, Nov. 22; and Friday’s waste collection route will be collected on Wednesday, Nov. 23. 
 
Yard waste, loose leaves, and bulk waste will not be collected Thanksgiving week (Nov. 21-25).

Small Business Saturday in Carrboro

Mayor Damon Seils has proclaimed Saturday, Nov. 26, 2022, (the Saturday after Thanksgiving) as Small Business Saturday in Carrboro.

There are 399 small businesses in Carrboro, making up 97% of all business in our town. These small businesses employ 2,550 people and provide over $93 million in payroll. The Town of Carrboro celebrates our local small businesses and the contributions they make to our local economy and community.

“I urge the residents of our community and county to support small and local businesses on Small Business Saturday and throughout the year,” Mayor Seils said.

Representing the Carrboro Business Alliance, Sheila Dalton, the owner of Neil’s Deli, accepted the proclamation at Town Hall on Tuesday, Nov. 15.

Chapel Hill-Carrboro Community Parade 

The towns of Chapel Hill and Carrboro are excited to announce the return of the Community Holiday Parade on Saturday, Dec. 3 at 10:30 a.m. The parade will highlight a variety of arts, cultural and winter holiday traditions. The parade route travels through the downtowns of Chapel Hill (Franklin Street) and Carrboro (E. Main Street).  

 For more information, visit chapelhillarts.org/parade.