Should the InterFaith Council for Social Services' food servies and a Piedmont Health clinic be co-located with Phoenix Academy and the state-run preschool program at a redeveloped Lincoln Center? This is the question before the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Board of Education.
OrangePolitics live-tweeted the discussion. Here's our Storify archive:
Molly has lived in Chapel Hill since 2007. She has been part of the OrangePolitics community since 2009 and has served on it's inaugural editorial board since 2011.
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Comments
thought IFC food kitchen was going to carrboro
I thought when the IFC moved to MLK and homestead the public was told the food kitchen would be in Carrboro?
Also, if you are a CHCCS school board member maintaing land for future school purposes seems more important than giving away land to the IFC
Commissioner involvement
This will clealy involve county money. Are the commissioners part of this process?
why? the BOCC prefers not giving $
if they don't have to. I don't remember the BOCC being involved in citing the shelter at MLK and homestead. (am I wrong?)
If they aren't giving money or land whay would they be inolved in this.
Possible project with bond money
Last I had heard CHCCS may use bond monies for this project. Some county collaboration on this would be likely.
you have got to be kidding me
this is absolutely pathetic- i expected more from carrboro ( looking at you damon)
Exploring all options
Having the Food First services in downtown Carrboro would have many benefits, but the IFC is exploring all options for the provision of much needed nutrition services in our community. The co-location of medical, dental, behavioral, and nutrition services along with academic and vocational training could be quite a benefit to our neighbors. Why shouldn't we look at this?
It's all of our duty to help provide for our neighbors so I'm not sure why you are calling out one particular Alderperson, Wade.
There is much that still needs to be determined and planned. $4.5 million dollars will need to be raised to fund Food First. No specific plans are in place at this point, Mark, for an ask to Orange County, but that would be an important avenue to look to. Orange County did provide some funds for Community House.
One potential model for Food First, regardless of where it is placed, is the DC Central Kitchen, which provides prepared meals for a number of needs (low-income pre-school, community kitchens, meals on wheels for example).
Also, the school district will not be giving away land to IFC. As with the Community House on MLK, which has a long-term lease with UNC for the land, Food First would likely have a long-term lease with the school district for the land Food First would potentially sit on. The land would remain the school district's land.
I encourage folks to check out the Food First website for more details so that we are not spreading mis-information.
lease from UNC to town I believe
I'm not sure if it's to avoid bad PR or legal liability, but UNC leased the land to the Town of Chapel Hill not to community house. someone can chime in if they know why UNC does not want to be seen by the state making leases to homeless shelters or something like that.
IFC exploring all options?
I wonder why they decided to "explore all options" now - what a coincidence! could it be the major pushback they received from carrboro businesses and the complete ambivalence from the alderman? some of whom seemed to have no qualms about strongly advocating for the transitional shelter on homestead. as i said- completely pathetic
entertaining Carrboro alderpeople
testifying to chapel hill town council about how great the shelter is at Homestead. How NIMBY of carrboro.
Re: IFC exploring all options?
There is no ambivalence. A 5-2 majority of the Carrboro board—including myself—voted to move ahead with scheduling a public hearing on adding a "community kitchen" category to the town's land use ordinance. This is the next step before the board can consider a rezoning application for such a use. The public hearing is scheduled for March 22.
Videos of the board's discussions of this issue are available online:
no ambivalence?
good try, however complete ambivalence from the alderman is way too easy to find- and no strong statements of support
"The Board of Aldermen encouraged the agency last week to talk with businesses and the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce before moving ahead with the planned FoodFirst center."
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/community/chapel-hill-news/articl...
but glad to hear that you are on the record as being against the move to the Lincoln Center- I wish you luck explaining that to those 60 businesses
An Inaccurate Reading of What's Going On
If anyone wants to see if the Carrboro Board is "ambivalent" about the possibility of IFC building a new facility on the site where they already operate one in Carrboro, just go watch the videos linked by Damon. I attended one of the three in person, and I assure you that you will not see ambivalence, but two clear perspectives on the board, one that is quite open to an IFC facility being in downtown Carrboro, and one that is much less open to it.
Beyond that, Damon did not say he was for or against the move to the Lincoln Center. As the Lincoln Center is in Chapel Hill and on school property, the Chapel Hill Town Council and Chapel Hill Carrboro School Board would have to decide how IFC might fit into the Lincoln Center. With this decision being outside the purview of CBOA, Damon is appropriately talking about what he, as an Alderman, can influence through his vote on CBOA- whether or not to hold a public hearing to add a Community Kitchen use to Carrboro's development ordinance. I'm not sure how the Lincoln Center idea got put on the table, but it is clear from the news coverage and other community discussion that the IFC does see some potential in the Lincoln Center site. I am not sure whether IFC prefers the Carrboro downtown or Lincoln center site.
The current ordinance in Carrboro does not allow for a Community Kitchen. If you're somone who thinks there should be a Community Kitchen in downtown Carrboro, then you should be encouraged that a public hearing is taking place as it moves the town one step closer to adding such a use to the town code, which is one of several necessary steps to making it a reality.
not sure how Lincoln Center got put on the table?
Well I am sure- it was the ambivalence of the aldermen and pushback from carrboro business as i said above- will repeat for your benefit:
"The Board of Aldermen encouraged the agency last week to talk with businesses and the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce before moving ahead with the planned FoodFirst center."
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/community/chapel-hill-news/articl...
school board would be nuts
to give land at non-market rates. When the shelter was controversially sited at Homestead/MLK in CH, everyone was told the food kitchen was going to carrboro. Joke's on us I guess. A 99 year lease for a 1$ is hardly paying rent - you have got to be kidding. Also, someone running for office should know the BOCC does not volunteer money for anything in CH/carrboro. How's that southern library branch coming along?
are Carrboro Aldermen/Business as NIMBY as A better site??
the better site folks were called NIMBY but they made the same points the carrboro alderpeople, business people and chamber of commerce made . (interesting the chamber of commerce that supported the shelter at Homestead AND the kitchen in Carrboro, now opposes the kitchen in carrboro???
"Carrboro doesn’t have the same framework as Chapel Hill for dealing with public nuisances, chamber President Aaron Nelson said. Carrboro business owners were caught off guard by the IFC’s plans, but they are ready to help find solutions and a better site, he said."
isn't this guy both for and against a kitchen in carrboro? could have sworn the homestead shelter was specifically proposed with a kitchen in carrboro as "the plan"
“We’re very cool, so people think we’re bigger than we are, but we’re really little, and social services and human services, that’s a county and state responsibility. That is not a two-square-mile responsibility.”
CBOA supports moving forward
The statements you quoted do not reflect the position of the Board of Aldermen. As I and others noted above, the board voted to move forward to a public hearing on adding a community kitchen category to the town's land use ordinance.