Monthly Archives: March 2014

Women’s History Month

Women’s History Month

Below are the comments I made in honor of International Women’s History month at our council meeting. (Starting at about 1:50.)

I strayed a bit from my prepared remarks, which are below.

March is International Women’s History Month

March is Women’s History Month – and it’s a great opportunity for us to recognize the incredible contributions that women of every race, class and ethnic background have made and continue to make, to our country and our town.

March 3rd marked 100 years since suffragists marched on Washington. It was 1946 was when Eliza Jane Pratt was the first female to represent North Carolina in the US Congress and in 2009 – Bev Perdue became the NC’s first female governor. We’ve made progress.

19th Amendment (National Archives)

19th Amendment (National Archives)

But, when the 19th Amendment came before the North Carolina legislature in August 1920, it wasn’t the first time we had considered allowing women to vote. In February 1897, J.L. Hyatt, a NC State Senator, introduced a bill for women’s suffrage. The bill died after it was referred to the committee on insane asylums.

Unfortunately, North Carolina didn’t have an active hand in the passage of this amendment. It seems like the folks in charge didn’t support women having the right to vote. In fact, NC didn’t ratify the 19th amendment until 1971, more than fifty years after it became law. (We tabled the bill in the state senate back in 1920) The only state to wait longer was Mississippi, which ratified it in 1984.

Here in the Town, we have women in all types of roles – our Town Clerk, and Town Attorney, our Police Chief, and of course, here at the council table, just to name a few. And, in fact, it wasn’t that long ago that the Town of Cary made history in NC – when we had a FEMALE MAJORITY on the Town Council, something not seen in any other Town in NC.

In Cary – about 21% of our town employees are women, and that compares to many of our respective cities, like Apex (20%), Charlotte, (24%), Winston-Salem (24%) …with a larger number of ours being in Leadership roles at the town… (about 24%) , compared to Apex (14%), Charlotte (19%), – and then there is Winston Salem (at a whopping 28%)  Read More…

Morrisville Parkway Update

Morrisville Parkway Update

Those of us that travel on the western side of Cary are seeing a lot of road work at intersections along Morrisville Parkway. And more are coming.

Morrisville Parkway Extension
From Town of Cary

From Town of Cary

Town of Cary staff and consultants have been working to get the planning and design in place for the completion of the final segment of Morrisville Parkway between NC55 and Green Level Church Road. The developments on both ends of that segment of road are helping to expedite the construction – and will have nearly half of the length completed by summer of 2014.

The developers along Morrisville Parkway at Fryar Gate will build another 1,000 feet of this area over the next 18 months, leaving only the connections to the existing NC 540 bridge. The last ½ mile segment at the interchange has cleared a number of major environmental hurdles before going to the Federal Highway Administration for final review and approval. Construction is targeted for mid to late 2015.

Morrisville Parkway Railroad Grade Separation Project
From Town of Morrisville

From Town of Morrisville

Starting in April, the Morrisville Parkway/NC Railroad Grade Separation Project near Park West is planned to begin, with a scheduled completion date for May 2017.

What’s Happening?

The grade separation project will eliminate the at-grade crossing that is currently on Morrisville Parkway, just past Crabtree Crossing Drive in the Morrisville/Cary area. This will be done by building a bridge over the Morrisville Parkway, separating the vehicular road traffic from the rail traffic, sending cars underneath the railroad tracks. The project is part of a larger project to “double track” portions of the NC Rail Road corridor between Raleigh and Charlotte.

Read More…

Geese in Cary

Geese in Cary

We receive a great number of complaints regarding the Geese that have come to call Cary their home.  In many locations, there are hundreds of them, often overwhelming and becoming a nuisance in certain parks and ponds, leaving their droppings, and in some cases, becoming aggressive when they are protecting their nests.

Their unique status

First off, the geese in our area are “Canada Geese.”  (Not “Canadian Geese” as we often hear.) Canada Geese are classified as migratory birds and are a protected species that are regulated through a complicated process involving the US Department of Agriculture, the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the North Carolina Wildlife Commission.

That is to say that Canada Geese are basically protected under the Federal Migratory Bird Act of 1918 . This Act makes it illegal to harm or injure a goose and damage or move its eggs and nest, without a Federal permit. Not complying with the Federal Act can result in fines ranging from $5,000 to $10,000 and this also applies to an untrained dog’s actions.

What can be done to address this problem?

The Town has been dealing with geese at the Koka Booth Amphitheater and the WakeMed Soccer Park with varying levels of success.  We actually have an agreement with the US Department of Agriculture to help manage our goose population at those facilities.

As explained to me by our town staff, that under these regulations, management of the geese population requires a “depredation permit” which means there must be property damage before such a permit can be issued.  

Another consideration the Town must take into account is the fact that Cary is designated a bird sanctuary in our own ordinances which provide protection for wild birds. This does not mean that we would not take measures, where appropriate, to address any damage created by such birds but only that we must carefully weigh the pros and cons of such issues.

Until the federal government takes action and removes the protections that are established for these birds, the Town (and private property owners) is very limited on what we can do.

What can you do?
Photo by MyStuart

Photo by MyStuart

Don’t feed the Geese.  Feeding the geese just makes them want to stay, and they tend to congregate when food is easy to find.

Stay away from the nests – Geese tenaciously defend their nests and goslings. Pay attention to where you are, and if you are close to a nest –  you don’t want to provoke a defensive response by the female or male.

Harassment – scaring the geese can be used effectively, but there are some programs in place to ensure you do it safely, and humanely. 

As always, thanks for listening and please feel free to contact me with any questions, comments or concerns.

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Featured photo by e_monk

What I’ve learned about Google Fiber

What I’ve learned about Google Fiber

There’s been a lot of excitement about Google Fiber coming to the Triangle – and I have to admit that I’m on that band wagon. I’ve received more than 100 separate emails from Cary citizens, excited about this possibility!

If you’d like to read more about our Cary position on this announcement, the Town has a FAQ on Google Fiber.  You can also check out the Open Letter to Cary Citizens from our Mayor.

Last week, I met with Google Fiber representatives about their plans for the Triangle, and to learn more.  They were in town to meet with the municipalities about the “check list” of items that will make it easier for them to decide if Google Fiber will go forward in this area.

Here is what I learned in that meeting.
  1. It’s not a contest.  From their perspective, all 34 cities on the list can potentially have Google Fiber, IF, and that is a big IF, they are able to make it through the process without hitting any big roadblocks.
  2. Google Fiber has the scalability and resources to do all 34 cities if all cities meet their criteria.
  3. That criteria is a lengthy list – but they have learned through this process elsewhere, that it makes a difference. They shared this list with all the municipalities.  There was great excitement and interest in the room by all.
  4. What’s on the list?  Things like – providing maps (of poles, conduit, utility lines), potentially streamlining a way to get permits for their junction boxes (2ft/3ft/3ft boxes needed for connectivity) – access to poles (through leasing arrangements, etc) to hang fiber, land ordinances that allow them to place these boxes in the right of way, etc.  Nothing out of the ordinary, it seems, right now.
  5. They have a process for folks to ‘sign up” for more information and status.  Click on “Check address” and sign up to be in the loop.
  6. It can take about 2 years once all of the intricacies are figured out. One year to lay fiber, another to get everyone connected.  (That’s their experience in Kansas City.)

Hopefully, all of this will go well, and we will have further (positive) updated status before this summer.  Keep your fingers crossed, and thanks to all the citizens that have written to Council with your questions and support!

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Featured photo by Bob Goyetche

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