City Council Agenda 8/4/09

Full text online here.

City Council CompPlan Meetings

The City Council will hold several public meetings to fully discuss the Comprehensive Plan. The following meetings have been scheduled and are open to the public:

• Aug. 3: Council Retreat at Neuse River Facility, 4 p.m

• Aug. 10: Northeast Public Meeting at Eastgate Park (4200 Quail Hollow Dr), 6:30 p.m.

• Aug. 13: Southwest Public Meeting, in City Council Chambers 6:30 p.m.

• Aug. 24: Council Comp Planning Workshop in Council Chambers, 4 p.m.

• Aug. 31: Council Comp Planning Workshop in Council Chambers, 4 p.m.

Re-Election 2009

I want to thank you for the privilege of serving you on the City Council for the past two years. I have learned a lot and truly worked hard to represent District A and the best of Raleigh. I am honored to have the opportunity to serve you, and am extreamly fortunate by the fact that no one has chosen to run against me this year.

However this does not mean that this election will be a quiet time for me. The Comprehensive Plan is being considered and that requires a vigorous public process. It is also extremely important that we elect a strong council that will continue to move the city forward. The election is a great time to get out and meet with the citizens of Raleigh, and if you would be willing to host a Meet & Greet than I would be grateful for the opportunity to discuss issues of local concern to you and your neighborhood.



We've only got about 2 months to get to work during this off-year election. Early voting opens at the Board of Elections on Sept 17, but election day is October 6. Mark it on your calendercalendar now and please help us get out the vote to assure a progressive and visionary council!

Water Treatment Plant

WATER TREATMENT PLANT ON SCHEDULE, PLANT’S TRANSMISSION MAIN BEING INSTALLED

Construction of the City of Raleigh’s Dempsey E. Benton Treatment Plant remains on schedule, with completion set for February 2010. The $90.5 million plant is being constructed on 55 acres near Lake Benson, off of N.C. 50 (Benson Road) at Buffaloe Road, south of Garner.

Crews are currently installing the plant’s transmission main that will carry up to 20 million gallons of water a day to the City’s service areas. The 48-inch diameter main is being constructed in three phases at a cost of $23 million. When complete, the transmission main will be eight miles long and extend from the Dempsey E. Benton Water Treatment Plant north along Highway 50 ending at Wilmington Street, just south of the Raleigh City Limits. It will connect to an existing 30-inch diameter water transmission main for distribution to City of Raleigh water customers.

Construction of the new water treatment plant’s transmission main is scheduled to be complete in November. The work began last January.

The new plant is named for Dempsey E. Benton, who served as Raleigh’s city manager from 1983-2000. The City broke ground on the facility on April 11, 2007.

The Dempsey E. Benton Water Treatment Plant will allow the City of Raleigh to meet the area’s future water needs by providing additional water system reliability and capacity. The City will continue to operate the E.M. Johnson Water Treatment Plant in north Raleigh after the Dempsey E. Benton plant opens.

The City of Raleigh is the single largest provider of potable water in the Triangle, serving Wake County residents through 175,000 metered connections to 435,000 customers in Raleigh and the towns of Garner, Rolesville, Wake Forest, Knightdale, Wendell and Zebulon.

Wake Commissioners Urge Falls Lake Clean Up

WakeUP Applauds Action of Wake Commissioners and Urges Swift Action by the State to Clean Up Falls Lake

WakeUP Wake County applauds Wake’s Board of Commissioners for passing a resolution urging the clean up of Falls Lake. Wake Commissioners unanimously passed a resolution committing the county to protect Falls Lake and to adopt improved stormwater runoff measures by the currently proposed July, 2010 deadline. However, the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the City of Durham are asking N.C. legislators to move the deadline back until 2011. WakeUP Wake County, which is working on behalf of the almost 500,000 citizens who rely upon Falls Lake for drinking water, disagrees.

“The clean up of Falls Lake can’t afford to wait many more years. New development is happening every day around Falls Lake. Our current standards are not working, which is why the lake is so polluted,“ said Karen Rindge, WakeUP Wake County’s Executive Director.

Wake County and other Triangle legislators have been meeting with officials from DENR and local municipal governments (including Raleigh, Durham and Butner) about the deadline for the rulemaking process on Falls. Also, they are exploring possible ways to accelerate the process, given that the stakeholder process for the rules is already underway. The deadline for the rules was supposed to be July 1, 2009. Wake Senator Josh Stein and Wake Representative Jennifer Weiss are taking the lead on these negotiations.

“Falls Lake is vital to a major metropolitan area in the state. Steps need to be taken right now to reduce algae overgrowth and potentially toxic bacteria in the lake. We urge the legislature to act quickly and decisively to support a cleaner drinking water supply,” stated Rindge.