The Town Council is scheduled to vote in late May on new measures to protect trees.

They apply to removing trees on vacant sites and severely pruning trees on developed ones.

Provisions exist for removing trees that are safety hazards.

The restrictions would not affect most homeowners.

Remember also that there are rules against removal or excessive trimming of landscaping that was required in a development plan.

Required landscaping can include plantings at the street, in parking lots and buffers.

Severe pruning includes:

• Removing more than a fourth of a tree’s canopy
• Exposing more than a third of a tree’s interior through cuts
• Trimming shrubs that screen parking lots to less than 3 feet

Before timbering vacant lots, call the Planning staff at (919) 469-4082 to learn if you need a tree clearing certificate.

Avoid fines and penalties by knowing what rules apply. Call Planning with questions.

Maybe if you cut through the neighborhood and floor it, you’ll be only 28 minutes late for your meeting instead of a half hour.

Homeowners in some Cary neighborhoods have banded to soothe the savage beast in you, or at least to slow it down.

Traffic "calming" devices such as speed humps and raised crosswalks are meant to reduce speeding and cut-through traffic.

Reaction from citizens and emergency services staff led to revisions in the policy recently.

For example, the Fire Department must approve before the devices will be considered.

The revised policy also spells out how to get humps removed.

Now the Town Council wants to know what people think of traffic calming policy and procedure.

State inspectors had asked the Town to close the Glasgow Road bridge, then said the Queensferry Road bridge should close, too.

Further inspection showed one side of each was OK. So Glasgow bridge reopened to alternating traffic while only westbound traffic on Queensferry was detoured.

An engineer will keep check on the bridges to make sure they don’t go farther downhill before they can be replaced.

It includes deciding where to put bike routes and striping for bike lanes while helping cyclists and motorists share the road.

See Bicycle Plan under Current Projects at townofcary.org.

It's 11 o'clock. Does your cable company know where you are?

Sure, the bill reaches your home every month. But that doesn't necessarily mean the cable guy knows what town you’re in.

Recently, it became clear Time Warner Cable has not been doing a good job of keeping accurate subscriber location records.

That's important because rules and programming can differ among franchise areas. And basic cable rates in Cary are lower than many surrounding communities to which Cary residents have been incorrectly assigned.

Cary residents should be treated as Cary cable customers, regardless of the postal address.

How often isn't known yet, but the problem has occurred in areas such as Lochmere and West Park that were annexed long ago.

This summer, the Town plans to hire a firm to audit Time Warner's subscriber records. The goals are to have all customers in Cary correctly assigned and obtain appropriate billing adjustments on accounts to 1996, when Time Warner took over the cable system.

Cary residents whose February bills didn’t show the basic rate reduction to $8.45 can help by mailing us just one or two copies for each year of Time Warner Service in Cary at the address shown in the box above.

With 27,000 accounts to examine, the probe could take until the end of the year.

Look for updates in BUD and on the Web at townofcary.org.

easy as 1, 2, 3, 4

Now it’s even easier to have a little fun or to learn something.

You just need a computer, a telephone, a stamp or a few minutes to drop by the Town’s Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources offices.

EZ-REG service offers four convenient ways to sign up for programs.

You can now register online or by telephone in addition to mailing forms or bringing them to the department’s office.

The computer and telephone are both secure ways to register any time of the day or night.

Call one of the Town’s arts or community centers for information on obtaining a personal access code.

EZ-REG forms and instructions as well as the program brochure are on townofcary.org under the Recreation section.

They’ll lead you step-by-step through the registration process.

closing a thief’s window of
opportunity

As windows rise with the thermometer, so do the chances of enabling a thief to enter your home if you’re not careful.

Enjoy the fresh air without feeling more vulnerable by following a few safety precautions. Most are common sense.

Police offer these suggestions:

• Install deadbolts on doors.
• Place bars vertically in windows so a thief cannot push them up easily from outside.
• Install an alarm system and post signs prominently.

Community Watch can help neighbors look out for each other.

The main point Cary police want to make is this: harden your home as a target so that burglars decide the risk is too great.

Close the door on crime by inviting a Cary police officer to come to your home for a free risk assessment and more pointers.

If you’d like to schedule a visit, phone Officer Darryll DeCotis at (919) 469-4324.

standing water

The Town Council voted April 24 to ease rules for homeowners by removing the alternate-day restriction on watering cans, wands and hand-held hoses.

However, the alternate-day rule still applies otherwise. So don’t set the sprinkler and hit the couch unless it’s your day to water (Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday—odd-number addresses; Wednesday, Friday, Sunday— even-number ones.)

Please keep watering wisely.

It’s the season for Cary firefighters’ run-through on safe grilling.

Ensure gas hoses and valves have no cracks or leaks. Unclog valves with a wire coat hanger.

Clear away pine needles and other things that catch fire easily.

Always grill outside to prevent carbon monoxide accumulation.

Place grills on level ground at least 10 feet from structures.