Sunday, May 29, 2011

New Business in Raleigh!


Downtown Raleigh welcomed nine new street-level businesses in the first quarter of 2011! These new businesses are a range of cafes and restaurants, art galleries and boutiques. Dozens of jobs have been created, and downtown's vibrance is continuing to grow!

Three new restaurants have opened:
Several galleries have also opened at Blake Street Studios in City Market:

Gypsy Jule is a new women's clothing and accessories boutique in the Glenwood South District. Also, Designbox Shop and a second location of Crema at City Plaza opened downtown.

This is a great sign of Raleigh's economic stability, I hope the second quarter will yield equally impressive results!

Monday, May 23, 2011

New CAT Facility!



Last week, Capital Area Transit unveiled a new operations and maintenance facility! Capital Area Transit operates forty public transit routes in Raleigh, and also operates three additional routes for Triangle Transit, providing transportation for more than 20,000 people daily.

The new facility covers a little more than 23 acres, with room to service up to 125 buses. Also, this new facility replaces the thirty-year-old 4 acre facility on Wilmington Street. CAT's passenger trips have grown by 87% in the last ten years, and that growth is expected to increase even more in the next ten years. This wonderful new facility should help to meet the continually growing demand for transportation options in Raleigh!

This facility is the newest in Raleigh that is expected to receive LEED certification. This facility was designed and built to incorporate as many sustainable features as possible, and is expected to receive LEED Platinum certification. The facility includes a geothermal heating and cooling system, radiant floor heating, reflective roof membranes, natural lighting, occupancy and photo sensors, water-saving plumbing fixtures, and a rainwater cistern!

Several folks were on hand for the grand opening of this facility - Representatives Brad Miller and David Price, along with Bob Etheridge, Jim Westmoreland, Tom Thompson, and Mayor Meeker. A special thanks to CAT for inviting all of us to participate in the Grand Opening!

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Rise Up Raleigh Benefit Concert



June 3 is going to be a great night in downtown Raleigh! Several groups have come together to organize the Rise Up Raleigh Benefit Concert and Celebration. The Celebration will feature concerts from 11 awesome bands at the Raleigh Amphiteater as well as street performers and vendors along the blocks leading to and from the facility at Lenoir and Cabarrus streets.

In addition to raising funds and support for the victims of the April 16 tornadoes, this event will celebrate all of those who have given their time and energy to help those who suffered damages in the storm. The event will also celebrate the general spirit of community and togetherness that we are so fortunate to have in Raleigh.

While the City is hosting and organizing the event, several organizations have come together to make this happen. A special thanks to Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, the Carolina Hurricanes, and Rex Healthcare for sponsoring the event. Another big thanks to the bands participating!

While the event is free and open to the public, those attending are encouraged to bring a donation that will go to charities aiding in the recovery efforts. The charities that will receive proceeds from the event are the Salvation Army of Wake County, Centro Internacional de Raleigh, the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle and the Helping Hand Mission.

Please visit Rise Up Raleigh to stay current on the celebration, it is growing daily!

Monday, May 16, 2011

Prescription Pill Drop-Off

The City's Substance Abuse and Advisory Commission is hosting its third annual Pill Drop-Off event this Saturday! These events have been a tremendous success in the past, and I imagine this will be no exception. All prescription and over-the-counter medications will be accepted, with no questions asked.

The Drop-Off is a joint effor between the Substance Abuse Advisory Commission, Raleigh Police Department, and our Community Services Department. The event is part of an effort to reduce the abuse of prescription drugs and the harmful environmental affects of improper disposal of medications.

The following Food Lions will participate, and there will be a Police Officer and Pharmacist on hand to accept the medications.

13200 New Falls of Neuse Road, at Wakefield Crossing
5633 Creedmoor Road, at Millbrook Crossing
2420 Wycliff Road, at Meredith Park Commons
1601 Cross Link Road

It is recommended that everyone dropping of medications should remove any personal information, either by removing the label from the bottle or marking through any personal information.

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

CityCamp Raleigh!



June 3-5, Raleigh will host our first ever CityCamp! CityCamp will bring together government, business, neighborhood, non-profit, and academic affiliates to work together toward next generation solutions for Raleigh! The event is the only one of it's kind, a City-focused "unconference."

Admission is free and open to the public, but space is limited! The event will include speaker presentations, workshop sessions, and breakout sessions. Some of the topics that will be included are crime, trash, water/sewer, property taxes, street maintenance and traffic, parks and recreation, storm water management, and transit!

Even if you can't attend, you can participate! Citizens are encouraged to submit ideas, suggestions, and discussion topics on CityCamp's website. The sessions on Friday and Saturday will be held at Vintage 21, Sunday's sessions will take place at The Stockroom.

Friday, May 6, 2011

Grand Openings!





Over the last few weeks, I have been able to attend two wonderful grand opening celebrations! The first was to celebrate the opening of the Wilmoore Cafe, a great new restaurant downtown. The Wilmoore Cafe is located at 223 S. Wilmington Street, and is another great addition to downtown!



The second grand opening celebration was for the Contemporary Art Museum! This is another great addition to our downtown. It is a wonderful facility, unlike anything else we have to offer in the triangle. The Contemporary Art Museum is located at 409 W. Martin Street.

Monday, May 2, 2011

RPFFA Fundraising Concert



This November, the Raleigh Professional Fire Fighters Association (RPFFA), will bring back their annual fundraising concerts! The first concert will be held on November 18, at Dorton Arena. Country music legend John Anderson will perform with Briana Dean.

Proceeds from this concert, along with others in the future, will benefit several local charities and community programs. Camp Celebrate is one of the programs that the RPFFA supports. Camp Celebrate is a weekend camp for children ages 7-15 who have suffered major burn injuries. The RPFFA also works to provide and install smoke detectors for families who cannot afford them. Proceeds will also be used to support the Jaycee Burn Center at UNC Hospital, the Salvation Army, Helping Hands, and local youth athletic programs.

More information is available here or by calling 919-714-7944.

The RPFFA is a registered 501(c)(5) non-profit.