Throughout the quarter, Cary celebrated its sesquicentennial with a variety of events, including the release of a commemorative video and a new beer. In April, Bond Brothers Beer, Fortnight Brewing Company, and Raleigh Brewing Company released Cary Parkway Pilsner, a New Zealand-style pilsner that the three Cary breweries created collaboratively. In June, Cary presented “Cary at 150,” a documentary film by Cary citizen and two-time Emmy winner Hal Goodtree. The documentary is available to view free of charge at thecarytheater.com. Cary also unveiled a new Cary150 fence wrap around the construction of the Cary Downtown Park. The wrap displays a timeline featuring historic photos of Cary, its prominent figures, and its local establishments. Finally, Cary collected stories, photos, and artwork to celebrate the people of Cary through a community art project called We Are Cary — 150 Years Later. 

Cary was awarded $900,000 in federal funding to extend its stormwater modeling and stream sensor work in the Swift Creek Watershed. These funds are a result of an application submitted and shepherded at the federal level by U.S. Rep. Deborah Ross.

Previously, Cary embarked on dynamic modeling, rain gauge, and stream sensor work as part of Council’s stormwater initiative in the Walnut Creek Watershed pilot. That work yielded strong positive outcomes, warranting a similar approach in the Swift Creek Watershed. Cary is now in the final stages of dynamic modeling for the northernmost 3 square miles of the Swift Creek Watershed. This grant will advance modeling on the remaining portion of Swift Creek as well as fund sensors for the entire basin. The real-time data derived from the sensors and gauges enhances stormwater planning and floodplain improvement prioritization as well as contributes to the state’s alert system.

Cary’s solar future just got a bit brighter. This quarter, Cary took significant steps to advance the use of renewable energy for government and citizens. Internally, to boost solar capacity, Cary continued talks to purchase the large solar field hosted at the South Cary Water Reclamation Facility. This acquisition would immediately provide more solar energy directly to municipal operations. With an eye to the future, Cary conducted a feasibility study and made significant strides in determining which municipal facilities are suitable for capturing and using solar energy. Solar is included in the plans for the new USA Baseball National Training Complex facility expansion, which Council unanimously funded, and for the new Cary/Apex Water Treatment Facility maintenance building. Cary is also budgeting for solar in near-term capital projects, such as the transit multimodal center and the bus operations and maintenance facility, continuing the solarization of transportation that started with solar-powered bus stops. Additionally, the new Stream Flood Monitoring website hosts a location map of solar-powered water sensors that provide real-time data on the water level of designated streams in Cary. The Stream Flood Monitoring website can be found at townofcary.org/streamsensors.

To help citizens and businesses catch some of this great energy, Cary worked with the U.S. Department of Energy’s SolSmart Program on its goal of making solar installations easier and more accessible for the private and commercial sectors. Through this program, Cary provided staff with solar training, developed and initiated a solar permitting checklist, clarified the legality of solar installation across Cary, and created a website to walk citizens through the solar installation process from start to finish. As a result of this work, Cary achieved SolSmart’s silver designation, joining approximately 400 municipalities nationwide that are working to make solar a viable energy alternative to reduce carbon emissions and build resilient communities.