Citizen Will

Tag: environment

  • Election 2007: The Chamber’s Yes, No and Unsure Questionnaire

    X-Posted from my 2007 Campaign web site. Even though the Chamber made it clear that extended replies where not welcomed in the 2007 questionnaire ( Election 2007: The Chamber’s Yes, No, Unsure – Again!), I took the opportunity to answer each of their questions beyond the constraints of “yes, no, unsure”. The questions are broad, […]

  • Rogers Road Community: A Unified Front

    Rev. Campbell David Richter Tracy Coleman Jeff Kingman Jeanne Stroud Nancy Ignia Sharon Cook The Rogers-Eubanks Coalition to End Environmental Racism, a coalition of the Chapel Hill -Carrboro Branch of the NAACP Environmental Justice Network West End Revitalization Association Women’s International League of Peace and Freedom Orange County Progressive Democrats and members of UNC-CH Faculty, […]

  • National Conversation on Climate Action: A Local Perspective

    As I mentioned in my post “The Climate Heats Up AND The Mayor Has A Website?”, the Town is hosting an all day “conversation” on climate change (as part of our Town’s ongoing commitment to sustainability). The program is sponsored by ICLEI US (Local Governments For Sustainability) and the local Chamber of Commerce’s “green” coordinating […]

  • UNC BOT Chairman Perry: Carolina North “…before it’s too late”

    They say history has a way of repeating itself. The trustees, led by new chairman and Chapel Hill developer Roger Perry, are full steam ahead on the project. Final trustee approval is expected in September, with a plan to be submitted to the town by the end of October. “The time of talking about Carolina […]

  • Rogers Road: Unify the Community with a Back To School Bash

    There’s a thread over on OrangePolitics (“Historic Rogers Road Community Enhancement Plan Development and Monitoring Task Force “) covering the historic ills and vexations of the Rogers Road community. I plan to discuss some of the comments in a future post but couldn’t pass up this request by Rev. Robert Campbell (who, thankfully, has recently […]

  • Summer’s Bloom

    No telling how brilliant this Summer’s harvest will be… Time will tell.

  • Carolina North: Two Years of Diminishing Economic Expectations

    Yesterday’s Carolina North outreach, once again, was heavy on promises – the vast possibility of grey goo, the escalating energy efficiencies of blue sky projections – light on details. As a NC taxpayer, I’ve been waiting for UNC to produce a real, updated business plan reflecting 2007’s economic realities. Hey, we’re plunking down billions at […]

  • Carrot or Stick: House Approves Chapel Hill’s Energy Reduction Incentives

    Via Council member Mark Kleinschmidt’s ‘blog, it appears we’re well on the way to Chapel Hill getting a carrot to entice developers to adhere to better environmental standards. The new law : “Sec. 5.19. Ordinances permitting density bonuses and other land‑use development incentives for development projects agreeing to meet energy conservation carbon reduction standards. For […]

  • Hazardous Consequences: A Report, a Rushed Decision, a Regrettable Day for Chapel Hill

    The Chapel Hill News’ ‘blog OrangeChat first alerted me to the Town’s completion of the Lot #5 negotiations with RAM Development (more to come in the N&O). The Town’s April 3rd news release celebrates what I believe will eventually be seen to be a rushed decision foisting a counter-productive, fiscally irresponsible obligation to construct expensive […]

  • Hazardous Consequences: No Official Word, Yet, On Lot #5’s Hazardous Waste Issue

    [UPDATE] As of April 3rd, the Town has provided part of what I asked for in the following petition, the environmental report [PDF]. In the Town’s announcement of a conclusion to negotiations, the figure of $232,000 for a remediation was thrown out. This figure, of which I haven’t found a full justification, would supposedly include […]

  • Raleigh LEDs the Way

    Comparison in life, I guess, is inevitable. Hey, even if there’s a tiny bit of vanity bragging about Chapel Hill – “look how smart I am to live in the Southern slice of Heaven” – I probably indulge in it as much as anyone else. Folks brag about how progressive, sensitive to civil liberties, environmentally […]

  • Lot #5 Development: “…up through the ground come a bubbling crude…”

    Well, not quite “black gold” or “Texas tea” but it appears that more “refined trouble” is brewing under Lot #5 (MAP). Chapel Hill’s taxpayers will have to wait for next week’s official lab confirmation but, as of today (Mar. 20th, 2007), initial field tests of some of the nearly 30 core samples show “interesting” signs […]

  • Lot #5 Development: Two Pictures 1,000 Words Apart

    Looks like this will be the last Spring I watch these trees bloom… and the last year I’ll see Chapel Hill’s Downtown signature church steeple from the second floor roost of where I work. Cline Associates Concept Plan Drawing for Lot #5 Corner of Church St. and Frankin St., Chapel Hill, NC – Mar. 18th, […]

  • The HeraldSun Turns A Corner: Trouble on the horizon at lot 5

    The HeraldSun’s editorial stance on Chapel Hill’s Lot #5 project has always been somewhat “peppy”. Tom Jensen’s Chapel Hill Herald (CHH) columns have been singularly reflective of the papers ebullient attitude towards this troubled development. In spite of the narrowing scope – halving the size of the project – and escalating taxpayer commitments – keeping […]

  • Trash Talk: I Like Vinegar on My BBQ

    The old Southern saying goes “You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.” Then again, there’s nothing like a little vinegar or Tabasco to cut though the cloying fat of smoked BBQ. An open e:mail to the Orange County Board of Commissioners: On Tuesday evening, at the Orange County BOC meeting in Hillsborough […]