“Viewpoints” is a place on Chapelboro where local people are encouraged to share their unique perspectives on issues affecting our community. If you’d like to contribute a column on an issue you’re concerned about, interesting happenings around town, reflections on local life — or anything else — send a submission to viewpoints@wchl.com.
On Not Closing University Place Recycling Site
A perspective from Blair Pollock
Over the past 35 years, since the beginning of public recycling here, our community has heartily embraced this simplest and most popular environmental act.
An early cornerstone of our robust, well-funded and operated system remains the four unstaffed recycling sites that receive over 1,200 tons a year of high quality material. The site at UNIVERSITY PLACE (MALL) on Estes Drive in Chapel Hill is the most used of the four and is ABOUT TO BE REMOVED. As of May 31, the site owner Ram Realty, based in Florida but with an office in Chapel Hill plans to evict the recycling site as part of their plan to redevelop the mall. There is no reason to do this and every reason to keep the site there. You could contact Ram Realty at (561) 630-6110. Their web site lists Jeff Kurtz and Rachel Russell Krenz as VPs of development in the Carolinas. (No e-mail shown). The local office is at 1480 Environ Way in Chapel Hill. So start with them. Their web page says: “We have the power to make places better; to create places where people want to live and shop’. Hold them to it. There’s no short-term rationale for eliminating this valuable community asset.
IF the site must close, then a ‘second-best’ may be the Town of Chapel Hill property at Legion Road behind the Sheraton that may be a future park or housing site. It could readily and easily accommodate a recycling drop off site- you can see for yourself how much road frontage there is and how level it is. You may wish to contact the Town and inquire about this. Mayorandcouncil@townofchapelhill.org or 919-968-2714.
RECYCLING CREATES WEALTH FROM WASTE, SAVES RESOURCES & ENERGY REDUCES LANDFILLING. ALL OUR RECYCLABLES ARE MARKETED NOT TRASHED.
Community Infrastructure
A perspective from Steve Peck
I read with interest that we as a community are investing in parks and greenways . As a former member and chair of the Orange County Parks and Recreation Council I take great pride in our progress with projects like Blackwood Farm and our greenway system.
However as a resident of Chapel Hill/Carrboro I also believe in the adage of first things first. My home is in the Fox Meadow subdivision of Carrboro. To date we have no water infrastructure and few of us have sewer. There is a history there but the fact remains my neighborhood pays taxes for infrastructure we do not have. Fire protection is limited by this and insurance rates, depending on the company can be higher. Personally I feel that the priority should be for town leaders to build 1st class infrastructure for all citizens before parks and greenway construction.
Municipalities have been historically quick to annex but slow to provide infrastructure. That is the case in my neighborhood. I would call a pause on development of all kinds until our community can provide infrastructure to all existing neighborhoods.
“Viewpoints” on Chapelboro is a recurring series of community-submitted opinion columns. All thoughts, ideas, opinions and expressions in this series are those of the author, and do not reflect the work or reporting of 97.9 The Hill and Chapelboro.com.
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