Carrboro, Chapel Hill and Orange County need to stop talking about how to get sewer and water services to the Rogers Road community and start acting on the plans the task force has proposed.
Although no town or county has extra money lyingaround to grab at a moment’s notice, it is the responsibility of the members of a community to find a way to fund a project like this when it is so essential to their neighbors’ needs.
The excuse of waiting for the completion of an Environmental Protection Agency investigation has been ruled out as a legitimate obstacle, and the technicalities hindering Chapel Hill from paying its contribution should take a back seat to the immediate needs of the residents of this historically low-income, African-American community.
Continuing to plan meetings to establish the next step is taking too long for the members of the Rogers Road community who are being denied basic utilities.
Instead of planning more meetings to make more plans for more meetings, the participating towns need to start acting now and follow through with the proposed division of funds for the project.
Blame should stop being passed around and hollow excuses should be ceased — these will not advance the project and provide the people of this community with necessary water and sewage.
It’s time for the members of government in Carrboro, Chapel Hill and Orange County, as well as members of these communities, to step up and put the basic needs of these neighbors ahead of the red tape and tight money.
