This Weekend FRIDAY 20% Chance of T-Storms 88/67 SATURDAY 20% Chance of T-Storms 92/68 SUNDAY 30% Chance of T-Storms 90/70 well carrborocitizen.com JUNE 16, 2011 u LOCALLY OWNED AND OPERATED u VOLUME V NO. XIV FREE Chapel Hill likely to impose library fees for nonresidents BY SUSAN DICKsoN per $100 of valuation, or $988 on a placeholder until the council approves a has asked the Orange County Board Staff Writer $200,000 home, the same rate that more detailed plan on June 27. of Commissioners to increase its alloca- applied in 2009-10 and 2010-11. The Mayor Mark Kleinschmidt said the tion to the library budget as operating CHAPEL HILL – In a move that will budget also maintains the downtown council will have the chance to review expenses increase with an impending reduce Chapel Hill Transit bus service service-district tax rate of 7.1 cents per a sliding scale for the fee so that low- expansion, and on Tuesday the board and likely impose fees for library use $100 of valuation. income library patrons are not overly voted to increase its annual allocation on county residents who live outside Included in the approved budget is burdened. from $250,000 to about $343,000. The of Chapel Hill, the Chapel Hill Town a fee schedule that specifies a $60-per- If the council does implement library move followed the county’s previous re- Council voted unanimously on Mon- household annual fee for those who live usage fees for non-Chapel Hill residents fusal to increase its contribution, which day to approve the town’s fiscal year outside Chapel Hill to use the Chapel of Orange County, the county will re- had remained static for 10 years. 2011-12 operating budget. Hill Public Library, but Town Manager scind its annual contribution to the li- The $50.5 million budget holds Roger Stancil said the fee is simply a brary’s operating budget. The council SEE COUNCIL PAGE 2 the property-tax rate at 49.4 cents Across the stage and into the world BY BRooKE PARKER Staff Writer CHAPEL HILL – On a scale of one to 10, Carrboro High School’s Tiny quarter-inch flowers of succulent purslane graduating class was an 11 on Sat- open for only a couple of hours, in mid-morning. urday. Not only did the Class of PHoto BY Ken MooRE 2011 have the most service hours of any other class, but it was the first class to finish four years at Car- rboro High School, which opened FLORA BY KEN MOORE in 2007. Rather than the usual sea of Purslane mulch Carolina blue, the Dean E. Smith Center was filled with proud par- everal years ago, purslane, ents and anticipating graduates. Portulaca oleracea, began ap- UNC basketball jerseys still hung pearing in my vegetable gar- from the ceiling, but the graduates below were clad in purple, black den. Just last week, I noticed and white, Carrboro’s colors. tiny yellow flowers nestled in The graduates were a group of Samongst all the succulent leaves. “young people with sound char- To quote from Paul Green’s Plant acter,” said Superintendent Neil Book: “A curse in many a garden. Pedersen, the longest serving su- perintendent of the Chapel Hill- This much-branched radiating an- Carrboro City Schools. Pedersen nual is prolific as crabgrass and as noted that he will be retiring this common in all of the dry and sandy year, leaving as the selected honor- soils and waste ground of the Cape ary member of the Carrboro High Class of 2011. Fear Valley. It flowers in July and ac- Chapel Hill High School graduate Ashley Imonti celebrates with Principal Jesse Dingle. PHoto BY ALicia StempeR cording to a book I read, like many SEE GRADS PAGE 5 other plants, it is good for nearly everything under the sun medici- BOA mulls 500 N. Greensboro project nally, being ‘emetic, expectorant, BY SUSAN DICKsoN development on 2.7 acres at 404, 406 and students who are looking for reasonably cathartic, diaphoretic, astringent, Staff Writer 500 N. Greensboro St. and 113 Parker priced nice apartments,” said Ken Reiter Roadwork rubefacient, blistering, stimulant and St. A three-story building would face of Belmont Sayre, the developer. is used in dropsy and as a power- CARRBORO – Following several hours North Greensboro Street with 12,000 Several board members expressed con- makes ful external stimulant.’ The Indians of discussion, the Carrboro Board of Al- square feet of commercial property on cern about traffic effects, the size of the dermen voted unanimously on Tuesday the ground floor and 24 residential units development and the percentage of the strange used it as a purgative.” to continue public hearings regarding on the second and third floors. A four- project dedicated to commercial space. And from James A. Duke’s Hand- rezoning for a 114-unit mixed-used de- story building, set back from the first and Mayor Mark Chilton said the bedfellows velopment at 500 N. Greensboro St until book of Edible Weeds: “Only in the running perpendicular to Parker Street, board should consider that surround- BY JoshUA LUCAS United States has fame and favor September. would have 90 residential units with ing properties will also likely be de- Staff Writer eluded this hot-weather weed. A few members of the public com- parking below them. veloped in coming years, further im- mented on the proposed project, but no The developer has said the project pacting traffic in the area. They were passing colleagues Tender parts, leaves, flowers, pods, one spoke directly in opposition to it. would provide market-rate workforce and “The only thing that will make the at best, Linda Bourne and Bill seeds and stems all may be served Board members said they needed more affordable housing, and has proposed traffic situation get better on Greensboro Fairbanks: two restaurateurs, information, wanted to see several chang- adding a number of sustainable features, Street is for gas prices to continue to spiral as potherbs, improved by adding more likely to be rivals than al- es to the proposal and wanted to consider including an on-site charging station for out of control,” he said. egg and/or breadcrumbs. To me, lies in the difficult business of all their rezoning options before approv- electric cars, heat-reflective roof coverings the herb tastes like a slimy spinach. serving up hot meals and cold ing the requested rezoning. and rainwater retention. drinks. … The succulent stems may be The proposed project, Shelton Station, “We think there’s a demand in down- SEE AlDERMEN PAGE 3 “We’re just acquaintances – I pickled in brine or pickle vinegar … is a two-building, 125,000-square-foot town Carrboro and the area for non- don’t go anywhere restaurant- or to preserve this copious summer wise except Carrburritos. I’m sort food for winter: put it into salt and of preoccupied,” said Fairbanks, dry white wine.” County set to approve budget who owns Carrburritos. Alan Weakley, Flora of the Caro- BY JoshUA LUCAS In tweaking the budget, the com- county’s recommended plan, which That’s not how it’s turning linas, Virginia and Georgia, places its missioners gave some hints as to their calls for rolling out improvements out. The two have gotten to know Staff Writer each other in the past week. origin in Asia, from where it has priorities in the coming year, espe- to the sites, but asked the county to The Orange County commission- cially in the area of solid waste. They explore a model that keeps all conve- Access to Bourne’s pub and spread worldwide, with possibly ers Tuesday night nudged and tweaked are balancing competing priorities – nience centers open for at least a few grill, the Spotted Dog Restaurant numerous subspecies. I very much the county’s budget for next year – nip- the desire on the part of some resi- hours each Sunday. & Bar, has been restricted by the appreciate Alan’s assessment of this ping here, tucking there, ending up with dents to extend service hours at the In other business: ongoing construction on East a budget that spends about what they county’s disposal sites and the need • The commissioners signaled Weaver Street. Fairbanks came seemingly unlimited variation: “In up with a plan to encourage con- North America, these genotypes planned to before adjusting it. to upgrade those sites for the day they have no plans to spend money In the end, the commissioners several years hence when the county to improve the site once intended sumers to visit the restaurant and appear to have intermixed; in our agreed to a $177 million budget that, closes its landfill and begins sending for an 11th Chapel Hill-Carrboro the two other businesses affected area, the recognition of infraspecific barring last-minute changes, they plan waste outside the county. elementary school in the Northside most by the construction — The taxa appears to be unwarranted, to approve at their June 21 meeting. “If we just use the fees to increase neighborhood and plan to reach a fi- Beehive hair salon and Maple View Ice Cream. difficult, and unmeaningful.” The commissioners spent considerable hours, that is not going to be sus- nal decision on what to do with the time discussing a library agreement tainable,” Commissioner Pam Hem- property within the coming year. SEE WEAVER PAGE 3 SEE FLORA PAGE 8 with the Town of Chapel Hill (see minger said. story this page). The board eventually approved the SEE COUNTY PAGE 2 INSIDE Tar Heels Omaha bound: Next up, Vandy Cell phone BY EDDY only a single series dur- families].