We want to wish all of our citizens
and local businesses a happy holiday season and a wonderful New Year. Thanks for
making Cary your home!
As a reminder, Town offices will be
closed on Monday, Dec. 24, Tuesday, Dec. 25 and Wednesday, Dec. 26 in observance
of the holiday season.
Town offices will also close on
Tuesday, Jan. 1 for New Year’s Day and Monday, Jan. 21 in observance of the
Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.
The holiday
season not only brings families and friends together, but can also increase your
risk for a home fire. According to the U.S. Fire Administration, each year fires
occurring during the holiday season injure 2,600 individuals and cause more than
$930 million in damage.
Keep your
family safe and protect your property by following these tips:
•
Planning to decorate with a live tree?
Make sure the tree you select is fresh. It should be green and hard to pull back
from the branches. If many needles fall off when the tree trunk hits the ground,
the tree has probably dried out, making it a hazard.
•
Keep live trees away from heat sources like fireplaces and vents that
could dry them out, causing them to be more easily ignited. Make sure the tree
stand is filled with water at all times.
•
Be sure artificial trees are fire retardant.
•
Inspect holiday lights before decorating trees and other parts of your home.
Look for frayed wires, broken sockets, and excessive wear.
• Don’t overload electrical outlets.
•
Always put candles in candlestick holders before you light them.
•
Don't use lit candles near flammable decorations and curtains.
•
Never leave burning candles unattended.
• After
your family's celebrations, remove the tree and dispose of it properly. Avoid
leaving live trees up longer than two weeks.
For more
safety tips, visit www.townofcary.org.
Planning to pay your property tax
bills at Cary Town Hall before the Jan. 7 due date?
The most convenient place to park is
in the lot off of Ambassador Loop Road. We are able to accept cash or check
payments.
Want to avoid the line? Pay online via
your checking account at www.wakegov.com.
Our Town-wide curbside Christmas
tree collection will begin on Monday, Jan. 7. To ensure collection, place
your tree curbside by 7 a.m. on that day.
All non-vegetative material (such as
tinsel, lights and ornaments) must be removed from your tree prior to pick-up.
Vegetative material from wreaths or garland will be collected but must be
separated from the metal or plastic base.
You can also take trees to one of our
convenient drop off sites: Citizen’s Convenience Center, Oak Grove Elementary
School, and Green Hope Elementary School. For more, visit www.townofcary.org.
The Town will provide two special
collections of excess garbage—or trash that does not fit inside your rollout
cart—after the holidays.
During the week of Dec. 24 and Dec.
31, Town crews will pick up excess garbage on your collection day. Yard waste
won’t be collected.
Solid waste, yard waste and recycling
will be collected on regular collection days during the week of the MLK holiday,
Jan. 21.
In Cary, we collect yard waste along
with your solid waste and recyclables. Burning trash is prohibited.
If you live outside town limits,
please note that open burning has been banned statewide until further notice due
to the drought.
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Landscaping plantings for the US 1/64 Widening project in Cary have been postponed by NCDOT due to the drought.
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Our Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources Department is seeking nominations for its Volunteer Awards. Nomination forms are available at staffed PRCR facilities and on the Web at www.townofcary.org. The deadline is Jan. 18 at 5 p.m.
At the Town of Cary, we believe
employees are our most important resource. We are committed to attracting and
retaining the best employees possible so that you get the best government
possible.
We’re proud to announce that Cary
staff members continue to be recognized for their outstanding achievements. Our
own Crystal McDuffie, Emergency Communications Shift Supervisor, was recently
named the NC Communications Supervisor of the Year at the NC Joint NENA/APCO
Conference.
Joe
Moore, our Engineering Services Manager, recently completed the Master of Public
Administration program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a
program ranked sixth in the nation for city management. He was the Town’s
first employee to be selected to earn his MPA through the Local Government
Fellows Scholarship Program.
Running out of gift ideas? Consider giving that
special someone a dog. You may be giving your loved one the gift of better
fitness, too.
According to a study cited on www.families.com,
a dog can be better than a gym for helping you shed excess pounds and increase
your overall health.
The study suggests that a dog owner will travel
more than 650 miles per year compared to the average gym attendee, who will
cover about 450 miles per year working out on cardio machines such as a
treadmill.
The study also indicated that 92 percent of dog
owners are likely to stick to their routine over the course of a year. That
number drops to 52 percent for gym members.
Let’s face it—more people are likely to
walk the dog when it's raining than hit the gym.
Good health is important in Cary, a NC
designated Fit Community. For more ideas, visit www.townofcary.org.
Digital copies of approved site
and subdivision plans are now available on the Town’s Web site, www.townofcary.org.
The online plans contain information
that is often requested in-person at the Planning Department. They can be saved,
printed or emailed.
For more information, call 469-4082.
This season, we’re asking citizens
to show a little holiday spirit by displaying more consideration for your
neighbors now and throughout the year.
One of the most common complaints we
hear involves motorists parking in spots reserved for drivers with disabilities.
As you head out to do your holiday shopping, please be sure to leave designated
spaces for those patrons for whom they were intended. Don’t park in these
spots simply because the lot is crowded, you only plan to be a minute, or you
have a relative’s placard in the car.
Remember, parking in these spaces is
illegal if you are not disabled. You will face a $250 fine if you are caught.
Wondering if you have a leaky toilet?
Call Public Works and Utilities at 469-4090 to request a "Toilet
Training Tutorial" and dye tablets to help you find potential leaks.
Men
ages 35 and older can sign up Jan. 7-10 to play basketball as a team or
individually. Team fee is $450. Call 469-4062 for a registration packet
Each year in January, we pay tribute
to the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Please join us for a MLK
Birthday Celebration on Jan. 15 at the Page-Walker Arts and History Center at
6:30 p.m. Admission is free. This program is part of our annual Dreamfest
event.
For more, call 460-4963 or visit www.townofcary.org.
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Cary Art Loop, Dec. 28, 6-9 p.m. at various downtown Cary locations. Free. More details at www.caryartloop.org.
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13th Annual Cary Kwanzaa, Dec. 29, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Herb Young Community Center. Free. Details at 460-4963 or www.townofcary.org/depts/prdept/events/kwanzaa.
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Dia de los Reyes (Three Kings Day), Jan. 5, 2:30 p.m. at Cary Senior Center. Free. Details at 460-4963.
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Marvelous Music Series: Bettye Lavette, Jan. 12, 7:30 p.m. at Herb Young Community Center. Part of MLK Jr. Dreamfest celebration. Details at 469-4061.
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Friends of Page-Walker: A Grand Time for Singing, Jan. 13, 4 p.m. at Page-Walker Arts & History Center. Details at 460-4963.
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Triangle Sacred Harp Singers, Feb. 24, 2 p.m. at Page-Walker Arts and History Center. Free. Details at 460-4963.
Exhibits
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Jillian Goldberg: Nature's Joy in Color. Jan. 4-30 at Jordan Hall.
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MLK Jr. Dreamfest Exhibition: Willie Bigelow, Derrick B. Bryant, Christopher Bryant, Charles "Wsir" Johnson. Jan. 10-Feb. 27 at Page-Walker. Artists’ reception, Jan. 19 at 7 p.m.
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Susan Buret: A Measure of Security. Through Jan. 21 at Town Hall. Artist’s reception and symposium, Jan. 13 at 2 p.m.