[Durham INC] New "City Hall This Week" Begins Tonight

Fri May 6 14:26:31 EDT 2011

For Immediate Release: May 6, 2011

New "City Hall This Week" Begins Tonight

New Episode Begins Airing Friday, May 6 on DTV8 and "On Demand" on the
City's DTV8 Website

DURHAM, N.C. - The following highlights from the May 2, 2011 Durham City
Council meeting and other topics of interest will be featured in this
episode of "City Hall This Week." The show begins airing on Friday, May
6 at 8 p.m. and will also be available to watch on demand at 
www.DurhamNC.gov/DTV8/CityHallThisWeek.cfm. 

Important Developments for Southside Redevelopment Project

The City Council took action on two important issues regarding the
Southside Redevelopment Project.  It approved a conditional commitment
of $5,486,468 in subordinate financing for a rental development
consisting of 119 mix-income units and 13 live-work units. It also
approved a conditional commitment of $3,887,410 to fund the associated
site preparation and infrastructure improvements needed for the project.
The commitments were needed for the City's application for additional
financing from the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency. The other
important development for the project involves the Council's approval of
a $138,500 contract with the Center for Community Self-Help. The
organization will use the federal housing money to fund homeownership
architectural and engineering services in the Southside neighborhood.
Community Development Department Assistant Director Larry Jarvis
explains why these developments are so important for the future success
of the project on this episode of "City Hall This Week."

City Council Approves FY 2011-2012 Annual Action Plan

The City's FY 2011-2012 Annual Action Plan is now on its way to the
federal government for approval. The plan serves as the City's
application for federal housing funds from the U.S. Department of
Housing and Urban Development.  This year's plan, as approved by the
City Council, would give partial or full funding to some of the
organizations requesting money, while using approximately a third of the
money to support various aspects of the Southside Redevelopment Project.
The Annual Action Plan specifies how Community Development Block Grant,
Home Investment Partnership, Emergency Shelter Grant, and General Funds
from the federal government will be spent.

City Council Approves Creation of Business Improvement District for
Downtown

The City Council adopted a resolution establishing a Business
Improvement District (BID) in downtown. Such a designation allows an
extra tax to be levied on both commercial and residential property in
downtown. The money generated by the tax will go toward providing
services for downtown, such as for appearance and maintenance. The
Council will decide the amount of the tax next spring. It would go into
effect in July 2012.

City Council Signs Pledge of Support for Durham's First-Ever Strategic
Plan

City Council members have signed a pledge of support for the City's
first-ever Strategic Plan.  The plan will serve as a roadmap for the
Council and the Administration and help guide them as they make
decisions for the future. A $3,000 Trailblazer grant from the National
Center for Civic Innovation will help the City in its strategic plan
outreach efforts to the public. Some of those efforts will include
additional workshops to gain feedback on the new performance management
reporting system.  The new system will offer the public a way to measure
whether the City is achieving its strategic plan goals.

Other interviews featured on upcoming episode of "City Hall This Week":

*         Durham Police Department Southside Assistant Chief Winslow
Forbes - Explains why a new District Four Substation is needed and how
the public will be involved in the relocation process.

*         Solid Waste Management Department Director Donald Long -
Reports on the progress of Durham's recycling program. 

*         Public Works Department Engineering and Stormwater Manager Ed
Venable - Offers an update on Durham's failed and struggling
developments.

"City Hall This Week" is a news program dedicated to informing Durham
residents about what is going on inside Durham's City Hall. Each edition
is taped on the first and third Tuesday of the month - the day after
City Council meetings. It airs three times a day on DTV8 (Time Warner
Cable channel 8) through the week of the next City Council meeting. 

For more information, call the City's Office of Public Affairs at (919)
560-4123, or visit DTV8's Webpage at www.DurhamNC.gov/DTV8, DTV8's
Facebook page at www.Facebook/DurhamTV8, or DTV8's Twitter feed at 
www.Twitter.com/DTV8.    

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