Bull City Rising

Shooting the Bull: Podcast for July 27, 2008

In this week's edition of "Shooting the Bull," Barry Ragin and I chat with Gary Kueber from Endangered Durham (endangereddurham.blogspot.com), who stops by the WXDU studios to talk about his passion for preservation and community in Durham. Barry, Kevin and Gary chat about the new county courthouse design, the latest uproar from the Realtor lobby, bus service, and more.

Thanks as always to the folks at WXDU for the opportunity to host this weekly show.

If you missed the Sunday night broadcast, you can download or listen to the show from the Internet Archive, or listen to it via this embedded player. You can also now subscribe to the podcast in iTunes, via WXDU's hosted podcast.

Endangered Durham's Gary Kueber joins "Shooting the Bull" tonight

Tonight on "Shooting the Bull," Barry Ragin and I have the opportunity to talk with our friend and fellow blogger Gary Kueber, author of the very popular web site Endangered Durham. We'll talk about his site and his interest in preserving the best of Durham for the next generation.

That's tonight at 7:30pm on WXDU, 88.7 FM, or via the web at wxdu.org.

Just before "Shooting the Bull," I'll be guest-hosting the Durham Noise Network program on WXDU. We'll set the stage for the interview with Gary by looking at stories of neighborhood activism, renewal and character in the Bull City with a series of five audio vignettes about Southwest Central Durham.

Dems to Nifong: Obama says please just go away, OK?

I was giving a tour of Durham yesterday to a friend moving here to start a new job. We toured a wide variety of the Bull City -- from the Guess/Infinity/Milton corner of suburbia, to Old West Durham and Northgate Park, to Pickett Rd and South Square, to the Streets at Southpoint area.

One thing that stood out for my friend: the Obama signs everywhere. In fact, I didn't notice a McCain sticker or sign anywhere in town.

As it happens, the Obama campaign office opened for business yesterday in downtown Durham, at 112 W. Main St. Many pols, including Cora Cole-McFadden and U.S. Rep. David Price. And, according to the H-S report, at least one perhaps unwelcome guest:

Even former District Attorney Mike Nifong, who lost his job last year because of the Duke lacrosse scandal, spent much of Saturday morning canvassing homes for the Democratic presidential hopeful.

"He's the right man at the right time," said Nifong. "We need to get him elected."

Local Obama spokesman Paul Cox said later that Nifong "has no official role in the campaign and was not recruited by the campaign. He simply showed up as a volunteer."

Helpful hint, Mikey boy. Want to see Barack Obama elected?

Our suggestion: Put a damned McCain sign all over your house, your car. Wear a McCain t-shirt around. Buy some of that McCain golf swag that got mocked on teh Internets a few weeks ago and then go hit the links at Willowhaven.

Mr. Nifong, when you show up somewhere on the political scene these days, the biohazard decontamination team practically needs be close behind to clean up the mess.

So, dearly not-so-departed (from Durham) defrocked district attorney dude: if you really want to see Obama do well in the fall, try not to get your own name within six column inches of his in the fishwrap, 'kay? Lest the Freepers and Drudgies and other crazies get more ammunition.

PS: Barack loves ya right back--

Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., in a written response to a constituent, said that an "independent inquiry is needed" into the conduct of Durham District Attorney Mike Nifong.... Obama said of the call for a federal investigation that he "will be following its progress closely."

County previews new "Justice Center"

Durhamites -- or at least the hardy few who made it to the downtown library in a crowd where insiders seemed to practically outnumber "civilian" citizens -- got an interesting peek at the proposed new Durham County Justice Center last night.

County government officials joined representatives from project architects and designers O'Brien Atkins, Heery-HLM Design, and The Harris Collaborative to present the rundown on the 300,000 sq. ft., $100 million replacement for Durham's 1970s-era courthouse, itself a facility renowned for being outgrown as soon as it opened -- and with elevators prone to breaking down without fail.

Come the fall of 2012, county officials expect the replacement facility to stand as a beacon on the skyline, providing a gateway to the Bull City, a portal to downtown -- and, not coincidentally we suspect, a visual barrier obscuring Durham's largest downtown multi-unit residential complex.

In this artist's rendering, the new courthouse is visible on the block bordered by Mangum to the west, Roxboro to the east, and Dillard to the south. The justice center is designed to stand 11 stories in height, and at 187 feet in height the tall, narrow tower would stand almost as tall as the SunTrust/Hill tower downtown, and almost as long as a football field.

Which is the perfect height, really, to block the Durham County Detention Center from view coming up the freeway. And, less cynically, to provide what designers and county officials describe as a signature "gateway" to downtown, with blue-green North Carolina slate accenting a sandstone-colored building.

Also part of the design: a mid-rise wing providing extra office and administrative space, a public plaza intended to open onto American Tobacco and the future Scientific Properties high-rise development across Dillard, and a parking garage that's, well, a parking garage. (More on that in a bit.)

Downtown Durham Inc. hiring government relations director

Love downtown Durham? Love government? Want a chance to integrate the two interests to advance the Bull City's urban core?

Downtown Durham Inc. is hiring for a government relations director to support its mission in advocating for downtown's growth. See below; more details and information on applying if you're interested below the jump.

DOWNTOWN DURHAM, INC., a private non-profit organization charged with the revitalization of downtown Durham, is seeking a GOVERNMENT RELATIONS DIRECTOR.

The candidate must be able to handle multiple assignments, work as a member of a team, work independently, have knowledge of local government process and issues, be a self-starter, have strong organizational and consensus building skills, experience in representing the interests of an organization, have “hands-on” computer experience, and excellent communication skills. Knowledge of the Durham community is desirable.

A college degree, preferably in public policy, public administration, business or political science is desirable, but not required.

H-S: Durham about to get unshackled from the "Amshack"

Ray Gronberg has a good-news update on the relocation of Durham's Amtrak station from the abysmal double-wide trailer on Chapel Hill St. in today's Herald-Sun.

NCDOT is about to take bids on the construction of a new boarding platform adjacent to West Village's Walker warehouse. Upfit on the space will also begin soon in advance of a targeted March 1 opening.

The City is picking up one-quarter of the cost on the lease -- $41,000 per year -- and will provide the lot used as a downtown streetscape staging area by contractor Triangle Grading and Paving as on-site parking, in addition to the West Village-controlled lot on the east side of Walker.

Of course, at this point in time Amtrak and NCDOT could have just about their run of the Walker warehouse, which has yet any retail tenants move in. On-the-ground sources suggest residential leasing is going well, and office space tenants are close to occupying spaces, all of which increases the attractiveness of the space for retail, naturally.

Below: The Walker Whse., with the Amshack visible at right. (Hat tip to Endangered Durham for the photog.)

Main library to begin renovation planning study, address stay-or-go question

Speaking of libraries, this Tuesday the institution will hold a public meeting at the main library downtown to solicit public input on the future of the signature downtown branch. The meeting will be held from 5:30 to 7:00pm on Tuesday, July 29.

An aging late 1970s structure, the library facility is in desperate need of renovation, from repair to its mechanical systems to a reassessment of its physical footprint and services. At the same time, the Library's stood out as a classic example of inaccessible architecture, given its aloofness to downtown, its rather useless west-side lawn, and the facility's site itself, hemmed in by thoroughfares on three sides.

Renovations to the Library are slated to become part of a County bond issue in 2009; the department has contracted with SmithGroup for preliminary architectural planning through the public visioning process (including Tuesday night's meeting.)

As the Library has geared up for its renovation project over the last couple of years, a consistent question has been whether the facility should remain at its Downtown Loop location. It's a question that's certainly been asked by downtown developers, any number of whom would seem to be eager to add a credit-worthy tenant chewing up lots of square footage and drawing traffic to their complex.

Southwest branch library set for expansion

Durham's Southwest branch library is set for an expansion over the coming two years, enlarging the 16 year-old 10,000 sq. ft. structure to meet the same 25,000 sq. ft. footprint and functions as the county's new East and North branch libraries and the planned South branch library that will replace the Parkwood location.

According the H-S' reporting today on last week's public meeting, the Southwest branch library will close in December for 15 months' worth of construction. The library will be completely offline throughout the construction period, though the bookmobile will make regular visits to the district during the interim.

The existing brick structure will receive a tripartite set of additions, including a new entry that will house public services and the enhancement of natural lighting showing off the woods in the library's rear, a design feature used well in the new branch libraries to date.

Renovations will also triple the number of computers in the library to 30, mirroring again the level of resources in other branches.

During their project reviews, the County Commission has reportedly been favorable towards the renovation plans, raising primarily the concern of timing, as the Southwest branch library will close before the South branch near RTP comes online, a date that according to the architect is Dec. 31, 2009.

Interestingly, though construction was funded, monies to build the collections at both South and Southwest weren't alloted in the year's budget. Michael Page, the liaison from the County Commission to Library board of trustees, noted June 10 board session that the County hoped it could find funds during the year to help pay for collection acquisition.

DATA looks for input on service directions

Durham's local bus system, DATA, is asking citizens to submit feedback on its services and programs to guide service directions in its next short-range transit plan:

Durham Area Transit Authority (DATA) is seeking public input on its short-range transit plan to guide its service improvements over the next five years.

“With the increase in ridership, it is a great time to start looking at the future of transit and how we can best serve the residents of Durham over the next five years,” said Cha’ssem Anderson, transportation planner for the City of Durham.  “Receiving public input has always been a large part of how we plan for improvements to our system.  This request for public input is the first of a series of public input requests over the next six months.”

Want to give input? Complete DATA's online survey form before August 1. (We trust the DATA team has also made surveys available in paper format to be convenient to riders, or folks without Internet access?)

Among the possible improvement priorities include 15-minute headways, increased night service, more bus shelters, fare-free service (a concept rejected to date by City Council), and more park and ride lots.

Personally, I'm hoping to see more information in the short-range transit plan about the level of capital investment in the DATA service, particularly after encountering the numbers we looked at here a few weeks ago that showed Durham's fleet carries twice as many passenger miles per bus as the Chapel Hill or Raleigh systems, raising questions in my mind as to whether the City is investing enough in bus services (or alternatively, whether it's just running an efficient, popular system.)

Updates: McPherson Townhouses, West Point Park in the Herald-Sun

The local press has updates in today's paper on two stories we've looked at here at BCR recently:

First, Monica Chen provides an update from Monday's design design review team looking at the McPherson Townhouses. As noted here last week, the response from neighbors to date was well described by the H-S as cautious optimism, with a representative of the Neighbors for Sustainable Development in Trinity Park citing positive elements of the design and the Trinity Park Neighborhood Association noting that a committee is reviewing the plans.

The townhouse proposal will next make its way to the Development Review Board. (Jim Wise from the N&O also has an update in today's edition.)

Also up: Ray Gronberg has the Herald-Sun's take on the debate over the 60-acre tract of land just south of West Point Park on the Eno, a site that's been at the center of a minor tempest over the dual possibilities of the city in partnership with other groups buying and preserving the open area -- or of the state doing so in exchange for control over the City-managed West Point Park.

New items from the story: City Councilman Mike Woodard notes the landowner's threat to sue local government if the land is downzoned (which would otherwise be one very, very low cost way of keeping dense development off the sensitive land.) Also, it looks like the landowner and her development partner have optioned land from a local church that would provide access to the land from Roxboro -- a development that makes it easier for the long-time property holder to develop the tract.

Most parties we've talked to, including City Councilwoman Diane Catotti, have signalled an openness to looking at the possibility of state control for the park, but given it seems the ongoing nature of the dialogue, most of the stakeholders involved aren't interested in giving too many specifics just yet on the idea. Expect significant caution from city staff and possibly officials over the prospect of giving up what local officials see as a jewel of the park system.

More on these as we learn about 'em.