Met with Julie McClintock and Madeline Jefferson this week. McClintock, the former Town Council member, and Jefferson, the former Town Council candidate (and now out of the wheelchair after a serious accident), are part of Neighbors for Responsible Growth. The group holds a forum for Town Council candidates Wednesday at Town Hall.

NRG -- not to be confused with CFRG (Citizens For Responsible Government, which holds its own forum at 4 p.m. Sunday at The Franklin Hotel) -- is asking specific
questions: How would you determine sustainable growth rates? How can the town avoid unwarranted consequences in development? How will you determine whether the Carolina North agreement is working when the three-year assessment
comes up?

These are good questions. It is hard in the midst of development to know its long term impact. Is Greenbridge a national model for environmentally conscious development, or is it a blight that will hasten the demise of a historically black neighborhood across the street (or both)? Is East 54 the kind of mixed-use development Chapel Hill needs to foster mass transit and begin balancing the tax base, or a too out-of-scale project too close to the highway that has forever marred what had been a pastoral entrance to town (or both)? 

Remember when DPS made the decision not to consider the Duke Forest tract site for a high school?

Erwin-Cornwallis Organization co-founder Elizabeth Vigdor came out tonight to express her gratitude for the district's decision and willingness to engage in "thoughtful dialogue." 

Just before the close of the board meeting (and by then, practically no one was in the audience), board member Fredrick Davis decided to address the controversy. I thought some of what he said was worth sharing. Here's his entire comment:

"We need to make sure from our administration that the public is informed when we have not made a decision on matters. You heard some representatives from the Erwin Road-Cornwallis group thank us for making a decision with the support of the administration. I want to go on record that I didn’t make a decision to support the administration.

The administration, in their own rights and responsibilities, made that decision and for the record, if it had been brought to my action, I would have voted for that property. Because one of these days, the citizenry of Durham is going to have to bite the bullet and make sure that we have schools in Durham County that’s going to reach the total community.

I just want to go on record on my position. And they can send all of the letters to board members all they want. We need to be clear that we’ve got to make a decision –and county commissioners as well – that we’ve got to make a decision on where we're going to build schools for the advancement of the children of this county. Those who don’t like it have to stand up to say we’ll help you find some property and we’ll pay for it. Otherwise, they need to let the administration do their job in finding appropriate property and then the administration will bring it to this board so that then we can make a decision.
But until this happens, this board has not taken an action on whether or not that was a good idea - but Frederick Davis said it’s [the former school site] a good idea!"

What do you think of what Pastor Davis said? Leave your thoughts in the comments, or shoot me an e-mail.

Here is the statement Carrboro resident and community volunteer Sharon Cook has released:

"Over the past decade I’ve been an advocate for a wide range of issues facing Carrboro’s residents including neighborhood preservation, pedestrian safety, and environmental protection. I’ve worked on many more issues as a member of the town’s Planning Board for the past three and a half years.(CORRECTION: Sharon Cook has asked us to revise this sentence to read ... since March 2007.)

As a candidate for a seat on the Carrboro Board of Aldermen, my overriding concern is whether or not the citizens living in Carrboro today will be able to afford to stay here.

Two years ago I ran for alderman with that question in my mind, based upon conversations with residents from throughout town. I was concerned that our town government was on an unsustainable economic path, one that would force many long time residents to move out of Carrboro. Over the past two years that’s become increasingly clear.

I’m an optimist, and I believe that it’s not too late to change our direction. I’m running for a seat on the Board of Aldermen to put us on the path that will make it possible for Carrboro’s citizens to remain in their homes as long as they choose to do so through balanced growth and development.

I look forward to thoroughly discussing and debating this issue and the many other issues facing our town in the weeks and months to come."

Members of a new Town of Chapel Hill committee, the Sustainable Community Visioning Task Force, criticized the makeup of the task force Wednesday for being all white.

So we asked the town for the applications of all 31 people who applied to serve on it. We received most of the applications from town public information officer Catherine Lazorko by e-mail and had the remaining few reviewed on the phone today by communications staff person Amy Harvey.

The applications showed no minorities applied to serve on the panel. All 31 people listed white as their race. The choices were "White, Black, Hispanic, Asian, Native American." The applications also asked sex, date of birth, occupation and residency. You had to live in the town or its planning area to serve. 

Many of the task force positions were assigned to specific groups. For example, five people applied for the one slot reserved for a community business representative.

Here are the task force members

Planning Board Chairman
     George Cianciolo
1 Planning Board member
     Del Snow
1 Transportation Board member
     Matthew Scheer
1 Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board member
     *Douglas McLean
1 Sustainability Committee member
     Sherif Ghobrial
1 Justice in Action Committee member
     Arthur Finn
1 UNC-appointed representative
     Gordon Merklein
1 UNC Health Care-appointed representative
     Etta D. Pisano
1 community business representative
     Glen Greenstreet
9 citizens
     Bruce Ballentine
     Wes Hare
     Madeline Jefferson
     Charity Pennock
     Will Raymond
     Jon Rucker
     Amy Ryan
     Ellen Shannon
     Katherine M. Shea

* to be appointed June 8

Source: Town of Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill's Sustainable Community Visioning Task Force got off to a bumpy start last night when members criticized the make-up of the committee and a process they said had already been decided for them.

The task force is charged with advising the Town Council on what the town should look like by 2020. It comes amid concern that past decisions have resulted in projects such as East 54 and Greenbridge, which some community members feel don't fit their vision of Chapel Hill.

"We've reached the border," Mayor Kevin Foy told the group, referring to the town's urban growth boundary. "That's why we're seeing the pressure around this community. That's why we're seeing the concern."

The town will hold a series of community forums next week to get input from regular citizens about their values and dreams for Chapel Hill. A follow-up survey will further refine the data, and the task force will use it to make specific recommendations about where and what kind of growth the town needs.

But member Etta Pisano, Kenan Professor of Radiology and Biomedical Engineering and Director of the UNC Biomedical Research Imaging Center, said she was concerned the task force was not diverse enough to capture an accurate community perspective. The 18-member group has no black, Latino or Asian members.

"There's isn't a lot of diversity in this room, and it bothers me,' she said.

Will Raymond, a software developer, said he was concerned the town had set up community meetings starting Monday without the task force's input. "I was a little taken aback," he said, explaining that the task force was supposed to have autonomy. "This is four days away."

Wes Hare, who has been active in the fight to preserve the Glen Lennox neighborhood, shared Raymond's concern. "This has all been programmed for us," he said. 

The mayor and town officials assured the group it will control its discussions once they begin. The task force can also ask the Town Council to add more members. Two observers last night, from the group United with the Northside Community NOW, said they plan to ask the town to appoint a student representative.