| Moderated by: Steve Adkins | Topic closed | |
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S. Smith Moderator
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The elections are over, and voters are obviously satisfied (at least that 12% or 13% who came out to vote) with the current council. What do you think should be the council's next priority/priorities? Park property has been purchased, a water agreement has been signed, and building a town hall is being discussed. How do you think the council is doing? |
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Steve Adkins Member 
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3 months, and no opinions ?????????????? |
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S. Smith Moderator
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Steve, I'm not quite sure how to interpret this. Does this mean everybody in Oak Ridge is happy with all the decisions being made? I'd really like to get some Oak Ridge people involved here, but don't know how to do it. |
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Steve Adkins Member
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It's great that everyone is totally happy with the TC in Oak Ridge, all all decisions are thoroughly researched to the point nobody has a beef. Whatever Oak Ridge is doing needs to be bottled & sold. |
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george Member
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Do lots of people attend council meetings and express their opinions there? Maybe that's why we don't see more here. When and where are the meetings held? Are there also committees that meet? |
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WHE Member 
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S. Smith wrote: Steve, I'm not quite sure how to interpret this. Does this mean everybody in Oak Ridge is happy with all the decisions being made? I'd really like to get some Oak Ridge people involved here, but don't know how to do it. Ok, Sandra, I'll bite... I might suggest that the Oak Ridge Town Council is doing just fine overall. Thus far, it has managed to launch several important long term initiatives while maintaining a sense of control and planned development throughout the evolution of this young town. It has managed to negotiate some fairly significant minefields as it kept its focus on balanced growth in a rural environment. Sure, there have been occasional missteps, but those are to be expected with any group of unpolished volunteers trying their best on behalf of the community. It is easy enough to find fault and point fingers; the hard part is doing it while looking in a mirror. The true strength (or weakness) of any government body is determined by the dedication of its leaders, and the level of acceptance and participation of its constituents. To wit, Oak Ridge is the mere byproduct of its own devices, and its success or failure ultimately resides in the hearts, minds and attitudes of its own citizens. WHE Last edited on Mar 5th, 2006 07:02 pm by WHE |
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macca Member 
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From the NW Observer homepage: Y MAY BUILD FACILITY IN OAK RIDGE (March 2, 2006) At the Oak Ridge town council meeting this evening, Liam Behrens, Chief Operating Officer of the YMCA of Greensboro, Inc. announced plans to pursue the building of a YMCA facility in Oak Ridge. The town has been talking with the Y for several months and Behrens says the Y is ready to conduct a survey of 600 local citizens, followed by a feasibility study. Tentatively, the Y plans to build a facility modeled after the Spears Y on Horse Pen Creek Road in northwest Greensboro. Initially 50,000 square feet, the Y would offer basketball courts, fitness and weight rooms, a swimming pool and after-school childcare. Cost of constructing the facility is estimated at $6 million. A committee of local citizens will be formed to help raise funds for the facility; depending upon how long it takes to secure funds, the facility could be built in 2-3 years. For more information on the Y, see our upcoming March 10-16, 2006 issue. Well, well.... I thought the three NW area towns were negotiating with the Y for land convenient to all three. |
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WHE Member
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macca wrote: From the NW Observer homepage: Just a clarification for those not in attendance at Thursday's TC meeting... The Spears Y is currently 72,000 ft2, representing an expansion from the original 50,000 ft2, which, as Macca noted above, is currently envisioned for the Oak Ridge branch. |
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Kris McNeill Member
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macca wrote: From the NW Observer homepage: I'm not an Oak Ridgian so I hope it's OK that I came in here. I knocked first  I haven't really followed the YMCA issue but I think it would be great to get another one in Northwest Guilford County. The Spears Y is a busy place just about all the time! My question is, couldn't the Y be located on land within Oak Ridge that is convenient to Stokesdale and Summerfield? eastern or northeastern area of OR, if I have my compass right?! Do they even have the land yet? Who will pay for the land? I thought money had to be raised by the community for a YMCA to be built since they are a non-profit. I think it could be done if the folks of all three towns worked together. |
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Vicki White-Lawrence Member 
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I agree with Kris that Oak Ridge IS convenient to all three towns and that it'll be nice to have a Y in our area. But I also have to agree with Macca's observation. The three area mayors have worked with Y staff for the past couple of years (I'd have to check the actual timeframe) and the goal was to find land in a kind of "neutral" area. Y staff asked EACH town for and received money from EACH town for a study of the NORTHWEST AREA to see if it looked like our area would support another Y, but the Y never officially reported any results. Since a lot of money will need to be raised in order for the Y to be a reality, I'm sure all three towns will work together again toward that goal. |
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Kris McNeill Member
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Here is a link to the national YMCA website section "How to start a new YMCA". WOW, it takes a lot of work by the community to get a Y! http://www.ymca.net/get_involved/how_to_start_a_new_ymca.html I found this part interesting:
Like I said, I haven't followed this issue so I really don't know about what has happened or not happened in the past. I just think it would be wonderful to get another YMCA in the Northwest area!  |
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WHE Member
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Kris McNeill wrote: And it made me wonder if maybe Oak Ridge Commons has offered storefront space to get it started? Kris, Liam Behrens (COO, YMCA of Greensboro, Inc.) was very enthusiastic in his brief presentation to the OR Town Council. He presented a good case, and would be a good person to contact for specifics if you don't get a response to your question locally. |
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ff12 Member 
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did not know where to put this and since most of it concerns OR........... I do not understand why they would allow a Mcd's to be built without a playplace in after all isn't McD's aplace for kids first. Instead of making the short drive to OR we still have to go to Madison or beside the cardinal to get to a playplace for fun when it is raining or cold or birthday parties. Next on my list is Tractor Supply I have tried it out three times and so far they have not had what I need out here. Next is the real estate office being built in OR , started out has a nice looking building and then they had to add that ugly tower on the corner , just as well had built a doublewide. Thanks I feel better now, just needed to vent. Oh yeah lets all email McD's to lobby for a playplace. |
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rasin Guest
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Historic Commission rules won't let McD's have a play area. |
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DToney Member 
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Kinda silly if you ask me! And in the Observer, I read where they are wanting to stop any other chain restaurants from coming in... what a hoot! |
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ff12 Member
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Has anyone noticed the tacky Allen Tate Realty bottlecap sign that was attached to the lookout tower. How did they get a color sign when everyone else has white signage? Kind of funny how historic rules prevented possible lifesaving improvements to an overcrowded Hwy.68 and yet let multiple buildings that other than the village store look nothing historic. Back to the sign issue, if I was one of the other area merchants I would start applying color;Subway green&yellow,Wendy's yellow,Lowes green Blockbuster blue etc, someone needs a tye dye sign or maybe the nail /salon place could be pink & purple. |
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S. Smith Moderator
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DToney wrote: Kinda silly if you ask me! And in the Observer, I read where they are wanting to stop any other chain restaurants from coming in... what a hoot! DToney - Sorry it's taken me so long to respond to this. Actually it's not the council who brought this up. It was a citizen who brought the issue before the Ordinance Compliance Committee to see if this was something the town should do. |
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S. Smith Moderator
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ff12 wrote: Has anyone noticed the tacky Allen Tate Realty bottlecap sign that was attached to the lookout tower. How did they get a color sign when everyone else has white signage? Kind of funny how historic rules prevented possible lifesaving improvements to an overcrowded Hwy.68 and yet let multiple buildings that other than the village store look nothing historic. Back to the sign issue, if I was one of the other area merchants I would start applying color;Subway green&yellow,Wendy's yellow,Lowes green Blockbuster blue etc, someone needs a tye dye sign or maybe the nail /salon place could be pink & purple. If I'm not mistaken, historic district rules don't have anything to do with the color of a sign. Josie's Boutique originally had a pink sign, but I think they changed it because it was hard to read the black letters on a hot pink background. I believe the white lettered signs in the shopping center are probably rules of the shopping center itself, not the historic district. Somebody please correct me if I'm wrong. |
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brewgeek Member 
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How's the council doing???? Every time I read the paper I'm happy I live in Oak Ridge and not Summerfield!!!! |
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FatPappy Member 
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You gotta admit, brewgeek, Summerfield keeps us all entertained! 'Specially if you think a train wreck is entertainment... |
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ff12 Member
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McDonalds sent an "apology" for not having an indoor play facility. Did not care for the comment from Mayor Combs in the NWO about parents taking their food to the park and playing . Hey Mayor what if its 30 degrees or raining? If some trash is not thrown away will they ban fast food at the park? |
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macca Member
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Maybe if folks can't be responsible enough to put trash in its proper place, then maybe they don't need to have the opportunity to take it there...♥♥♥ |
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WHE Member
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ff12 wrote: Did not care for the comment from Mayor Combs in the NWO about parents taking their food to the park and playing . Hey Mayor what if its 30 degrees or raining? If some trash is not thrown away will they ban fast food at the park? ff12, I believe that the noted comments reflected the anticipation of a beautiful and well-maintained park facility -- one that is absent of litter. One of our major initiatives for the park is to keep it clean and visually attractive for its citizens. Unfortunately, some individuals are not as careful with litter as they could be, and the avoidance of park trash is of major importance. If everyone would simply take care of their own litter, then the park will stay attractive and certainly require less maintenance. Current plans include many trash receptacles conveniently located throughout the park property. We certainly encourage everyone who is so inclined to visit the park when it is 30 degrees or raining. (Edited to reflect a correction to the source of the quoted comment). Last edited on Aug 29th, 2006 11:55 pm by WHE |
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EditorPS Administrator 
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ff12 wrote: McDonalds sent an "apology" for not having an indoor play facility. Did not care for the comment from Mayor Combs in the NWO about parents taking their food to the park and playing . Hey Mayor what if its 30 degrees or raining? If some trash is not thrown away will they ban fast food at the park? Just wanted to clarify a couple of your comments, ff12. I wasn't aware of McDonalds apologizing for not having an indoor play facility -- did they do that? I know that someone at the last council meeting asked why they weren't going to have a playground and the mayor explained that they couldn't have an outdoor playground because of historic district guidelines. They can have an indoor playground, but chose not to do that. Have they apologized for that? Interesting, if so. I've spoken to the owner of the new McDonald's a couple of times and he hasn't mentioned it at all, but I'll have to ask him about that the next time we talk. Also, it wasn't the mayor who said people could eat their meal at the park, while watching their children play -- that was councilman David Rowe. And it wasn't said at all in a derogatory or sarcastic manner -- I covered that meeting and actually, he was just commenting that even though there wouldn't be a playground at McDonald's, there would soon be an option in Oak Ridge where people could eat their meals outside, if they wanted to, and their children could play at the same time. It was said in a genuine way -- sorry if the way I wrote that in my town council meeting coverage in any way made it sound different than how he said it. |
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ff12 Member
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Need to clarify: Mcd's apology was more of a here's an answer to your email that I sent requesting some info about not having a PlayPlace. (I will be honest here , if I did not have kids this would be a nonissue, I prefer Burger King.) My genuine apology to Mayor Combs, my fault for not reading correctly. I guess my frustation in there not being enough places for our kids to play hit another gear when a major "kid" place choose not to provide another avenue for our kids. |
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ff12 Member
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I was not advocating trash being thrown everywhere, we pick up enough beer bottles and cans in the summer from all the lake traffic out here in Stokesdale. |
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Stonefree Member 
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I 100% support the ORHC regulations that do not allow a play area. Not because it keeps kids from having a place to play, but from keeping an aesthetic "check" on business and home development in Oak Ridge. It is my understanding, NWO can you confirm this?, that that McDonald's was given the option of a play area that did not jut out of the building, something they have done before. They chose not to do that because they didn't want to use up restaurant space. McDonald's has been really helpful in conforming to Oak Ridge's ordianances and regulations, I don't patronize them for personal reasons, but they have acted responsibly in every meeting i have seen them at. Remember that ORHC and other committees are not paid employees of the town, they are citizens that have taken an active hand in making sure Oak Ridge maintains the charm that caused many to move here, and many more to stay for so long. The best way to sculpt a community is to get involved in its local government. The ORHC, along with our lighting and sign ordinances and other committees, are trying to keep the core of Oak Ridge from ending up like Battleground Ave. I am sure that kids can wait for the new park here, or in Kernersville, as opposed to growing up in a completely urbanized community. ***HIGH HORSE*** On a personal note, i think people should take a good hard look at consistently giving their children any mass produced fast food. Think of the long term effects, diabetes possiblities, etc. Cooking is a great way to spend time with your kids, in my opinion. Stonefree Last edited on Sep 1st, 2006 03:07 pm by Stonefree |
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Stonefree Member
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I also pick up a lot of trash from Wendy's off of 150. I am not a fan that more businesses are coming sell products to people in cars, products which are disposed of quickly leaving trash that can blow or be thrown out. The best thing we can do there is to report any littering to the DOT and to teach our kids that littering is not a "little" wrong but the 1st step to ruining a community. The jerk that litters is the first step. After that people that drive by, that might not have littered 1st but that have a disposition to litter, will look out and see trash and think "this area doesn't care" and throw more out. We need to teach people that littering is the same as vandalism. Stonefree Last edited on Sep 1st, 2006 03:19 pm by Stonefree |
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macca Member
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AMEN, Stonefree!!! AMEN!!! ♥♥♥ |
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ff12 Member
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We do not eat out a lot, and we do try to keep fast food to a minimum. I agree that these type of restaurants do contribute a lot of trash out the window, along with cigarette butts and beer bottles. Has anyone been to Cary NC and noticed how all of the restaurants look tyhe same except the signs. |
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S. Smith Moderator
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To get back on subject, I've been impressed with the questions asked and the thoughtfulness David Rowe has brought to his new job on the council. I may not always agree with his decisions, but I appreciate his willingness to stand alone on a decision and vote for what he believes. |
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ff12 Member
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The rezoning of the Craven property brings with it the same arguements farmers have had for a long time everywhere. Everyone wants to live in the country so they (developers) begin offering a little more money for land than most farmers and aging landowners can turn down. So more houses are built , land values go up, taxes go up and since there is less farmland available a person who makes their living off of the land gets to a point where all they can do is make enough to pay the taxes and other bills. Not mention the fact that some of the new residents do not like farm machinery running late into the night, using the highways and inconvenience them. Back to my original arguement, so now that the Cravens have made the decision , and I would venture to say that it was avery diffucult one, to sell their land which is also probably alot of their pension, things are being made very difficult for them indirectly. To the cuoncil ;dont forget the people who helped make OR what it is and let the farmers make a living somehow.Maybe they could sell it to the horse show group,that would solve 2 dilemmas, parking and space and they would not have to deal with as many governing bodies. |
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S. Smith Moderator
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You've made some good points, ff12. I would imagine this was a very hard decision for the Cravens. I hate to see them leave the community, and I also hate to see their farm developed. Could you clarify what you meant by "things are being made very difficult for them indirectly. To the cuoncil ;dont forget the people who helped make OR what it is and let the farmers make a living somehow." Do you believe someone or some group is making things hard on the Cravens? Do you think the council is keeping the Cravens and/or other farmers from making a living? If so, how? I'm not arguing this point with you or saying this is not true -- I'm just asking for more info because it's not anything I've heard about. |
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ff12 Member
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No I do not think the Cravens are being held back from selling their property purposely by the council. When the property along HWY 68 was rezoned business even though there was large dissent against it by the neighbors and it went thru the town rather easily, and the Craven property seems to be coming up against all kinds of obstacles. I do undrestand that the zoning plan has never(?) been used before. |
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S. Smith Moderator
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Thanks for clarifying, ff12. In my opinion, the council and zoning board just wanted a little extra time (postponed the decision) for a month because they had never used that zoning before and wanted to make sure they did everything right and didn't set any precedents they might live to regret. Others may see it differently. I wish we could get others involved in conversations regarding Oak Ridge (even if they don't live there). Any ideas? |
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