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Finalizing PRCR Location in Western Cary
A space has been identified in the Village Square shopping center in the Amberly area to serve as the home of PRCR activities in western Cary. Staff is developing a lease agreement and plans to return to Council with an update in December. Upfit of the space would begin in winter 2018 and be complete in summer 2018.
Park and Greenway Construction in Western Cary
Parks
A consultant has been hired to complete master plans for the park to be located at Green Level Church Road and McCrimmon Parkway and the park to be located at Carpenter Fire Station Road and Highcroft Drive.
Greenways
The Panther Creek greenway went out to bid for construction in October along with Mills Park - Phase II. Current construction estimates for these projects place completion of both in spring 2019.
The portion of White Oak Creek Greenway that will connect to the American Tobacco Trail is currently under construction with completion anticipated in winter 2019.
Cary Tennis Park - Atlantic Tire Championships
The Cary Tennis Park hosted the Atlantic Tire Championships, an ATP professional tennis tournament, on September 11–17. The event featured 19 participants directly from the US Open Tennis Championships in New York and brought in players from 13 countries. This created the strongest field to date with the top two seeds ranked within the top 100 in the world. The event attracted approximately 5,000 spectators, the highest attendance in the three-year history of the event. Kevin King, the winner of the 2017 Atlantic Tire Championships, is a product of the strong program at the Cary Tennis Park, where he trained with Sean Ferreira between the ages of 13–17.
Veteran’s Action Center
In September, American Legion Post 67 teamed up with the Cary VFW Post 7383, the Department of Veterans Affairs and Wake County Veterans’ Services to provide assistance in processing benefits claims and claim status updates and distribute information regarding available services. The event was held at Herb Young Community Center for the second year in a row. Veteran service officers from throughout North Carolina were present to assist with the claims process. Over 1,000 veterans attended the event.
Downtown Park
Throughout the summer, events were held to celebrate the Town’s investment in the Downtown Park and Academy Street. A series of concerts (Indie-rock, Country and Jazz) were held featuring nationally recognized bands. These concerts attracted between 600 and 1,000 patrons per concert.
The Town once again hosted Downtown Chowdown food truck events in Q1. These were relocated this year from Chatham Street between Harrison Avenue and Walker Street to Academy Street to take advantage of the new streetscape improvements and Downtown Park. This quarter’s Chowdown events had an estimated attendance of 8,000 to 9,000 each, an increase of approximately 29 percent over the 6,000 to 7,000 people that attended the prior series.
Cary Teen Council
Over 7,300 hours of volunteer time were provided by the Cary Teen Council at Town and community events, equaling about $158,000 in cost savings to the Town. A key component of the volunteer efforts this quarter included 166 members who volunteered over 400 hours at the Lazy Daze Festival.
Page-Walker
Art shows continue to draw nice crowds at the Cary Art Loop receptions. The gallery spaces were voted Best Art Gallery by the readers of The Cary News.
Lazy Daze Arts & Crafts Festival
The 41st annual festival, now in its second year as a two-day event, remained on Town Hall Campus. Lazy Daze featured over 300 artists, 30 food vendors and over 300 volunteers. With beautiful weather and enthusiastic attendees, over 85,000 people turned out over the two days.
Environmental Outreach
To commemorate the 9-11 Day of Service, Spruce events spanned the course of two weeks. Volunteers worked with our fire fighters to “spruce up” 20 vegetable beds at five fire stations town-wide. Fire houses are now growing winter crops like spinach, kale and broccoli.
Environmental Outreach Summary for this Quarter
- Total number of projects: 58
- Total number of adopted spots: 75
- Total number of volunteers: 425
- Total number of community gardener plots rented: 52
- Total volunteer hours: 1,135
- Total lbs. of trash collected: 4,800
- Total lbs. of recycling collected: 648
- Total yards of mulch spread: 40
- Total lbs. of compost collected: 1850
Specialized Recreation Programs
Specialized Recreation offers a variety of programs for persons of all ages with disabilities. Over 50 programs were offered this quarter, and over 27 participants with disabilities received inclusion services where they participated in programs alongside persons without disabilities.
Good Hope Farm Urban Agriculture and Historic Preservation Project
We have five farmers subleasing plots and actively selling produce from the Good Hope Farm. There were substantial infrastructure improvements over the past quarter, including equipment additions such as a cooling unit for produce, new greenhouse procurement, a tractor with a front end loader as well as the installation of an educational garden. The partnership organizations have received $10,500 in additional grant funding this quarter, bringing the total to $196,392 of project funding and $159,154 worth of in-kind donations. The project has built partnerships with La Farm Bakery, Mellow Mushroom, Bond Brothers, Whole Foods and the YMCA.
The one year anniversary of Good Hope Farm was celebrated on September 17. Council members, non-profit partners, staff and community members enjoyed light refreshments, farm tours and opportunities to interface with Good Hope Farm staff and farmers.
Cary Approved to Become Certified Local Government
Cary’s application to become a Certified Local Government (“CLG”) under the National Park Service’s Federal Preservation Program was approved by the NC Department of Cultural Resources’ (NCDCR) Historic Preservation Office and was forwarded to the National Park Service for review and approval during the first quarter. The Town learned in October that the National Park Service concurred with the recommendation of the State Historic Preservation Office and designated the Town as a Certified Local Government. This certification establishes a partnership between three levels of government — federal, state and local — for the identification, evaluation and protection of historic and archaeological resources. North Carolina’s CLGs receive expert technical historic preservation assistance from the National Park Service, the State Historic Preservation Office and from North Carolina’s other CLGs. In addition, CLGs can apply for historic preservation grants available only to CLGs. To become a CLG, Cary had to demonstrate to the State Historic Preservation Office that it has put key elements of a sound local preservation program in place, the most important of which are a commitment to conducting a preservation program meeting federal and state laws and standards and the establishment of a professionally qualified historic preservation commission. Nationally, more than 1,900 local governments participate in the CLG program. In North Carolina, 51 local governments, including Cary, have been designated as a CLG.
Venue Assessments Update
A project is underway to prepare a 20-year capital maintenance plan for three key venues: WakeMed Soccer Park, Cary Tennis Park and USA Baseball NTC. Seven firms demonstrated interest in a request for qualification process to conduct venue assessments. After reviewing the submittals, staff selected Venue Solutions Group to recommend to Council. After contract negotiations are complete, the recommendation will be presented to Council for award.
Occupancy/Food and Beverage Tax Interlocal Funding Grant Opportunity
Wake County released a request for proposals for Small Capital Projects for funding from the Occupancy/Food and Beverage tax. Proposals are due in February 2018. The grant would provide 35 percent of the funding with the Town’s providing the remaining 65 percent. Staff will identify potential projects for a grant application.