Archive for September, 2008

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Household Hazardous Waste pilot for Oct & Nov 2008

Tuesday, September 30th, 2008

For the months of October and November, Wake County is expanding itsHHW flyer Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) program to include collection every Saturday at both landfill locations (normally on the 1st Saturday of the month at the North Wake facility and the 3rd Saturday of the month at the South Wake facility). This is a pilot project to determine if there is enough demand for this service to warrant expanding the program outside of its current set-up.

Residents can make use of one of these convenience dates to properly dispose or recycle many of the potentially dangerous items piling up in the house or garage. A list of items accepted can be viewed on Wake County’s web page www.wakegov.com/recycling/residents/houshazwaste.

Wake County soon plans to put a survey on the same web page asking for resident feedback on having the HHW facilities open every Saturday so check back regularly if you’d like to give them your thoughts. For more information about Wake County Solid Waste Management, call 919-856-7400.

This information was provided by Linda Leighton, Waste Reduction Specialist, City of Raleigh.

Posted in Raleigh Recycling & SWS | Comments Off

Elections and Growth – Decision 2008

Wednesday, September 24th, 2008

Posted on behalf of WakeUP Wake County:

WakeUP Wake County Annual Meeting will be October 2, 2008

DECISION 2008!
What will the local and state elections mean for dealing with growth issues in our communities? Like paying for high quality schools, planning a regional transit system, or planning for long-term water supply? Come hear two perspectives on how WHO we ELECT could affect these important issues at:

WAKEUP WAKE COUNTY’S 2008 ANNUAL MEETING
Thursday, October 2, 2008, 7 – p.m.
Admission free!

Featuring: POLITICAL AND POLICY PUNDITS

  • CHRIS FITZSIMON, NC Policy Watch and
  • JOHN HOOD, John Locke Foundation

They’ll offer their analysis, from the left and the right, on what the elections for Wake Board of Commissioners, NC House and Senate, and statewide office could mean for dealing with growth. Join us for this lively discussion, moderated by the Independent reporter, Bob Geary. (more…)

Posted in Other Organizations | Comments Off

Incase you missed it: Everyday Water Conservation

Tuesday, September 23rd, 2008

From the City of Raleigh ENewsletter:

CITY COUNCIL APPROVES EVERYDAY WATER CONSERVATIONS MEASURES

The Raleigh City Council on Sept. 16 approved permanent everyday water conservation rules as recommended by the Water Conservation Advisory Council

The rules apply to all customers using water from the City of Raleigh Public Utilities Department in Raleigh, Garner, Knightdale, Wendell, Zebulon, Wake Forest and Rolesville. Customers using automatic or non-automatic irrigation systems may water their lawn from 12:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday for addresses ending in an odd number. Wednesday, Friday and Sunday are watering days for even-numbered addresses. Hose end sprinklers may be operated from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. on the same odd and even address schedule as sprinklers systems. No irrigating is allowed on Monday.

All irrigation systems and hose-end sprinklers must be operated to prevent water from being wasted on impervious surfaces such as driveways, sidewalks, streets and parking lots. All area restaurants may only serve drinking water upon a customer request. Hotels and motels must ask guest spending more than one night to use the towels and bed linens more than once between laundering.

A 45-day new landscape irrigation establishment permit may be obtained from the City of Raleigh Public Utilities Department for a $50 fee. The permit allows for the  irrigating of new whole-yard first seeding, establishing new sod,  or for large commercial plantings.

A first violation of the water conservation rules will result in a written warning, a civil penalty of $50 for a second violation, and $200 for a third violation.  A fourth violation will result in interruption of the customer’s water service.

Posted in Raleigh City Council | Comments Off

Pawn Shop Text Change Proposed

Tuesday, September 23rd, 2008

And you’re probably asking yourself, why should I care about a pawn shop text change and how does it effect our area? Well, SouthWest CAC Chair Mary Belle Pate did some homework. The SouthWest CAC area has 6 pawn shops out of 15 city wide. Yeah, that’s 40%! (Go to Google Maps and type in: category: “Pawn Shops” loc: raleigh, NC to the search box to get a glimpse.)

The economic development of our area can be hindered by businesses that are frowned upon by many people. For example, shopping centers with pawn shops, check cashing, and tattoo parlor’s prevent our area from getting that little coffee shop or a decent family restaurant because they skew our demographics that retailers look at when deciding on locations.

You should plan on attending the public hearing for this text change if you want to voice you concern on this. (more…)

Posted in Raleigh City Council, SWCAC | 2 Comments »

Try Transit Week September 22-26, 2008

Monday, September 22nd, 2008

Monday – Fare Free Day

Celebrate World Carfree day by riding transit all day for free!

Tuesday – Rider Appreciation Day

Stop by Moore Square from 12-3:00pm and have some FREE ICE CREAM!!! (while supply lasts)

Wednesday – Stuff the Bus Food Drive

Come help us stuff a bus for the Food Bank of Eastern North Carolina. Donate 3 canned goods (no glass containers) to be stuffed into a cat bus  and receive a coupon for a free Chick-fil-A chicken sandwich, no purchase necessary! *only one coupon per participant and participant must be present*

Donations will be collected at the following participating Raleigh Chick-fil-A locations:

  • Capital Crossing, 4621 Capital Blvd – 7am-10am (cat route 1)
  • Downtown Raleigh, 400 Fayetteville St. – 11am – 2pm (cat route 13 inbound, 7 outbound)
  • 4325 Glenwood Ave., next to Wal-Mart – 4pm – 8pm (cat route 6)

Ride the bus to one of the food drive locations, show a cat volunteer your bus pass, and get a FREE T-shirt!!!

Sponsored by Chick-fil-A at Capital Crossing, Chick-fil-A at Fayetteville Street, Chick-fil-A at Townridge Shopping Center, Harris Teeter, WQOK K97.5 fm, and WSHA 88.9 fm.

Thursday – Park/Bike and Ride Day

Park your vehicle and ride to work, and if we catch you in the act, you will get a prize! Click here to find a park and ride lot near you!

Bike to a bus stop and RIDE FOR FREE (first come, first serve)

Friday – Operations Appreciation Day

Show your favorite driver your appreciation for providing safe and friendly service
(other activities internally to say thank you to our entire operations staff)

Call 485-RIDE for route information.

Visit GoTriangle.org to learn about Try Transit Week Activities in Cary, Chapel Hill and Durham

For More Information Contact:

Stacey Carless
Transit Marketing Specialist
Public Works Department
222 W. Hargett St.
Raleigh, NC 27601
919-890-3430

Posted in Transportation | Comments Off

How to Solve Off Campus Housing Issues in our Neighborhoods

Wednesday, September 17th, 2008

It’s been about 4 weeks since the start of NC State’s Fall 2008 Semester. The residential communities near and around campus can always tell a difference when school is in session. And there are both good and bad things that come with that. Shortly after the semester started, WRAL posted the following article: Universities try to control students off campus (which the original URL came back with a page not found error), so I found the AP article on Yahoo!

“People who choose to live on the beautiful tree-lined streets surrounding the nation’s institutions of higher learning often get a more vibrant experience than they expected — loud parties, rundown student boarding houses and trash generated by weekend melees.

A growing number of universities are starting to take a more proactive approach to monitoring off-campus behavior and neighbors say the efforts are working.”

The article went on to describe how different universities across the United States try to monitor and discipline students who live off campus. Through the Lineberry Alliance mailings list, readers were assured NC State Administration read the article and took notes.

My thoughts? I think all underclassmen living off campus should be required to complete an online course about living off campus. The course would be developed by NC State, in partnership with the City of Raleigh to ensure key elements of the City Code, rental rights & responsibilities, landlord responsibilities, City services (RPD, trash, recycling, water, CAT/bus), nuisance violations (tall grass, litter, etc.), noise/party violations, PROP, who to call, Citizen Advisory Councils, and other things that first time student renters/owners need to be familiar with. Maybe the course should be free to the public (but still required for students) because I’ve seen plenty of home owners who can’t get it right either.

This solution is a partnership that could really improve the quality of life in the neighborhoods around the university by requiring students living off campus to be knowledgeable on what being a good neighbor is all about. NC State is an expert in creating learning material and distributing it. The City of Raleigh has all the material needed for the course. I’d bet. most, if not all of the material is on their website. But a student isn’t going to go find that material and read it on their own — they’ve got classes to worry about. Can we bring NC State and the City of Raleigh together for this opportunity? If the university can require incoming freshmen to take this course: Online Alcohol Education Required for Incoming Students — then surely we can find a solution for our neighborhoods.

(more…)

Posted in Lineberry Alliance, NC State, Raleigh City Council | 4 Comments »

Wake County Board of Commissioners Candidate Forum Set for Sept 17, 2008

Tuesday, September 16th, 2008

The following message is from the League of Women Voters of Wake County with a few suggested questions from WakeUP Wake County:

Candidates for the Wake County County Commissioners will be at a forum from 7:00 to 9:00 PM at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church Wednesday, September 17, 2008.

(more…)

Posted in Other Organizations | Comments Off

New Parks & Rec Director: Diane Sauer

Tuesday, September 16th, 2008

The City of Raleigh finally announced their choice for the new Parks & Recreation Director in a press release yesterday: Diane Sauer Named To Head Parks And Recreation Department

City Manager J. Russell Allen today named Diane B. Sauer director of the City of Raleigh Parks and Recreation Department, effective immediately.

“Diane has an established record of leadership and professionalism in park and recreation services. She also has exceptional communication and customer service skills,” Mr. Allen said. “She has been a part of the management team which has built our Parks and Recreation Department into one of the most respected in the country. Her vision, hard work and high standards will carry our programs and facilities to even higher benchmarks.”

Posted in Parks & Rec | Comments Off

Raleigh Neighborhood Exchange 2008 This Weekend

Monday, September 15th, 2008

About a month ago, we asked you to save the date for Raleigh Neighborhood Exchange 2008.  Well, it’s here.  The Neighborhood Exchange kicks off this Friday, September 19, 2008, at the Raleigh Convention Center with a dinner and keynote by Mary Nelson (A Chicago faith-based community development expert with over 40 years of experience).

If you are a neighborhood leader, an organizational officer, an HOA board member, a concerned citizen, or just plain interested in how to get involved – you should attend.  The Raleigh Neighborhood Exchange is a low cost ($25), high value event.  This is something your organization can easily afford to cover the cost of your attendance, considering the knowledge you will gain and bring back to empower your community.

On Saturday, September 20, 2008, there is a new addition to the program, The Exchange, which is a break-out session where participants are grouped with other attendees in order to analyze community based subjects.  There are a variety sessions on various topics for you to attend, including: (more…)

Posted in Community Services Department | Comments Off

RCAC Recognizes Citizens

Monday, September 15th, 2008

Congrats to Mr. and Mrs. D. Michael Benson recognized by Southwest CAC and our good friend Elizabeth Byrd (who worked very hard on the PROP from the early days when it was the Neighborhood Preservation and Housing Task Force) representing West CAC.

From the City of Raleigh ENewsletter:

RALEIGH CITIZENS ADVISORY COUNCIL TO HONOR NEIGHBORHOOD RECOGNITION AWARD WINNERS

The City of Raleigh Citizens Advisory Councils (CAC) has named 13 recipients of their annual Neighborhood Recognition Awards.

Beginning in 1977, the Raleigh Citizens Advisory Council (RCAC) has been recognizing significant efforts by property owners, community groups and individuals to enhance the health, safety, and appearance of their neighborhoods. The awards are designed to acknowledge those unsung heroes who work without thought of praise to make our communities better at the grassroots level and in so doing, elevate the quality of our lives and of our city. (more…)

Posted in SWCAC | Comments Off

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