Tonight there are two meetings of interest to you social activists. At 6 pm, UNC will hold a forum on the chancellor selection process, and at 7 7:30 pm the County Commissioners will meet at the Southern Human Services Center to discuss the new search for a place to put a future waste transfer station.
I will add more information when I am back at my computer.
Update:
The Chancellor's Search Forum will be from 6 pm to 8 pm in Gerrard Hall on campus (between the Campus Y and Memorial Hall). More information and video of previous forums is available at: http://www.unc.edu/chan/search/forums.php
The Board of Orange County Commissioners meeting starts at 7:30 at the Southern Human Services Center on Homestead Road. The waste transfer station is item 7b (PDF) on the agenda: http://www.co.orange.nc.us/OCCLERKS/071115.htm
Update #2: Video! Click To Play
Click To Play
Issues:
Comments
If I'm feeling energetic, I
If I'm feeling energetic, I might try to get to both of these meetings. Maybe even do some quick video reporting....
I'm at the Chancellor
I'm at the Chancellor Selection Forum and it's a full room of 50-100 people. Joyce Brown is speaking at the podium about the importance of respecting neighborhoods near UNC.
Based on where I was on the
Based on where I was on the sign-up sheet, there are over 25 people signed up to speak!
After a smart
After a smart African-American student completed her very dense speech, the BOT chair (Nelson Schwab) joked about her speed reading. It seemed a bit demeaning to me.
Lots of other good student comments so far.
There were about two dozen
There were about two dozen really great student speaker. I agreed with almost everything that all of them said. Finally, my name was called. Here's what I said:
Thanks for the evening session. I have many memories of Gerrard Hall.
1. Transparency is essential to effective management. (Understanding tech as a tool helps, but a culture of transparency comes first.)
2. Understanding the symbiosis between UNC and the town of CH. The community is a huge part of Carolina's appeak to both faculty and students. A chanc from NC would help with this.
3. Respect for students and the potential of student leadership. Spend more time listening. Tonight is a good start.
Carolina has gotten much better at discussing diversity since I was a student. Let's put our money where our mouth is. Let's have chanc who is a woman or a person of color.
A few more speakers and then
A few more speakers and then I think this will wrap. Should I go to the BOCC meeting?
I'm at the BOCC meeting now.
I'm at the BOCC meeting now. I made a small video on campus but am having some trouble getting it uploaded. The Board just heard some speakers about capital spending and now are in closed session (what! in the middle of a meeting?) to discuss property acquisitions. Lots of folks are here waiting to talking about the Waste Transfer station.
I don't see any of the northern Carrboro neighbors, but I don't know most of them by sight so I could be wrong.
We are still waiting... in
We are still waiting... in the room I see Rev. Robert Campbell, Neloa Jones, Yonni Chapman, Will Raymond... reporter from the Carrboro Citizen... Mark Peters (but I think he came to talk about school funding).
If I do manage to get the video up, it will be at http://rubyji.blip.tv
The video is finally posted
The video is finally posted and the Commissioners are finally back from their hour-long closed session.
Meanwhile Sharon Cook arrived (she said she read on OP that it wasn't too late, yay public info!).
Item 7b is finally up!
Item 7b is finally up! Some people have been waiting to speak for over 3 hours...
I am in Dallas returning but
I am in Dallas returning but would have like to be there. So thanks for the running update Ruby. The problem of scheduling discussions on the transfer station late into the agenda of meetings was one of the complaints expressed by Rev Campbell. It makes it difficult on some of the seniors and working folks.
Do you know what the closed discussion was about?
Excuse me, returning early
Excuse me, returning early tomorrow morning.
David, the agenda says it
David, the agenda says it was to discuss property aquisition and the location of businesses.
Peopl who spoke tonight: Will Raymond, Neloa Jones, Jack Sanders, Robert Campbell, me, and Randee Haven-O'Donnell.
I am glad that Jack spoke.
I am glad that Jack spoke. I thought his presentation to the Chapel Hill Town Council was a good one. What did Randee have to say?
Oy, my battery is dying...
Oy, my battery is dying... The comissioners are discussing whether to hire a consultant to help with the siting process... Val Foushee had some excellent suggestions... Moses Carey proposed that the specific criteria be discussed at another time (when it's not so late) but that they should affirm the decision to re-start the search now... he pointed out the urgency of completing site selection before new commissioners are elected in a year... he also said that the commissioners should be the search committee (instead of a separate group like the SWAB), "because we are the deciders." Sounds like the board is definitely leaning toward using a consultant.
Mike Nelson has some
Mike Nelson has some suggestions such as banning some things that are easily recyclable from the landfill... Barry Jacobs points out that previous promises were mde to the community before the County was responsible for the landfill, he's waiting for the towns of Chapel Hill and Carrboro to propose locations in their own borders and otherwise support the process...
Val Foushee requested that when this item returns, some attention should be paid to it's placement on the agenda... and they're done!
Oy :) but I have to get up
Oy :) but I have to get up for an early flight anyway. Again thanks for the running commentary. Hopefully I can get some more details tomorrow. Consultancy?... interesting.
Item 7b is finally up! Some
I signed up to speak on that item, but had to leave at 10. I will be sending my comments in via email. I think it was poor planning to stick an hour long closed session in the middle of the meeting. It's the first time I have been at a meeting where that happened.
I'm assuming that there was
I'm assuming that there was no mentiuon of siting a landfill in Orange County & that the prefered strategy is to ship our waste out to a poor community somewhere else?
I'm assuming that there was
I asked Gail that question during the closed session break and he said that was not being considered nor were there any current projections of, say, 20 or 30 year costs of transfer station solution versus building our own landfill.
Even if we had our own
Even if we had our own landfill, we would still need a transfer station as that landfill would likely be in a far corner of northern Orange.
I'm not arguing against our own landfill, I think we should have one. But we would still need a transfer station located close to the main trash generating areas.
Regarding Carey's comment
Regarding Carey's comment that this siting needs to be wrapped up before the next commissioner election in one year... For practical purposes, this is not entirely accurate. If history holds true, then all of the commissioners will be decided at the democratic primary in May (unless new district 2 seat changes this). Ditto for Carey vs. Kinnaird for the state senate seat.
Good point, Mark. I forgot
Good point, Mark. I forgot about the primary!
Carey
Carey “because we are the deciders.†Hmmm, where have we heard something like that before?....
It was a joke, David.
It was a joke, David.
Thanks, its better to be
Thanks, its better to be there.