Here Today, Gone (And Eaten) Tomorrow the Top, and Is Sending Orange Flowers out from Way up High As Recently
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This Weekend FRIDAY Partly Cloudy 94/70 SATURDAY 30% Chance of Rain 90/68 SUNDAY 50% Chance of Rain 86/70 � INSIDE MILL carrborocitizen.com JULY 3, 2008 u CARRBORO’S COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER u OV luME II NO. XvI FREE Residents await new James Street sidewalk by Susan Dickson on sidewalks and greenway trails, and Staff Writer James Street was one of the areas ini- tially identified for the project’s phase After nearly five years, construc- one sidewalk projects. tion could begin this fall on a James However, phase one included 20 Street sidewalk that residents say is projects throughout Carrboro. In ad- long overdue. dition, the James Street sidewalk proj- George Seiz, director of Carrboro ect has faced design challenges with Public Works, said that despite delays topography, utilities and drainage that and design challenges he hopes side- have taken more time to sort out than walk construction will begin this fall, those of other projects, Seiz said. with completion of the project about With a post office at one end of six months later. the street and the McDougle schools The James Street sidewalk is part of near the other end, pedestrian traffic a sidewalk bond project approved by on James Street is fairly heavy. The voters in 2003. The project includes street has speed bumps and stop signs 0.65 miles of sidewalks, from West to slow down through traffic, but resi- Main Street to Hillsborough Road. dents say it’s not enough. PHoto BY jordan timpY The sidewalk is planned for the west “[Pedestrians] walk with their pets, Carrboro resident Joe Bray jogs every day along James Street where sidewalk PHOTO BY Ken Moore side of James Street. they walk with their strollers and Trumpet vine flowers are bold and attract construction was approved in a bond referendum five years ago, but has yet to come hummingbirds. The 2003 referendum authorized to fruition. “Sidewalks would make it much safer for kids and runners,” Bray said. “I the town to spend up to $4.6 million see SIDEWALK page 3 do believe it would be money well spent.” Flora By Ken Moore CHS parents A native vine for want answers hummingbirds and by Susan Dickson goldfinches Staff Writer ight now I celebrate the Carrboro High School teachers and parents say they don’t understand Su- native trumpet vine, perintendent Neil Pedersen’s recent de- Campsis radicans. Some cision to replace Principal Jeff Thomas folks call it trumpet and that district administrators owe creeper or cow-itch vine. them more of an explanation. RThere are likely other names The district announced June 18 associated with this common that Thomas has been reassigned to the district’s central office and that weedy vine with bright-orange, Rodney Trice, the district’s director tubular flowers that are guaran- of curriculum and instruction, would teed to attract hummingbirds. serve as interim principal. The release Keep an eye out for the occa- announcing the change did not indi- sional peach- or yellow-colored cate why Thomas was being replaced. variations. The flowers seem to Thomas served as principal of Carr- boro High since 2006 and opened the hang in the air, singly or in clus- school last August. Prior to his work at ters, at the tips of long stems Carrboro High, Thomas served as as- reaching down from varying sistant principal at Chapel Hill High heights, be it low fence posts or School. abandoned barn chimneys. Parents were notified of Thomas’ replacement in a phone message, while One of my favorite specimens faculty received an email. Some par- is a vine on a utility pole on ents and teachers have come out in PHoto BY kirk ross Weaver Dairy Road between New UNC Chancellor Holden Thorp (center) with Chapel Hill Mayor Kevin Foy (right) and John Woodard, owner of Sutton’s support of Thomas’ performance at Carol Woods and Timberlyne Drug Store. Thorp and Foy had lunch together at Sutton’s Wednesday. the school and want to know why ad- Shopping Center. That vine- ministrators replaced him. covered pole looks like a mop- Pedersen said his decision was based on unsolicited feedback from headed giant having a bad-hair Thorp takes the reins staff and parents, as well as the results day when it’s covered with those Chancellor Holden Thorp had a While waiting for his lunch date his hand and told the new chancellor of surveys that indicated both students orange flowers reaching out all hectic first few days on the job, hud- to arrive, Thorp took in the street that his appointment was a rarity in and teachers were unhappy with their around. dling with faculty members, conven- scene and received a number of the town. experiences at Carrboro High. Peder- Equally dramatic is the trum- ing his inaugural meeting with the hearty congratulations. “First time we’ve ever had a search sen said survey results influenced his pet vine-covered privet hedge in chancellor’s cabinet, having breakfast He reports that he’s moved into his [for a chancellor] where everybody’s decision to replace Thomas, in that he with student leaders and picking up office, but that he and the family plan happy,” he said. used them to either confirm or refute front of Peck and Artisans Studio individual perceptions. He said his de- between Auto Logic and Akai the key to South Building from his to take their time moving out of their Thorp smiled and told Woodard predecessor. Carrboro home and into the chancel- he’ll do his best not to mess that up. cision was also based on his work with Hana restaurant in Carrboro. On Wednesday, his schedule took lor’s quarters. He also reports no lack of — Kirk Ross Thomas, as he and other central Owner Tim Peck is sophisticated him off campus and onto Franklin Carolina Blue ties, which seem to be a (You can read the text of Thorp’s let- enough to allow it to creep onto Street for lunch with Chapel Hill popular gift to give a new chancellor. ter to the university community, along see PARENTS page 5 his building. Mayor Kevin Foy at Sutton’s Drug Longtime Sutton’s pharmacist with former Chancellor James Moeser’s I am fortunate to have one Store. John Woodard popped out to shake farewell message, on Page 6.) that sprouted at the base of the tall cedar post on which my mail- box is mounted. It’s now reached Here today, gone (and eaten) tomorrow the top, and is sending orange flowers out from way up high as RECENTLY . well as having some lower-reach- By Valarie Schwartz ing stems to tickle the postman at the letter box. Word came on Monday that shelves at local food pan- My very favorite urban speci- tries were bare. John Dorward, associate director of the men trumpet vine is the robust Inter-Faith Council (IFC), gladly reported that its food one along the front driveway on pantry in Carrboro remains in good shape for this time of year. “I’m happy not to have to show you empty shelves,” Rosemary Street just opposite he said as we walked into the pantry, which contains three Padgett Station. I enjoy watching long aisles stocked with non-perishable items. it produce flowers for weeks The story was vastly different in Pittsboro, where Tina Gaines, director of the Salvation Army, said that dona- SEE FLORA PAGE 10 tions were greatly needed. “We’re still able to meet the need, but sometimes it’s tough,” she said, adding that the Salvation Army has had INSIDE to purchase $300 to $400 worth of food during the past two months in order to meet demand. Racist graffiti troubles town Approximately 1,100 jobs were lost recently with the employee closing in early June of the Pilgrim’s Pride chicken pro- cessing plant in Siler City, but Gaines said that “things See page 3 started getting worse about a year ago.” The pantry at Evergreen United Methodist Church INDEX just south of Manns Chapel Road in northern Chatham has seen “a tremendous increase in the last six months,” Land & Table ............... ...................................................................................2 according to its coordinator, Diane Lassiter. It’s a small News .............................................................................................................3 pantry (truly a closet, she said), which provides food from Community ................................................................................4, 5 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. every Tuesday except the first week of Opinion .........................................................................................6 each month. Members can receive food 12 times a year. Real Estate .................................................................................. 7 “People arrive as early as five, though we don’t encour- Classifieds .............................................................................. 7 PHoto BY Valarie SCHwartZ age it,” she said. Water Watch .............................................................................................. 8 Josie Hartman reaches for a can from a well-stocked shelf at the Inter-Faith Council Food Pantry in Carrboro. “It doesn’t take long to deplete the supply,” Hartman said. See RECENtlY page 4 2 THURSDAY, JULY 3, 2008 Land & Table THE CARRBORO CITIZEN Pasture potluck draws mellow crowd by Catherine Rierson Check out what’s at the SATURDAY Staff Writer MARKET: Carrboro Year-Round A modest crowd gathered last Sunday Farmers’ Market 7 a.m. - Noon evening for ChathamArts’ Potluck in a JUST TO NAME A fEW. Pasture at Bill Dow’s Ayrshire Farm in Blueberries, peaches, blackberries, plums, tomatoes, corn, Pittsboro, the oldest certified organic eggplant, arugula, zucchini, yellow squash, cucumbers, potatoes, farm in North Carolina, to share savory