County mulch sales begin this weekend
Mulch sales will begin March 7. Mulch sales take place Saturdays from 7:30 a.m. to noon at 28 County Services Road Pittsboro. (No sales April 11 because to Easter.)
Sales will continue each Saturday through May 16 or while supplies last.
We load, you haul. Mulch is $5 per scoop; each scoop is about one cubic yard. We will load large trailers and dump trucks only with a large scoop for $10 per scoop. All loads of mulch MUST be secured.
If there is mulch available, we plan to have sales on Wednesdays in the summer. Check chathamnc.org/recycle for more details in May.
ATTENTION: Chatham County is not responsible for damage caused by the mulch or for any damage that you or your property may suffer from loading of mulch.
Contact the office with any questions: 919-542-5516 or recycle@chathamnc.org.
N.C. NAACP calls for ‘emergency action’ related to alleged voter intimidation in Pittsboro
The North Carolina branch of the NAACP announced Feb. 24 that it would be calling for “emergency action” in relation to alleged voter intimidation at the Chatham County Agriculture & Conference Center on Feb. 15.
In a letter sent to the N.C. State Board of Elections, the group argued that individuals waving Confederate flags and “reportedly yell(ing) slurs and chant(ing) ‘Trump 2020’” caused witnesses to report “feeling intimidated and harassed” when attempting to use the Ag Center’s early voting site. The individuals were protesting an event on Confederate history occurring at the Ag Center at the same time as the early voting.
“Due to the single-road entrance to the complex, it was impossible for potential voters to avoid seeing these racially intimidating symbols as they entered the early voting complex and polling location,” the letter stated. “Witnesses reported feeling intimidated and harassed. Some potential voters apparently left the area rather than park their cars, which would require them to enter the demonstration area.”
As a result, the NAACP wants the SBE to investigate the incidents on Feb. 15 and create an advisory group to combat voter intimidation this year.
Early non-Chatham media reports of the incident described the protests as a possible instance of voter intimidation, but county officials said they believed the flag-waving and chanting was “specific to the event.”
“We did not have any type of response at any of our other early voting sites,” Carolyn Miller, the director of Ag Center, said at a Feb. 17 Chatham County Board of Commissioners meeting. “We do believe this was a response specifically to that event, and it was an expected response to that event.”
Community engagement series on waste, recycling set for March
Do you ever wonder what happens to garbage once it’s thrown out? Are you interested in learning how to reduce the amount of waste that goes into landfills?
Join us at the Chatham Community Library for a four-part lecture series presented by Shannon Culpepper, Recycling and Education Specialist of Chatham County Solid Waste and Recycling, on Thursday evenings in March to learn about the waste process from beginning to end.
Where Does your Garbage Go?
Thursday, March 5, 6-7 p.m.
You place your trash in the bin and someone takes it away. Then what? Join Chatham County Solid Waste & Recycling to discover how trash is managed in the county. What is going in the trash? How is it hauled? Where does it ultimately get disposed? We will also discuss how the US in general manages waste and how global waste management effects your trash.
Why is Recycling so Confusing?
Thursday, March 12, 6-7 p.m.
Have you found yourself asking, “Why can’t I recycle this item that looks a lot like the others?” or “Why does it feel like the recycling rules change?” Join Chatham County Solid Waste & Recycling to learn about how recycling markets work, what happens after recyclables go in the bin, what can and cannot be recycled, and why.
Composting: Turning Trash into Treasure
Thursday, March 19, 6-7 p.m.
About 25 percent of what we put in landfill’s each year can be composted. Join Chatham County Solid Waste & Recycling to learn how easy it is to do at-home composting. Backyard composting options, tips to make the best compost, and the benefits of vermi-composting (composting with worms) will all be discussed.
Reducing your Waste: Waste Not, Want Not
Thursday, March 26, 6-7 p.m.
Looking for ways to reduce the amount of waste you create? Recycling and composting are wonderful disposal options, but there are ways to reduce the amount of waste before it is created. Join Chatham County Solid Waste & Recycling to learn about some easy/creative steps you can take to reduce your waste.
Chatham Community Library is located at 197 NC Hwy 87 N, Pittsboro, NC. This series of programs is free and open to the public. For information, contact Katy Henderson at (919) 545-8085 or katy.henderson@chathamlibraries.org.
Chatham Library hosting writing, Women’s History Month events
Chatham Community Library will host a “Writing Out Loud” workshop with local resident and author Gaines Steer at 2 p.m. on March 7 in the Holmes Meeting Room. This introductory seminar will focus on the art form of creative writing as storyteller and on finding your writer’s voice.
Steer holds a Master’s Degree in Community Leadership and Development from Springfield College and is a member of the North Carolina Writers’ Network and the National Association of Personal Historians. This event is free and open to the public. For questions about this program, please contact Steer at gainesunicorn@gmail.com.
In celebration of Women’s History Month, the library will host a presentation by North Carolina’s Poet Laureate Jaki Shelton Green at 1 p.m. on March 21 at in the Holmes Meeting Room. Green’s discussion,“Culture and Personal Experience Inform a Writer’s Work,” examines oral traditions in her own family. Reading from her poetry, she discusses stories, icons, and idioms as a way of preserving the history and culture of her community, and invites the audience members to recognize their shared humanity.
A native of Orange County, Jaki Shelton Green has been active in North Carolina’s literary and teaching community for more than 40 years. She has written eight books of poetry, one play and co-edited two poetry anthologies. She was a 2014 N.C. Literary Hall of Fame inductee and the recipient of the North Carolina Award for Literature in 2003. Upon her selection as the state’s Poet Laureate, Gov. Roy Cooper is quoted as saying, “Jaki Shelton Green brings a deep appreciation of our state’s diverse communities to her role as an ambassador of North Carolina literature.” Ms. Green is the first African American and third woman to serve as North Carolina’s ambassador for poetry and the spoken word.
Women’s History Month is an annual declared month that highlights the contributions of women to events in history and contemporary society. It is celebrated during March in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia, corresponding with International Women’s Day on March 8. In 1987, after being petitioned by the National Women’s History Project, Congress passed Pub. L. 100-9 which designated the month of March 1987 as Women’s History Month. Between 1988 and 1994, Congress passed additional resolutions requesting and authorizing the President to proclaim March of each year as Women’s History Month. Since 1988, U.S. presidents have issued annual proclamations designating the month of March as Women’s History Month.
Copies of Shelton’s books will be available for purchase and signing. This event is free and open to the public. Funding for this program comes from the continued support of the North Carolina Humanities Council.
Blackberry & Blueberry Production Workshop set
The Chatham County Center of North Carolina Cooperative Extension will offer a Blackberry & Blueberry Production Workshop as part of its Enhancing Sustainability Series from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesday, March 17, at the Chatham County Agriculture & Conference Center in Pittsboro. This workshop is an all-day event that will provide research-based info to market growers and gardeners.
Agenda:
• Blackberry Production — Gina Fernandez – Extension Specialist, NC State University — Site selection and prep, high tunnels, varieties, planting, fertility, irrigation, pruning and training, harvesting
• Blueberry Production — Bill Cline – Extension Specialist, NC State University — Site selection and prep, varieties, planting, fertility, irrigation, pruning, harvesting
• Pests of Blackberries & Blueberries — Hannah Burrack – Professor and Extension Specialist, NC State University — Primary pests + integrated pest management
• Diseases of Blackberries & Blueberries — Sara Villani – Plant Pathologist, NC State University & Bill Cline – Extension Specialist, NC State University — Primary diseases + integrated pest management
• Postharvest Handling — Penny Perkins-Veazie – Professor, NC State University — Handling and storage of blackberries and blueberries
• Pollination — Debbie Roos – Agriculture Agent, N.C. Cooperative Extension — Primary pollinators of blackberries and blueberries
• Small Fruit Resources — Debbie Roos – Agriculture Agent, N.C. Cooperative Extension — Plant nurseries, production guides, websites, etc.
• Q & A Panel
Advance registration is required for this workshop. The registration deadline is March 10. Call 919-542-8244 or email Debbie Roos at debbie.roos@chathamnc.org if you have questions. Visit growingsmallfarms.ces.ncsu.edu/2020/01/register-now-for-blackberry-blueberry-production-workshop/ for more details and to register.
County government seeking public input on regional hazard mitigation plan
PITTSBORO — As part of a regional effort to reduce the vulnerability from natural and man-made disasters that Chatham County faces, the Emergency Management Department is requesting public feedback on natural disaster risk and preparedness. This planning effort includes the towns of Pittsboro, Siler City and Goldston.
Public feedback will assist Chatham, Harnett, Lee, Moore and Johnston counties to combine existing local and regional hazard mitigation plans into one, updated regional plan which can be shared by all the counties and the towns within them. A Hazard Mitigation Plan identifies and assesses the hazards and threats a community faces and determines the best ways to prevent, minimize and manage those risks.
“Maintaining a valid Hazard Mitigation Plan is very important for Chatham County, because this allows the County, the Towns of Pittsboro, Siler City and Goldston, along with private businesses and homeowners to receive federal funding from FEMA for projects that make the community safer and more resilient towards hazards,” said Chatham County Emergency Management Director Steve Newton. “For every dollar that is spent on Hazard Mitigation projects, six dollars are saved in the future from preventing damages. These projects can be funded before a disaster but only if Chatham County has completed this Hazard Mitigation Plan process.”
A brief survey provides Chatham County residents an opportunity to share their opinions and concerns regarding the threats and hazards they face in their communities, as well as provide feedback on what they think will help mitigate these threats. Residents can complete the short survey online at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CZ2MRZZ.
Chatham County residents may also participate in a public input session from 1-3 p.m. on March 17 at the Chatham County Agriculture & Conference Center, 1192 US HWY 64 West Business, Pittsboro. The public is welcome to ask questions and provide feedback on the Hazard Mitigation Plan.
Individuals who have questions about the Hazard Mitigation Plan update or want to learn more about disaster preparedness and mitigation, may contact Colby Sawyer with Chatham County Emergency Management by phone at (919) 545-8191 or email at colby.sawyer@chathamnc.org.