We’re installing flashing yellow arrows at five intersections throughout Town to address safety concerns for vehicles making a left turn.

The traffic signals will have four vertical lights and will replace the existing five-section signal heads. The traffic signal will include:

• Solid Red Arrow – Stop. No left turns allowed;
• Solid Yellow Arrow - Prepare to stop;
•Flashing Yellow Arrow - Left turns are allowed, but first yield to oncoming traffic and pedestrians;
•Solid Green Arrow - Left turns permitted. Proceed with caution.

The benefit of flashing yellow arrows is that they clearly communicate to drivers in the left-turn lane that they do not have the right-of-way and must look for approaching traffic before turning.

The new traffic signals are expected to be installed during the first week of September. The proposed locations are:

• Cary Parkway and Kildaire Farm Road
• Cary Parkway and Bond Lake Dr/MacArthur Dr
• Kildaire Farm Rd and Ten Ten Rd
• SE Maynard Rd and Cary Towne Blvd
•Walnut St at US 1/64 northbound ramps

Flashing yellow arrow traffic signals have been tested statewide and have been used with great success in Fayetteville , Charlotte and Wilmington . Cary will be the first municipality in Wake County to implement these signals at multiple locations.

For more, contact David Spencer at 462-3833 or david.spencer@townofcary.org.

New pet tag fees set

To help encourage responsible pet ownership, as of July 1 the one-time fee to obtain a pet tag has been changed to:

• $50 for animals that have not been spayed or neutered
• $10 for animals that have been neutered or spayed
• $5 for animals that have been microchipped and spayed or neutered

All dogs and cats 4 months of age or older are required to wear a pet tag. For more details, visit www.townofcary.org.

Council approves FY 2010 budget

On June 25, Town Council adopted the FY 2010 budget, which at $214 million is 26 percent lower than its FY 2009 predecessor.

Your tax rate—one of the lowest in the Triangle—is unchanged at 33 cents per $100 valuation. Garbage, recycling, and yard waste fees are also unchanged at $14 per month.

Even with increased efficiencies, cuts and delays, Cary water and sewer customers will see a rate increase of 7.9% —about $5.55 per month for a residential customer using 7,000 gallons of water. The increase is needed to make up for decreased revenues and forecasted rate impacts of the Western Wake Regional Wastewater Management Facilities.

For more, visit www.townofcary.org.

Send questions for candidate forum

We’re gearing up for our 2009 Cary Community Candidate Forum on Sept. 15 and we need your questions for the candidates.

Submit your questions to our forum manager, the North Carolina Center for Voter Education, in one of four convenient ways: by e-mail to caryforum@ncvotered.com, by phone at 783-8811, by fax to 783-8855, or by postal mail to: ATTN – Cary Forum, N.C. Center for Voter Education, 3933 Arrow Drive, Suite 101, Raleigh, NC 27612.

Only Cary citizens can participate, and you must provide your name and address for your question to be considered.

For more information, visit www.townofcary.org.

• Town offices will close on Monday, Sept. 7 for Labor Day. Solid waste, yard waste, and recycling will be collected on your regular pickup day.

• Our upcoming fall WaterWise workshop series will help you enhance your landscape while being environmentally conscious. For workshop dates and times, visit www.townofcary.org.

• The Wake County Animal Care, Control and Adoption Center is the new home for Cary ’s lost animals. If your pet has been picked up by one of our Animal Control officers, you may reclaim it at the center located at 820 Beacon Lake Drive in Raleigh . For more, call 212-PETS.

Concert remembers September 11

We’re inviting everyone to a free concert, “September 11th: A Time of Remembrance and Reflection,” on Friday, Sept. 11 at 7:30 p.m. at Sertoma Amphitheatre in Bond Park.

This concert, part of a worldwide commemoration sponsored by Sister Cities International and Cary ’s Sister Cities Commission, will feature music, greetings from each of Cary ’s Sister Cities and performances by local arts groups. Come early and picnic in Bond Park before the concert.

Cary ’s Sister Cities program has built relationships with four communities: Le Touquet , France ; Hsinchu City , Taiwan ; Markham , Canada ; and County Meath , Ireland .

For more information, call Kris Carmichael at 460-4971.

Recycling FAQ

Do you have items around the house that you don’t know how to recycle? Here are a few solutions to your recycling questions:

· Plastic bags – Ask your local grocery store if they have a plastic bag recycling program.

· Shredded paper – Take it to one of the Wake County convenience centers. For a location near you, call 856-6186 or visit www.wakegov.com.

· Wire coat hangers – Check with a local dry cleaner to see if they accept these for reuse.

For more on Recycling in Cary , visit www.townofcary.org.

Caribbean festival debuts

Set aside Sept. 19 for a free taste of the Caribbean ! Cary will host its first annual Caribbean Festival at the Herb C. Young Community Center at 1 p.m.

The community center will be transformed into a tropical paradise! Bring your family to enjoy the music and food of the Caribbean and learn about different island cultures.

The festival is sponsored by the Town of Cary and the Caribbean community of North Carolina .

Review preservation plan

Join us for our final Historic Preservation Master Plan community meeting on Sept. 2 at Bond Park Community Center , 150 Metro Park Drive , from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.

We’ll be presenting a draft of the Historic Preservation Master Plan (including our goals, objectives, and implementation actions) and looking for your input and feedback. This will be the last community meeting - and your last chance to weigh in - before the final draft of the plan is developed.

For more information, visit www.townofcary.org.

Mark your calendars for Laze Day

Mark your calendars for Cary ’s 33rd annual Lazy Daze Arts & Crafts Festival on August 22, 2009 at 9 a.m.-5 p.m. in downtown Cary .

Audition for Dracula

Sign up to audition for a role in Dracula, our Applause! Cary Youth Theatre’s fall performance, or join our design team. Sign ups for auditions and design team interviews will begin Aug. 10. No walk-ins will be accepted.

Auditions are open to youth ages 8-18 and will be held Sept. 1-2 from 5-9 p.m. at Page-Walker Arts & History Center . Design Team Interviews (open to ages 10-18) will be held Sept. 3 from 5-9 p.m. at Page-Walker Arts & History Center .

For more information or to schedule an audition or interview, please call 465-4792.

Performances of Dracula will be held on Oct. 15-17 at the Sertoma Amphitheatre at Bond Park.

Cultural Connection

• Cary Art Loop, Aug. 28, 6 p.m. at various locations. For details, visit www.caryartloop.org.

• Cary Playwrights’ Forum, Introductory meeting, Sept. 1, 7 p.m. , Page-Walker Arts & History Center . For information, visit www.caryplaywrightsforum.org.

• Heart, Sept. 4, 7 p.m. at Koka Booth Amphitheatre.

• Fall Sertoma Series: Carrie Newcomer, Sept. 5, 3 p.m. at Sertoma Amphitheatre, Bond Park. Free. For more, call 469-4061.

• 2nd Annual Benefit Concert for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Sept. 6 at Booth Amphitheatre. Gates open 11 a.m. For more, visit boothamphitheatre.com.

• Fall Sertoma Series: Grass Cats, Sept. 12, 3 p.m. , Sertoma Amphitheatre at Bond Park. Free. For details, call 469-4061.

• Celebrate Cary at Sunset, Sept. 19, 3 p.m. , at Booth Amphitheatre.

Exhibits

• Nell Steelman Whitlock. Cary Senior Center through Sept 11. Artist reception: Aug 28.

• Matthew Scott Myers, first floor; Thomas C. Gruber, second floor, Page-Walker. Aug. 27-Sept. 22. Artist reception: Aug. 28, 6-8 p.m.

• 7^th Annual Fine Arts League of Cary Senior Art Exhibition. Cary Senior Center . Sept. 15-Oct. 9. Artist reception: Sept. 25, 3-5 p.m.

• Fine Arts League of Cary : Emerging Artists, Jordan Hall Arts Center . Sept 2-30. Artist reception: Sept 25, 6-8 p.m.

For more Concerts and Events, visit www.townofcary.org.