Date: Wed, 30 Jun 2010 15:43:10 EDT
From: Ed Williams
Subject: Courthouse restoration – Confederate statue

I saw on News14 today a brief report on the community  forum held yesterday about the restoration of the Chatham County Courthouse. I  was not able to be present at the forum, but I believe the courthouse can and  should be restored to look as it did before the fire, though not  necessarily to house the same offices as before.

News14 showed some woman named  Valerie making a comment that had nothing to do with the restoration. She wants  the statue of
the Confederate soldier to be removed from in front of the  courthouse because, in her opinion, it is “not appropriate” to be there. I  wonder where Valerie is from.

As an alumnus of UNC-Chapel Hill, I am familiar with the  efforts, every couple of years, by some student group (Socialists of UNC, Karl  Marx society, or something like that) to force UNC to take down the statue of  “Silent Sam”, the Confederate soldier standing on the front lawn of the  campus facing Franklin Street. Sam is still there, and I hope our local  Confederate soldier will not be removed.

There is absolutely no good reason to  remove it.

Ed Williams

Date: Thu, 24 Jun 2010 07:55:26 -0400
From: Lesley Landis
Subject: Public Input on the Courthouse

Residents interested in the rebuilding of the Historic County Courthouse can provide broad feedback ideas on what functions the courthouse might include when it is rebuilt during input at an upcoming community forum on Tues. 6/29, from 6:30-8:30 pm at Northwood High School in the cafeteria. The school is located in Pittsboro on US 15-501, just north of the US 64 bypass.

Residents may also complete a brief survey to provide input.

The survey is online at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/87CCBDQ. A printed copy of the survey is available at any of the county libraries in Goldston, Siler City and Pittsboro or the County Manager’s Office on the second floor of the Courthouse Annex in Pittsboro. The deadline to submit the survey is Friday, July 2, at 5 pm.
__

Lesley Landis

Date: Mon, 19 Apr 2010 22:16:43 -0400
From: Robert Britson
Subject: NC 87 traffic detours

Signage for new Hwy 87 detours will be reevaluated on Tuesday, April 20, according to a DOT worker.  First day was amazingly confusing since Old Graham Rd and 87 S are both affected.  Impt information: Camp St. area of Old Graham Rd.  is accessible from the south only — via 15-501 and around courthouse to Hwy 64 business.

Local traffic on from 64 bypass and 87 means Senior Center and residences only on southern end.  Roadblocks begin at Senior Center!

It was amazing to see a traveler actually move the roadblocks in front of Senior Center so that he could get make his own way, and for one traveler to actually cut through our yard from Hwy 87, jumping a ditch on Old Graham Rd.  Lots of folks totally ignored signs, and one person thought local meant traveling to Burlington was local enough!   We actually allowed one frustrated  Camp St. visitor to park in our yard.

Ultimately all this will be worth it, and a traffic circle is an efficient and safer way for cars and pedestrians to access Camp St., CCCC and new library.  Janice Britson

Date: Wed, 10 Mar 2010 11:43:48 -0500
From: Lindsay Hickling
Subject: Chatham County Senior Games

Meet, compete and stay of your feet!

Fitness-Fun-Fellowship-

Date: Fri, 19 Mar 2010 12:58:22 -0400
From: Marissa Jelks
Subject: Chatham County Animal Control

Chatham County Animal Control has a website at http://www.chathamnc.org/Index.aspx?page=109. I hope you find the information on the site helpful as you consider animal issues. We  continue to update the site to provide relevant information and links.

Please email me to make suggestions as to links and text you think I should include on the website. Thanks.

John Sauls
Animal Control Manager
Chatham County Public Health Department
john.sauls@chathamnc.org

Date: Fri, 19 Mar 2010 12:11:18 -0400
From: Marissa Jelks
Subject: Health Department Starts New Blog

The Chatham County Public Health Department has a new blog. This has a different look and name. The new blog address is http://chathampublichealth.com/. The purpose of the blog is to open up communication with the public.

The blog will feature information on health department programs, events, and general public health news. The health department would like to hear from you. So please stop by and let us know what you think about the blog and what the health department is doing.

For further questions, please contact Marissa Jelks at 545-8517 or marissa.jelks@chathamnc.org<

Date: Wed, 3 Mar 2010 05:10:49 -0800 (PST)
From: Meg Miller
Subject: BOE has tough job

Reading the list of cuts the BOE will have to make this year is tough.  Please remember it’s tougher for them. We have all had to make changes to our lifestyles and do without, some more than others and that is not different with CCS. Jobs will be lost and that’s a hard choice these board members will make.

If you email them, be kind.  I know there are some things on this list that will be missed but there are others that won’t.  Sometimes there is a little too much “help”.  We’ve done w/o some of these things in the past and we can do w/o them again, hopefully just temporarily.

If and when we lose assistants, parents can and will step up to make copies, volunteer for lunch duty and help out in the classroom.  It’s happened before and the school community rallied.  Testing coordinators can also be replaced with some volunteers, we all did it for years before we had these positions.  The same goes for media assistants.  Students and volunteers can help shelve books and do other duties to help the Media center.

Of course that doesn’t make it easier on those who will lose their jobs, and hopefully the community can come together, like here on the Chatlist, and help these folks find employment.

CCS is the counties largest employer and they have to make cuts.  Our community needs to rally and support both the BOE in their decisions and those they will effect.

And thanks MIA, for always keeping the public informed about CCS.  Waiting for the next election to put you on the BOE!!!

Date: Tue, 2 Mar 2010 08:37:37 -0500
From: Tom Glendinning
Subject: Survey of Chatham Taxpayers

Request to participate in a survey of Chatham County taxpayers:

Since 2005, Chatham County spending has increased by 63 %, from $ 49 million to $ 80 Million.  This survey asks what you think is proper and right about
this trend.  It also asks how you rate services among the departments.

The survey is a query to determine the opinions of Chatham citizens on the quality of government and the relevance of this trend in these economic times.  Many lost fifty percent of their portfolio strength in 2008-9, lost jobs, suffered foreclosures, lost home value below recent appraisal levels, and can not borrow or refinance with current banking practices.

The 2009 revaluation appraisals are limited by state law under general statute 105.  There is no flexibility built into the regulation governing tax department practices for determining real estate market value.

County spending determines the amount of paid by each taxpayer.  The tax rate and home value have little, real impact on the tax bill.  In the 1970′s, our tax rate was the highest allowed by state law and our values were very low.  In the last fifteen years, the values have increased close to full market value, and our rate has dropped.  However, the tax bills have increased steadily.

Let us know how you feel about the spending trend and county government.
Take ten minutes to fill out the survey.  You must live in or own property in Chatham County, N.C. to participate.  This effort is non-partisan.

Thank you for your interest and time.

The URL for the survey is:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/L9YRKDK

Tom Glendinning

Date: Mon, 1 Mar 2010 10:04:05 -0500
From: Angel Dennison
Subject: Chatham home delivered meals – reply to Sherry

Sherry-

The Chatham County Council on Aging operates a home delivered meal program
for adults aged 60 and older, Monday through Friday. We prepare the meals
fresh daily at the senior center in Siler City and volunteers take them to
homes in every part of the County. Not surprisingly with the significant
increase in the older adult population, we are in need of additional
volunteers. Routes take approximately an hour. Volunteers are trained to
keep the food at the appropriate temperatures during the route. Volunteers
also provide a friendly visit to our clients and let us know if the clients
have any unmet needs. Our mission is to assist older adults in living
independently, in their own homes, and good nutrition is a critical aspect.

Please contact Evelyn White, Volunteer Coordinator for the Council on Aging,
if you want additional information. She has been managing this program for a
long time and is a true “pro.”

Angel Dennison
Executive Director
Chatham County Council on Aging

Date: Sat, 27 Feb 2010 07:32:53 -0500
From: Steve Candelori
Subject: RE: Chatham Tax Survey

Chatham Chatlist #3664

For those who missed the survey, I am re-posting the link…https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/L9YRKDK

My opinion is that Tom is being unfairly criticized for posting the survey. Tom has been a wealth of knowledge and information for the Chat List. I admire him. I think he is well within his right to post the survey. And as I would suspect, there will be those out there that wish taxpayers wouldn’t pay attention to what our elected officials are doing with our money. Look what is happening at the federal level by the Acorn Administration. Does anyone have an idea how stimulus money is being spent? It will horrify the the most left leaning liberal socialist. A few of the comments made about the survey really stuck out for me…they are:

I took the survey, and found it to be very one sided, especially the last question.

Really? What do you mean? It’s a question on a survey…just answer it. BTW, what side?

but public opinion should not be based on an unscientific survey.

Of course not…who needs public opinion anyway? I’m curious though…what makes this survey unscientific? The comment alone was made to bring doubt about the survey….it didn’t work on me. You?

Reeks of junk science and political spin.

Please let the Chat List faithful know what you are talking about….especially the “junk science” part.

though i did find some of the yes/no type questions at the end rather difficult to answer mainly because the issue presented is much more complex than just a yes/no reply…

Yes or No are appropriate choices for an answer to those questions. Anything less is neither Yes or No. Politicians make their living on the unclear. Perhaps you should consider a career change.

as i said, it comes down to what you expect of your government and for sure there are those who don’t trust it and find it intrusive.  i can say there have been times i have been of such a mind, but in the balance of things, the good far outweighs the bad and to me that equates to a better quality of life for all the people of the county

One can only assume that statements such as this can only come from those who pay attention to our government or from those that don’t yet have become subservient government subjects. Surveys like this help keep those that care informed. What is the problem with that?

The spending of tax revenues should be closely watched, period. Especially when an increase in spending like what we are seeing is taking place. Can we all agree on that? I don’t know about you, but forking over my earnings to politicians and trusting them to do the right thing with it doesn’t leave me with a warm and fuzzy feeling. They need to be closely watched and held accountable.