Photo Credit: "Courtesy Mike Seeger Collection, photographer unknown."
Libba Cotten Day in Carrboro
Legendary North Carolina musician Elizabeth “Libba” Cotten is being feted by her hometown with her very own day on this birthday anniversary.
Mayor Damon Seils is officially proclaiming Wednesday, Jan. 5, as “Libba Cotten Day” in Carrboro.
“Libba Cotten continues to inspire musicians around the world and occupies a special place in Carrboro’s history and our vibrant and enduring local music culture,” Mayor Damon Seils said. “I invite you to join us in this opportunity to celebrate her life and legacy.”
Born on Jan. 5, 1893, Cotten wrote her signature song, “Freight Train,” about the train she could hear from her childhood home on Lloyd Street in Carrboro, North Carolina. Cotten's talents as guitarist and songwriter came to light while she was working in the home of the Seeger family, who encouraged her career as a professional musician. Cotten toured across the country, recording several albums and winning a Grammy Award and a National Heritage Fellowship before her death in 1987.
LIBBA COTTEN DAY Celebrations will include:
- Carrboro Libba Cotten Day Community Ride – Join the community bike ride at 9 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 5, starting at the Libba Cotten mural at 111 N. Merritt Mill Road. Riders will then bicycle to the NC Historical Marker honoring Ms. Cotten on East Main Street and continue onto the Libba Cotten Bikeway before returning to their starting point back at the mural. Thanks to the ReCYCLEry for organizing this community ride. Masks and social distancing required.
- Reading at the NC Historical Marker – Mayor Damon Seils will read the proclamation declaring Libba Cotten Day in the Town of Carrboro at the site of the NC Historical Marker on East Main Street in Carrboro. The reading will occur just after 9 a.m. Attending the reading will be Ms. Cotten’s great-grandson John W. Evans Jr. and Ansley Herring Wegner of the North Carolina Highway Historical Marker Program, NC Office of Archives and History. Convenient public parking is located at 200 E. Main St. Learn more about the marker at http://www.ncmarkers.com/Markers.aspx?MarkerId=G-129
- Libba Cotten Bikeway – Named for Ms. Cotten, the bikeway will be decorated for her birthday. Happy Birthday, Libba!
- Libba Cotten Day Proclamation – Read the complete proclamation at https://townofcarrboro.org/DocumentCenter/View/10426/Libba-Cotten-Day-2022-
- Freight Train Blues Festival – With partner Music Maker Blues Foundation, the Town of Carrboro announces its 2022 concert series, which will include five evening concerts featured from May 13 to June 10 at Carrboro Town Commons, 301 W. Main St. https://musicmaker.org/freight-train-blues-concert-series/
Read more at https://townofcarrboro.org/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=1961
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Responding to Monday's Storm
Carrboro Public Works staff (including Mike Thompson, here clearing a blocked culvert) were busy responding to flooding and fallen trees from Monday's storm.
✅ Report Flooding: https://tocgis.ci.carrboro.nc.us/Carrboro/FloodReport/
✅ Stormwater Hotline: 919-913-2999 or stormwater@townofcarrboro.org
✅ Emergencies: 911
✅ Get the most up-to-date information from Duke Energy about power restoration efforts by enrolling in Outage Alerts. Customers who have lost power can text OUT to 57801, report online at duke-energy.com or call 800-POWER-ON.
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Town Council Update
Meeting agendas and updates are issued from the Town Clerk’s Office. To receive these by email or text, sign up for Carrboro Town News at townofcarrboro.org/signup
Civic involvement is a valued tradition in our community. Reach the Town Council with your ideas, views, and questions at council@townofcarrboro.org
Coming Up
The Town Council will meet next virtually at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 4, to consider the (closed session) agenda that is posted at https://bit.ly/34iH7TT and carrboro.legistar.com
To view, access livestream at carrboro.legistar.com or YouTube.com/CarrboroNC OR Cable TV 18 (in Carrboro).
About the Town Council
The Town Council is the legislative and policy-making body for Carrboro, consisting of the following: Mayor Damon Seils, Mayor Pro Tempore Susan Romaine, Council Member Barbara Foushee, Council Member Randee Haven-O’Donnell, Council Member Danny Nowell and Council Member Sammy Slade. More information is available at http://townofcarrboro.org/248/Town-Council
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Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration set for Jan. 15
The Town of Carrboro invites the community to the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 15, at the Carrboro Century Center, 100 N. Greensboro St.
This youth planned event strives to bring the community together to celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Come celebrate Carrboro’s very own day of service with speakers and friends. Save the date for this special event! More details forthcoming.
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Christmas Tree Recycling
Find your yard waste collection day at https://townofcarrboro.org/2581/Find-Your-Collection-Day for Christmas tree collection.
Remember to remove all decorations before placing trees at the curbside. Residents in multi-unit apartment complexes should place trees in designated areas alongside dumpsters.
Questions? Call 919-968-7428 or pworks@townofcarrboro.org
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Refreshing a Rain Garden and Waiting for Spring
Town of Carrboro Stormwater staff last month replanted the rain garden on the corner of Hillsborough Road and James Street.
Over the winter, the plants will establish their root system and flush out in the spring with any surviving original plant material.
The rain garden was originally created in 2012 in a Town partnership with NC State University. With help from a volunteer from the Barred Owl Creek Neighborhood, Town staff planted about 80 plugs and tubelings of native plants.
Public Works and Stormwater staff maintain the rain garden. Questions? Contact 919-913-2999 or stormwater@townofcarrboro.org.
Are you looking for information on installing a rain garden at home? The Stormwater Division has information available online about rain gardens https://townofcarrboro.org/2555/Rain-Gardens in the Homeowner's Watershed and Stormwater Handbook at https://townofcarrboro.org/2324/Stormwater-Homeowners-Manual To schedule a visit with Stormwater staff for technical advice, please use the Service Request Form at https://townofcarrboro.org/FormCenter/Public-Works-Department-23/Stormwater-Service-Request-134
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COVID-19 Testing Update
Due to high demand and staffing shortages, Orange County Health Department COVID-19 testing clinics are now BY APPOINTMENT ONLY.
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The Carrboro Recreation Parks and Cultural Resources Department has issued its January 2022 recreation newsletter. Access this issue at https://townofcarrboro.org/DocumentCenter/View/1913/Monthly-Events-Newsletter?bidId=
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Carrboro Sidewalk Repair Underway
About 4,000 square feet of sidewalks around Carrboro are being repaired in a project underway through the end of January .
Included in the $75,000 maintenance and repair project are sidewalks, wheelchair ramps, and curb and gutter work. The work consists of replacing damaged sections of sidewalk including trip hazards and upgrading curb ramps to current ADA standards.
Sidewalk repairs will be made at the following locations:
Atterbury, N. Camellia, W. Winmore, S. Camellia, Kiley, Sharp, Jewell, Lucas, Della, Stratford, Tramore, Ellsworth, Autumn, Farm House, Sunset Creek, Rockgarden, Cates Farm, Bel Arbor, Long Meadows, Legends, N. Fields, Shadow Ridge, Hogan Woods, Lake Ridge, E. Main, and Martin Luther King Jr. Park.
A concrete saw and jack hammer will be used for demolition so residents should expect short durations of noise associated with the demo.
For more information, contact the Carrboro Public Works Department at 919-918-7425 or PWorks@townofcarrboro.org
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Carrboro Surveys Residents about Town Services
What do you think of Town services? The Town of Carrboro seeks to find out through a survey being issued to a random sampling of residents.
Results are used in Town planning efforts to identify future improvements. New to the survey this year are questions related to American Recovery Plan funding. These funds are being called a “generational opportunity” to make long-term, impactful investments in our community.
The Carrboro Resident Survey is being mailed to 2,000 randomly selected Carrboro households. Respondents can complete and return by mail, or take the survey online or by phone. For non-English speaking households, foreign language translation will be available in multiple languages.
The Town has selected ETC Institute to help with the survey. As a way of thanking everyone who participates, ETC Institute will randomly select one respondent to receive a $500 Visa gift card.
A report of the survey findings will be released in early 2022. For more information, contact Communication and Engagement Director Catherine Lazorko at communications@townofcarrboro.org
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Town awards COVID-19 Mitigation Business Grants to small businesses
The Carrboro Town Council has announced 30 small businesses will be receiving grants from the COVID-19 Mitigation Business Grant program.
The Town Council voted on Tuesday, Dec. 14, to approve a list of 30 small businesses to receive more than $274,000 in grant assistance. The grant program was developed to help local small businesses mitigate the negative economic impacts businesses received as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The program utilizes American Rescue Act Plan (ARPA) Federal funds awarded to the Town.
“We know how much our small, local businesses have struggled over the past year and a half, so we're pleased to be able to provide some direct financial assistance as they work to recover,” said Mayor Damon Seils.
The applications were reviewed, prioritized, and recommended by the COVID Loan and Grant Review Committee which also reviewed applications for the Town’s COVID Emergency Loan program in spring 2020 – just after the pandemic began. These additional funds bring the Town’s total COVID-19 support for small businesses to more than $630,000.
Congratulations to the businesses who received a grant: Acme, ArtsCenter, BowBarr, Carolina Core Pilates, Carolina Yoga Company, Carrboro Coffee Roasters, Carrburritos Taqueria, CommunityWorx, Coronato Pizza, Craftboro Brewing Depot, Firefly Carrboro, FIT on Main, Glasshalfull, Hope Renovations, Kumon of Carrboro, Love and Peace Boutique, Midway Barbershop, Montessori Academy of Carrboro, Neal's Deli, Open Eye, Present Day on Main, South Orange Rescue Squad, Steel String Brewery, The Beehive, Thirteen West, Triangle Bikeworks, Twin House Music, Vecino Brewing, Venable, and WomanCraft Gifts.
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Carrboro Holidays on YouTube
If you missed the Carrboro Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony or other town events over this holiday season, feel free to visit the playlist on YouTube to catch them all. Available at https://bit.ly/34kLI85
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Seeking Input on American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Funding
The Town of Carrboro is collecting information on how funds provided from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) can best address difficulties caused by COVID-19.
To complete the online survey, please visit the following:
Printed surveys can be picked up at the following locations:
- Carrboro Town Hall (301 W. Main St., Carrboro, NC 27510
- Carrboro Century Center, 100 N. Greensboro St.
- Carrboro Farmers Market
ARPA funds can be used to:
- Support public health (fund personal protective equipment, behavioral healthcare, and certain public health and safety staff)
- Address negative economic impacts (provide aid for workers, nonprofits, households, small businesses, affected industries and public sector)
- Services to disproportionately impacted communities (fund education assistance, child care, affordable housing, services for unhoused persons, lead remediation)
- Provide premium pay for essential workers of the Town of Carrboro
- Invest in infrastructure (water, stormwater, energy conservation, sewer, and broadband)
ARPA funds cannot be used to:
- Build a town's savings reserves or repay loans
- Litigation costs
- Fund a town's pension debts
- Offset loss in tax revenue as a result of a law, regulation, or administrative interpretation
- Lower tax rates
- General growth or economic development purposes
More information about the Town of Carrboro’s engagement and review process for ARPA Funding is available at http://townofcarrboro.org/2583/American-Rescue-Plan.
If you have questions or need more information, please contact us at communications@townofcarrboro.org
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