Monday, August 30, 2010

SEHSR Public Hearing


As many of you know, there has been a lot of conversation in Raleigh surrounding the Southeast High Speed Rail recently. Tomorrow, August 31, the City Council will be holding a public hearing to hear from all of you.

Our Passenger Rail Task Force, along with several of our CACs have done a great job prompting this discussion amongst Citizens, and we have already gotten a great deal of feedback. Please keep it up! I encourage everyone who is able to attend the public hearing tomorrow, this project will have a major impact on the future of our City!

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

New Recycling Bins, Collection Dates

The City has announced new collection dates for the old, green recyclings bins that are being replaced. We encourage Citizens to keep and continue to use them between the new, bi-weekly pickups.

If you would like to return your 18 gallon bin to the City, they will be collected on the following days.

•Sept. 2: SW 22, SW 23, SE 24;
•Sept. 9: NW 22, NW 23, NE 21;
•Sept. 16: NE 27, NE 28 and SE 23;
•Sept. 23: NE 22, SE 14;
•Sept. 30: NW 14, NW 15, and NW 21; and,
•Oct. 7: SW 5 and SW 6

To determine your recycling route number, contact the City of Raleigh Solid Waste Services Department at 996-6890; or visit Find My Service Day on the City's webpage.

Friday, August 20, 2010

Recognizing Raleigh!

Today, Raleigh's Fire Station #6 on Fairview Road, was recognized by the The City of Raleigh, the United States Environmental Protection Agency, and the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources for it's success with a project created by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

The focus of the event were the benefits and simplicity of a cistern system installed at nine Raleigh area fire stations and a Wake County EMS Station and the Willow Springs Fire Station. The project, paid for almost entirely with grants from the federal ARRA and a grant from the Clean Water Management Trust Fund, installed a system of cisterns to harvest rainwater from the roofs of the stations. The cisterns are capable of collecting more than 4,000 gallons of rainwater at each location.

The collected water is stored above ground and used by the firefighters when cleaning equipment or vehicles. At some of the stations, the water is used for irrigation in gardens. The City also installed rain gardens at five of the stations. At the other stations, the water drains to an existing vegetative patch.

The system reduces demand on Raleigh's drinking water supply, promotes water conservation, decreases stormwater runoff, reduces water pollution, and serves as an educational tool for the community on the possibilities of rainwater harvesting. The rainwater collection system is expected to save more than 40,000 gallons of water annually.

The complete list of fire stations using the water conserving cisterns:

•Raleigh Fire Station 6 - 2601 Fairview Road;
•Raleigh Fire Station 8 - 5001 Western Boulevard;
•Raleigh Fire Station 22 - 9350 Durant Road;
•Raleigh Fire Station 23 - 8312 Pinecrest Road;
•Raleigh Fire Station 24 - 10440 Fossil Creek Court;
•Raleigh Fire Station 25 - 2740 Wakefield Crossing;
•Raleigh Fire Station 26 - 3929 Barwell Road;
•Raleigh Fire Station 27 - 5916 Buffaloe Road;
•Raleigh Fire Station 28 - 3500 Forestville Road;
•Wake County EMS Station 8 - 1361 Varsity Drive; and,
•Willow Springs Fire Station - 2474 Bud Lipscomb Road, Willow Springs

Friday, August 13, 2010

Community Outreach Day


Saturday, August 14th, The Give Back Organization will host the 5th Annual Community Outreach Day. The event will be held at the corner of Raleigh Boulevard and Glascock Streets.

Community Outreach Day provides a great platform to showcase all of the resources available to Raleigh's citizens, and it is a great way to introduce new folks to our community. In the past, this event has helped hundreds of families start the school year off right by providing bookbags and school supplies.


This year, WakeMed will provide free diabetes, blood pressure, and cholestorol testing. There will also be a car show and raffle. The RPD and the RFD will also be there to lend their support! I encourage you all to attend if you are able. We are thrilled to have The Give Back Organization hosting this event for the fifth year in a row!

Monday, August 9, 2010

Creedmoor Road Study, Public Workshop


This week, there will be a three night public workshop to discuss the future of Highway 50, Creedmoor Road. As some of you may already know, there has been an impact study taking place since January that is due to be complete in December. A team has been put together to look into the effects of widening Highway 50 to four lanes. Commuting traffic from Granville County and the town of Creedmoor is, and has been, steadily increasing for the last few years. However, Highway 50 drains into Falls Lake, and widening the road would inevitably lead to a more polluted drinking supply for Raleigh.

The discussion about widening Highway 50 began in 2003, and has been a heavily debated topic between Granville and Wake Counties ever since. In the last seven years, the regulations imposed on Falls Lake have certainly become more stringent, but Falls Lake is still considered polluted.

It will be very interesting to begin to publicly discuss what the future holds for Highway 50. I encourage everyone who travels on Creedmoor Road to take part in the discussions this week. The meetings will be held Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday evenings at the Shriner's Temple located at 11101 Creedmoor Road. Please click here for more information on the project and to take part in a survey being conducted on the future of Highway 50.

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

City Council Meeting Tonight!

Check out the City's new website for the full agenda. The new site looks great and is very user-friendly! Enjoy!