City briefs

Council sends downtown projects back to boards

The Chapel Hill Town Council referred the proposed 2005 Downtown Improvement Projects back to three boards for review at its Monday night meeting.

The Downtown Economic Development Corporation, the Downtown Commission and the Community Design Commission will review the improvement projects and offer suggestions to the council.

Council members expressed concerns about the proposed mast-arm traffic signals they said they could be overbearing.

Members also addressed worries about post-basketball victory celebration hazards and construction hassles during their meeting.

Projects would include changes to the corner of Franklin and Columbia streets, the portion of Franklin Street adjacent to University Square, and West Franklin Street’s 500 and 600 blocks and would cost up to $530,000 to complete.

 

Commissioners to discuss school funding requests

The Board of County Commissioners will hold a joint work session tonight to discuss capital funding issues with both Orange County and Chapel Hill-Carrboro City schools.

The meeting will begin at 7:30 p.m. at the Southern Human Services Center on Homestead Road.

The commissioners will discuss the issues related to 60/40 school capital funding, equity funding and new school projects. County schools are seeking funds for its third middle school, and city schools need funds for its third high school.

 

Town to accept credit cards for myriad service fees

The town of Chapel Hill’s Finance Department will now accept credit cards as a form of payment for town fees including business licenses, inspection permits and zoning maps.

Finance Director Kay Johnson said the move is a positive step toward accepting credit cards in all town departments, especially public works, parks and recreation, police and at the library.

There is a $10 minimum purchase with all credit card transactions and credit cards may not be used to pay for public housing costs or county taxes.

 

WUNC gets a record number of awards for 2005 coverage

The North Carolina Public Radio station, WUNC-FM, was honored with a record-number of regional and national awards for its first four months of broadcasting in 2005.

The WUNC news department received the regional award for overall excellence award for the second year in a row as part of the Edward R. Murrow Awards given by the Radio Television News Directors Association.

The station also won the association’s regional Continuing Coverage Award for its election coverage.

WUNC garnered 11 awards from the Radio Television News Directors Association of the Carolinas, almost twice as many as any other station.