BCR's Daily Fishwrap Report for June 30, 2009

• Just days after attorneys for the developers proposing a dense development off 751 near Fayetteville Rd. and developments like Chancellor's Ridge and Fairfield filed suit against Durham County over its decision to bring what they had thought was a settled matter of the critical watershed boundary impacting the project, the Haw River Assembly yesterday released their independent survey of the lake's boundaries. Their data finds the bottom level of a stream feeding Jordan Lake only dips below 200' above mean sea level about 6,200 ft upstream of where the developer's privately funded survey predicted -- data that could play out at August's planning commission discussion of the project. (H-S, Indy)
• The N&O has a nice feature on Eric Stein, the longtime Self-Help COO and consumer advocate at the Center for Responsible Lending, who was tapped by the Obama administration to be a deputy assistant treasury secretary for consumer protection -- he'll play a key role in establishing the Federal government's new consumer protection agency. (N&O)
• State House Rep. Paul Stam (R-Wake) has grumbled about a part of Durham's city charter that allows the City Council to set participation targets for minority- and women-owned businesses in city contracting. This year's Durham legislative agenda includes provisions to allow the city manager's office to be delegated greater contracting authority by Council, including over affirmative-action policies and over what dollar-amount threshold of contract would need to be reviewed by Council. Although Stam claimed the charter provision violated NC's state constitution, the H-S' analysis suggests any challenges over this matter are unlikely. (H-S)
• Durham's M&F Bancorp became the third Triangle-based institution to apply for TARP funding, receiving an $11.7m capital infusion from the Federal government, with the historically black-owned bank noting it would be able to increase its lending with the help of the funds. (N&O)
• The H-S profiles a new exhibit at the Nasher Museum at Duke: "Beyond Beauty" features photographs from Duke's special collections library. The exhibit of 80 original photographs opens Thursday. (H-S)

Comments

[Steve Bocckino]

The HRA survey actually says that there is a continuous channel lower than 216 feet for 6,200 feet upstream of Durham's previous boundary (and even farther upstream from the developer's survey).

In simple terms, if you turned off the spigot on New Hope Creek, and filled Jordan Lake to it's statutory 216 feet above sea level, the water would extend to the point in the HRA survey. These data agree well with the recent air survey (LIDAR) data.

The developer's survey purposely omitted measuring points up the channel. Could millions of dollars be the reason?

[Tar Heelz]

Can either side of this debacle be deemed an unbiased third party? Why is this new survey the "right" survey? Sounds like we're set for another pay-per-view special, "Battle of the Surveyors."

[Steve Bocckino]

Durham County could settle the issue, but they didn't want to pay for an independent survey.

It should be noted that environmentalists wanted the independent survey, while the developer opposed it. That should tell you something.

The only reason the HRA commissioned the survey was because Durham County abdicated its responsibility.

[Tar Heelz]

Steve,

How is the new survey "independent" when it was paid for by a group advocating for a particular outcome -- just like, presumably, was the case with the developer's survey?

[Todd P]

Which would cost more:
A: Durham County defending itself from the developers' lawsuit, or
B: Durham County paying for another survey.