E-waste collection to begin

Here's another press release I intended to post last week that got lost in the shuffle somehow.

CITY OF GREENSBORO TO BEGIN COLLECTION OF E-WASTE

GREENSBORO, NC (September 21, 2005) – The City of Greensboro’s Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Collection Center, 2750 Patterson Street, will start accepting all residential E-waste Thursday, October 6. HHW Center hours are from 10 am to 6 pm Wednesday through Friday and 8 am to 2 pm on Saturday. Made possible through a grant received from the Hayden Harmon Foundation, the City now has the capability to collect and recycle E-waste. E-waste items include computers, monitors, CPU’s, fax machines, televisions, radios, and copy machines. Any items with an electronic chip maybe brought to the HHW Collection Center. Residents are reminded that the Center also accepts waste such as paint, motor oil, batteries, solvents, drain cleaners, pesticides, mercury thermometers and thermostats and pool chemicals.

The HHW Collection Center is an environmental service provided to residents of the City of Greensboro and Guilford County that gives citizens a safe, economical and environmentally sound way to dispose of household hazardous waste materials. The HHW Center does not accept waste from businesses.

For more information, contact Eddie Raynard, Environmental Compliance Specialist, at 373-7971 or visit www.greensboro-nc.gov.

Temporary halt to fluoridation

I received the following press release from the city:

SUSPENSION OF FLUORIDE IN GREENSBORO WATER
Cities Across U.S. Affected by Nationwide Shortage

GREENSBORO, NC (September 29, 2005) – Due to a nationwide shortage in the supply of fluoride, Greensboro has temporarily suspended its practice of adding fluoride to drinking water. The national shortage is the combined result of increased demand from the state of California, which recently began fluoridating its water, and withdrawal from the market of major manufacturer U.S. Agrichemicals of Florida, one of only three fluoride producers in the country.

Fluoride is not used to treat drinking water and has no effect on water quality, but is added to help prevent tooth decay. A temporary - two to three month - disruption of fluoride in the water supply should not noticeably impact dental health. Concerned residents should contact their doctor or dentist about the possibility of using fluoride supplements.

Greensboro ran out of fluoride in early September. City water officials have contacted various fluoride suppliers in recent weeks; however none have been able to provide any fluoride to the City and were unable to estimate when supplies may again become available.

Fluoridation of Greensboro’s water began in the 1960’s after the Greensboro City Council voted to fluoridate the local water supply along with other communities nationwide. Greensboro adds about 1 part per million of fluoride, the standard recommended level.

Reaffirmation of blogging benefits

I just returned from the candidate forum sponsored by the Board of Christian Education of the Congregational United Church of Christ and the League of Women Voters for the District 4, District 5, and at-large candidates for the Greensboro City Council. It was fairly well attended (although we lost a large number of the audience when it came time for choir practice to begin). Each candidate was allowed a 3-minute statement after which we responded to questions from the audience. It was a fairly routine forum and consisted of the normal campaign speeches - no earth-shattering revelations as reported from last night's blogger-sponsored event.

During the meal before the event, I received positive comments from several attendees who told me they regularly read this blog and have learned a lot about city government and me from it. The biggest benefit was revealed, however, when at-large candidate Joel Landau told me that he resides in my city council district and reads my blog. Finding that he agrees with many of the things I post here, he chose to run at-large instead of opposing me for the District 5 seat. So, I have one less opponent to worry about thanks to my blogging. [smile]

Loose leaf collection to change

Just a reminder to all city residents - the city's annual loose leaf collection program was changed this year due to budget cuts in order to avoid an increase in the tax rate this year. We saved $125,000 by reducing the number of collection cycles from three to two, collection crews from 16 to 12, and 47 work days instead of 61. The temporary labor force was reduced, and the city sold 10 of its trucks and five of our vaccuums.

The results? Leaves placed at the curb (NOT IN THE STREET, PLEASE) by October 31 will be picked up by November 23. Leaves placed at the curb by November 28 will be picked up by December 30.

Of course, leaves placed in clear plastic bags or in your own personal receptacles (NOT the city green or brown ones) will be picked up on your regular weekly garbage collection day. Most of the leaves from my yard go into our garden for composting and mulch.

Happy raking!

War Memorial Auditorium proposal

At today's city council briefing session, consultants from Rosser and Artec unveiled an exciting proposal for renovating the aged War Memorial Auditorium at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex into a state-of-the-art performing arts center. The preliminary design is a result of a study paid for by the city, United Arts Council, Greensboro Symphony, and Action Greensboro on how to reuse our existing asset instead of constructing a new, competing facility in downtown Greensboro.

The update would expand the current building and raise the roof. The length of the auditorium would be shortened and three levels of balconies added around three sides of the interior, accessible by two elevators and a grand staircase. Heavy velour curtains in the balcony areas and other acoustical treatments would greatly enhance the sound quality. Seating capacity increases from 2,400 seats to 2,550. A grand lobby with glass walls and a covered area over the outdoor passenger drop-off area are dramatic improvements over the current cramped situation. A permanent outdoor memorial would honor those men and women who gave their lives for our country. And the item that caught the most attention from the female members of council - "potty parity" would be achieved with the addition of a significant number of rest room facilities for women (as well as additional facilities for men).

The one new feature that drew some frowns from councilmembers was a 375-car parking deck behind the auditorium that Coliseum Director Matt Brown described "as important as the bathrooms."

The price tag is estimated to be $35,247,125 in 2007 dollars (when construction would actually take place if voters approve the bond referendum) that includes contingencies for asbestos removal and other unknown problems. This expense would produce a facility valued at $75 million if it were totally new construction. Other groups such as the Greensboro Symphony would have to purchase new "sound towers" for the stage area that are not included in the construction costs.

If all goes according to the plan, the first class performing arts center would open just in time for the 50th anniversary celebration of the War Memorial Auditorium.

The city council will be discussing this proposal along with other potential city projects over the next six months or so to determine which ones should be included in a November 2006 bond referendum. Let the debate begin!

City Connections

Here's the link to the latest City Connections - the trains are coming back to the Depot!

League of Women Voters questionnaire

Here's my response to the League of Women Voter's candidate questionnaire:

League of Women Voters of the Piedmont Triad
Municipal Elections 2005
Sandy Carmany
Greensboro City Council District 5


Name: Sandy Carmany Age: 56

Webpage: (blog) http://sandycarmany.blogspot.com/ email: scarmany@aol.com

Occupation: Community volunteer/activist; former media assistant in Greensboro Public Schools

Higher Education and Training: valedictorian at Southeast Guilford High School; some college (chemistry major at NC State); numerous workshops/conferences on a wide variety of subjects

Background or experience that you feel qualifies you for this office: I have 14 years of leadership experience on the Greensboro City Council as well as service on the Piedmont Authority for Regional Transportation and the Triad Early Action Compact.

1. Why are you running for the city council? (instead of some other office) Service on the city council is the level of government closest to citizens. I see and understand their needs everyday and prefer this close contact with constituents. I represent the views of the average citizen and use a common sense approach to study issues and reach thoughtful, practical decisions. I have worked to provide efficient city services at the least cost to taxpayers, build and maintain a reliable transportation network, plan for desirable growth, build strong neighborhoods, protect our environment, insure adequate water and sewer capacity, and enhance public safety. These ongoing challenges continue to need my attention and expertise.

2. What is your concept of good city government? How did you develop your concept? Good city government occurs when elected officials seek and respect the varied viewpoints of citizens and fellow council members while thoroughly debating issues and crafting viable solutions. Politics are kept to a minimum, and decisions are based on solid reasoning. This government efficiently provides for the needs of the city and its residents while fostering a desirable quality of life for all. The cost to provide those supporting services and the tax rate that funds them are kept at reasonable, affordable levels. I developed my concept of good government through the “Golden Rule” (“do unto others…”) and on-the-job experience.

3. What issue are you prepared to tackle first as your first course of action on the council? Why do you consider this issue to be so important? The completion of the Land Development Ordinance (LDO) will be a significant step in clarifying and implementing the broad concepts outlined in Connections 2025 (the Comprehensive Plan). The LDO will provide the official tools to guide the city’s growth and development in a more sensible, planned way. This document must balance efforts to preserve greenspace, provide for higher densities, and direct growth where it is needed without adding significant costs to the development process. It is important to have these procedures in place as soon as possible so the city can more effectively control its growth and its future.

4. What is your foremost environmental concern, and how will you address this issue? A big concern is the poor air quality in the Triad, especially ozone and particulate matter pollution. These pollutants can trigger significant health problems. Failure to meet the federal standards will also have detrimental effects on our transportation funding and economic development efforts.

I serve as the vice-chair of the Triad Early Action Compact, composed of 43 local governments in a 10-county region. The strategies we submitted to EPA to reduce ozone pollution appear to be working well – the number of Code Orange days in the Triad this season is significantly lower than Charlotte and the Triangle’s Code Orange days.

5. What will you do to make certain that all housing in Greensboro meets city standards next year? I fully support the RUCO ordinance (Rental Unit Certificate of Occupancy) that mandates that rental units undergo a city inspection to make sure they are in compliance with the city code and are livable.

The city funds an aggressive lead-remediation program as well as providing loans and grants for home improvements.

Funding and other support is also provided to nonprofits such as Habitat for Humanity to build safe housing for those in need in our community. We continue to dedicate one-cent of the city’s tax rate for support of a variety of housing programs.

6. Low-density development does not pay for itself in taxes, is harmful to the environment, and is an inefficient use of land. What specific policies and regulations would you suggest to reduce urban sprawl? Numerous strategies identified in the Comprehensive Plan such as allowing for higher densities, infill development, and mixed-use development directly address the problem of urban sprawl. Creation of the Traditional Neighborhood District and the requirement to construct sidewalks during new development help to encourage more close-knit, walkable communities. New zoning categories would allow denser Transit Oriented Developments to be located near mass transit stations. All infill and denser development should be compatible and appropriately buffered from previously existing residential areas so as not to adversely impact them. The city is also supportive of additional housing in the downtown area.

7. It is clear that building more highways has not and will not eliminate traffic congestion in the Triad. What specific policies will you work for to facilitate the development of alternatives to the automobile, such as walking, biking, and mass transit? I have been a member of the Piedmont Authority for Regional Transportation Board of Trustees since PART’s inception, working to implement mass transit programs for the entire Triad region. We currently offer PART Express (regional bus system), vanpools, park-and-ride lots, coordination of medical trips across county lines, and medical transportation to Duke Hospital.

I also worked on the committee developing the new University Connector service that will enable Greensboro college and university students to ride GTA buses for free by showing their student ID cards.

I strongly supported the enhanced sidewalk ordinance, requiring many additional sidewalks to be constructed.

8. How should water conservation be encouraged and enforced, even in this time of “sufficiency?” Continue our award-winning “Waterwise” PR campaign that not only highlights helpful hints on conserving water, but also provides free devices to place on faucets and in toilet tanks to reduce water consumption.

Our current water rates provide for escalating charges as more water is used, encouraging citizens to use less water and save money on their water bill.

Multifamily housing is now constructed with a separate water meter for each unit. Tenants are now responsible for paying for their own water consumption instead of having it included in their monthly rent, encouraging conservation to cut their expenses.

A more manageable week

You've probably noticed the lack of any significant posts on my blog over the last couple of weeks. That's simply because I have been stressfully OVERLOADED on a number of fronts and just did not have free time to devote to writing much (and I guess I'm really hooked because I really missed "blog time"). This week's schedule is much more humane so I hope I can catch up on some of the topics I wanted to address.

After spending the weekend answering candidate questionnaires, doing yard work, cleaning house, chasing after an energetic 3-year-old grandson all day Saturday, and processing those ever-present apples, I finally get a "fun day" today - I'll be having lunch with "the girls" and playing bridge all afternoon.

Tuesday, September 27 brings the monthly council briefing session with three items on the agenda: a presentation on the proposed War Memorial Auditorium improvements, a progress report on the development of the LDO (Land Development Ordinance) and an update on the Leaf Program (we cut the number of pickups from three to two during budget preparation). The Community Foundation has requested to address us about working with the city on affordable housing if time permits.

I have a candidate interview with SynerG later that afternoon.

I will chair the monthly meeting of the Greensboro MPO TAC (Transportation Advisory Committee) on Wednesday, September 28. The main items on that agenda are accepting additional funding made available when Congress reauthorized the transportation bill and identifying our priority transportation projects for the next TIP (Transportation Improvement Program) cycle.

The first candidate forum in which I have been invited to participate will be held at 6:30PM at the Congregational United Church of Christ at 400 West Radiance Drive.

Due to a personal commitment, I will not be going on the trip to Greenville, SC with Action Greensboro on Thursday, and will rely on reports from the various folks who will going on that excursion. (I'm a bit puzzled that this event was scheduled in conflict with the CCG - Chrysler Classic of Greensboro - in light of the expressed need for large attendance to impress tour officials.)

I'll be headed out to the CCG on Friday, September 30 to participate in a luncheon and discussions with a PGA official (and a whole lot of "networking") and will be out there again on Sunday as a guest as well. Once in a while there ARE fun things that come with this job! [smile]

Converge South in the Business Journal

Theres' a great article in the Business Journal about Converge South with quotes from some familiar names.

Greensboro makes the "renter-friendly" list

This news just in from Mike Barr of the Greensboro Regional Realtor Association: Greensboro ranked #13 in the listing.

Study names most 'renter-friendly' U.S. cities
Thursday, September 22, 2005

An online apartment ratings company today announced the results for a study of the most "renter-friendly" communities in the country. Raleigh, N.C., topped the list, followed by Ann Arbor, Mich.; Fort Wayne, Ind.; Grand Rapids, Mich.; and Kalamazoo, Mich., according to the ApartmentRatings.com study. The Web site provides an independent forum for renters to share their thoughts about their apartments. More than 8 million renters use the site, which has more than 280,000 unique reviews and covers about 50,000 properties across the nation, ApartmentRatings.com reported.

The study uses satisfaction information from thousands of renters, combined with information from the U.S. Census Bureau about apartment vacancy rates and affordability. ApartmentRatings.com used the information to create a renter's livability and satisfaction index for 95 U.S. cities.

Jeremy Bencken, founder and president of ApartmentRatings.com, said that renting may be more logical than buying a home in some cases, particularly for people who do not plan to stay for a long time in a community or can't afford to buy in a highly-desirable neighborhood. Additionally, renting an apartment often fits busy lifestyles, as most communities cover all maintenance, and many offer amenities designed to make a renter's life less complicated, he noted.

"For many, having a home doesn't necessarily mean owning a house. It's great to know that there are extremely livable communities out there that are especially favorable for renters," he said.

The study found that some larger cities such as New York, San Francisco and Boston ranked near the bottom of the list. Bencken said that one of the reasons that the large metros didn't fare as well as their mid-size counterparts is that these housing markets are often stable and tight, resulting in more competition among renters for prime properties.

In mid-sized cities, where the supply of housing has grown faster than the population, landlords have to work overtime to attract and retain the best renters, he also said.

Another busy week

The weekend rushed past without me getting my official schedule posted for the week. Let's see if I can catch up a bit now.

I attended a short conference with the Interim Manager this morning, Monday, September 19. This evening will find me at the annual meeting of the Southwest Neighborhood Association, one of the more active neighborhood organizations in District 5.

Tuesday, September 20 will begin with an 8:30AM meeting about the Heart of the Triad initiative followed by a luncheon in conjunction with the Koury Corporation Golf Outing (I'm not a golfer so you won't find me out on the Grandover Course).

Our regular city council meeting begins at 5:30PM; the agenda seems to be fairly routine. There are two items dealing with the Connections 2025 (Comprehensive Plan) - changing the process to consider amendments to the "GFLUM" (the map showing general land use designations) so that the City Council acts on those requests directly instead of passing through the Planning Board and receiving the annual progress report.

I will be attending the "Refueling America" conference in Raleigh on Wednesday, September 21 to learn more about alternative fuels and ways to reduce gasoline useage. I hope this information will be useful in our efforts to identify more strategies to reduce ozone pollution in our region.

There is a meeting of the Infrastructure Task Force of the Greensboro Partnership's Strategic Planning Committee early Thursday, September 22 after which I will hit the road to Raleigh again for a Charter Schools Advisory Committee meeting.

Hopefully I will be able to spend Friday on campaign preparations plus process some more of those *&#%$# abundant apples in my backyard that are still demanding my attention.

Another candidate questionnaire

(From now on, I'm going to include my campaign sign on any posts dealing with my reelection campaign so you can decipher between "campaign" and "normal" posts.)

I received a candidate questionnaire from UNCASG - The University of North Carolina Association of Student Governments - that is a non-partisan, multi-campus organization that includes every student in the University of North Carolina system. Here is my response to that questionnaire that will be used in their voter guide.

Biographical information
· Age – 56
· 1967 Valedictorian at Southeast Guilford High School, chemistry major at NC State
· Married -- 37 years; 3 sons, 7 grandchildren
· Greensboro City Council member since 1991
· Chairman, Transportation Advisory Committee of the Greensboro MPO and Chairman, PART (Piedmont Authority for Regional Transportation)
· Vice chair, Triad Early Action Compact (air quality issues)
· Council liaison to the Greensboro Coliseum
· Executive committee member, Piedmont Triad Council of Governments
· Member of the Transportation, Communications, and Public Safety Committee of the NC League of Municipalities
· 2005 Local Leader Award, given by the NC Public Transportation Association
· 2003 Champion of Transportation, awarded by NC Go!
· 2002 Woman of Achievement – Government, given by the Greensboro
Commission on the Status of Women
· Member of Charter Schools Advisory Committee for the State Board of Education
· President of North Carolina PTA, 1995-99

University growth
A&T State University and UNCG are vital members of the Greensboro community. The city partnered with them in the development of streetscapes on East Market Street and on Spring Garden Street, providing students with attractive, safer pedestrian, bike and public transportation access. We work with both institutions to permanently close certain streets in or near the campuses to accommodate campus expansion and construction of new dorms and educational buildings.

Professors and students often collaborate on city projects, providing valuable information and input into our decisions. Transportation students at A&T assisted PART in surveying motorists and potential riders while business students at UNCG have assisted with economic impact studies.

One issue that must be addressed is the physical expansion of these campuses into adjacent residential neighborhoods that is upsetting some residents. Those growing pains will be alleviated by the development of the joint Millennium Campus.

Transportation
We partnered with UNCG, Guilford Technical Community College, and the other colleges in Greensboro (A&T declined to participate) to offer students free access to the city’s public bus beginning in fall, 2006. Convenient bus stops will be sited on campus, and students can show their student ID cards to ride any city bus to any destination as well as a new route that will connect all the campuses. Free van transportation will be provided from off-campus housing areas into UNCG’s campus.

The city also partnered with UNCG to construct a park-and-ride lot for students near the Coliseum. Bicycle and pedestrian concerns were addressed with the streetscape improvements.

GTA (Greensboro Transit Authority) continues to improve its service by offering more frequent service and realigning routes to where the most ridership need exists. I have been working through PART to provide better regional public transportation between Greensboro, High Point, and Winston-Salem.

Affordable housing
The city council has approved numerous rezoning requests that allowed student apartments and private dormitories to be constructed in residential neighborhoods near the campuses. These new units have many nice amenities and are in close proximity to the universities. Public transportation is being made available and affordable to students – free after the fall of 2006!

We are also well into the process of phasing in RUCO (Rental Unit Certificate of Occupancy) requirements on all rental units in Greensboro, including those leased by students. This process requires that all rental units be inspected by city inspectors to make sure the dwellings meet city code. Anyone renting an apartment or house should ask for this certificate of occupancy to have some assurance that the unit is a decent, safe place to live. This requirement will benefit student renters as well as other residents of Greensboro.

Student-town relations
Greensboro recognizes what a major resource the universities, colleges and their students are to this city. We have made major efforts to address students’ needs (free public bus service coming in 2006) and make them feel welcome (Get Down! Town “welcome back to school” activities) in hopes that they (and their talents) will remain in Greensboro after graduation.

One problem of which I am aware is that of residents objecting to some off-campus students’ lifestyles that disrupt the tranquility and appearance of their neighborhood – loud late-night parties, failure to keep trash picked up, cars parked on lawns, etc. Students’ recognition of the need to be a “good neighbor” could significantly lessen this conflict.

Student can communicate with the whole city council at any of our public meetings as well as personally by email, phone, or letter. I have shared presentations at student forums and would love to do more.

Student-friendly business development
The city helps fund Downtown Greensboro Inc. that has been instrumental in bringing entertainment opportunities to downtown that are attractive to many students.

Action Greensboro sponsors Synergy that specifically focuses on students and young professionals in our community in order to address their needs and incorporate their ideas as we plan for the future.

With the coming free university bus service, the city is making businesses all over the city – themall, shopping centers, and places of employment – accessible to students at no cost.

We continue to conduct an aggressive economic development program to attract new businesses and expand existing ones in order to provide quality, good-paying jobs for all our residents, students included. We want students to choose to live and work here upon graduation – there have to be good jobs available for that to happen.

Webpage
I have a blog called “Sandy’s Place” on which I write about city council issues and my position on them as well as my role in other official activities. It can be found at http://sandycarmany.blogspot.com/

Converge South

After some gentle prodding from Ed Cone, I finally got around to posting the description of my session on Local Politics at Converge South on Saturday, October 8 at A&T State University. Here's what I posted:

Why on earth would a local elected official or other persons involved in the local political scene want to get involved in blogging? What are the potential benefits to you personally and to citizens and your constituents in general? What are the negative aspects and potential pitfalls one might encounter? Is blogging worth the time and energy one needs to devote to it?

In my Saturday morning session, I plan to share my perspective as a blogging city council member and lead an exploration for answers to these and other related questions. Please come prepared to participate in a lively discussion and share YOUR comments, suggestions, and yes, even criticisms.

If there are points you want to make sure we cover, feel free to email your suggestions to me at scarmany@aol.com - I'm looking forward to sharing and learning with and from you.

Welcome, Strayer University

I attended the grand opening ceremony for Greensboro's newest campus, Strayer University, located at 4900 Koger Boulevard just off Stanley Road in the Wendover/I-40 area. The university is based in Washington, DC and was founded in 1892.

Strayer's students are working adults seeking to improve their skills and earn their associate, undergraduate, or Masters Degree. Instruction is provided on site in the evenings as well as through the Internet. I was impressed with the professionalism of the staff, their classrooms and supporting services, and especially the state-of-the-art computer labs. This newest educational institution will be another source of excellent learning opportunities for workers seeking to improve their current skills or explore a new career entirely.

Strayer officials made it clear they plan to be deeply involved in our community and are the newest members of the Greensboro Chamber of Commerce. They recognize the valuable contribution they can make to economic development and worker retraining efforts in our community and participated in the Chamber's Job Fair yesterday.

Welcome, Strayer University!

Early Action Compact/Air quality update

The Triad Early Action Compact met on September 12 to receive progress reports on our efforts to reduce ozone pollution and improve the air quality in our region . We received a lot of good information, most of which was quite positive.

Attendees received a copy of the Triad Early Action Compact Progress Report that was submitted to EPA on June 30, 2005. This document contributed to the EPA's August 22 announcement that our ozone reduction strategies have been accepted. It cites specific examples of progress that has been made on those strategies in the last six months:

* the number of biodiesel fuel and hybrid vehicles that have been purchased by area governments,

* increased ridership on area public transportation systems,

* construction of new sidewalks/trails/bike routes/greenways,

* increased use of biodiesel fuel,

* and electrification of truck stops.

Two barriers to progress were noted - the hold-up and reductions in CMAQ funding from the federal government that are delaying several planned projects and difficulties in securing a site at the "tank farm" for a wholesale biodiesel distributorship.

Sheila Holman of the NC Division of Air Quality and Cary Gentry of Forsyth Environmental Affairs shared information about the 2005 ozone season which began on April 1 and will end on October 31. The Triad area has experienced 4 Code Orange days (compared with Charlotte's 16 Code Orange days and one Code Red day and the Triangle's 11 Code Orange days) in spite of the fact we have had 25 days so far where the temperature exceeded 90 degrees. (Heat is a prime factor in ozone production.) The expanded vehicle inspection program, reduction in NOx (nitrous oxide) emissions, the Clean Smokestacks Act, open burning bans on predicted Code Orange days, and local measures were credited for this achievement along with some favorable northwest winds and those steamy, high humidity days that tend to hold ozone production down. The significant reduction in NOx emissions at Duke Power's Belews Creek facility was a major factor; installation of their next phase of improvements is significantly AHEAD of schedule and will result in major reductions in a key ingredient for particulate matter pollution, another problem for our area.

Sheila shared another bit of great news. Computer models predicting future ozone levels are based on a 3-year rolling average of the readings of the air quality monitors scattered across our region. Based on current data, the model is showing that all our monitors will be within acceptable levels, including our "problem child" at Koolemee which is predicted to come in at .082, below the magic figure of .085. Thus the Triad would be in attainment of the 8-hour ozone standard, the goal we have been striving to meet. We also received information on the PM2.5 pollution (particulate matter - soot).

We had 5 Code Orange days for this pollutant, and they occurred on different days than the ozone problems. While that may not sound like a whole lot, there have been only 14 of these incidents between 1998-2004, so those five represent a 250% increase over the average number -- NOT GOOD! One amusing (or maybe not so amusing) fact was shared - the PM2.5 monitors "went off the scale" on all the monitors on the Fourth of July - care to guess what caused that?!

Lorelei Elkins of the Triad Air Awareness Program reported on her air quality education efforts at area schools, fairs, and civic organizations. She is available to do presentations for anyone who is interested in having them (elkinslt@forsyth.cc).

Ginger Booker from the Piedmont Triad Council of Governments and I will be attending the Refueling America workshop at McKimmon Center in Raleigh next week to explore other potential programs and options.

Good news from Oak Island

My brother Lee phoned this evening from Oak Island to let me know that he and Lisa are doing fine as Hurricane Ophelia visits them. Their only complaint so far is that the cable went out at their inland home so they were headed back over to their house nearest the beach which still has cable service. Lee reported there are some small limbs and leaves down in various places and there is quite a bit of water in their backyard, but he has not observed any major problems. A sign blowing off and some minor roof leaks in Lisa's Ocean Breeze Grill appear to be the only apparent damage at the Long Beach Pier. Hopefully the worst is past for them by now.

Successful gas conservation

The latest edition of City Connections contains some astounding figures on the amount of gasoline and diesel fuel that was conserved by the city during the temporary cutbacks during the gasoline shortage caused by Hurricane Katrina. While I realize it is not feasible to continue with the drastic reductions in city services that occurred when these measures were in effect, I wonder how much fuel we could conserve if we permanently adopted some of the more sensible, less onerous measures. Certainly worth exploring, in my opinion!

The wedding

My son's wedding in Leola's Chapel in the gardens at Orton Plantation went smoothly on Saturday despite the threat of an unwanted guest by the name of Ophelia.

It was a lovely sunny day, but the wind was blowing quite hard. The wind actually worked to our advantage, keeping a nice breeze through the chapel so the guys didn't roast in their suits and tuxedos plus it seemed to have blown all the pesky mosquitoes away as well.

The ceremony itself was absolutely beautiful. The couple wrote their own vows and it was obvious they meant every word of them. The one funny moment was when the groom started to put the ring on the bride's wrong hand, and she had difficulty getting his ring over his knuckle. But the rings eventually ended up on the right fingers and they were officially pronounced husband and wife.

After the ceremony, the bride and groom patiently endured the obligatory photo session in various spots in the gorgeous Orton Plantation Gardens.

We held the reception at my brother's Oak Island cottage, and sister-in-law Lisa did a fantastic job in catering the event. After spending a lot of time the previous day decorating the yard and multi-level deck, we ended up having to move the festivities inside due to the strong winds. That worked well, and everyone had a great time.

The wedding cake was perfect - Lisa had added chocolate sea shells as a finishing touch for this coastal wedding. The bride and groom were respectful of each other and didn't push TOO much cake in the other's face.

So, the pre-ceremony jitters and crises are long past, the wedding was a beautiful event, everyone ate (and drank) way too much at the reception, and Ophelia stayed away until the festivities were finished - a great wedding weekend.

Congratulations, Mark and Kim! May the rest of your lives be as happy and beautiful as your wedding day.

Finally back

Sorry about the longer than anticipated absence! After returning late Sunday afternoon from my son's weekend wedding down on the coast (a report on that later), it feels like all H*** has broken loose. A nerve-wracking family crisis popped up Monday evening on top of an already hectic schedule for the week that keeps expanding plus I'm trying to catch up on candidiate questionnaires and other paperwork neglected during the previous week due to focusing on wedding preparations. Things have eased a bit tonight, thanks in part to the cancellation of a meeting and limited progress on the family situation, so I'm going to try to catch up on this blog while I can.

I attended the Triad Early Action Compact meeting in Kernersville on the afternoon of Monday, September 12 and will report on the good news we received there in a later post.

On Tuesday, September 13 I managed to listen to the partial tape of the council's closed session I missed last Friday so that I would be better prepared for the closed session to be held later Tuesday afternoon. After that closed session, the day ended on a pleasant note with my presentation to the Leadership Greensboro class explaining city boards and commissions and how members are selected for those positions (Sue tells me I received this speaking invitation due one of my previous blog posts.)

Wednesday, September 14 began with an early PART board meeting where we made several important decisions (more on that later). Following that, I attended an open house tour and lunch at the new FedEx freight facility on Triad Drive. I was quite impressed with their efficient, state-of-the-art operation there that relies heavily on computers to track what goes on which truck.

Thursday morning, September 15, I have a 7:30AM Greensboro Partnership Strategic Planning Committee meeting, an 11:30AM grand opening luncheon at Strayer University which is located in my city council district, and a 7PM meeting of the Ardmore Park community watch.

On Friday, I will be dealing with personal business most of the day.

Saturday, September 17 will find me at UNCG participating on a panel at the "Protecting Your Drinking Water at its Source" conference.

Hopefully, I will be able to relax and catch my breath on Sunday!

Off to a wedding

No more posts from me until probably Monday at the earliest -- we're off to Oak Island for my son Mark's wedding.

The latest evacuee update

Here's the most recent update -- sounds like our guests will soon be arriving!

NORTH CAROLINA EVACUEE SITE STATUS UPGRADED
Greensboro Could Receive Evacuees Within 24 Hours – Coliseum Fully Prepared

GREENSBORO, NC (September 5, 2005 7:00 pm) – North Carolina Governor Mike Easley today announced the state of North Carolina as a “primary state” for receiving Hurricane Katrina evacuees. This is an upgrade in status from yesterday when Easley indicated that North Carolina was a secondary receiving state for evacuees. The state has also been declared a Category B emergency assistance state by Presidential directive, which means that North Carolina is eligible for 100% federal reimbursement for all protective services provided to evacuees.

The City of Charlotte is currently receiving evacuees directly from Louisiana and expects to receive 500 by the end of the day today. The City of Raleigh is also beginning to receive evacuees and expects up to 400 by the end of the day. Greensboro is next on the list and anticipates welcoming their first arrivals within 24 hours. Winston-Salem and High Point are also prepared to assist Greensboro with the effort. Guilford County is working in close contact with all three cities to facilitate receiving evacuees.

At this time, officials anticipate getting two hours notice that a plane is on its way to Greensboro. The City remains in active mode with the Coliseum prepared and ready to receive up to 500 evacuees. The City will hold internal briefings daily at 3:30 pm and will send media updates after each briefing.

Private individuals, organizations, and churches that are helping the Gulf Coast region should notify Guilford County Emergency Management at 641-2278 in order to ensure that all evacuees are registered with the system to receive benefits.

Hurricane Katrina evacuee update

The following press release went out to explain the delay in Greensboro receiving evacuees from Hurricane Katrina. We are ready to open our arms and hearts to these hurting brothers and sisters, whenever they arrive.

NORTH CAROLINA PUT ON ‘STANDBY’ TO RECEIVE HURRICANE EVACUEES GREENSBORO, NC (September 4, 2005)

Governor Easley has notified the major metropolitan areas in North Carolina that we are being considered a “standby” state for receiving evacuees from the Gulf Coast. This means that no evacuees are on their way en masse to this area at this time. However, the potential still exists that evacuees may be sent here within three to five days, and the Triad will keep preparations in place to assist should they arrive with minimal notice.

Local emergency officials note that while residents are understandably frustrated by their inability to assist directly, it is in the best interests of the evacuees themselves to let the government processes work. Many evacuees need medical care and long-term financial assistance. Dispersal of the evacuees outside of the official processes may interfere with their ability to get the benefits approved for them. Cash donations to agencies such as the Red Cross and Salvation Army are still desperately needed and are the best way to assist at this time.

Local officials here have cooperated in an unprecedented joint effort to welcome evacuees to the Piedmont since Friday night, when the Governor requested assistance. Mayor Keith Holliday commented Sunday afternoon that he is “proud of the immediate response by our entire regional support system,” which included Guilford County, High Point, and Greensboro. “We stand ready to help lessen the blow of this horrible tragedy,” he said. “I am thankful that this community is such a compassionate one, and in the days ahead we may still be called upon to assist.” These sentiments were echoed by Chairman of the Guilford County Commissioners Bruce Davis, whose emergency management and services staff has been pivotal in responding to the state’s request.

Greensboro’s Interim City Manager Mitchell Johnson expressed high praise for his organization’s performance, as well as that of Guilford County and High Point. “Employees worked around the clock from Friday until this message came on Sunday,” he said, emphasizing that the Greensboro Coliseum will maintain its preparedness to accept evacuees. “We can put the necessary operation into place with two hours notice,” he said late Sunday afternoon. “Everything will remain in place to do so.”

Here comes another busy week

This first week of September is bringing a little bit of everything my way.

Monday, September 5 is another "apple day" for me - see my previous post for an explanation.

Tuesday, September 6 begins with a 9:30AM interview with TREBIC, my second one (a little puzzled about this one, never been called back for a follow-up before). The City Council has another closed session beginning at noon for "a personnel matter" (city manager search) and a 5:30PM regular meeting. The agenda is fairly routine with a couple of rezoning cases and approval of the Collector Street Plan.

Wednesday, September 7 begins with a breakfast update meeting of the Triad Leaders Network of which I am a graduate. TLN is an excellent networking program sponsored by the Piedmont Triad Partnership Foundation. It exposes leaders from the Triad area to all the Piedmont counties and helps them meet key people in each of those counties.

On Thursday morning, we're off to Oak Island and the chapel at Orton Plantation for my son's wedding on Saturday. We're keeping our fingers crossed, but it looks like the weather is going to be beautiful.

Then it's a mad dash back to Greensboro to be here in time for my interview with the George Simkins PAC on Sunday evening.

Oh, applesauce!

By the end of today, I will have canned 75+ pints of homemade applesauce and frozen 25+ quarts of apples during the last seven days thanks to two over-abundant apple trees in my backyard. Not exactly what I envisioned as my Labor Day celebration activity, but it has to be done. I guess my parent's philosophy of "waste not, want not" stuck with me.

NC helping Moldova's children

As I mentioned in a previous post, I serve as the city council's contact with our Sister City relationship with the Buiucani sector of Chisinau, Moldova. Because of that, I am on the NC-Moldova Bilateral Committee that deals with the relationship between North Carolina and the entire country of Moldova. Here is a report I received this morning about the latest project being facilitated by the NC National Guard over there.

Humanitarian Civic Assistance Project - Immunizations and Dental Fluoride Treatments September 5-9, 2005

Overview More than 5,200 Moldovan children will receive dental fluoride treatments and 1,400 will get Hepatitis-A vaccinations the first week of September as part of an American-led and funded Humanitarian Civic Assistance (HCA) event.

Treatments and vaccinations will take place in 23 orphanages in 13 cities and villages across Moldova. This is the largest such project ever undertaken by the American military's Bilateral Affairs Office (BAO) in Chisinau. The effort teams Moldova's Ministry of Health medical soldiers from the North Carolina Army National Guard, volunteers from the American Peace Corps and teams of Moldovan medical and dental professionals.

The project will begin Monday, Sept. 5, and run through that Friday. It will involve orphanages and boarding schools from Cahul in the south to Grinauti in the north.

The project is funded through the United States European Command, headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany, and administered by the BAO. Headed by a North Carolina National Guard officer, the BAO works within the Office of Defense Cooperation, part of the United States Embassy in Moldova.

The BAO oversees European Command's Joint Contact Team Program, which sends teams of U.S. military members to countries in Central and Eastern Europe to work with their militaries as these nations transition to democracy. Beyond that, the program teams National Guard commands in the United States with a country in the region so that the two can develop relationships in business, culture, agriculture, medicine, academics, government reform and other areas of cooperation.

Past HCA events include immunizing thousands of children against Hepatitis-B, meningitis, measles, mumps and rubella. Additionally, a dental event was held in Balti and five water wells were put in at Straseni.

At the orphanage in Straseni, North Carolina Army National Guard engineers teamed with engineers from the U.S. Navy to build a medical clinic.Moldova has had a fruitful and growing partnership with North Carolina since 1999 when the two governments signed an official agreement pledging continued cooperation.

The North Carolina partnership has led to donations of computers and a library of research books, construction of several water wells and a medical clinic, adoptions and sponsorships of Moldovan orphan children, exchanges of medical professionals, educators, government leaders and business people and a host of other relationships both public and private.

Treatments will take place at the following locations. Some of the village locations have no street addresses due to their remote locations. {a list of 37 schools and orphanages was attached}

Several people from Carolina Adoption Services here in Greensboro will be in Moldova from September 7-17 checking on some of these orphanages and projects donations from our area have funded (such as water wells, pumps for that water, mattresses, shoes and socks, etc.). They are carrying a small package of goodies from me for Olesea, the student I sponsor (who is now seeking her Masters Degree). I wish I was going with them!

Conserve gas

Here are some of the measures listed in a press release that the city is taking to reduce gasoline consumption until supplies return to a normal situation. While emergency and essential services will be maintained, there will be some cutbacks in others.

CITY OF GREENSBORO TAKES MEASURES TO CONSERVE GASOLINE

Officials encourage residents to join the effort in fuel conservation GREENSBORO, NC (September 1, 2005)

Fuel pipelines that provide gasoline to much of the southeastern United States have lost power due to Hurricane Katrina. In order to ensure that essential City services continue, the City of Greensboro has implemented fuel saving measures to conserve gasoline supplies. These include:

• City managers are researching ways of modifying employee schedules to allow them to conserve gasoline

• Employees are encouraged to carpool, vanpool and/or use public transit

• All non-essential City travel is being kept to a minimum. This includes:

o City inspectors are consolidating trips where possible

o Non-essential maintenance work requiring high-fuel use vehicles is being delayed

o Meetings and training are being minimized and alternate technologies are being used where possible, such as teleconferencing

o The Fire Department is operating under their Storm Plan, which reduces the use of gasoline-fueled equipment in non-emergency, non-critical situations

o Water Resources has discontinued all vehicle usage other than essential services and are now using less than 10 trucks versus their normal 60 trucks

o Environmental Services will continue garbage and recycling collection, but will not return to service any missed collections as they normally do

o The Greensboro Public Library has reduced daily library book deliveries and van trips o The City’s internal daily mail delivery service to outlying locations has been reduced to 3 days per week

o City vehicles are not permitted to idle except in emergency situations

• Parks & Recreation has discontinued all non-essential mowing

These measures will remain in effect until at least Tuesday, September 6. At that time, the City's management team will review the efforts being made and whether to increase conservation measures.

Residents are encouraged to:

• Eliminate unnecessary travel - vacation at home this Labor Day weekend

• Reduce use of gasoline-powered equipment including lawnmowers, leaf blowers, etc.

• Avoid high speeds, do not accelerate or brake hard, keep tires properly inflated

• Use your vehicle's air conditioning sparingly, service your vehicle regularly, use cruise control when possible, avoid carrying heavy loads in your trunk

Working together, we can get through these minor inconveniences as we pray for our fellow Americans fighting for their lives down on the Gulf Coast.