May 2005

Guest Post by Linda Convissor

Friends and Neighbors,
A you know, we are in the midst of a major building program on campus. The campus master plan, which was completed in 2001, guides this campus development.

Midway through our historic building program, we recognize that it is a good time to evaluate and update the plan for main campus. The update process began with a number of initial planning workshops held this past winter to assess current conditions and identify the scope of the update. Issues of pedestrian connections, green space, transportation and parking are some of the issues being looked at.

Next week we will hold a meeting to solicit additional input from the community and invite you to attend. The meeting will be held on Thursday, May 19, 5:30 - 7:00 p.m. in 116 Murphey Hall.

If you are unfamiliar with the 2001 master plan, it is posted at http://www.fpc.unc.edu/CampusMasterPlan. It is also available at the Chapel Hill Public Library.

Guest Post by Terri Buckner

Of the top oil producing countries in the world, only one is a democracy with a president who was elected on a platform of using his nation's oil revenue to benefit the poor. The country is Venezuela. The President is Hugo Chavez.

Citgo is a U.S. refining and marketing firm that is a wholly owned subsidiary of Venezuela's state-owned oil company. By buying your gasoline at Citgo, you are contributing to the billions of dollars that Venezuela's democratic government is using to provide health care, literacy and education, and subsidized food for the majority of Venezuelans. With a mass movement behind him, Chavez is confronting poverty in Venezuela. That's why large majorities have consistently backed him in democratic elections.

So get your gas at Citgo. And help fuel a democratic revolution in Venezuela.
(adapted from Common Dreams: http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0516-25.htm)

There are 10 Citgo gas stations in Orange County:

1. SHORT STOP
300 W MAIN ST
CARRBORO, NC 27510

This Monday (May 23) the Orange County Commission will be holding a public hearing on a proposal to downzone most or all of the land in its planning jurisdiction. The purpose of this initiative is to stop suburban sprawl from overtaking the rural areas of the County. And I think we should all be in support of that goal. Preserving the remaining farm land in our community is not merely an aesthetic issue, it is also a national and regional security issue. (What will happen to the availability of food as the price of shipping our food across the globe increases?)

However, the County is missing the boat on one important issue. While we do need to find more sustainable ways to grow, we also need to ensure that we will have areas where we can grow sustainably. Rather than eliminating the possibility of new residences in the unincorporated areas of the County, we could be transferring the presently allowed density into a few, well-chosen sites. That is, we should keep the dwellings, but have them be in appropriate locations (where there is potential sewer-access, low-impact on streams, potential access to public transportation etc.)

Chapel Hill Herald, Saturday May 21, 2005

Like the three-headed dog of Greek mythology, town, gown and scrubs have put their heads together to move forward on a common initiative. Last week, Mayor Foy, Chancellor Moeser and UNC Healthcare CEO Roper all signed a letter to the N.C. Department of Transportation conveying their "agreement on a solution acceptable to all parties" on the long-delayed improvements to Chapel Hill's South Columbia Street.

Perhaps now, the turn lanes, bike lanes and sidewalks agreed to by the town and Chancellor Michael Hooker in 1998 will at last be built.

This was quite a turnaround from recent weeks when it was learned that the improvements were held up by the DOT and questions were raised as to the university's involvement.

Those who follow the issue are well aware that not long after Moeser's arrival, the university reneged on Hooker's agreement and the planned improvements were stalled.