NorthState, Orange County partner to provide 100% fiber-optic internet service to underserved areas
NorthState and Orange County have announced a public-private partnership to bring ultra-high-speed fiber internet service to approximately 28,000 homes and businesses in Orange County, North Carolina, including nearly 10,000 locations that currently have little or no internet service. The project, one of the largest fiber infrastructure public-private partnerships in N.C.’s history, is made possible by significant investments from both NorthState and Orange County. The Orange County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously on approval Tuesday evening.
Orange County is using funding from the American Rescue Plan Act to provide fiber service to close to 10,000 addresses in unserved and underserved areas. NorthState’s own investment expands the project and will result in access to best-in-class fiber technology and a competitive choice for fiber service for the additional 18,000 Orange County homes and businesses.
As part of its partnership with Orange County, NorthState will also provide fiber internet service to approximately two dozen county-owned anchor institutions, including fire stations, EMS and community centers.
NorthState will begin work within weeks to initiate the process of installing approximately 990 miles of fiber in Orange County; service is planned to be available to some areas as early as spring 2023.
- Click here for more information.
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Groundbreaking for Southern Branch Library, Carrboro Cultural Center scheduled for May 5
Everyone is invited as our community breaks ground on the Orange County Southern Branch Library and Cultural Center at 203 S. Greensboro Street.
The groundbreaking ceremony is scheduled for 4 p.m. Thursday, May 5, on the current parking lot site across from Open Eye Café at 203 S. Greensboro St. The event will include remarks by local officials, a reading by the poet laureate of Carrboro, and a dance performance by Takiri Folclor Latino.
Parking will be available nearby at the future site of The ArtsCenter at 400 Roberson Street.
The library will serve residents in or near southern Orange County. The facility will also provide a permanent home for the Orange County Skills Development Center; Carrboro Recreation, Parks and Cultural Resources Department; WCOM Radio, the Virtual Justice Center; and performance/multipurpose uses.
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Seymour Center to host open house in celebration of Older Americans Month, “We are Here for You"
Orange County Department on Aging, along with the Friends of the Robert and Pearl Seymour Center, invite the public to an event for people of all ages. Celebrate Older Americans Month at the Seymour Center Community Open House: We Are Here for You event and discover all that we have to offer.
May is Older Americans Month and a time to acknowledge the contributions of past and current older persons to our country. Specifically, we want to recognize the many contributions of Orange County’s older adults.
The Seymour Center Community Open House is free and will take place on Saturday, May 21, from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. The Seymour Center is located at 2551 Homestead Road in Chapel Hill.
This exciting event features:
Music with a live DJ - Dancing
- Seymour Center tours
- Food Trucks
- Wellness Demonstrations
- Senior Living Resource
- Books and Games Fundraiser*
In conjunction with the Community Open House, the Friends of the Seymour Center will host a Books and Games Fundraiser to benefit the many wonderful programs offered at the Center. There will be books of all genres, puzzles and a variety of tabletop and board games.
Registration is encouraged, but not required. For information, or to register, call 919-968-2070.
We Are Here for You!
Department on Aging to host presentation on the Five Wishes
The Orange County Department on Aging and the Project EngAGE End of Life Choices Senior Resource Team invite the public to attend a discussion on The Five Wishes on May 11.
Instructors Sheila Evans and Anne Weston will walk you through the importance of discussing and documenting your care and comfort choices with the Five Wishes. End of life care should honor your personal choices. The Five Wishes is more than just a document, it can be tool you need to ensure your voice is heard and choices are known. It's about connecting families, learning to communicate with our healthcare providers, and supporting our community members using advance directives.
Each registrant will receive a free copy of the Five Wishes. Light refreshments will be served from 5:30 – 6 p.m.
The FREE event will take place on Wednesday, May 11, from 6 – 7:30 pm.
To register, please contact the Seymour Center at 919-968-2070 by Monday, May 9.
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Orange County Arts Commission offers summer camps for youth
Bring out your child's creative side this summer. The Orange County Arts Commission will host several camps for children of all ages. Programs on mosaic art, drumming, painting, creative writing and musical theatre are just some of the offerings available. Visit the Arts Commission website for more information. Check back often – more camps are being added regularly! Financial Assistance availableWe want ALL youth to be able enjoy the benefits of self expression, regardless of financial standing. Please complete our Youth Scholarship Application if you need financial assistance.
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Orange County FY23 Transit Work Program available for public review, comment
Each year, a work group with representatives from Orange County, GoTriangle and the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization puts together a work program for transit service and infrastructure improvements for funding in the next fiscal year (July-June).
Following an extremely successful second phase of community outreach and engagement, the consulting team and Orange County staff are ready to finalize and document the projects, concepts, and implementation plan that together represent the Transit Plan Update.
The draft FY23 Orange County Transit Work Program is available for a 21-day public review and comment period through May 11. The work group will collect and review comments before the work program’s adoption in June.
BGMPO to host public meetings on Transportation Safety Plan and Comprehensive Transportation Plan
The Burlington-Graham Metropolitan Planning Organization (BGMPO), which includes the City of Mebane and portions of Orange County, will hold public meetings in the coming weeks to gather feedback on a Comprehensive Transportation Plan and a Transportation Safety Plan. A Comprehensive Transportation Plan (CTP) is a long-range multimodal transportation plan of the future transportation network. The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) and BGMPO will host a CTP Public Information Meeting on April 26, from 6-7 p.m., at the Burlington Municipal Conference Room (425 S. Lexington Ave., Burlington, NC 27215). The BGMPO is developing a Transportation Safety Plan to identify safety concerns and recommend improvements with the goal of reducing crash fatalities and serious injury rates within the Burlington-Graham planning area. The BGMPO will host an in-person public information meeting on May 4, 2022, 6-7:30 p.m., at the Alamance Community College Main Campus Auditorium (1247 Jimmie Kerr Road, Graham, NC 27253). A formal presentation will be made at 6:15 p.m. The public may drop-in at any time during the meeting hours. The Project Team, led by Eric Tang, VHB, Inc. will be available to answer questions and listen to comments regarding the development of the plan. Click here for more information, including how to submit comments or to request meeting accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act for disabled persons who wish to participate in this meeting. |
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Orange County invites the public to a “Spring Celebration” in recognition of Older Americans Month
Orange County Department on Aging and the Project Engage Intergenerational Senior Resource Team invite the public to celebrate Older Americans Month with them at the Passmore Spring Celebration and Arts and Crafts with Grand-Friends dual event happening Saturday, May 14. We want our community to know that “We Are Here for You,” and that we recognize and celebrate the countless contributions, past and present, of our older adults. This event is for all ages and highlights the many programs, classes and events offered at the Passmore Center, including our wonderful intergenerational programs for the young and the young-at-heart. Event Activities Include: - Meet instructors and sign up for classes
- Live music by trumpeter, Horace Sher
- Lunch provided by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office
- Arts and Crafts with Grand-Friends
Register for one or both events by Friday, May 6, by calling 919-245-2015: - Arts and Crafts with Grand-Friends (Activity #223067-01)
- Passmore Spring Celebration (Activity #223070-01)
Event sponsored by Orange County Arts Commission, Orange County Sheriff’s Office and the Project EngAGE Intergenerational Senior Resource Team. |
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OCAC, CJRD present Our Lens, Our Voice
The Orange County Criminal Justice Resource Department in partnership with the Orange County Arts Commission announce the opening of Our Lens, Our Voice, a photography and emotional expression project that reframes and refocuses narratives of justice-impacted youth. The photography exhibit will open to the public on Friday, April 29 from 5-8 p.m. at the Orange County Courthouse (106 E. Margaret Ln.) as part of Hillsborough’s Last Fridays ArtWalk. In addition to the exhibit, attendees will enjoy live music and spoken word artists.
In September 2020, Criminal Justice and the Arts Commission, together with photographer Emily Baxter and artivist Soteria Shepperson, created Our Lens, Our Voice, where justice-impacted youth used photography and poetry to create a series of anonymous photographs using meaningful words and phrases as prompts. All cameras and supplies were provided, thanks to the generosity of community members. The exhibit will feature the final photographs together with named emotional experiences by each participant.
Growing positive outcomes have led to creative expression becoming a more commonly used tool for engaging justice-involved individuals. A study by the California Department of Corrections showed six months after release, rates of parole violation for arts-in-corrections participants were 15 percent lower than nonparticipants; after two years, this difference climbed to 30 percent1. Seventy-five percent of program participants had fewer disciplinary infractions than nonparticipants.
Involvement in the arts is also critical for student outcomes. Students engaged in arts learning have higher GPAs and standardized test scores and are two times more likely to graduate college4. Low-income students who participate in the arts, both in school and after school, have a dropout rate of just 4 percent—five times lower than their peers. Participation in after-school arts programs causes juvenile crime to fall by 4.2 percent on average, and slightly more (5.4 percent) in lower-income cities.
- Click here for information about the artists.
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