INC NEWS - Sidewalks-alternative location

Mon Oct 2 15:51:57 EDT 2006

Neighbors:
This may be a good time for the City to consider creating sidewalks by 
extending the curb and narrowing the streets.  In additon to preerving 
trees, this will also help calm traffic.
Lorisa

Lorisa Seibel, Community Organizer
Durham Affordable Housing Coalition
331 W. Main St., #408, Durham, NC 27701
(919) 683-1185 ext. 25, (fax) 688-0082
Lorisa at dahc.org
www.dahc.org

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Duke, Frank" <Frank.Duke at durhamnc.gov>
To: <inc-list at rtpnet.org>
Sent: Monday, October 02, 2006 8:37 AM
Subject: Re: INC NEWS - INC-list Digest, Vol 22, Issue 1

I read the message regarding Duke's pedestrian plan with some interest.
I approved consideration of the jogging trail around East Campus as an
alternative to a sidewalk. I did so because I thought preservation of
the tree canopy on Broad Street was important -- to Durham and to Old
West Durham. I visited the site before I made the determination and saw
that along Broad Street there was less than one foot of clearance
between the trees and the wall (which is protected by Duke's development
plan). The alternatives that I had were removal of the trees to permit
installation of a conventional sidewalk or approval of the alternative
pathway. I chose in favor of the trees. From your email, I realize you
think I made the wrong decision and that the trees should have been
sacrificed.

There is nothing in the UDO requiring that alternate pedestrian systems
by all- weather. Merely that they provide a connection between two
places that pedestrians could use. I reviewed the entire document and
met with attorneys before I made the decision that I did.

Given the options available to me, I would make the same decision again
and sacrifice a conventional sidewalk (one exists on the west side of
Broad Street and the trail on the interior of the wall provides a
pedestrian connection along the east side of Broad to Markham Street).
The engineers who would prefer no trees in the right-of-way whatsoever
argued that I should have required elimination of the tree cover, but it
is that tree cover that defines the character of Broad Street -- that
establishes it as a special street in a special place in Durham.

Frank Duke, AICP
City-County Planning Director

-----Original Message-----
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Sent: Sunday, October 01, 2006 12:00 PM
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Today's Topics:

   1. INC NEWS - Elected officials fail at oversight, basic city
      functions (Caleb Southern)
   2. INC NEWS - Two more pedestrians hit (one on LaSalle, one at
      Broad & Perry) (John Schelp)
   3. INC NEWS - Duke's pedestrian plan lacks sidewalks,
      connectivity (John Schelp)
   4. Re: INC NEWS - [durhambikeandped] Two more pedestrians hit
      (one on LaSalle, one at Broad & Perry) (Barry Ragin)

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Message: 1
Date: Sat, 30 Sep 2006 14:22:15 -0400
From: "Caleb Southern" <southernc at mindspring.com>
Subject: INC NEWS - Elected officials fail at oversight, basic city
functions
To: <inc-list at durhaminc.org>
Message-ID: <016f01c6e4bd$5b6845f0$2f01a8c0 at funkpad5>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

"Bell said that anyone who read the reports should have known about the
problems and should have told the City Council. 'My issue is with
Patrick at
this point,' he said." (N&O)

My issue is with you, Mayor Bell.

Certainly there is plenty of blame to spread around for the dump fire.
But
this happened under Mayor Bell's watch. And it was predictable and
preventable.

In the four years I have been involved with civic issues in Durham, the
poor
state of maintenance and basic city services has been a constant theme.
I
can only imagine what other 'invisible' functions we take for granted
(water
& sewer, stormwater, etc.) are on the verge of catastrophic failure. We
all
see the sorry state of our pothole-ridden roads and other visible
infrastructure.

We just passed a massive bond for what is euphemistically called
"deferred
maintenance" -- effectively using our credit card to buy groceries.

HOW DEEP DOES THIS PROBLEM GO?

I, for one, am not willing to give Mayor Bell and Council a pass on
this. We
elect them to provide oversight on our behalf. It is unsatisfactory to
let
them get away with finger pointing AFTER THE FACT. The catastrophic
failure
of basic city services is not a surprise. Mayor Bell and our elected
officials must get ahead of this problem and ensure that our city
functions
properly -- rather than squandering our tax dollars on boondoggle
theaters
and grants to inept or corrupt organizations.

Instead of ordering a report about "who knew what when and how far up
the
chain it went," the Mayor should order an audit of the state of all city
infrastructure and systems, and what we need to do now to prevent the
next
imminent failure. That would be . . . leadership.

Mr. Mayor, Harry Truman said, "The buck stops here."

Caleb Southern

***

Officials briefed on dump's risk
Durham leaders got updates on the status of a waste center that later
caught
fire

By Michael Biesecker, Staff Writer: News & Observer

As the city's yard waste composting facility burned, top administrators
denied they were told the dump had been operating for more than two
years
without a state permit.

But internal reports show that City Manager Patrick Baker and Deputy
City
Manager Ted Voorhees got weekly updates that outlined the problem. Solid
waste managers also warned their superiors that equipment shortages and
a
contractor's poor performance could lead to a fire.

In interviews Friday, Baker and Voorhees acknowledged they received and
read
the "City Manager Executive Updates," the contents of which were
routinely
discussed at weekly meetings of senior city administrators. Both said,
however, they had no knowledge of the permit lapse, the severity of the
problems at the dump or the likelihood of fire.

The reports cover the period from May 29, 2005, until days before the
acres
of accumulated leaves and limbs at the dump spontaneously burst into
flame
Sept. 10. The fire took 14 days and more than $100,000 in taxpayer money
to
extinguish, while smoke blanketed nearby homes and forced some residents
to
flee to hotels.

"Time is crucial as material is arriving without being processed, thus
increasing the potential for compost fires," reads the report for the
week
of July 15. That statement was bulleted under the heading "Management
Issues," defined on the form as issues "the city manager needs to know
about."

The Yard Waste Compost Facility's permit expired in July 2004, five
months
after a large mulch fire burned for nine days. When the city applied for
a
new permit, officials at the state Department of Environment and Natural
Resources refused.

As of Friday, the yard waste dump still did not have a valid operating
permit. Meanwhile, state regulators are considering fines of $5,000 per
day.

Baker, who became acting city manager in August 2004, said he had never
visited the yard waste dump until after the most recent fire. By his
reading, the warnings in the executive updates about a potential fire
were
referring to piles of mulch and compost, not adjacent the mounds of yard
waste that spontaneously combusted.

"All I can remember being told, and I can't remember exactly by whom, is
that they had some permitting issues with the state they were working
out,"
Baker said. "Hindsight is 20/20. But this happened on my watch, and it
is my
responsibility."

Council members blasted the city's handling of the recent fire at a
Sept. 18
public meeting and expressed outrage that they were never informed that
the
facility had been operating illegally. Baker apologized, telling council
members that they were not told about the problems because he had never
been
informed.

On Sept. 21, as the piles smoldered, Mayor Bill Bell instructed Baker to
prepare a report about "who knew what when and how far up the chain it
went."

Interviewed moments later in the hall outside the council's conference
room,
Voorhees said he had vague knowledge that his subordinates were working
to
renew the permit. He was adamant, however, that he never knew or had
been
told the permit had expired.

But the internal updates make repeated references to the department's
efforts to get a new one. Under the heading "Future Hot Items (Potential
negative press or controversial issues)," the one dated May 29, 2005,
has
the bulleted entry: "Yard Waste Composting facility Permit from DENR --
all
required documentation has been submitted for approval."

The reports describe a facility struggling with insufficient resources
to
handle the yard waste. Without room to spread out the materials, the
piles
grew bigger, increasing fire potential.

The executive report for the week of Dec. 31, 2005, reads, "The facility
is
inundated with existing compost, newly ground mulch, and newly arriving
yard
debris -- primarily leases. ... Our only operational equipment, a rubber
tire loader, is not well suited to moving large loads over uneven,
non-paved
terrain due to its rollover potential. As mentioned in the previous
report,
we really need a tracked loader to help push and efficiently store
material."

Though another city department eventually loaned the yard a tracked
loader,
the requested new equipment is still on order. It is expected to arrive
in
30 to 90 days.

Context cited

Voorhees said Friday that the internal updates should be considered in
the
context of all the priorities of city government. Responsibility for the
failures at the yard waste facility lies at the feet of its on-site
manager,
Roosevelt Carter, Voorhees said.

"It's sort of out-of-sight, out-of-mind until it catches on fire -- and
then
everyone knows about it," Voorhees said.

Efforts to reach Carter on Friday were unsuccessful.

Bell said that anyone who read the reports should have known about the
problems and should have told the City Council. "My issue is with
Patrick at
this point," he said.

Two other council members who reviewed the reports questioned the
performance of Baker and Voorhees. Thomas Stith said the documents
indicated
"negligence." Eugene Brown questioned whether the pair were worth their
salaries -- a combined $271,649 per year, not including benefits and
perks.

"We pay the manager and his team big bucks to resolve these issues,"
Brown
said. "In this case, I don't think the taxpayers got their money's
worth."
Staff writer Michael Biesecker can be reached at 956-2421 or
mbieseck at newsobserver.com.

------------------------------

Message: 2
Date: Sun, 1 Oct 2006 05:56:35 -0700 (PDT)
From: John Schelp <bwatu at yahoo.com>
Subject: INC NEWS - Two more pedestrians hit (one on LaSalle, one at
Broad & Perry)
To: inc-list at DurhamINC.org
Message-ID: <20061001125635.26597.qmail at web34308.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1

Hit-and-run driver leaves woman with critical
injuries: Recent Duke grad one of two to be hit in
under 24 hours
Herald-Sun, 1 October 2006

A recent Duke University graduate was critically
injured when she was hit by a car late Friday on South
LaSalle Street near McQueen Drive, according to
police.

The vehicle left the scene without stopping, police
said.

According to police, the accident happened at 11:53
p.m. in front of the Belmont Apartments. Caitlin
Donnelly, 22, from Towaco, N.J., who graduated from
Duke in May, was waiting for a taxi cab and crossed
the street to check on a taxi that had just pulled up.
After Donnelly learned that it was not the cab she had
called, she turned to go back across LaSalle Street.

As she was crossing the street, Donnelly was struck by
a northbound car that had its headlights off,
according to police. The driver made no attempt to
brake and did not stop after the collision, according
to investigators. The vehicle was described as a
dark-colored sedan, possibly a Honda or Nissan. The
vehicle had damage to the front windshield and was
missing the left side mirror. Witnesses could provide
no description of the driver.

Donnelly was taken to Duke University Hospital for
treatment of severe head injuries, police said.

Anyone with information about the accident is asked to
call Durham Police Investigator M.H. Goodwin at (919)
560-4314 or CrimeStoppers at (919) 683-1200.
CrimeStoppers pays cash rewards for information
leading to arrests in felony cases, and callers do not
have to identify themselves.

Friday's incident was not the only time a pedestrian
was struck in Durham in a 24-hour period.

Around 3 p.m. on Saturday, a pedestrian was struck in
the crosswalk at Broad and Perry streets, the same
place 28-year-old Erin Kuhns was struck, dragged and
partially run over by a Cadillac Escalade on Aug. 11.
In that incident, the vehicle's rear wheel ran over
Kuhns' arm and shoulder and grazed her neck, leaving a
scar.

The young woman struck Saturday did not appear to be
seriously injured.

City officials plan to ask the state Department of
Transportation for a signal at the Broad and Perry
street intersection.

Donnelly remained in critical condition Saturday
evening.

------------------------------

Message: 3
Date: Sun, 1 Oct 2006 06:51:48 -0700 (PDT)
From: John Schelp <bwatu at yahoo.com>
Subject: INC NEWS - Duke's pedestrian plan lacks sidewalks,
connectivity
To: inc-list at DurhamINC.org
Message-ID: <20061001135148.41337.qmail at web34310.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1

folks,

The Pedestrian Plan that Duke recently submitted to
Durham's Development Review Board for approval is
woefully inadequate. Duke's plan leaves off a
significant number of future sidewalks -- which gives
the university a pass on sidewalk requirements
outlined in Durham's ordinance.

In public hearings, Duke has repeatedly affirmed the
importance of sidewalks and pedestrian connectivity. A
review of their pedestrian plan suggests that talk is
cheap. According to local officials, Duke seems to be
working behind the scenes to avoid building sidewalks
near their projects. Here are three examples:

1) Although a sidewalk is required in Duke's current
site plan for the new Center for Integrative Medicine,
the university is trying to eliminate a sidewalk along
Cameron Blvd., undermining an important *integrative*
characteristic of the new center.

Local officials have indicated that Duke wants to
re-submit a site plan that will omit the sidewalk
(based on the new, weaker requirements in Duke's
proposed pedestrian plan). One negative effect of this
change is that it would be more dangerous for the many
people who walk along Cameron Blvd. to football games
and other events at Wallace Wade stadium.

2) Duke was also supposed to build a sidewalk in front
recently expanded and renovated Washington-Duke Hotel
on Cameron Blvd., a big money-maker for the non-profit
university.

While the local planning ordinance states that Duke's
new sidewalks must have the same functionality as
conventional sidewalks, Duke is trying to argue that
the jogging trail fulfills this requirement.

Some must wonder how a dirt trail covered with mulch
that goes back into the woods is the same thing as a
paved, all-weather, pedestrian-friendly sidewalk along
Cameron Blvd.

3) Duke is trying to argue that the gravel trail
around the inside of the East Campus wall serves the
same function as a sidewalk and that therefore, Duke
shouldn't have to build sidewalks around East Campus.

While the gravel trail inside the East Campus wall
might be suitable for joggers and dog walkers, it is
not the same as a sidewalk designed to facilitate
pedestrian traffic. Does Duke seriously expect a
pedestrian -- a parent pushing a baby stroller -- to
climb over the wall at the corner in order to walk
along Buchanan, Markham, Broad, or Swift?

Finally, with regards to the Central Campus
redevelopment, concerned neighbors have asked Duke
several times to pay special attention to the northern
pedestrian portals at Anderson St and at Ninth Street.
Duke officials have assured us they will attend to
these matters -- assurances that are called into
question as Duke's recent efforts to avoid including
adequate, appropriate sidewalks in their site plans
come to light.

Instead of trying to save money, Duke should create a
safer environment for students, visitors, fans and
neighbors. Instead of scaling back their commitments
to sidewalks, Duke should be working even harder to
build better, pedestrian-friendly bridges with Durham.

thank you so much,
John Schelp

------------------------------

Message: 4
Date: Sun, 01 Oct 2006 11:46:02 -0400
From: Barry Ragin <bragin at nc.rr.com>
Subject: Re: INC NEWS - [durhambikeandped] Two more pedestrians hit
(one on LaSalle, one at Broad & Perry)
To: durhambikeandped at yahoogroups.com, pac2 at yahoogroups.com,
inc-list at DurhamINC.org
Message-ID: <451FE2BA.1000908 at nc.rr.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed

John, that's the most horrific story i've heard this year.

unfortunately, all of the traffic calming/pedestrian safety measures in
the world will not be able to protect people from someone whose respect
for the lives of their fellow humans has sunk to such criminal levels.

i wish Caitlin a complete recovery.

i hope the law enforcement/criminal justice system is able to catch the
person who did this and prosecute them fully. and anyone who knows
anything about this (and i'm sure that there's at least one other person

beside the driver who knows) needs to step forward.

Barry Ragin

John Schelp wrote:

>Hit-and-run driver leaves woman with critical
>injuries: Recent Duke grad one of two to be hit in
>under 24 hours
>Herald-Sun, 1 October 2006
>
>A recent Duke University graduate was critically
>injured when she was hit by a car late Friday on South
>LaSalle Street near McQueen Drive, according to
>police.
>
>The vehicle left the scene without stopping, police
>said.
>
>According to police, the accident happened at 11:53
>p.m. in front of the Belmont Apartments. Caitlin
>Donnelly, 22, from Towaco, N.J., who graduated from
>Duke in May, was waiting for a taxi cab and crossed
>the street to check on a taxi that had just pulled up.
>After Donnelly learned that it was not the cab she had
>called, she turned to go back across LaSalle Street.
>
>As she was crossing the street, Donnelly was struck by
>a northbound car that had its headlights off,
>according to police. The driver made no attempt to
>brake and did not stop after the collision, according
>to investigators. The vehicle was described as a
>dark-colored sedan, possibly a Honda or Nissan. The
>vehicle had damage to the front windshield and was
>missing the left side mirror. Witnesses could provide
>no description of the driver.
>
>Donnelly was taken to Duke University Hospital for
>treatment of severe head injuries, police said.
>
>Anyone with information about the accident is asked to
>call Durham Police Investigator M.H. Goodwin at (919)
>560-4314 or CrimeStoppers at (919) 683-1200.
>CrimeStoppers pays cash rewards for information
>leading to arrests in felony cases, and callers do not
>have to identify themselves.
>
>Friday's incident was not the only time a pedestrian
>was struck in Durham in a 24-hour period.
>
>Around 3 p.m. on Saturday, a pedestrian was struck in
>the crosswalk at Broad and Perry streets, the same
>place 28-year-old Erin Kuhns was struck, dragged and
>partially run over by a Cadillac Escalade on Aug. 11.
>In that incident, the vehicle's rear wheel ran over
>Kuhns' arm and shoulder and grazed her neck, leaving a
>scar.
>
>The young woman struck Saturday did not appear to be
>seriously injured.
>
>City officials plan to ask the state Department of
>Transportation for a signal at the Broad and Perry
>street intersection.
>
>Donnelly remained in critical condition Saturday
>evening.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>

------------------------------

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