Durham
Apparently I was quoted in the News & Observer after last week's information session about UNC's proposed redevelopment of University Square. I didn't notice that story, but today a colleague said something to me about a cartoon in the Independent Weekly. Wha? After some hunting I found this V.C Rogers illustration "Mr. Bull" which features my statement that "Durham has been kicking our ass, Chapel Hill has to catch up."
While I'm not especially proud of how articulate that one (out of context) quotation was, I do stand behind it. Seeing the way the Indy cartoon twisted my point made me want to expand or at least explain a little more.
I got this on one of the many e-mail lists I am on:
Neighbors Burlington, Graham and Mebane have hired a law firm to fight the "Jordan Lake Rules" that the NC Division of Water Quality presented to the Environmental Management Commission. At issue is the unacceptable levels of nitrogen and phosphorous put into the Haw River, and thus Lake Jordan from upstream waste water and storm water runoff. Not very neighborly of them to want to keep dumping excess nutrients downstream, but as with all things the fight is really over the money that it would cost to retrofit existing infrastructure.
http://tinyurl.com/4hse63
http://tinyurl.com/4eyabw
I am all for lending my fellow brother a helping hand, but not if my brother expects the handout without making the necessary changes needed to prevent further bailouts. For months, citizens of Chapel Hill/Carrboro have bit the bullet and took necessary action to conserve water during the drought. As we watched our gardens wilt and our vehicles dust over, our Durham neighbors still washed their cars and hand-watered their lawns. We silently noted the limited supply of our Farmer's Markets while still supporting our struggling farmers, and while we grew impatient with the restrictions, we gain perspective every time we passed a sign in town reminding us to conserve. Perhaps the rumors are true, and Carrboro/Chapel Hill is the hippie,green cousin of our Durham city, and therefore able to embrace green incentives easier, but as they laughed at our progressiveness, Durham held out a bucket and asked for us to fill it up. Our supply is still barely half full, and OWASA is upholding Stage 3 restrictions, but my patience is wearing thin for my Durham neighbors when I see a gas station car wash being used in Durham that is not using recycled water!
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