The Citizens for Equity in Government (CEG) in Hickory is a call for every resident of Hickory to join in a major effort to make Hickory a better city. Rebuilding and empowering the city requires an informed public that is willing to continually seek the truth and stand for justice for all people. We want to build a grassroots democratic culture where all are respected, all voices are heard, and where we work together so that the needs of all are met. Is that the Hickory you want? Let’s join together in Hickory and make it happen. This campaign is a continuation of decades of grassroots work and is an important step towards laying the foundations for a city where dignity and worth of all are affirmed and up held.
We at CEG stand for dignity, worth and potential of every person. We work with mainly the poor, most rejected, and most ejected and excluded. We try to do this work in such a way as to promote the welfare of all. We fully support the effort to save our children’s swimming pools.
Our struggle for justice involves issues of health, education, environment, and economics. Saving our children’s swimming pools is a starting point rather than an end.
At the recent workshops (hearings) held by the City of Hickory it was abundantly clear what type of Aquatic Program the citizens desired. It was also made clear by City Council member Hank Guess that “the City does not have money set aside for swimming pools and has to balance recreation needs with other city projects.”
Hearings, workshops, citizens’ suggestions and ideals!
We will continue our struggle on Saturday, October 16, 2010 at 11:00 am at Ridgeview Recreation Center. Hear the Rev. Nelson Johnson of Greensboro, NC deliver the keynote address.
Hear what other citizens’ research exposes. But, most of all express yourself.
There will be food and fellowship for all.
Contact: Billy Sudderth (828) 308-4669
The Hound: This sounds great and it is my hope that an effort such as this can succeed in engaging all of the citizens of Hickory and enticing more people to participate in the decision making processes that take place in Hickory. This is not going to be an easy task. In my opinion there are forces that have long aligned to keep the average citizen out of the city's policy making apparatus.
What this is going to take is determination and perseverance. Far too many people believe that efforts such as these will be quickly and easily solved. They feel that going to one meeting or attending a few functions are going to gain attention and cause key decision makers to take notice and support whatever position the group is advocating. It unfortunately does not work that way.
It is a numbers game. The Powers that Be are only going to listen to you when they feel that it may have a direct effect (or reflection) on their status. They listen to the existing interests, because that is who brought them to the decision making table. If they feel that your movement could cause them to lose their position of status, then they will be moved to incorporate your interests into the decision making process. Unfortunately, the name of the game today is not right and/or wrong. Right and/or wrong is only going to come to the fore if a group such as "Citizens for Equity in Government" can become enough of a force to make the necessary changes to existing processes to incorporate such principles into the decision making process.
I congratulate Citizens for Equity in Government on their initial efforts. I do believe that we have seen progress on the Hickory City Pools issue. The efforts to squash the interests of the Ridgeview and West Hickory have failed miserably and this shows that when Advocacy groups do take an interest in city processes that they can make a difference. But, this issue is not solved until the goal is attained and the Pools issue is solved and then we move on from there to solve other issues. Just because you have gotten the tide to turn in your favor on this issue does not mean that you have won anything. You have to remain vigilant. There will be wins and losses along the way. That is how a Representative Democracy works. But, you are now in the game and your participation in Hickory City Governance is a most welcomed sight!
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Saturday, October 9, 2010
Thursday, October 7, 2010
The Future is Now -- Hickory Hound 30,000+ Unique Views
On Tuesday the Hound went over 30,000 unique views. I have been keeping up with the numbers and this is by far the fastest 5,000 unique view increment increase that we have seen since this blog began. It took 82 days to get those 5,000 views compared to the previous 5,000 increment (from 20k to 25k) that took 130 days. It is great to see that the Hound continues to gather momentum. It has been steady progress, of course with constant steps forward and steps back, but the trends show the slow, but we are seeing an exponential growth curve develop as we have moved forward.
I truly appreciate those who read and participate with the input of this blog. In my opinion, you give this community hope, because you care. It is discouraging when we see the challenges that we face in this community and the fact that some people just don't get it and others just don't care. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and that is what makes a great community, but when people are ambivalent they may as well be working against us.
Some people think that I am out there and I guess I am a little out there, but I'm a lot less crazy than some of you think. Below is an embedded video from Discovery Channel called "Next World -- the Future of Life on Earth." This video shows technology, much of which is already accessible in its beginning form, that will change life as we know it on earth. I have been around technology my entire life. I have told many of you about that before in other postings and in person.
The human brain does 100 trillion calculations per second, by 2050 a desktop computer will have the equivalent processing power of 9 billion brains. We're moving quickly towards where computer devices will have artificial intelligence. The machines that are derivatives of this technology will give us the capability of being superhuman in nature.
I was around computers when they took up the bottom floor a building to do the most rudimentary operations. Those computers were nothing compared to what Blackberries and iPhones can do today. Remember people’s vinyl collections of music and how much space that 100 albums would take up. Well, today's 160 GB iPod will hold 40,000 songs, so that's anywhere between 2,500 and 4,000 albums and this will fit easily in your shirt pocket. That is how technology has evolved and expanded over the last 30 years.
What this video shows is the evolution of robotic technology. The video shows the melding of humans and machines. That is already taking place. Look at what has happened with smart phones and Blue Tooth technology.
This video shows Ray Kurzweil who is one of the leading futurists in the world. What we see from all of this is that humans in their ultimate form are very adaptive. Sometimes the exponential growth of the technology that surrounds us has proven to be faster than our minds can comprehend. What I want you to understand is that most of the technology that we are enjoying today was at one time thought to be impossible. So as one watches this video and has trouble comprehending or believing what they are seeing, they need to come to the realization that anything is possible if given enough time to develop. It is foolish to ever think or state that something can never happened -- never say never.
One recent example is an article that I read on ESPN.com today. Brent Musburger, who most of us know through his association as a media journalist and commentator, was stating that the use of steroids (performance enhancing drugs), when properly administered by physicians in a safe environment, should be acceptable for adult professional athletes. A lot of respondents went with standard line of today that that is an unacceptable idea. But, I understand exactly where Brent Musburger is coming from.
We are coming to an age when bionic prosthetic devices could be used when a human has a problem with the knee joint, hip joint, elbow, shoulder, ankle, vertebrae, etc... Eventually these devices could be better than the real thing. Would these not be construed as performance enhancing devices. Should they be banned or outlawed. What if an athlete tears up their knee and one of these devices could be installed as replacement. What would be wrong with that?
These are some of the ethical questions that are going to have to be answered in the very near future. We see this in this video when an exoskeleton is shown. We have already seen the use of predator drones on the battlefield. Soon we are going to see the ability to utilize robotic technology and exoskeleton technology in conjunction with humans on the battlefield. We must open our minds to the possibilities in order to gain an understanding of what we are facing. You can stick your head in the sand or you can join those of us who have an acceptance of all of this and help to make better decisions of the limitless possibilities, consequences, and challenges that we face.
This particular video runs a little over 40 minutes. Watch a little bit at a time and come back to it. I don't see how you can't find something such as this very interesting. Sure it isn't a comedy or drama to help you escape the pressures of day, but it is good to expand your horizons and understand the true characteristics of the world in which we live.
I truly appreciate those who read and participate with the input of this blog. In my opinion, you give this community hope, because you care. It is discouraging when we see the challenges that we face in this community and the fact that some people just don't get it and others just don't care. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and that is what makes a great community, but when people are ambivalent they may as well be working against us.
Some people think that I am out there and I guess I am a little out there, but I'm a lot less crazy than some of you think. Below is an embedded video from Discovery Channel called "Next World -- the Future of Life on Earth." This video shows technology, much of which is already accessible in its beginning form, that will change life as we know it on earth. I have been around technology my entire life. I have told many of you about that before in other postings and in person.
The human brain does 100 trillion calculations per second, by 2050 a desktop computer will have the equivalent processing power of 9 billion brains. We're moving quickly towards where computer devices will have artificial intelligence. The machines that are derivatives of this technology will give us the capability of being superhuman in nature.
I was around computers when they took up the bottom floor a building to do the most rudimentary operations. Those computers were nothing compared to what Blackberries and iPhones can do today. Remember people’s vinyl collections of music and how much space that 100 albums would take up. Well, today's 160 GB iPod will hold 40,000 songs, so that's anywhere between 2,500 and 4,000 albums and this will fit easily in your shirt pocket. That is how technology has evolved and expanded over the last 30 years.
What this video shows is the evolution of robotic technology. The video shows the melding of humans and machines. That is already taking place. Look at what has happened with smart phones and Blue Tooth technology.
This video shows Ray Kurzweil who is one of the leading futurists in the world. What we see from all of this is that humans in their ultimate form are very adaptive. Sometimes the exponential growth of the technology that surrounds us has proven to be faster than our minds can comprehend. What I want you to understand is that most of the technology that we are enjoying today was at one time thought to be impossible. So as one watches this video and has trouble comprehending or believing what they are seeing, they need to come to the realization that anything is possible if given enough time to develop. It is foolish to ever think or state that something can never happened -- never say never.
One recent example is an article that I read on ESPN.com today. Brent Musburger, who most of us know through his association as a media journalist and commentator, was stating that the use of steroids (performance enhancing drugs), when properly administered by physicians in a safe environment, should be acceptable for adult professional athletes. A lot of respondents went with standard line of today that that is an unacceptable idea. But, I understand exactly where Brent Musburger is coming from.
We are coming to an age when bionic prosthetic devices could be used when a human has a problem with the knee joint, hip joint, elbow, shoulder, ankle, vertebrae, etc... Eventually these devices could be better than the real thing. Would these not be construed as performance enhancing devices. Should they be banned or outlawed. What if an athlete tears up their knee and one of these devices could be installed as replacement. What would be wrong with that?
These are some of the ethical questions that are going to have to be answered in the very near future. We see this in this video when an exoskeleton is shown. We have already seen the use of predator drones on the battlefield. Soon we are going to see the ability to utilize robotic technology and exoskeleton technology in conjunction with humans on the battlefield. We must open our minds to the possibilities in order to gain an understanding of what we are facing. You can stick your head in the sand or you can join those of us who have an acceptance of all of this and help to make better decisions of the limitless possibilities, consequences, and challenges that we face.
This particular video runs a little over 40 minutes. Watch a little bit at a time and come back to it. I don't see how you can't find something such as this very interesting. Sure it isn't a comedy or drama to help you escape the pressures of day, but it is good to expand your horizons and understand the true characteristics of the world in which we live.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of October 5, 2010
This newsletter is about the Hickory City Council meeting that I attended this past week. City council meetings are held on the first and third Tuesdays of each Month in the Council Chambers of the Julian Whitener building.
At right of this page under Main Information links is an Hickory's City Website link. If you click on that link, it takes you to our city’s website, at the left of the page you will see the Agenda's and Minutes link you need to click. This will give you a choice of PDF files to upcoming and previous meetings.
You will find historic Agenda and Minutes links. Agendas show what is on the docket for the meeting of that date. The Minutes is an actual summary of the proceedings of the meeting of that date.
Here is a summary of the agenda of the 10/5/2010 meeting. There were a couple of important items that were discussed at this meeting and the details are listed further below
Invocation by Rev. Ken McEahern
Consent Agenda:
A. Proclamation Declaring the Week of October 18 – 22, 2010 as “National Business Women’s Week” in the City of Hickory
B. Adopt Resolution Honoring the Memory of Patricia Ann McNair for Her Many Years of Community Contributions to the City of Hickory
C. Approval to Apply for 2010 United States Environmental Protection Agency Brownfield Assessment Grant Program - The Planning and Development Department requests approval to file an application with
the 2010 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Brownfield Assessment Grant Program by October 15, 2010. The department’s intention is to apply for a $200,000.00 Hazardous Materials Grant and a $200,000.00 Petroleum Grant. The grants are 100% federally funded and require no local match. The US EPA Region IV Atlanta has encouraged the City to apply for the 2010 funding grant due to the success of the 2007 Brownfield Assessment Grant. There is no cost to apply.
D. Approval to Sole Source Neptune Radio Meters for the Public Utilities Department to Neptune Technology Group, Inc. - The Public Utilities Department requests sole sourcing radio read water meters to allow standardization of parts inventory, training and service. The hand held equipment currently used is Equinox, which is Neptune supported and will not allow other meters to work with them. HD Waterworks, Inc. is the only North Carolina representative for Neptune Technology Group, Inc. Permission is requested to sole source due to the fact that no other company can provide bids for this equipment..
E. Award Bid to Amick Equipment for the Purchase of Two (2) Replacement Automated Side Loaders in the Amount of $484,932.00 - The City of Hickory received five (5) bids with Amick Equipment meeting bid
specifications and being the low bidder at $242,466.00 for each unit for a total of $484,932.00. These new automated side loaders (refuse trucks) will replace units 3719 and 3750 and funds are budgeted for FY 2010-11.
F. Approve Contract Extension for Federal Government Grant Services with Marlowe and Company in the Amount of $56,250.00 The City’s current contract with Marlowe and Company expires September 30, 2010 which included assistance in preparing grants, lobbying members of Congress on federal issues affecting local governments and taking the City step by step through the federal appropriations request process. Monthly updates have been furnished to the City and have met to discuss the steps needed to begin the federal appropriation request process. Staff recommends extension of the contract with Marlowe and Company for fifteen months through December, 2011 in the amount of $3,750 per month for a total of $56,250.
G. Adopt Resolution and Approve Agreement with The Prudential Insurance Company of America Allowing City Employees to Contribute to the NC Deferred Compensation Plan (457) - The City of Hickory employees may currently participate in the NC 401K Plan as well as two (2) 457 plans. By adding the NC 457 plan, employees will have an additional option to save more tax deferred funds for retirement. Staff recommends Resolution adoption and approval of third-party agreement.
H. Budget Ordinance Amendments
1. To budget a $15 memorial donation in the Library Books line item for a children’s book.
2. To budget a total of $13,343 in the Recycling Division Non-Asset Inventory line item. The North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources Division of Pollution Prevention and Environmental Assistance awarded Hickory an $11,119 grant to upgrade one of the existing Recycling drop off centers. To transfer $2,224 from the Recycling Fuel and Motor Oil line item to the Recycling Division Non-Asset Inventory line item for the required local match. This upgrade will allow Hickory to collect and transport 3 different types of materials to the recycling facility with one trip.
3. To transfer $299 from the Police Department Maintenance and Repair of Buildings to the Firing Range Grant Project Specialized Equipment line item for additional concrete needed for the project.
4. To re-appropriate $580,159 of Water and Sewer Fund Balance and budget in the Water and Sewer Line account codes. This amendment is necessary for water and sewer utility relocation to meet the Department of Transportation (DOT) contract for the extensions on Lenoir Rhyne Boulevard from 7th Ave. NE to 8th Ave. NE. Funds were budgeted last fiscal year however they rolled into Fund Balance at year end. Therefore a re-appropriation of funds is necessary.
Informational Items:
A. Report of Mayor Wright’s Travel to Linville, NC to Attend the Future Forward Economic Alliance Meeting at the Grandfather Mountain Museum on September 21, 2010; mileage - $81.00
B. Report of Alderman Lail’s Travel to Chapel Hill, NC to Attend the Strategic Leadership – Setting Priorities, Getting Results Workshop at the School of Government from September 23 – 24, 2010; registration - $295.00
C. Report of Mayor Wright’s Travel to Asheville, NC to Attend the 2010 Metropolitan Mayors Fall Meeting from September 23 - 24, 2010; hotel/parking - $222.86; meals - $60.00; mileage - $75; registration - $100
D. Report of City Manager Berry’s Travel to Asheville, NC to Attend the 2010 Metropolitan Mayors Fall Meeting from September 23 – 24, 2010; hotel - $170.33; registration - $100
New Business - Departmental Reports:
1. Update on Revisions to Hickory By Choice 2030/Land Development Code - Since February 2009 the Advisory Committee and a variety of stakeholders have met numerous times and held five (5) public workshops, with one being scheduled for Monday, October 4. The current Hickory By Choice document is the City’s vision for the future and is over eleven (11) years old while the Land Development Code is a legally binding tool which implements the plan and has undergone numerous amendments since its conception in 2001 and has shown to be a cumbersome document and with the new revisions is planned to become a much more succinct and easy document to use. The Planning and Development Department with Studio Cascades and the Advisory Council have made significant changes to both documents and will advise City Council as to what steps still need to be accomplished for approval and adoption.
Brian Frazier made a brief introduction in which he introduced Bill Grimes of Studio Cascade. We have addressed this process many times over the past year two years, so some of this I will not go over because that would be redundant. Since February of 2009 a variety of stakeholders have participated in this process. The planning and development staff, a Council approved 16 member advisory committee, hundreds of citizens, the land-use development board, and the Chamber of Commerce have all participated.
The goal has been to revise the 1999 Hickory By Choice future land-use plan and the 2001 Council adopted Land Development Code. The advisory committee has met over a dozen times over the last 20 months. And there have been six public workshops. Hickory By Choice, has not been significantly altered or updated over the past 11 years. The new Hickory By Choice 2030 plan will be comprehensive and will have a number of elements including transportation, land use, public facilities, housing, economic development, the environment, and Parks and Recreation, which envisions community design and implementation. It is much more far-reaching than the plan, from 11 years ago.
The Land Development Code implemented in 2001 has seen many amendments over the course of the past several years. It has been a cumbersome document for city staff and planners and developers. The new code is much more user-friendly. Brian stated Hickory By Choice 2030 will serve as the vision for Hickory's future and act as a blueprint for growth. The Land Development Code will be the legally binding tool and law that well help to implement the vision (plan).
Bill Grimes took the podium and quickly described the trajectory of the planning process that got us to this point. He talked about amending the 1999 Hickory By Choice plan to reflect some rather significant changes in circumstances that have happened up until now. They're also trying to update code so that it becomes a consistent package.
He went over the six workshops. The first workshop was a vision workshop. The 1999 plan was somewhat abstract, because it was calling for the creation of pedestrianized centers. All of the daily needs of citizens would be provided by a 5 to 10 minute walk from where they lived. That wasn't necessarily an easy process to implement over the period up until now. So we needed to come back and take a look at that. The universal application of that process needed to be scaled back, but some important elements remained. The workshop in March of 2009 allowed us to reset our vision towards goals that can be accomplished over the next 20 years.
In April of 2009. We had a character workshop in which we tested how the community could have a walkable environment, as well as an economically prosperous one across the city. Some cases were studied, including Viewmont and Downtown. These were brought to the workshop. What they wanted to see is how those areas could work better for people who are pedestrians or riding a bicycle or shopkeepers. They were also looking at people who were wanting to invest or develop properties in these areas.
The third workshop looked at how policy could be transformed from 1999, which was focused on land use and transportation alone, into a policy that is appropriate for 2010, and ultimately 2030. The 1999 scope was being expanded as part of this process to look at housing and economic development in a wide range of other things. The second part of this workshop looked to the zoning and land-use regulation. They looked at different strategies and techniques for zoning and regulation of this development over the next 20 years.
There were several complex issues that were discovered from that previous workshop and so they had a charrette with the advisory committee to go through some different alternatives, which pointed us in the direction of the commercial corridors and centers that existed in Hickory.
There was a commercial centers and corridors workshop that was held in October 2009. This workshop asked citizens to characterize the commercial centers and corridors that exist in Hickory. Understanding that some centers and corridors are gonna be urban, and some will be suburban in character. How will standards be put in place that take both of these characteristics into account and place them in their proper context. Hickory By Choice 1999 did not look at this. This created a conflict that the planning department has had to deal with for the last 11 years. The LDC had both suburban and urban standards, but Hickory By Choice only dealt with urban issues. This was used as a jumping off point so that we could rectify this suburban urban issue.
In February 2010 a workshop was held to discuss the city's residential areas. The idea was to figure out a way to accommodate another 12,000 residents in the City of Hickory. New housing types were added to the equation. It is not always financially or fiscally feasible to grow by expansion, alone. One of the things they were hearing from the community is that there needs to be more diverse land-use within the city. This will help to accommodate additional population without expanding planning areas within the city limits.
Brian Frazier took back the podium and stated that this plan would better take into account the current economy and demographic trends and conditions. He stated that the planners always looked at development from an optimistic point of view and that is what they have been moving on. Has this plan taken longer to develop than they initially envisioned? Yes, but he stated that that was on him. Much of that is attributable to the fact that no changes have occurred in 11 years and they wanted to be more thoughtful and thorough in the process. He stated that this is the best time to plan -- during a down economy.
He reiterated that this is going to be a much more comprehensive plan. He stated, there are going to be about 10 different elements in this plan. He stated that this will include a smaller planning area in size. 11 years ago Hickory By Choice, looked at areas outside of Hickory's ETJ. It went beyond annexation agreements that Hickory had with Conover and Newton. Hickory got some negative blowback on that. This made Hickory look like the proverbial 800 pound gorilla.
This is shrunken, the planning area now where it is legal. This plan looks to develop fewer mixed-use centers. The previous plan at 15 or 16 of these centers, which diluted development in the area and ended up subconsciously encouraging strip development in the area. Brian calls this dumbbell development. This took the sense of place away from the proposed centers and placed it along the corridors between the centers. They are trying to bring development back to those centers and enable that walkability, which was the focus of the original Hickory By Choice.
Downtown will become a Central Business District and that will help downtown with its own set of design standards. They are looking at rehabilitation areas along some of the one-way pairs. This will coincide with "Operation No Vacancy" and the Brownfields to try and give a lift up for people who are willing to locate businesses within these areas.
They are also looking to change residential densities. This will be done through the Land Development Code. The goal of HBC 2030 is to be an economic development strategy. He stated that we do not have a plan that is tailored towards economic development. Updating the LDC was a priority. With the previous Hickory By Choice plan not being developed simultaneously with the LDC it meant that there was a disconnect between the two. With this HBC 2030 plan being done in association with the LDC, it means that they will be compatible from the starting line.
They are looking at various corridor studies and plans which will include Hwy 127 and old 70 which needs some work. He stated that he is working with the State on a Hwy 321 plan that will go from I-40 in the Hwy 70 corridor all the way up into Lenoir. They're looking to work with business owners along the Lenoir-Rhyne X. . The Brownfield sites in this area are prime for re-use for retail and office space that will be tailored towards the students and the faculty at Lenoir-Rhyne University.
He stated that he promised that the Land Development Code book would be smaller. The book has been reduced from over 400 pages to around 240 pages. City staff is working diligently to whittle this down and make it easier and more business friendly. He is trying to eliminate subjective interpretations and bring consistency. They are also trying to simplify land-use categories. He stated as an example that the categories should just be retail or manufacturing.
They are looking at a set of commercial corridor aesthetics so that there will be more of a sense of place. They're looking at beefing up design standards in looking at conditional zoning, which has recently been approved by the State of North Carolina legislature. They're looking at less onerous redevelopment standards. They're not looking to continue to perpetuate strip development. They are looking at simplifying design standards. They are trying to strike the proper balance between being pro-business and pro-neighborhood.
They are looking at expansion of preservation overlays to include Highland, Ridgeview Westmont, and Claremont, because these neighborhood protections were not afforded to them since the 2001 Land Development Code was instituted. They are looking to improve manufactured home standards and multi-family apartment standards. They're looking to improve transition zoning standards. They are looking to reduce permitted by right O&I uses to reduce the neighborhood creep.
He stated that this would reduce the turn around for businesses in the decision-making process involving the Planning Department. He stated that there will be more items that will be permitted by right under the new code. The number of days before an item is approved, should be reduced to between one and 10 days. Currently, many of these items have to go through the planning commission, which can take up to 30 days and then there can be another 30 days before you get your approval, which is up to 60 days.
They're working with the Business Development Committee and the Chamber of Commerce to get them on board. They're looking at flexible commercial and industrial redevelopment to try and make it easier through projects like the Brownfields and Operation No Vacancy to tailor the old buildings. This will not only help the business community, but it will help the residents, who will no longer have to drive by these empty buildings. This will improve the overall appearance and do a lot to solve the problems by being pro-neighborhood and pro-business.
Tonight's appearance before the Council was a courtesy to let the Council know what is going on here and to reintroduce Bill Grimes to the Council again. The first public hearing will be at the planning commission meeting on October 27. He hopes that this will be on the agenda for the Council in either December or January, and this will be ready for adoption by January of this upcoming year.
Alder Fox stated that this was an exciting courtesy (appearance). She stated that this needed to be done, and she believes that they have approached this in a very comprehensive way. The economy may the bad, but all of the plans that have been laid out a very exciting. Alder Patton added that the city has laid the infrastructure for future growth and this is the same thing from the planning side. They have laid the groundwork so that when the economy does come back, we'll not need to do anything because it will have been done. Alderman Lail asked if this would lead to a reconfiguration of the planning commission. Mr. Frazier stated that they have looked at that, but Hickory is one of the first cities that developed a regional planning commission in 1966 and this was an act of the Gen. assembly in Raleigh. The planning jurisdictional purview is within the ETJ -- that means the entire area surrounding Hickory. The ETJ will still be the same, it is just the playing area that will become smaller. Alderman Lail stated that he would like to get a walk-through prior to this coming before the city Council. He stated that he would like this to be a workshop.
Hickory By Choice 2030 Workshop: 6th Meeting - (Unable to attend this meeting)
Hickory By Choice 2030 Workshop: 5th Meeting
Hickory By Choice 2030 Workshop: 4th Meeting
Hickory By Choice 2030 Workshop: 3rd Meeting - (Unable to attend this meeting)
Hickory By Choice 2030 Workshop: 2nd Meeting
Why the original Hickory By Choice doesn't work
Hickory By Choice 2030 Workshop: 1st Meeting
Studio Cascade awarded contract at November 4, 2008 City Council meeting
The Hound wandered on August 17, what was going on with this rewrite of Hickory by Choice. I know that patience is a virtue, but with me sometimes that is a hard commodity to come by, especially in these difficult economic times. I pontificated at that time that the former document was such a myriad of mazes that that might be the reason that this was taking so long. Brian Frazier essentially inferred that was the problem.
I am excited about the prospects of a new era that this document could bring forth. In my opening remarks related to this project, I stated that the goal should be economic development -- that business didn't seem to be part of the equation of this process. Mr. Frazier has certainly turned that around, and I think that he has made that the key component that this document is designed around. Tough economic times, such as those that we are in, bring economics to the forefront. Such as what I was taught in business school, the three keys to the success of an enterprise are location, location, location...
We have to create the locations for businesses to thrive in the Hickory. One quarter of the city is completely full of businesses. One small segment of Highway 70, located near I-40 thrives. The rest of this town for the most part is in the dumps. I like the idea of these revitalization zones. My family's business interests have been negatively impacted by the abandonment of the South side of the tracks. That certainly brings this issue to a the forefront for me. But, I do not want this issue dealt with for my own personal interests. I want this issue dealt with, because it is what is best for the citizens of Hickory.
The members of the City Council and certain city staff know the position of where I come from. We need balance in Hickory. We do not have balance in Hickory. Let's put a map of Hickory on a table and place businesses on that map. If you did that, the table would most certainly fall over. There is no balance.
I think that Mr. Frazier has shown that he understands this. It is my hope that the key interests as far as business and development in our city begin to realize that this is a most certain problem. What has served their personal interests in the past just might not serve their best interests in the future. We need to develop this whole city and not just part of it. Where do the people that live on the south side of the tracks go to buy their groceries? Where do they go to the eat? Where do they go to shop? Where do they go to the doctor? Where do they go for any services? Why is all this stuff on the north side of the tracks? Most of us that have lived here know that it didn't used to be and it certainly doesn't have to be.
2. Update on Citizen Engagement - Assistant City Manager Andrea Surratt will update Council on the extensive activities of the City which engage residents.
Andrea Surratt made the presentation, but before she came to the podium. City Manager Berry had a few comments. He stated that at staff level they were looking at all the things that the city does to engage citizens. He stated that they were impressed with all of the things that the city is doing to engage the citizens. He has spoken with some of the City Council members about the possibilities of a neighborhood summit in the fall.
Ms. Surratt came to the podium (much of this was displayed in a PowerPoint presentation that I pieced together into a storyboard in the photograph below -- please click on the photo link to expand the photo so that you can read the bullet points to see the discussion). Ms. Surratt stated that they had not (ever) looked at the number of times that they engage the public, including across all departments, all times of the year, one-time events, events that happen once a month...
She went over the nine neighborhood organizations, the average attendance at these monthly meetings, business organizations that the city works with, the boards and commission's, never a college, citizens police Academy, the community emergency response teams as part of the fire department, the speakers bureau, special events, and communications and social media.
Ms. Surratt then went over the monthly estimate of hours related to citizen engagement, which is over 1100 hrs. and discussed the over 13,500 hours per year, which would equal six staff positions within the city.
***If you ever want to read larger (or smaller) text on any of these documents all you have to do is hold down the control button and press the plus (or minus) button on your computer to zoom in on the text (minus to zoom out). This can also be done with the photos, Then you can use the sliders at the bottom and right side of the browser page to ride up and down the page to read it (or look at the photo). Just thought I would throw that out there in case you think the text is too small (or big). I only do that so these documents don't take up so much space and as a way to differentiate between the subject matter.
At right of this page under Main Information links is an Hickory's City Website link. If you click on that link, it takes you to our city’s website, at the left of the page you will see the Agenda's and Minutes link you need to click. This will give you a choice of PDF files to upcoming and previous meetings.
You will find historic Agenda and Minutes links. Agendas show what is on the docket for the meeting of that date. The Minutes is an actual summary of the proceedings of the meeting of that date.
Here is a summary of the agenda of the 10/5/2010 meeting. There were a couple of important items that were discussed at this meeting and the details are listed further below
Invocation by Rev. Ken McEahern
Consent Agenda:
A. Proclamation Declaring the Week of October 18 – 22, 2010 as “National Business Women’s Week” in the City of Hickory
B. Adopt Resolution Honoring the Memory of Patricia Ann McNair for Her Many Years of Community Contributions to the City of Hickory
C. Approval to Apply for 2010 United States Environmental Protection Agency Brownfield Assessment Grant Program - The Planning and Development Department requests approval to file an application with
the 2010 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Brownfield Assessment Grant Program by October 15, 2010. The department’s intention is to apply for a $200,000.00 Hazardous Materials Grant and a $200,000.00 Petroleum Grant. The grants are 100% federally funded and require no local match. The US EPA Region IV Atlanta has encouraged the City to apply for the 2010 funding grant due to the success of the 2007 Brownfield Assessment Grant. There is no cost to apply.
D. Approval to Sole Source Neptune Radio Meters for the Public Utilities Department to Neptune Technology Group, Inc. - The Public Utilities Department requests sole sourcing radio read water meters to allow standardization of parts inventory, training and service. The hand held equipment currently used is Equinox, which is Neptune supported and will not allow other meters to work with them. HD Waterworks, Inc. is the only North Carolina representative for Neptune Technology Group, Inc. Permission is requested to sole source due to the fact that no other company can provide bids for this equipment..
E. Award Bid to Amick Equipment for the Purchase of Two (2) Replacement Automated Side Loaders in the Amount of $484,932.00 - The City of Hickory received five (5) bids with Amick Equipment meeting bid
specifications and being the low bidder at $242,466.00 for each unit for a total of $484,932.00. These new automated side loaders (refuse trucks) will replace units 3719 and 3750 and funds are budgeted for FY 2010-11.
F. Approve Contract Extension for Federal Government Grant Services with Marlowe and Company in the Amount of $56,250.00 The City’s current contract with Marlowe and Company expires September 30, 2010 which included assistance in preparing grants, lobbying members of Congress on federal issues affecting local governments and taking the City step by step through the federal appropriations request process. Monthly updates have been furnished to the City and have met to discuss the steps needed to begin the federal appropriation request process. Staff recommends extension of the contract with Marlowe and Company for fifteen months through December, 2011 in the amount of $3,750 per month for a total of $56,250.
G. Adopt Resolution and Approve Agreement with The Prudential Insurance Company of America Allowing City Employees to Contribute to the NC Deferred Compensation Plan (457) - The City of Hickory employees may currently participate in the NC 401K Plan as well as two (2) 457 plans. By adding the NC 457 plan, employees will have an additional option to save more tax deferred funds for retirement. Staff recommends Resolution adoption and approval of third-party agreement.
H. Budget Ordinance Amendments
1. To budget a $15 memorial donation in the Library Books line item for a children’s book.
2. To budget a total of $13,343 in the Recycling Division Non-Asset Inventory line item. The North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources Division of Pollution Prevention and Environmental Assistance awarded Hickory an $11,119 grant to upgrade one of the existing Recycling drop off centers. To transfer $2,224 from the Recycling Fuel and Motor Oil line item to the Recycling Division Non-Asset Inventory line item for the required local match. This upgrade will allow Hickory to collect and transport 3 different types of materials to the recycling facility with one trip.
3. To transfer $299 from the Police Department Maintenance and Repair of Buildings to the Firing Range Grant Project Specialized Equipment line item for additional concrete needed for the project.
4. To re-appropriate $580,159 of Water and Sewer Fund Balance and budget in the Water and Sewer Line account codes. This amendment is necessary for water and sewer utility relocation to meet the Department of Transportation (DOT) contract for the extensions on Lenoir Rhyne Boulevard from 7th Ave. NE to 8th Ave. NE. Funds were budgeted last fiscal year however they rolled into Fund Balance at year end. Therefore a re-appropriation of funds is necessary.
Informational Items:
A. Report of Mayor Wright’s Travel to Linville, NC to Attend the Future Forward Economic Alliance Meeting at the Grandfather Mountain Museum on September 21, 2010; mileage - $81.00
B. Report of Alderman Lail’s Travel to Chapel Hill, NC to Attend the Strategic Leadership – Setting Priorities, Getting Results Workshop at the School of Government from September 23 – 24, 2010; registration - $295.00
C. Report of Mayor Wright’s Travel to Asheville, NC to Attend the 2010 Metropolitan Mayors Fall Meeting from September 23 - 24, 2010; hotel/parking - $222.86; meals - $60.00; mileage - $75; registration - $100
D. Report of City Manager Berry’s Travel to Asheville, NC to Attend the 2010 Metropolitan Mayors Fall Meeting from September 23 – 24, 2010; hotel - $170.33; registration - $100
New Business - Departmental Reports:
1. Update on Revisions to Hickory By Choice 2030/Land Development Code - Since February 2009 the Advisory Committee and a variety of stakeholders have met numerous times and held five (5) public workshops, with one being scheduled for Monday, October 4. The current Hickory By Choice document is the City’s vision for the future and is over eleven (11) years old while the Land Development Code is a legally binding tool which implements the plan and has undergone numerous amendments since its conception in 2001 and has shown to be a cumbersome document and with the new revisions is planned to become a much more succinct and easy document to use. The Planning and Development Department with Studio Cascades and the Advisory Council have made significant changes to both documents and will advise City Council as to what steps still need to be accomplished for approval and adoption.
Brian Frazier made a brief introduction in which he introduced Bill Grimes of Studio Cascade. We have addressed this process many times over the past year two years, so some of this I will not go over because that would be redundant. Since February of 2009 a variety of stakeholders have participated in this process. The planning and development staff, a Council approved 16 member advisory committee, hundreds of citizens, the land-use development board, and the Chamber of Commerce have all participated.
The goal has been to revise the 1999 Hickory By Choice future land-use plan and the 2001 Council adopted Land Development Code. The advisory committee has met over a dozen times over the last 20 months. And there have been six public workshops. Hickory By Choice, has not been significantly altered or updated over the past 11 years. The new Hickory By Choice 2030 plan will be comprehensive and will have a number of elements including transportation, land use, public facilities, housing, economic development, the environment, and Parks and Recreation, which envisions community design and implementation. It is much more far-reaching than the plan, from 11 years ago.
The Land Development Code implemented in 2001 has seen many amendments over the course of the past several years. It has been a cumbersome document for city staff and planners and developers. The new code is much more user-friendly. Brian stated Hickory By Choice 2030 will serve as the vision for Hickory's future and act as a blueprint for growth. The Land Development Code will be the legally binding tool and law that well help to implement the vision (plan).
Bill Grimes took the podium and quickly described the trajectory of the planning process that got us to this point. He talked about amending the 1999 Hickory By Choice plan to reflect some rather significant changes in circumstances that have happened up until now. They're also trying to update code so that it becomes a consistent package.
He went over the six workshops. The first workshop was a vision workshop. The 1999 plan was somewhat abstract, because it was calling for the creation of pedestrianized centers. All of the daily needs of citizens would be provided by a 5 to 10 minute walk from where they lived. That wasn't necessarily an easy process to implement over the period up until now. So we needed to come back and take a look at that. The universal application of that process needed to be scaled back, but some important elements remained. The workshop in March of 2009 allowed us to reset our vision towards goals that can be accomplished over the next 20 years.
In April of 2009. We had a character workshop in which we tested how the community could have a walkable environment, as well as an economically prosperous one across the city. Some cases were studied, including Viewmont and Downtown. These were brought to the workshop. What they wanted to see is how those areas could work better for people who are pedestrians or riding a bicycle or shopkeepers. They were also looking at people who were wanting to invest or develop properties in these areas.
The third workshop looked at how policy could be transformed from 1999, which was focused on land use and transportation alone, into a policy that is appropriate for 2010, and ultimately 2030. The 1999 scope was being expanded as part of this process to look at housing and economic development in a wide range of other things. The second part of this workshop looked to the zoning and land-use regulation. They looked at different strategies and techniques for zoning and regulation of this development over the next 20 years.
There were several complex issues that were discovered from that previous workshop and so they had a charrette with the advisory committee to go through some different alternatives, which pointed us in the direction of the commercial corridors and centers that existed in Hickory.
There was a commercial centers and corridors workshop that was held in October 2009. This workshop asked citizens to characterize the commercial centers and corridors that exist in Hickory. Understanding that some centers and corridors are gonna be urban, and some will be suburban in character. How will standards be put in place that take both of these characteristics into account and place them in their proper context. Hickory By Choice 1999 did not look at this. This created a conflict that the planning department has had to deal with for the last 11 years. The LDC had both suburban and urban standards, but Hickory By Choice only dealt with urban issues. This was used as a jumping off point so that we could rectify this suburban urban issue.
In February 2010 a workshop was held to discuss the city's residential areas. The idea was to figure out a way to accommodate another 12,000 residents in the City of Hickory. New housing types were added to the equation. It is not always financially or fiscally feasible to grow by expansion, alone. One of the things they were hearing from the community is that there needs to be more diverse land-use within the city. This will help to accommodate additional population without expanding planning areas within the city limits.
Brian Frazier took back the podium and stated that this plan would better take into account the current economy and demographic trends and conditions. He stated that the planners always looked at development from an optimistic point of view and that is what they have been moving on. Has this plan taken longer to develop than they initially envisioned? Yes, but he stated that that was on him. Much of that is attributable to the fact that no changes have occurred in 11 years and they wanted to be more thoughtful and thorough in the process. He stated that this is the best time to plan -- during a down economy.
He reiterated that this is going to be a much more comprehensive plan. He stated, there are going to be about 10 different elements in this plan. He stated that this will include a smaller planning area in size. 11 years ago Hickory By Choice, looked at areas outside of Hickory's ETJ. It went beyond annexation agreements that Hickory had with Conover and Newton. Hickory got some negative blowback on that. This made Hickory look like the proverbial 800 pound gorilla.
This is shrunken, the planning area now where it is legal. This plan looks to develop fewer mixed-use centers. The previous plan at 15 or 16 of these centers, which diluted development in the area and ended up subconsciously encouraging strip development in the area. Brian calls this dumbbell development. This took the sense of place away from the proposed centers and placed it along the corridors between the centers. They are trying to bring development back to those centers and enable that walkability, which was the focus of the original Hickory By Choice.
Downtown will become a Central Business District and that will help downtown with its own set of design standards. They are looking at rehabilitation areas along some of the one-way pairs. This will coincide with "Operation No Vacancy" and the Brownfields to try and give a lift up for people who are willing to locate businesses within these areas.
They are also looking to change residential densities. This will be done through the Land Development Code. The goal of HBC 2030 is to be an economic development strategy. He stated that we do not have a plan that is tailored towards economic development. Updating the LDC was a priority. With the previous Hickory By Choice plan not being developed simultaneously with the LDC it meant that there was a disconnect between the two. With this HBC 2030 plan being done in association with the LDC, it means that they will be compatible from the starting line.
They are looking at various corridor studies and plans which will include Hwy 127 and old 70 which needs some work. He stated that he is working with the State on a Hwy 321 plan that will go from I-40 in the Hwy 70 corridor all the way up into Lenoir. They're looking to work with business owners along the Lenoir-Rhyne X. . The Brownfield sites in this area are prime for re-use for retail and office space that will be tailored towards the students and the faculty at Lenoir-Rhyne University.
He stated that he promised that the Land Development Code book would be smaller. The book has been reduced from over 400 pages to around 240 pages. City staff is working diligently to whittle this down and make it easier and more business friendly. He is trying to eliminate subjective interpretations and bring consistency. They are also trying to simplify land-use categories. He stated as an example that the categories should just be retail or manufacturing.
They are looking at a set of commercial corridor aesthetics so that there will be more of a sense of place. They're looking at beefing up design standards in looking at conditional zoning, which has recently been approved by the State of North Carolina legislature. They're looking at less onerous redevelopment standards. They're not looking to continue to perpetuate strip development. They are looking at simplifying design standards. They are trying to strike the proper balance between being pro-business and pro-neighborhood.
They are looking at expansion of preservation overlays to include Highland, Ridgeview Westmont, and Claremont, because these neighborhood protections were not afforded to them since the 2001 Land Development Code was instituted. They are looking to improve manufactured home standards and multi-family apartment standards. They're looking to improve transition zoning standards. They are looking to reduce permitted by right O&I uses to reduce the neighborhood creep.
He stated that this would reduce the turn around for businesses in the decision-making process involving the Planning Department. He stated that there will be more items that will be permitted by right under the new code. The number of days before an item is approved, should be reduced to between one and 10 days. Currently, many of these items have to go through the planning commission, which can take up to 30 days and then there can be another 30 days before you get your approval, which is up to 60 days.
They're working with the Business Development Committee and the Chamber of Commerce to get them on board. They're looking at flexible commercial and industrial redevelopment to try and make it easier through projects like the Brownfields and Operation No Vacancy to tailor the old buildings. This will not only help the business community, but it will help the residents, who will no longer have to drive by these empty buildings. This will improve the overall appearance and do a lot to solve the problems by being pro-neighborhood and pro-business.
Tonight's appearance before the Council was a courtesy to let the Council know what is going on here and to reintroduce Bill Grimes to the Council again. The first public hearing will be at the planning commission meeting on October 27. He hopes that this will be on the agenda for the Council in either December or January, and this will be ready for adoption by January of this upcoming year.
Alder Fox stated that this was an exciting courtesy (appearance). She stated that this needed to be done, and she believes that they have approached this in a very comprehensive way. The economy may the bad, but all of the plans that have been laid out a very exciting. Alder Patton added that the city has laid the infrastructure for future growth and this is the same thing from the planning side. They have laid the groundwork so that when the economy does come back, we'll not need to do anything because it will have been done. Alderman Lail asked if this would lead to a reconfiguration of the planning commission. Mr. Frazier stated that they have looked at that, but Hickory is one of the first cities that developed a regional planning commission in 1966 and this was an act of the Gen. assembly in Raleigh. The planning jurisdictional purview is within the ETJ -- that means the entire area surrounding Hickory. The ETJ will still be the same, it is just the playing area that will become smaller. Alderman Lail stated that he would like to get a walk-through prior to this coming before the city Council. He stated that he would like this to be a workshop.
Hickory By Choice 2030 Workshop: 6th Meeting - (Unable to attend this meeting)
Hickory By Choice 2030 Workshop: 5th Meeting
Hickory By Choice 2030 Workshop: 4th Meeting
Hickory By Choice 2030 Workshop: 3rd Meeting - (Unable to attend this meeting)
Hickory By Choice 2030 Workshop: 2nd Meeting
Why the original Hickory By Choice doesn't work
Hickory By Choice 2030 Workshop: 1st Meeting
Studio Cascade awarded contract at November 4, 2008 City Council meeting
The Hound wandered on August 17, what was going on with this rewrite of Hickory by Choice. I know that patience is a virtue, but with me sometimes that is a hard commodity to come by, especially in these difficult economic times. I pontificated at that time that the former document was such a myriad of mazes that that might be the reason that this was taking so long. Brian Frazier essentially inferred that was the problem.
I am excited about the prospects of a new era that this document could bring forth. In my opening remarks related to this project, I stated that the goal should be economic development -- that business didn't seem to be part of the equation of this process. Mr. Frazier has certainly turned that around, and I think that he has made that the key component that this document is designed around. Tough economic times, such as those that we are in, bring economics to the forefront. Such as what I was taught in business school, the three keys to the success of an enterprise are location, location, location...
We have to create the locations for businesses to thrive in the Hickory. One quarter of the city is completely full of businesses. One small segment of Highway 70, located near I-40 thrives. The rest of this town for the most part is in the dumps. I like the idea of these revitalization zones. My family's business interests have been negatively impacted by the abandonment of the South side of the tracks. That certainly brings this issue to a the forefront for me. But, I do not want this issue dealt with for my own personal interests. I want this issue dealt with, because it is what is best for the citizens of Hickory.
The members of the City Council and certain city staff know the position of where I come from. We need balance in Hickory. We do not have balance in Hickory. Let's put a map of Hickory on a table and place businesses on that map. If you did that, the table would most certainly fall over. There is no balance.
I think that Mr. Frazier has shown that he understands this. It is my hope that the key interests as far as business and development in our city begin to realize that this is a most certain problem. What has served their personal interests in the past just might not serve their best interests in the future. We need to develop this whole city and not just part of it. Where do the people that live on the south side of the tracks go to buy their groceries? Where do they go to the eat? Where do they go to shop? Where do they go to the doctor? Where do they go for any services? Why is all this stuff on the north side of the tracks? Most of us that have lived here know that it didn't used to be and it certainly doesn't have to be.
2. Update on Citizen Engagement - Assistant City Manager Andrea Surratt will update Council on the extensive activities of the City which engage residents.
Andrea Surratt made the presentation, but before she came to the podium. City Manager Berry had a few comments. He stated that at staff level they were looking at all the things that the city does to engage citizens. He stated that they were impressed with all of the things that the city is doing to engage the citizens. He has spoken with some of the City Council members about the possibilities of a neighborhood summit in the fall.
Ms. Surratt came to the podium (much of this was displayed in a PowerPoint presentation that I pieced together into a storyboard in the photograph below -- please click on the photo link to expand the photo so that you can read the bullet points to see the discussion). Ms. Surratt stated that they had not (ever) looked at the number of times that they engage the public, including across all departments, all times of the year, one-time events, events that happen once a month...
She went over the nine neighborhood organizations, the average attendance at these monthly meetings, business organizations that the city works with, the boards and commission's, never a college, citizens police Academy, the community emergency response teams as part of the fire department, the speakers bureau, special events, and communications and social media.
Ms. Surratt then went over the monthly estimate of hours related to citizen engagement, which is over 1100 hrs. and discussed the over 13,500 hours per year, which would equal six staff positions within the city.
***If you ever want to read larger (or smaller) text on any of these documents all you have to do is hold down the control button and press the plus (or minus) button on your computer to zoom in on the text (minus to zoom out). This can also be done with the photos, Then you can use the sliders at the bottom and right side of the browser page to ride up and down the page to read it (or look at the photo). Just thought I would throw that out there in case you think the text is too small (or big). I only do that so these documents don't take up so much space and as a way to differentiate between the subject matter.
Friday, October 1, 2010
Where are the UNC Board of Governors?!?!? - UNC-Chapel Hill athletic scandal.
Over the last several months I have attempted to stay out of this whole debacle that we have all witnessed at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. I don't want to continually address the context of the situation and upset the apple cart of those associated with that university, but if I can wake up one alumni at a time to the fact that this is a truly sad and devastating situation, then maybe I will not have to write anything else about the subject. It seems that the only people that don't recognize that there are serious problems associated with that university are the supporters of the sports program at that university, whether they be alumni or just fans. Folks, this ain't professional sports. This is an academic institution that represents the interests of all of the citizens of our state.
It is understandable when people, who don't have an academic association with that university or another institution in the UNC system, don't see the major implications of the cheating; whether it be academic or monetary that have taken place in association with the football program run by Butch Davis and consented to by the board of directors, Chancellor Holden Thorpe, and athletic director Dick Baddour. What we honest to God need to see is a full scale independent investigation by authorities representative of the state of North Carolina and not associated with UNCCH.
It is high time that this happens. What is truly sad is what we have witnessed from the Board of Governors of the State of North Carolina university system. We did not see this same hands off approach displayed 20 years ago when CD Spangler, acting as the head of the University of North Carolina system, and the Board of Governors went after NC State's basketball coach Jim Valvano with a zeal that led to his ultimate dismissal and the placement of a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill alumni as North Carolina State University's athletic director. Where is the Board of Governors now?
I read a very thorough quote on the website Pack Pride, in which a poster gave a very damning indictment of what happened 20 years ago and compared it to what we are seeing in relation to the Butch Davis and University of North Carolina football team scandal:
John Blake was a direct hire by Butch Davis. There are no ifs, ands, or buts and no one can deny that fact. The tutor that was directly hired by Butch Davis for his son is also implicated in writing class assigned papers for UNCCH athletes. And we are led to believe by supporters of the university and Coach Davis that he had no association (or knowledge of) any of this. Let's be honest folks, that defies logic.
The latest information, that sadly has to come from a national source(Yahoo sports -- Money trail ties agent, ex-UNC coach - 9/29/2010), shows a multitude of payments directly associated between Agent Gary Wichard and John Blake before and during his tenure as a recruiting coordinator and defensive line coach for the Tarheel football team. There is an appearance of impropriety here that needs to be investigated. And apparently there is a lack of willingness of people in the UNCCH administration to forthrightly investigate these relationships. And again where is the local media to assume the investigative reporting role that they so passionately and thoroughly assumed in 1989 and 1990 as they sought to convict North Carolina State's coach Jim Valvano of wrongdoing.
Where are the Board of Governors? Do you know that some of these people live in our own area? (Board of Governor's members) This board is disproportionally made up of people who are graduates of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Is the reason that they don't want to investigate, because of their alma mater? The appearance of impropriety is impropriety.
It isn't too late. We all make mistakes. Some of us even acknowledge the mistakes that we have made. It is time that the win at all costs system of athletics at Chapel Hill be brought back to reality. It is my hope that the Secretary of State of North Carolina will honestly and thoroughly investigate this situation and get to the bottom of what is and has been going on over there. This has been a black eye to our state and many of us recognize that.
I will not pretend that I am unbiased in this situation. I have not liked what I've seen over these many years. The rumors and innuendo have been there for a long time. All anyone asks for is a level playing field. This is not about athletics. This is about integrity. This is about knowing the difference between right and wrong. Collegiate athletics are not supposed to be a breeding ground for money laundering and illegal agent activity. We all saw what happened to the North Carolina State University athletic program and supposedly it was about the student-athlete paradigm. Well, what we have seen in the past 20 years is North Carolina State run a completely above board athletic program. Can the same be said for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill?
The question that begs to be asked is this one, and I would like to ask this to the Board of Governors and local media. If what we're witnessing right now in Chapel Hill had taken place at any of the other 15 institutions that make up the University of North Carolina system would they be given the same luxuries to investigate themselves that we have witnessed with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill?
This is all going to come out in the wash. There's nowhere to run and there is nowhere to hide. Those involved need to come forward and provide the honest truth about what has been happening in Chapel Hill. The sooner they come forward, the more lenient the punishment will be, but there is going to be punishment.
Our state motto is "esse quam verdi," which means "to be, rather than to seem." As I've stated already this is a black eye to our great state. Perception means nothing, if their is no substance behind it. Is everyone equal under the eyes of the law and by-laws or do we choose to divide ourselves up amongst socio-economic and privileged classes? Who the heck is Butch Davis anyway? What has he contributed to our state? The people associated with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill should be embarrassed and ashamed to be associated with what has been brought to the perception of that institution.
The leaders of the University of North Carolina system and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill need to realize that what they are doing is historical. This is going to have implications for years to come, because the caste system that is our university system has been fully exposed, but in the end righteousness will prevail. The university system does not belong to the members of the board of governors and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill does not belong only to those closely associated with that university. That university belongs to all of the people of this State past, present, and future.
We have seen a lot of scandals in the state over the last few years. None of them take precedence over the others. One is as shameful as any of the others. What we have learned is that there are very few innocent bystanders associated with any of these scandals. There is corruption from the top to the bottom and all you have to do is follow the money trail. There have been lots of ill-gotten gains. No wonder the state is suffering economically at this time. If we do not address these issues of corruption, then all of the other efforts are fruitless. With no moral foundation or principles, anything we do is a waste of our time.
The number one economic development tool that we need to work on in our state is our moral and honor code. The corruption is killing our economy. People want to talk about innovation and ingenuity and I personally don't believe that you can have that mindset without a fair playing field. We need to reward people based on merit and not nepotism and/or class. The cream is being suppressed and we need the cream to be able to rise to the top. That should be the goal of people who care. Do you care?
State of North Carolina University System -- We've Got a Problem Here!!! - September 18, 2010
It is understandable when people, who don't have an academic association with that university or another institution in the UNC system, don't see the major implications of the cheating; whether it be academic or monetary that have taken place in association with the football program run by Butch Davis and consented to by the board of directors, Chancellor Holden Thorpe, and athletic director Dick Baddour. What we honest to God need to see is a full scale independent investigation by authorities representative of the state of North Carolina and not associated with UNCCH.
It is high time that this happens. What is truly sad is what we have witnessed from the Board of Governors of the State of North Carolina university system. We did not see this same hands off approach displayed 20 years ago when CD Spangler, acting as the head of the University of North Carolina system, and the Board of Governors went after NC State's basketball coach Jim Valvano with a zeal that led to his ultimate dismissal and the placement of a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill alumni as North Carolina State University's athletic director. Where is the Board of Governors now?
I read a very thorough quote on the website Pack Pride, in which a poster gave a very damning indictment of what happened 20 years ago and compared it to what we are seeing in relation to the Butch Davis and University of North Carolina football team scandal:
''I am pleased Chancellor Poulton has submited his resignation,'' said William Johnson of Lillington, a member of the board of governors. ''He has taken action in the best interest of the university. I think he set a good example which I hope Coach Valvano will follow. It would be in the best interest of the university for those who had any responsibility for abuses of academics to sever their ties with the university.''I want you to understand that I am angry about what I am witnessing here. The obvious double standard is so evident. 20 years ago we were constantly reminded about how North Carolina State ran a dirty program, while the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill was as pristine as the wind driven snow. Well what do you think about that today?
Forget that the NCAA ultimately completely absolved V, and NCSU for that matter, of any academic abuse. The alleged "academic abuse" Johnson spoke of was never documented or otherwise factually supported. Contrast this situation to how the BOT and BOG are handling the current mess in Chapel Hill.
The other striking thing I've noticed in going back through this stuff is how open and forthcoming Valvano was in discussing everything that was going on, and offering explanations/comments on the allegations, allegations which again were ultimately determined to be false. Again, contrast that to the current situation.
Some examples of V's interaction with the media during the investigation:
"This has been the worst experience of my entire life," he said. "My only consolation is that my father's not here to see it."
"Usually I talk to my wife [Pam] when things go wrong," he says. "But she's so upset about all this, I can't talk to her. So, I just go crazy. I sit here, and I think that there's going to be a book going out all over the country that says I have no integrity.
"There's no place I can go to escape it, and nothing I can do to stop it. It's going to happen. I never thought after 22 years in this profession that my whole life would be changed by a manager and a writer whom I've never met. The funniest thing about it is all the times I've had people come to me and want to write a book, and I said no because I figured, Who wants to read a book about me? Guess I had that one wrong.
"Sometimes I feel like I'm having an out-of-body experience, that I'm floating around watching all this. I'm not dealing with it well at all. I used to be the guy who wanted to talk to everyone. Now, I only want to be with close friends. This isn't temporary, either. I think this will change me for good."
And then after the investigation:
''This is not a typical major infractions case that we usually deal with,'' said Charles Smart, the N.C.A.A. director of infractions. ''This is not a case where there's academic irregularities. This is not a case where there are cash payments.''
Funny, aren't these precisely the 2 things UNC is guilty of? Nonetheless, even after being exonerated by the NCAA's investigation, V still stood up and accepted responsibility unlike you know who.
Valvano said that being barred from the N.C.A.A. tournament was ''as serious a hurt and blow as I have had personally in my life.'' ''We accept the N.C.A.A. findings and its punishment,'' he added.
Valvano maintained he had no knowledge of any violations. ''We did not have any individual in any level of our department who intended to violate any rule, but we not have in place the proper procedure to insure that no rules would be violated,'' he said.
Finally, let's not forget the horrible transgressions that resulted in 2 years probation, post-season ban, and loss of scholarships for NCSU:
Tickets were sold or exchanged for merchandise worth up to $150 each, the N.C.A.A. said. Shoes, valued at $75 a pair, were traded for shoes and apparel of equal value at a local sporting goods store, the report said.
http://www.nytimes.com/1989/12...or-2-years.html
John Blake was a direct hire by Butch Davis. There are no ifs, ands, or buts and no one can deny that fact. The tutor that was directly hired by Butch Davis for his son is also implicated in writing class assigned papers for UNCCH athletes. And we are led to believe by supporters of the university and Coach Davis that he had no association (or knowledge of) any of this. Let's be honest folks, that defies logic.
The latest information, that sadly has to come from a national source(Yahoo sports -- Money trail ties agent, ex-UNC coach - 9/29/2010), shows a multitude of payments directly associated between Agent Gary Wichard and John Blake before and during his tenure as a recruiting coordinator and defensive line coach for the Tarheel football team. There is an appearance of impropriety here that needs to be investigated. And apparently there is a lack of willingness of people in the UNCCH administration to forthrightly investigate these relationships. And again where is the local media to assume the investigative reporting role that they so passionately and thoroughly assumed in 1989 and 1990 as they sought to convict North Carolina State's coach Jim Valvano of wrongdoing.
Where are the Board of Governors? Do you know that some of these people live in our own area? (Board of Governor's members) This board is disproportionally made up of people who are graduates of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Is the reason that they don't want to investigate, because of their alma mater? The appearance of impropriety is impropriety.
It isn't too late. We all make mistakes. Some of us even acknowledge the mistakes that we have made. It is time that the win at all costs system of athletics at Chapel Hill be brought back to reality. It is my hope that the Secretary of State of North Carolina will honestly and thoroughly investigate this situation and get to the bottom of what is and has been going on over there. This has been a black eye to our state and many of us recognize that.
I will not pretend that I am unbiased in this situation. I have not liked what I've seen over these many years. The rumors and innuendo have been there for a long time. All anyone asks for is a level playing field. This is not about athletics. This is about integrity. This is about knowing the difference between right and wrong. Collegiate athletics are not supposed to be a breeding ground for money laundering and illegal agent activity. We all saw what happened to the North Carolina State University athletic program and supposedly it was about the student-athlete paradigm. Well, what we have seen in the past 20 years is North Carolina State run a completely above board athletic program. Can the same be said for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill?
The question that begs to be asked is this one, and I would like to ask this to the Board of Governors and local media. If what we're witnessing right now in Chapel Hill had taken place at any of the other 15 institutions that make up the University of North Carolina system would they be given the same luxuries to investigate themselves that we have witnessed with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill?
This is all going to come out in the wash. There's nowhere to run and there is nowhere to hide. Those involved need to come forward and provide the honest truth about what has been happening in Chapel Hill. The sooner they come forward, the more lenient the punishment will be, but there is going to be punishment.
Our state motto is "esse quam verdi," which means "to be, rather than to seem." As I've stated already this is a black eye to our great state. Perception means nothing, if their is no substance behind it. Is everyone equal under the eyes of the law and by-laws or do we choose to divide ourselves up amongst socio-economic and privileged classes? Who the heck is Butch Davis anyway? What has he contributed to our state? The people associated with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill should be embarrassed and ashamed to be associated with what has been brought to the perception of that institution.
The leaders of the University of North Carolina system and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill need to realize that what they are doing is historical. This is going to have implications for years to come, because the caste system that is our university system has been fully exposed, but in the end righteousness will prevail. The university system does not belong to the members of the board of governors and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill does not belong only to those closely associated with that university. That university belongs to all of the people of this State past, present, and future.
We have seen a lot of scandals in the state over the last few years. None of them take precedence over the others. One is as shameful as any of the others. What we have learned is that there are very few innocent bystanders associated with any of these scandals. There is corruption from the top to the bottom and all you have to do is follow the money trail. There have been lots of ill-gotten gains. No wonder the state is suffering economically at this time. If we do not address these issues of corruption, then all of the other efforts are fruitless. With no moral foundation or principles, anything we do is a waste of our time.
The number one economic development tool that we need to work on in our state is our moral and honor code. The corruption is killing our economy. People want to talk about innovation and ingenuity and I personally don't believe that you can have that mindset without a fair playing field. We need to reward people based on merit and not nepotism and/or class. The cream is being suppressed and we need the cream to be able to rise to the top. That should be the goal of people who care. Do you care?
State of North Carolina University System -- We've Got a Problem Here!!! - September 18, 2010
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Put America's Interests above Parties -- 35 days until the National Election
We are now five weeks out from an election that it seems will swing heavily in the Republican's favor. Sure is a stark contrast to what was witnessed two short years ago. The Democrats were swept into power promising "Change we can believe in." Well, who believes them now? They have no one to blame but themselves. Sure, they promised to remedy the economy and the majority of the American public bought it, but we haven't taken a step towards solving anything. This country's current economy feels eerily reminiscent of Chinese water torture, but if the Democrats are swept out of power will we see any improvement?
In 1994, the GOP was placed in charge of both houses of Congress for the first time in 40 years, because they proposed a real agenda. Republicans wasted the opportunity to truly reform our bloated government. Instead of implementing “The Contract with America” one step at a time, they overreached and achieved very little other than welfare reform.
Over the next 12 years they compromised to the point of abandoning their core principles. While the current Republican Party is unrecognizable, the Democrats have kowtowed to the extreme elements of their party to the point where our country is economically stagnated by a sea of taxation, regulation, and litigation.
We have to get back to Innovation, Ingenuity, and allowing small businesses to thrive. This does not come about through convoluted tax measures and capital loan funds controlled by Wall Street and Washington. This comes from getting off of small business peoples' backs and reducing their cost of doing business. This comes from reducing their financial regulations that cost them ridiculous amounts of money, when they have to hire lawyers and accountants even to take the most simple steps towards growing their businesses.
We need to have Fair Trade, Capital liquidity, and we need to rebuild the infrastructure foundation of this nation before it is too late. We see problems with the roads, transportation system, waterworks, and electrical grid all of the time, yet little is being done to modernize these systems. Is the plan to ignore this problem and hope that it goes away? Why were these issues ignored by the stimulus boondoggle (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009) passed last year?
We can’t grow our economy without energy. I’d love to do it with Solar Panels, Windmills, Hydroelectric, and Nuclear energy, but go do some homework and see who has stood in the way of those resources -- both parties. There have to be tax incentives and fast tracks to foster research and development. Tax incentives are also needed to make alternatives affordable to the average consumer. Will the shortsighted tax revenue lust and control issues of our bloated bureaucracy allow for this to happen?
In the meantime, Fossil Fuels are the lifeblood of our economy and our dependence on foreign oil and multi-national corporate interests is definitely a National Security risk. We have seen energy prices fall to reasonable levels compared to what they were over two years ago, yet what we have seen is that Oil prices have moderated due to a reduction in World demand and not because anything has been done to address the energy issues we face. The Oil Bubble only burst because the economic growth pressures that were inflating the price are no longer there.
We have also seen the tragic Oil explosion that occurred in the Gulf. I admit that I am a fool, because I trusted the corporations to have the interests of the American public in their mind and thought processes, when they decided upon practices they would exercise when exploring and extracting oil. Of course the Federal Government played a role in this mishap by not insuring that proper procedures were followed. I still believe that there are safe methods available to extract oil resources, and I believe that we must utilize these resources, while we build towards our future energy assets, but we must have proper and accountable checks in place to ensure that no situation such as occurred in the Gulf happens again. If you don't know what you are doing, then you shouldn't be doing it in the first place.
I would still rather be looking out for American National interests than sending millions of dollars to dictators. The Energy industry supports high paying, high tech jobs, whether it be current or future alternative resources. I believe that addressing our Energy Demands and infrastructure needs is integral to making our economy grow. If you truly want a bright future for generations to come, we must dispose of the rhetoric. Our nation's bomb and rebuild strategy is not only having a detrimental effect on the world stage. It is hurting our own society. I do not want to be an empire. I agree that we need to be more efficient in our energy usage, but we cannot conserve our way to the energy independence that would be best for our nation’s security.
The last thought I would like to leave you with is that this country is not about being a Republican or Democrat, it is first and foremost about being an American. The two-party system has been about politicians serving their own interests. You, the average rabble do not belong, all you are there for is to provide campaign contributions for their parties (pun intended), so that they can continue living the high life.
People get caught up in the team competition and the horse race. That is what they want you to do, because it puts you into an acceptance of an either/or fate. We must demand an and/both strategy. I am awake! I realize that neither party has a monopoly on right or wrong. I am unwilling to take the good with the bad and I think it is time to move away from Least Common Denominator politics. It is time for people to rise above the mud and mire that is American Politics and demand that we get back to the Objectives of the American Ideal!
In 1994, the GOP was placed in charge of both houses of Congress for the first time in 40 years, because they proposed a real agenda. Republicans wasted the opportunity to truly reform our bloated government. Instead of implementing “The Contract with America” one step at a time, they overreached and achieved very little other than welfare reform.
Over the next 12 years they compromised to the point of abandoning their core principles. While the current Republican Party is unrecognizable, the Democrats have kowtowed to the extreme elements of their party to the point where our country is economically stagnated by a sea of taxation, regulation, and litigation.
We have to get back to Innovation, Ingenuity, and allowing small businesses to thrive. This does not come about through convoluted tax measures and capital loan funds controlled by Wall Street and Washington. This comes from getting off of small business peoples' backs and reducing their cost of doing business. This comes from reducing their financial regulations that cost them ridiculous amounts of money, when they have to hire lawyers and accountants even to take the most simple steps towards growing their businesses.
We need to have Fair Trade, Capital liquidity, and we need to rebuild the infrastructure foundation of this nation before it is too late. We see problems with the roads, transportation system, waterworks, and electrical grid all of the time, yet little is being done to modernize these systems. Is the plan to ignore this problem and hope that it goes away? Why were these issues ignored by the stimulus boondoggle (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009) passed last year?
We can’t grow our economy without energy. I’d love to do it with Solar Panels, Windmills, Hydroelectric, and Nuclear energy, but go do some homework and see who has stood in the way of those resources -- both parties. There have to be tax incentives and fast tracks to foster research and development. Tax incentives are also needed to make alternatives affordable to the average consumer. Will the shortsighted tax revenue lust and control issues of our bloated bureaucracy allow for this to happen?
In the meantime, Fossil Fuels are the lifeblood of our economy and our dependence on foreign oil and multi-national corporate interests is definitely a National Security risk. We have seen energy prices fall to reasonable levels compared to what they were over two years ago, yet what we have seen is that Oil prices have moderated due to a reduction in World demand and not because anything has been done to address the energy issues we face. The Oil Bubble only burst because the economic growth pressures that were inflating the price are no longer there.
We have also seen the tragic Oil explosion that occurred in the Gulf. I admit that I am a fool, because I trusted the corporations to have the interests of the American public in their mind and thought processes, when they decided upon practices they would exercise when exploring and extracting oil. Of course the Federal Government played a role in this mishap by not insuring that proper procedures were followed. I still believe that there are safe methods available to extract oil resources, and I believe that we must utilize these resources, while we build towards our future energy assets, but we must have proper and accountable checks in place to ensure that no situation such as occurred in the Gulf happens again. If you don't know what you are doing, then you shouldn't be doing it in the first place.
I would still rather be looking out for American National interests than sending millions of dollars to dictators. The Energy industry supports high paying, high tech jobs, whether it be current or future alternative resources. I believe that addressing our Energy Demands and infrastructure needs is integral to making our economy grow. If you truly want a bright future for generations to come, we must dispose of the rhetoric. Our nation's bomb and rebuild strategy is not only having a detrimental effect on the world stage. It is hurting our own society. I do not want to be an empire. I agree that we need to be more efficient in our energy usage, but we cannot conserve our way to the energy independence that would be best for our nation’s security.
The last thought I would like to leave you with is that this country is not about being a Republican or Democrat, it is first and foremost about being an American. The two-party system has been about politicians serving their own interests. You, the average rabble do not belong, all you are there for is to provide campaign contributions for their parties (pun intended), so that they can continue living the high life.
People get caught up in the team competition and the horse race. That is what they want you to do, because it puts you into an acceptance of an either/or fate. We must demand an and/both strategy. I am awake! I realize that neither party has a monopoly on right or wrong. I am unwilling to take the good with the bad and I think it is time to move away from Least Common Denominator politics. It is time for people to rise above the mud and mire that is American Politics and demand that we get back to the Objectives of the American Ideal!
Friday, September 24, 2010
8 steps to Self-Preservation - A Further Look
I originally posted the article 8 Suggestions for the Road Ahead -- Self-Preservation on February 23, 2009. That was 19 months ago. What we have seen since that time has played right into the scenario that I was addressing at that time. Today, gold went over $1300 an ounce. Silver traded at $21.46 an ounce. On that date, gold traded at $985.75 per ounce and silver traded at $14.36 per ounce. That means that an investment in gold at that time would've netted you over a 30% return on your investment and silver would've made you close to a 50% return on your investment in that 19 month time frame. The actions of our federal government and the Federal Reserve have been a key to this movement. You cannot print up all of this Monopoly money and cook the books without consequences. Below is the article with additional information provided. Please prepare, because nothing has been done to remedy the situation that we faced at that time and nothing has been done to solidify our future and get us back on solid economic ground.
I do not propose to be some sort of expert on survival, but we can all see that these are not normal times and it is time to prepare for the worst of times and pray that we never reach that destination. I have compiled some information about personal finance and personal responsibility. You can move as close to these targets as possible or you may ignore the advice. I only give you this advice, because my soul moves me to. In the end you are responsible for your own countenance.
1) Get out of short term debt - You should be in no more short term debt (credit cards) than what you can pay off immediately. I believe that 5% of your take home pay would be about the Maximum amount of debt you should be carrying in this recession. If you get laid off, then you can easily pay that off.
As inflation rises, the adjustable interest rates on short term debt will also rise. You could very well see 20%+ interest rates on credit cards (if not way higher than that). How would you ever pay these debts off, if that were to happen?
Credit-Card Rates Climb -- Wall Street Journal -- August 23, 2010 -- In the second quarter, the average interest rate on existing cards reached 14.7%, up from 13.1% a year earlier, according to research firm Synovate, a unit of Aegis Group PLC. That was the highest level since 2001.
Most cards now carry variable rates, meaning any increase in the prime rate is likely to be quickly passed along to borrowers. "Consumers will end up getting squeezed" when the Federal Reserve begins to raise rates as the economy recovers, says Ben Woolsey, director of marketing and consumer research at CreditCards.com.
2) Keep cash on hand and tuck it away somewhere that no one can find it. I am not saying that banks will go bust like they were in the 1930s, but on March 5, 1933 Franklin Roosevelt (the day after being sworn into office) called a 4-day bank holiday. The banks were closed and people could not withdraw cash from their accounts. Some people say that this same scenario nearly played out last September. What would you do if the bank was closed for a week or two? Remember the gas shortage last September and how everyone panicked?
More U.S. Banks Skip Latest Payment on Bailout Aid - (ABC News/Money - September 17, 2010) - More than 100 U.S. banks failed to pay an August 16 dividend on bailout money they borrowed from the U.S. government, signaling that the number of banks struggling to meet obligations under the program is rising.
While most major U.S. banks have paid off the government's temporary investment, roughly $130 billion is invested in more than 600 smaller banks. Smaller U.S. lenders are still coping with high real estate-related loan losses in the wake of the housing crisis. Profits have become a rarity, crippling the ability of banks to pay dividends to both private and government investors.
3) Put some of your money in precious metals. Most of us can't afford $1,000 an ounce gold, but we can afford $14.50 an ounce Silver or even cheaper Copper. These metals will hold there value during inflationary times. In 1980, during the last inflationary period in the U.S., the price of gold spiked to $850 an ounce in 1980 (an equivalent of $2,178.05 in today's dollars). The same year Silver spiked to $48.70 (an equivalent of $124.79 in today's dollars). U.S. Inflation Calculator Link
I am not saying that we will see those levels in the coming year, but unless our government gets its spending under control, I believe we will burst through those levels by the end of Obama's first term. At the end of the year 2000, the Dow Jones Industrial average was trading at 39.5 times the price of Gold and 2,345 times the price of silver. Today the DJIA is 7.17 times the price of Gold and 494 times the price of Silver. This has all been brought about by the tanking of the U.S. Dollar. Until our government starts reigning in the ridiculous spending and comes back towards fiscal sanity, it is time to get out of our currency and into something real.
Silver Futures Jump to 30-Year High: Gold Rises to Record, Topping $1,300 (Bloomberg - September 24, 2010) - Gold climbed to a record, topping $1,300 an ounce. Gold for immediate delivery rose to a record $1,300.07 today. Silver ended the day at $21.46.
Silver has jumped 27 percent this year, and gold has gained 18 percent, outperforming global equities, Treasuries and most industrial metals. Today, the dollar fell to the lowest level since February against a basket of six major currencies as the Federal Reserve keeps borrowing costs low and moves closer to easing monetary policy to bolster the U.S. economy.
4) Be Thrifty and quit wasting your money - Don't throw things away unless they have no value. Eat at home, use coupons, share meals with your friends and neighbors, look for cheap entertainment, turn that heat down, use the fan (instead of the AC), and consolidate your trips when driving. This is not the time to throw money around. It is time to spend wisely.
A good investment would be to buy dry and canned goods in bulk. Remember the price increases last year during the fuel run up? Buy these goods and store them for the rainy day. If that day never comes, then you can use them; but if a truly inflationary period does hit, then you will have bought yourself some valuable time.
Food Price Discounts May Dwindle As Commodity Costs Surge -- (Dow Jones Newswire - September 22, 2010) -- As prices for key inputs like wheat and sugar have surged, food companies like General Mills Inc. and ConAgra Foods Inc. have begun feeling the pinch. Both said this week they expect the intense promotions and price battles that have flooded grocery stores recently to ease in response to commodity price inflation.
A devastating drought in Russia has sparked a rally in grains prices. Wheat futures have surged 63% since June and now trade well above $7 a bushel on the Chicago Board of Trade. Corn has followed and gotten a further boost from indications of a disappointing U.S. crop. Corn prices are up 55% and the ubiquitous grain, which is used in a wide array of food ingredients, is above $5 a bushel.
5) Grow a garden. The only thing that this will cost is the money for a few tools, the cost of some seeds, and some labor. You will be handsomely rewarded. You'll have something to eat to get through the summer months and you can can, freeze, or dry this stuff to get through the winter. This will help you get outdoors and get some exercise. You can be basic or elaborate. That is up to you. The deal is that this will save you money, when your budget gets tight, and that is money that may be needed elsewhere. You can also barter these vegetables for other food or maybe to get something else. Growing a garden creates value.
6) Secure your house. Crime is naturally going to increase. You need to get deadbolt locks for the doors and hide your valuables in safe, secure places. Don't flaunt what you have. You need to be humble and thrifty. Be aware.
7) Get to know your neighbors and look out for one another's well-being. This goes hand-in-hand with number 6 and maybe even number 5. One thing that we have lost in the age of gluttony is that sense of community. Neighborhood Watch will be very important if times get tougher and we will need to look out for the elderly, who will become very vulnerable as their fixed incomes are attacked by inflationary dollars.
8) Pay attention to what the Government is doing - It is time that people figure out that the condition our economy is in today is a direct reflection on the economic choices that have been made by our leaders and the bureaucracy over the last 40 years. No one expects perfection, but we also should not expect utter incompetence and/or corruption either. It is time for accountability.
There you have it. Time to get onboard and start doing the right things. You cannot help others without shoring up your own personal being to start with. It is each of our responsibility to be Self-Reliant and these suggestions will move you in that direction.
I do not propose to be some sort of expert on survival, but we can all see that these are not normal times and it is time to prepare for the worst of times and pray that we never reach that destination. I have compiled some information about personal finance and personal responsibility. You can move as close to these targets as possible or you may ignore the advice. I only give you this advice, because my soul moves me to. In the end you are responsible for your own countenance.
1) Get out of short term debt - You should be in no more short term debt (credit cards) than what you can pay off immediately. I believe that 5% of your take home pay would be about the Maximum amount of debt you should be carrying in this recession. If you get laid off, then you can easily pay that off.
As inflation rises, the adjustable interest rates on short term debt will also rise. You could very well see 20%+ interest rates on credit cards (if not way higher than that). How would you ever pay these debts off, if that were to happen?
Credit-Card Rates Climb -- Wall Street Journal -- August 23, 2010 -- In the second quarter, the average interest rate on existing cards reached 14.7%, up from 13.1% a year earlier, according to research firm Synovate, a unit of Aegis Group PLC. That was the highest level since 2001.
Most cards now carry variable rates, meaning any increase in the prime rate is likely to be quickly passed along to borrowers. "Consumers will end up getting squeezed" when the Federal Reserve begins to raise rates as the economy recovers, says Ben Woolsey, director of marketing and consumer research at CreditCards.com.
2) Keep cash on hand and tuck it away somewhere that no one can find it. I am not saying that banks will go bust like they were in the 1930s, but on March 5, 1933 Franklin Roosevelt (the day after being sworn into office) called a 4-day bank holiday. The banks were closed and people could not withdraw cash from their accounts. Some people say that this same scenario nearly played out last September. What would you do if the bank was closed for a week or two? Remember the gas shortage last September and how everyone panicked?
More U.S. Banks Skip Latest Payment on Bailout Aid - (ABC News/Money - September 17, 2010) - More than 100 U.S. banks failed to pay an August 16 dividend on bailout money they borrowed from the U.S. government, signaling that the number of banks struggling to meet obligations under the program is rising.
While most major U.S. banks have paid off the government's temporary investment, roughly $130 billion is invested in more than 600 smaller banks. Smaller U.S. lenders are still coping with high real estate-related loan losses in the wake of the housing crisis. Profits have become a rarity, crippling the ability of banks to pay dividends to both private and government investors.
3) Put some of your money in precious metals. Most of us can't afford $1,000 an ounce gold, but we can afford $14.50 an ounce Silver or even cheaper Copper. These metals will hold there value during inflationary times. In 1980, during the last inflationary period in the U.S., the price of gold spiked to $850 an ounce in 1980 (an equivalent of $2,178.05 in today's dollars). The same year Silver spiked to $48.70 (an equivalent of $124.79 in today's dollars). U.S. Inflation Calculator Link
I am not saying that we will see those levels in the coming year, but unless our government gets its spending under control, I believe we will burst through those levels by the end of Obama's first term. At the end of the year 2000, the Dow Jones Industrial average was trading at 39.5 times the price of Gold and 2,345 times the price of silver. Today the DJIA is 7.17 times the price of Gold and 494 times the price of Silver. This has all been brought about by the tanking of the U.S. Dollar. Until our government starts reigning in the ridiculous spending and comes back towards fiscal sanity, it is time to get out of our currency and into something real.
Silver Futures Jump to 30-Year High: Gold Rises to Record, Topping $1,300 (Bloomberg - September 24, 2010) - Gold climbed to a record, topping $1,300 an ounce. Gold for immediate delivery rose to a record $1,300.07 today. Silver ended the day at $21.46.
Silver has jumped 27 percent this year, and gold has gained 18 percent, outperforming global equities, Treasuries and most industrial metals. Today, the dollar fell to the lowest level since February against a basket of six major currencies as the Federal Reserve keeps borrowing costs low and moves closer to easing monetary policy to bolster the U.S. economy.
4) Be Thrifty and quit wasting your money - Don't throw things away unless they have no value. Eat at home, use coupons, share meals with your friends and neighbors, look for cheap entertainment, turn that heat down, use the fan (instead of the AC), and consolidate your trips when driving. This is not the time to throw money around. It is time to spend wisely.
A good investment would be to buy dry and canned goods in bulk. Remember the price increases last year during the fuel run up? Buy these goods and store them for the rainy day. If that day never comes, then you can use them; but if a truly inflationary period does hit, then you will have bought yourself some valuable time.
Food Price Discounts May Dwindle As Commodity Costs Surge -- (Dow Jones Newswire - September 22, 2010) -- As prices for key inputs like wheat and sugar have surged, food companies like General Mills Inc. and ConAgra Foods Inc. have begun feeling the pinch. Both said this week they expect the intense promotions and price battles that have flooded grocery stores recently to ease in response to commodity price inflation.
A devastating drought in Russia has sparked a rally in grains prices. Wheat futures have surged 63% since June and now trade well above $7 a bushel on the Chicago Board of Trade. Corn has followed and gotten a further boost from indications of a disappointing U.S. crop. Corn prices are up 55% and the ubiquitous grain, which is used in a wide array of food ingredients, is above $5 a bushel.
5) Grow a garden. The only thing that this will cost is the money for a few tools, the cost of some seeds, and some labor. You will be handsomely rewarded. You'll have something to eat to get through the summer months and you can can, freeze, or dry this stuff to get through the winter. This will help you get outdoors and get some exercise. You can be basic or elaborate. That is up to you. The deal is that this will save you money, when your budget gets tight, and that is money that may be needed elsewhere. You can also barter these vegetables for other food or maybe to get something else. Growing a garden creates value.
6) Secure your house. Crime is naturally going to increase. You need to get deadbolt locks for the doors and hide your valuables in safe, secure places. Don't flaunt what you have. You need to be humble and thrifty. Be aware.
7) Get to know your neighbors and look out for one another's well-being. This goes hand-in-hand with number 6 and maybe even number 5. One thing that we have lost in the age of gluttony is that sense of community. Neighborhood Watch will be very important if times get tougher and we will need to look out for the elderly, who will become very vulnerable as their fixed incomes are attacked by inflationary dollars.
8) Pay attention to what the Government is doing - It is time that people figure out that the condition our economy is in today is a direct reflection on the economic choices that have been made by our leaders and the bureaucracy over the last 40 years. No one expects perfection, but we also should not expect utter incompetence and/or corruption either. It is time for accountability.
There you have it. Time to get onboard and start doing the right things. You cannot help others without shoring up your own personal being to start with. It is each of our responsibility to be Self-Reliant and these suggestions will move you in that direction.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of September 21, 2010
This newsletter is about the Hickory City Council meeting that I attended this past week. City council meetings are held on the first and third Tuesdays of each Month in the Council Chambers of the Julian Whitener building.
At right of this page under Main Information links is an Hickory's City Website link. If you click on that link, it takes you to our city’s website, at the left of the page you will see the Agenda's and Minutes link you need to click. This will give you a choice of PDF files to upcoming and previous meetings.
You will find historic Agenda and Minutes links. Agendas show what is on the docket for the meeting of that date. The Minutes is an actual summary of the proceedings of the meeting of that date.
Here is a summary of the agenda of the 9/21/2010 meeting. There were a couple of important items that were discussed at this meeting and the details are listed further below
Invocation by Rev. David E. Roberts of Morning Star First Baptist Church
Special Presentations:
Presentation of Proclamation to Deputy Fire Chief, Steve Moore Declaring the Week of October 3 – 9, 2010 as “Fire Prevention Week” in the City of Hickory
The Mayor recognized the fire department. The city reached 15 years with no fire deaths, but this year a homeless man died here in Hickory. The mayor stated that our good record has occurred, because of education, fire staff, as well as our citizenry that here in abide by good safety practices.
Roughly 3000 people die as a result of home fires and burns. Two thirds of a home fire deaths resulted from from home fires which no smoke alarms were working along this were present. Working smoke alarms cut the chance of dying in a reported fire and a half. Weavers of the Hickory fire department recommend at least one smoke alarm on each level of the time, outside of all sleeping areas and bedrooms.
The goal is to take personal steps to increase fire safety. The theme of this campaign is smoke alarms a sound you can live with works to motivate Hickory residents to implement smoke alarm recommendations and the home.
Consent Agenda:
A. Approval to Enter Into an Agreement With Host Agency, Sherrills-Ford/Terrell Fire Department for Ten 800 MHz Radios to be Purchased Through the Assistance to Firefighters Act Grant Program - City Council in May 2009 approved the Hickory Fire Department to be a part of the grant process to purchase ten (10) portable 800 MHz radios through the Assistance to Firefighters Act Grant Program. As a participant of the Catawba County Public Safety Information Committee, it was determined to pursue the grant for portable radios with Sherrills-Ford/Terrell Fire Department as the host agency. Hickory’s cost share for the ten (10) radios would be $1,250.00 or 5%. Sherrills-Ford/Terrell Fire Department has prepared an agreement that once the radios are received through the grant, Hickory will be the owner of the radios and will coordinate with the host agency.
B. Citizens’ Advisory Committee Recommendations for Assistance Through the City of Hickory’s Housing Programs -
The following applicants are being recommended for approval for assistance under the City’s Housing Rehabilitation Loan Program:
Peggy Hunter Amount Not to Exceed $20,000.00 31 28th Avenue, NE
Betty Hairston Amount Not to Exceed $10,000.00 259 10th Avenue, SE
Funds are budgeted through the City of Hickory’s former Rental Rehabilitation Program income received in FY 2009 and/or program income received through the Community Development Block Grant Program. Applicant, Janet Noblitt of 313 20th Avenue, NE is being recommended for assistance under the City’s 2009 Urgent Repair Program for emergency-related repairs not to exceed $5,000.00. Funds are budgeted through the City’s Community Development
Department funds received in FY 2009-10.
C. Award Bid to Amick Equipment for the Purchase of Two Replacement Hook Lift Crew Cab Trucks in the Amount of $139,850.00 - The City’s Street Division uses hook lift crew cab trucks on a daily basis for both the maintenance and construction crews. These two trucks will replace Unit #2200 and Unit #2604. A total of three (3) bids were received and Amick Equipment came in with the low bid while meeting our specifications in the amount of $69,925.00 each or for a total of $139,850.00. Funds are budgeted for FY 2010-11.
D. Approve Resolution to Discard Library Materials to the Friends of the Library for Their Annual Book Sale on October 7 – 10, 2010 - The Friends of the Library collect donated books and other materials throughout the year for their book sales. The donated books and materials are out of date, in poor condition or are no longer needed to meet the collection development goals of the library. There are 4,507 discarded library materials to be donated. The proceeds ultimately benefit the library, which is an appropriate means of disposing of unneeded materials.
E. Proclamation Declaring the Week of September 17 through 23, 2010 as “Constitution Week” in the City of Hickory
F. Budget Ordinance Amendment No. 5
1. To budget $167 of Local Government Revenue in the Police Department Overtime line item. This revenue is payment from Catawba County Mental Health for a portion of an Officers time spent when accompanying involuntary commitment patients.
2. To budget a $1,563 insurance claim check from State Auto Insurance Company in the Water and Sewer Pipes, Hydrants and Meters line item. This payment is for damage sustained to a fire hydrant on 08-02-10.
3. To budget $11,119 of State Revenue and $2,224 from the Recycling Division fuel and motor oil line item in the Recycling Division Non-Asset Inventory line item. The North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources Division of Pollution Prevention and Environmental Assistance has awarded the City of Hickory a grant to upgrade one of the existing Recycling Drop Off Centers existing dumpsters with hook lift style containers. This will allow the City of Hickory to collect and transport different types of materials to the recycling facility with one trip thereby saving time and fuel. The cost of the replacement dumpsters is $13,343. The Grant Contract has a state participation commitment in the amount of $11,119 with a $2,224 required local match.
4. To appropriate $299,803 of General Fund Balance and budget in the Clement Boulevard project Construction line item. Funds are needed to complete the Clement Boulevard extension project including construction of the railroad crossing as well as the remaining utility and electrical work. We anticipate the new road will be opened mid October.
IX. Informational Items:
A. Report of Mayor Wright’s travel to Washington, DC from September 13 – 14, 2010 to attend the 2010 Washington Perspective Fly-In; hotel - $308.01; airfare - $302.90; per diem - $78.75; mileage - $52.00; taxi cab & parking fees - $49.00 (Exhibit IX.A.)
New Business - Public Hearings:
1. Resolution and Order for Petition of the City of Hickory to Close City-Owned 60- Foot Right-of-Way in the 4200 Block of 9th Street, NE - The City received a petition from Public Services Director Chuck Hansen on behalf of the City of Hickory to close a portion of a City-Owned 60-foot Right-of- Way in the 4200 block of 9th Street, NE in order to allow the proposed residential subdivision of the property in this same area per the Recreation Master Plan. Staff review did not yield any comments against this petition. This public hearing was advertised on August 20, August 27, September 3 and September 10, 2010 in a newspaper having general circulation in the Hickory area.
Chuck Hanson made the presentation stating that this is a cul-de-sac, this is a remnant of an old subdivision. This will close the cul-de-sac and allow for the possibility of a future subdivision on the property. This will close the right of way and clean the property up for the possibility of the new subdivision. The Council unanimously consented to the resolution.
2. Ordinance Authorizing Moratorium on New Electronic Sweepstakes Establishments in the Zoning Jurisdiction of the City of Hickory - On September 7, 2010 City Council authorized a public hearing be held for consideration of an ordinance authorizing a moratorium not to exceed ninety days on development approvals; including the issuance of building permits and zoning compliance permits for future electronic sweepstakes establishments as well as development approvals of requests to expand any current establishments. Session Law 2010-103 was recently enacted by NC Legislature which bans the use of electronic machines and devices for sweepstakes purposes which becomes effective December 1, 2010. The gaming industry is seeking an injunction to prohibit the act from taking effect and has brought suit against a number of cities who enacted privilege license fee schedules. According to NC General Statute 160A-381(e) Council may adopt a temporary moratorium on development by ordinance, which must set out four (4) specific criteria. While the injunction is being litigated, it is possible new establishments could occur in Hickory without there being any zoning regulations to affect their locations and operations. The moratorium will apply to future electronic sweepstakes establishments as well as development approvals for requests to expand any current establishments. It will not affect or apply to any current electronic sweepstakes establishments in operation within the zoning jurisdiction of the City of Hickory, as they are grandfathered under the existing Land Development Code. During the moratorium staff will revise a proposed text amendment to the Land Development Code for consideration by the Hickory Regional Planning Commission and City Council.
City Atty. Crone made the presentation. There are opinion lawsuits across the state of North Carolina challenging this new law passed by the legislature. If these lawsuits are successful, that would leave a gap as far as Hickory is concerned. The new proposed ordinance that will be brought forth will better reflect some of the definitions of the legislation and add some other restrictions that Atty. Crone felt he was hearing some of the Council voice that they would like to see in the ordinance. The proposed ordinance will be presented to the Council at some point during the 90 day moratorium. This ordinance will stay in place at least or until December 1. Were the legislation deemed to be unconstitutional, then they will have the ordinance in place to close the gap should that happen. Alder Patton asked within the hearing would take place? Atty. Crone stated that this would be heard sometime in latter October or November. The council consented unanimously to the moratorium.
New Business - Departmental Reports:
1. Designation of Voting Delegate and One Alternate Voting Delegate for 2010 Annual North Carolina Annual Business Meeting on October 25, 2010 in Winston-Salem, NC. - Under the NCLM Constitution and the voting procedure established by the League Board of Directors, each member municipality sending delegates to the Annual Conference is required to designate one voting delegate and one alternate voting delegate. The vote of each municipality at the Annual Business Meeting on October 25, 2010 may be cast only by a designated voting delegate or alternate voting delegate. The council unanimously voted to approve Mayor Wright as the voting delegate to this annual meeting.
Currently Mayor Wright and manager Berry are the only representatives from Hickory that will attend this meeting. Mayor Wright stated that he hopes that more members of Council will attend this meeting. He stated that his good networking and this is good to attend. City has not always faithfully attended this meeting but once they started having the meeting in Hickory every few years he felt that there needed to be a somewhat visible attendance to this meeting. We sell others on how great this meeting is going to be and that they should come when this meeting is in Hickory, so he would encourage others to come. It is close by. He stated that city staff is on top of the subjects that will be discussed. He added that there is no substitute for someone who puts their name on the ballot who will come back and report.
Citizens requesting to be heard -- Larry Pope addressed the Council about public events controlled by the city. He stated that he had an incident that occurred with him a month ago where there was a foot race in downtown Hickory on Saturday morning. He walked to Post Office BBQ to eat and when he was finished he was headed to Professional Dry Cleaners downtown. As he came across a railroad tracks, he headed down the street and made a right-hand turn along the sidewalk near the Elk's Lodge and old Duke Power building. As he was traveling down the sidewalk he walked into a truck and a car that were parked on the sidewalk that should not have been there. There was a crowd of folks and he asked for some assistance to get around the vehicles. A gentleman stepped forward and assisted Mr. Pope.
Mr. Pope asked for the man to help him get to the Bank of Granite parking lot. The man took him to the Bank of Granite Plasa parking lot and let him go. Mr. Pope found out that he was not where he wanted to be and stopped and asked for assistance again, because he heard a crowd of folks that were standing there. Another person helped him to the Bank of Granite parking lot and there was a crane in the middle of the road that was there for the race.
He called the police department, and the dispatcher did not know who he was and told him that they could not send an officer to help him and he lost contact with the dispatcher thinking that they had hung up. The Lieutenant on duty sent some help to help him get around a crowd of folks and the barricades that were downtown.
Mr. Pope later met with Major Deal and Manager Berry to let them know what had happened and his concerns. Mr. Pope stated that he was told by Manager Berry that no event downtown will change. Mr. Pope stated that there is a law in place that sets out what is proper and what is not proper when it comes to travel areas for people with disabilities. He stated that Manager Berry does not own the sidewalks and cannot make determinations about what will and will not be done. He met with Attorney Dula on the 27th of August to provide her with a copy of the law and told her that he was tired of fighting with the city of Hickory when it comes to his rights. The Americans with disability act is specific about what the city government must do when the council grants permission for these events to happen. Larry stated that he asked Atty. Dula what downtown development will do and what the city will do pertaining to Oktoberfest. He stated that if anyone violates his rights that he will see them in court.
He expects a letter from the Downtown Development Association and the City of Hickory to spell out what they plan to do, as the law requires them to do certain things under the law of the ADA. If they choose not to do it, he stated he will be back and he will do what ever he has to do to protect his rights and other people's rights in the city of Hickory who have a disability. He stated that if Mick Berry is going to make decisions for the Council without informing the council what they should be doing, then he will say to the Council and Manager Berry that he needs to resign his position and they need to fire him (Mr. Berry).
The Hound can sympathize with what Mr. Pope goes through as an individual dealing with a handicap. I know that it has to be a struggle to live independently and be as productive as Mr. Pope is. These ADA issues need to be taken seriously by our government and by all accounts I believe the city of Hickory does take these issues very seriously. I don't believe anyone meant any harm to Mr. Pope on the morning in question and I do believe that the city should hold community events downtown that enhance the quality of life of the city. Sometimes things just happen. I don't believe that vehicles should be parking on the sidewalk and proactive steps need to be taken to ensure that the sidewalks are not blocked.
This issue cuts both ways. Mr. Pope needs to understand that not everything will always be perfect. We cannot always fault our city government for issues that are just part of the process of life. I believe that the city does take Mr. Pope seriously when it comes to the issues of his handicap. There is no desire to slight him over the issues of his physical limitations.
I don't think that any of us should ever make fun of Mr. Larry Pope for addressing the City Council. Citizens need to be listened to when they have concerns, whether you agree with them or not. These issues are important to Mr. Pope. This is not trivial. This is not a joke and I would like to think that anyone who addresses our city government will find representatives of the city government that are responsive, caring, and represent the needs of all of the citizens of the City of Hickory. If you think that this is not something that should be taken seriously, then think about the next time when it might be something that is important to you. Will it be a joke then?
***Mayor Wright spoke about the Chamber of Commerce "Fly In" that he attended last week. He stated that we were one of 34 chambers that attended this event. He stated that he heard several things about the progress of the war and about research going on at Chapel Hill involving the ability to substitute oral medications for chemotherapy that will utilize nanotechnology to fight cancer cells. He stated that it was a good meeting that allowed them to ask a few questions. He talked about an editria he authored in Sunday's Hickory Daily Record that discussed the subject of collective bargaining relating to local municipalities. Mayor Wright stated that he asked a couple questions that were evaded and stated that the people in Washington are trying to dodge the questions and are going counter to the will of the people of the State of North Carolina. He lamented the actions of representatives in Washington related to voting, such as cloture.
The Mayor's Editorial in the Hickory Daily Record: Mandatory collective bargaining counterproductive
The Hound agrees with the Mayor on this issue. First and foremost, we are in economically difficult times. This has nothing to do with our local government workers. I have met several of them and I believe that for the most part they want to do good work and do what is best for our community. The fact remains that the government continues to grow at an exponential pace. If one looks at the pay of government workers, for the most part, they are the only sector of our society whose pay has not decreased during these economically stagnant times. Yes, I understand that our local government workers have not had a raise in two years, but there are a lot of people who are out of work, have had their hours cut, or have seen cuts in their pay and benefits. That is the reality.
I understand the desire of workers to want to ensure that they are fairly represented when it comes to compensation. Most of us don't enjoy such a luxury and we are not responsible for the public trust. The government can basically hold the people over a barrel and demand increases in pay -- look at Congress. We have seen federal elected officials continue to vote themselves pay increases, while statistics show the average citizen has fallen further and further behind. This is one of those balance issues that needs to be dealt with. And as the Mayor stated the federal government is attempting to institute this measure against the will of the people. These issues that are implemented against the will of the people must not stand.
***Alder Patton wanted to add a comment about a sales event taking place this weekend called the Viewmont Street Strut. A group of about 30 businesses have gotten together to market this event. She hopes that people will take the time to head out to Viewmont and support local businesses.
At right of this page under Main Information links is an Hickory's City Website link. If you click on that link, it takes you to our city’s website, at the left of the page you will see the Agenda's and Minutes link you need to click. This will give you a choice of PDF files to upcoming and previous meetings.
You will find historic Agenda and Minutes links. Agendas show what is on the docket for the meeting of that date. The Minutes is an actual summary of the proceedings of the meeting of that date.
Here is a summary of the agenda of the 9/21/2010 meeting. There were a couple of important items that were discussed at this meeting and the details are listed further below
Invocation by Rev. David E. Roberts of Morning Star First Baptist Church
Special Presentations:
Presentation of Proclamation to Deputy Fire Chief, Steve Moore Declaring the Week of October 3 – 9, 2010 as “Fire Prevention Week” in the City of Hickory
The Mayor recognized the fire department. The city reached 15 years with no fire deaths, but this year a homeless man died here in Hickory. The mayor stated that our good record has occurred, because of education, fire staff, as well as our citizenry that here in abide by good safety practices.
Roughly 3000 people die as a result of home fires and burns. Two thirds of a home fire deaths resulted from from home fires which no smoke alarms were working along this were present. Working smoke alarms cut the chance of dying in a reported fire and a half. Weavers of the Hickory fire department recommend at least one smoke alarm on each level of the time, outside of all sleeping areas and bedrooms.
The goal is to take personal steps to increase fire safety. The theme of this campaign is smoke alarms a sound you can live with works to motivate Hickory residents to implement smoke alarm recommendations and the home.
Consent Agenda:
A. Approval to Enter Into an Agreement With Host Agency, Sherrills-Ford/Terrell Fire Department for Ten 800 MHz Radios to be Purchased Through the Assistance to Firefighters Act Grant Program - City Council in May 2009 approved the Hickory Fire Department to be a part of the grant process to purchase ten (10) portable 800 MHz radios through the Assistance to Firefighters Act Grant Program. As a participant of the Catawba County Public Safety Information Committee, it was determined to pursue the grant for portable radios with Sherrills-Ford/Terrell Fire Department as the host agency. Hickory’s cost share for the ten (10) radios would be $1,250.00 or 5%. Sherrills-Ford/Terrell Fire Department has prepared an agreement that once the radios are received through the grant, Hickory will be the owner of the radios and will coordinate with the host agency.
B. Citizens’ Advisory Committee Recommendations for Assistance Through the City of Hickory’s Housing Programs -
The following applicants are being recommended for approval for assistance under the City’s Housing Rehabilitation Loan Program:
Peggy Hunter Amount Not to Exceed $20,000.00 31 28th Avenue, NE
Betty Hairston Amount Not to Exceed $10,000.00 259 10th Avenue, SE
Funds are budgeted through the City of Hickory’s former Rental Rehabilitation Program income received in FY 2009 and/or program income received through the Community Development Block Grant Program. Applicant, Janet Noblitt of 313 20th Avenue, NE is being recommended for assistance under the City’s 2009 Urgent Repair Program for emergency-related repairs not to exceed $5,000.00. Funds are budgeted through the City’s Community Development
Department funds received in FY 2009-10.
C. Award Bid to Amick Equipment for the Purchase of Two Replacement Hook Lift Crew Cab Trucks in the Amount of $139,850.00 - The City’s Street Division uses hook lift crew cab trucks on a daily basis for both the maintenance and construction crews. These two trucks will replace Unit #2200 and Unit #2604. A total of three (3) bids were received and Amick Equipment came in with the low bid while meeting our specifications in the amount of $69,925.00 each or for a total of $139,850.00. Funds are budgeted for FY 2010-11.
D. Approve Resolution to Discard Library Materials to the Friends of the Library for Their Annual Book Sale on October 7 – 10, 2010 - The Friends of the Library collect donated books and other materials throughout the year for their book sales. The donated books and materials are out of date, in poor condition or are no longer needed to meet the collection development goals of the library. There are 4,507 discarded library materials to be donated. The proceeds ultimately benefit the library, which is an appropriate means of disposing of unneeded materials.
E. Proclamation Declaring the Week of September 17 through 23, 2010 as “Constitution Week” in the City of Hickory
F. Budget Ordinance Amendment No. 5
1. To budget $167 of Local Government Revenue in the Police Department Overtime line item. This revenue is payment from Catawba County Mental Health for a portion of an Officers time spent when accompanying involuntary commitment patients.
2. To budget a $1,563 insurance claim check from State Auto Insurance Company in the Water and Sewer Pipes, Hydrants and Meters line item. This payment is for damage sustained to a fire hydrant on 08-02-10.
3. To budget $11,119 of State Revenue and $2,224 from the Recycling Division fuel and motor oil line item in the Recycling Division Non-Asset Inventory line item. The North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources Division of Pollution Prevention and Environmental Assistance has awarded the City of Hickory a grant to upgrade one of the existing Recycling Drop Off Centers existing dumpsters with hook lift style containers. This will allow the City of Hickory to collect and transport different types of materials to the recycling facility with one trip thereby saving time and fuel. The cost of the replacement dumpsters is $13,343. The Grant Contract has a state participation commitment in the amount of $11,119 with a $2,224 required local match.
4. To appropriate $299,803 of General Fund Balance and budget in the Clement Boulevard project Construction line item. Funds are needed to complete the Clement Boulevard extension project including construction of the railroad crossing as well as the remaining utility and electrical work. We anticipate the new road will be opened mid October.
IX. Informational Items:
A. Report of Mayor Wright’s travel to Washington, DC from September 13 – 14, 2010 to attend the 2010 Washington Perspective Fly-In; hotel - $308.01; airfare - $302.90; per diem - $78.75; mileage - $52.00; taxi cab & parking fees - $49.00 (Exhibit IX.A.)
New Business - Public Hearings:
1. Resolution and Order for Petition of the City of Hickory to Close City-Owned 60- Foot Right-of-Way in the 4200 Block of 9th Street, NE - The City received a petition from Public Services Director Chuck Hansen on behalf of the City of Hickory to close a portion of a City-Owned 60-foot Right-of- Way in the 4200 block of 9th Street, NE in order to allow the proposed residential subdivision of the property in this same area per the Recreation Master Plan. Staff review did not yield any comments against this petition. This public hearing was advertised on August 20, August 27, September 3 and September 10, 2010 in a newspaper having general circulation in the Hickory area.
Chuck Hanson made the presentation stating that this is a cul-de-sac, this is a remnant of an old subdivision. This will close the cul-de-sac and allow for the possibility of a future subdivision on the property. This will close the right of way and clean the property up for the possibility of the new subdivision. The Council unanimously consented to the resolution.
2. Ordinance Authorizing Moratorium on New Electronic Sweepstakes Establishments in the Zoning Jurisdiction of the City of Hickory - On September 7, 2010 City Council authorized a public hearing be held for consideration of an ordinance authorizing a moratorium not to exceed ninety days on development approvals; including the issuance of building permits and zoning compliance permits for future electronic sweepstakes establishments as well as development approvals of requests to expand any current establishments. Session Law 2010-103 was recently enacted by NC Legislature which bans the use of electronic machines and devices for sweepstakes purposes which becomes effective December 1, 2010. The gaming industry is seeking an injunction to prohibit the act from taking effect and has brought suit against a number of cities who enacted privilege license fee schedules. According to NC General Statute 160A-381(e) Council may adopt a temporary moratorium on development by ordinance, which must set out four (4) specific criteria. While the injunction is being litigated, it is possible new establishments could occur in Hickory without there being any zoning regulations to affect their locations and operations. The moratorium will apply to future electronic sweepstakes establishments as well as development approvals for requests to expand any current establishments. It will not affect or apply to any current electronic sweepstakes establishments in operation within the zoning jurisdiction of the City of Hickory, as they are grandfathered under the existing Land Development Code. During the moratorium staff will revise a proposed text amendment to the Land Development Code for consideration by the Hickory Regional Planning Commission and City Council.
City Atty. Crone made the presentation. There are opinion lawsuits across the state of North Carolina challenging this new law passed by the legislature. If these lawsuits are successful, that would leave a gap as far as Hickory is concerned. The new proposed ordinance that will be brought forth will better reflect some of the definitions of the legislation and add some other restrictions that Atty. Crone felt he was hearing some of the Council voice that they would like to see in the ordinance. The proposed ordinance will be presented to the Council at some point during the 90 day moratorium. This ordinance will stay in place at least or until December 1. Were the legislation deemed to be unconstitutional, then they will have the ordinance in place to close the gap should that happen. Alder Patton asked within the hearing would take place? Atty. Crone stated that this would be heard sometime in latter October or November. The council consented unanimously to the moratorium.
The Hound has addressed this issue several times since it was brought up at the end of 2009 and since it has been deliberated over this year. I am glad the city has finally taken some action on this issue.
New Business - Departmental Reports:
1. Designation of Voting Delegate and One Alternate Voting Delegate for 2010 Annual North Carolina Annual Business Meeting on October 25, 2010 in Winston-Salem, NC. - Under the NCLM Constitution and the voting procedure established by the League Board of Directors, each member municipality sending delegates to the Annual Conference is required to designate one voting delegate and one alternate voting delegate. The vote of each municipality at the Annual Business Meeting on October 25, 2010 may be cast only by a designated voting delegate or alternate voting delegate. The council unanimously voted to approve Mayor Wright as the voting delegate to this annual meeting.
Currently Mayor Wright and manager Berry are the only representatives from Hickory that will attend this meeting. Mayor Wright stated that he hopes that more members of Council will attend this meeting. He stated that his good networking and this is good to attend. City has not always faithfully attended this meeting but once they started having the meeting in Hickory every few years he felt that there needed to be a somewhat visible attendance to this meeting. We sell others on how great this meeting is going to be and that they should come when this meeting is in Hickory, so he would encourage others to come. It is close by. He stated that city staff is on top of the subjects that will be discussed. He added that there is no substitute for someone who puts their name on the ballot who will come back and report.
Citizens requesting to be heard -- Larry Pope addressed the Council about public events controlled by the city. He stated that he had an incident that occurred with him a month ago where there was a foot race in downtown Hickory on Saturday morning. He walked to Post Office BBQ to eat and when he was finished he was headed to Professional Dry Cleaners downtown. As he came across a railroad tracks, he headed down the street and made a right-hand turn along the sidewalk near the Elk's Lodge and old Duke Power building. As he was traveling down the sidewalk he walked into a truck and a car that were parked on the sidewalk that should not have been there. There was a crowd of folks and he asked for some assistance to get around the vehicles. A gentleman stepped forward and assisted Mr. Pope.
Mr. Pope asked for the man to help him get to the Bank of Granite parking lot. The man took him to the Bank of Granite Plasa parking lot and let him go. Mr. Pope found out that he was not where he wanted to be and stopped and asked for assistance again, because he heard a crowd of folks that were standing there. Another person helped him to the Bank of Granite parking lot and there was a crane in the middle of the road that was there for the race.
He called the police department, and the dispatcher did not know who he was and told him that they could not send an officer to help him and he lost contact with the dispatcher thinking that they had hung up. The Lieutenant on duty sent some help to help him get around a crowd of folks and the barricades that were downtown.
Mr. Pope later met with Major Deal and Manager Berry to let them know what had happened and his concerns. Mr. Pope stated that he was told by Manager Berry that no event downtown will change. Mr. Pope stated that there is a law in place that sets out what is proper and what is not proper when it comes to travel areas for people with disabilities. He stated that Manager Berry does not own the sidewalks and cannot make determinations about what will and will not be done. He met with Attorney Dula on the 27th of August to provide her with a copy of the law and told her that he was tired of fighting with the city of Hickory when it comes to his rights. The Americans with disability act is specific about what the city government must do when the council grants permission for these events to happen. Larry stated that he asked Atty. Dula what downtown development will do and what the city will do pertaining to Oktoberfest. He stated that if anyone violates his rights that he will see them in court.
He expects a letter from the Downtown Development Association and the City of Hickory to spell out what they plan to do, as the law requires them to do certain things under the law of the ADA. If they choose not to do it, he stated he will be back and he will do what ever he has to do to protect his rights and other people's rights in the city of Hickory who have a disability. He stated that if Mick Berry is going to make decisions for the Council without informing the council what they should be doing, then he will say to the Council and Manager Berry that he needs to resign his position and they need to fire him (Mr. Berry).
The Hound can sympathize with what Mr. Pope goes through as an individual dealing with a handicap. I know that it has to be a struggle to live independently and be as productive as Mr. Pope is. These ADA issues need to be taken seriously by our government and by all accounts I believe the city of Hickory does take these issues very seriously. I don't believe anyone meant any harm to Mr. Pope on the morning in question and I do believe that the city should hold community events downtown that enhance the quality of life of the city. Sometimes things just happen. I don't believe that vehicles should be parking on the sidewalk and proactive steps need to be taken to ensure that the sidewalks are not blocked.
This issue cuts both ways. Mr. Pope needs to understand that not everything will always be perfect. We cannot always fault our city government for issues that are just part of the process of life. I believe that the city does take Mr. Pope seriously when it comes to the issues of his handicap. There is no desire to slight him over the issues of his physical limitations.
I don't think that any of us should ever make fun of Mr. Larry Pope for addressing the City Council. Citizens need to be listened to when they have concerns, whether you agree with them or not. These issues are important to Mr. Pope. This is not trivial. This is not a joke and I would like to think that anyone who addresses our city government will find representatives of the city government that are responsive, caring, and represent the needs of all of the citizens of the City of Hickory. If you think that this is not something that should be taken seriously, then think about the next time when it might be something that is important to you. Will it be a joke then?
***Mayor Wright spoke about the Chamber of Commerce "Fly In" that he attended last week. He stated that we were one of 34 chambers that attended this event. He stated that he heard several things about the progress of the war and about research going on at Chapel Hill involving the ability to substitute oral medications for chemotherapy that will utilize nanotechnology to fight cancer cells. He stated that it was a good meeting that allowed them to ask a few questions. He talked about an editria he authored in Sunday's Hickory Daily Record that discussed the subject of collective bargaining relating to local municipalities. Mayor Wright stated that he asked a couple questions that were evaded and stated that the people in Washington are trying to dodge the questions and are going counter to the will of the people of the State of North Carolina. He lamented the actions of representatives in Washington related to voting, such as cloture.
The Mayor's Editorial in the Hickory Daily Record: Mandatory collective bargaining counterproductive
The Hound agrees with the Mayor on this issue. First and foremost, we are in economically difficult times. This has nothing to do with our local government workers. I have met several of them and I believe that for the most part they want to do good work and do what is best for our community. The fact remains that the government continues to grow at an exponential pace. If one looks at the pay of government workers, for the most part, they are the only sector of our society whose pay has not decreased during these economically stagnant times. Yes, I understand that our local government workers have not had a raise in two years, but there are a lot of people who are out of work, have had their hours cut, or have seen cuts in their pay and benefits. That is the reality.
I understand the desire of workers to want to ensure that they are fairly represented when it comes to compensation. Most of us don't enjoy such a luxury and we are not responsible for the public trust. The government can basically hold the people over a barrel and demand increases in pay -- look at Congress. We have seen federal elected officials continue to vote themselves pay increases, while statistics show the average citizen has fallen further and further behind. This is one of those balance issues that needs to be dealt with. And as the Mayor stated the federal government is attempting to institute this measure against the will of the people. These issues that are implemented against the will of the people must not stand.
***Alder Patton wanted to add a comment about a sales event taking place this weekend called the Viewmont Street Strut. A group of about 30 businesses have gotten together to market this event. She hopes that people will take the time to head out to Viewmont and support local businesses.
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