Weaver Street Market’s move to Hillsborough
Our economy is, by design, dynamic. There is no such thing as stasis for a business; it is either growing or shrinking. Shrink too much and you are gone; likewise, grow too fast. Weaver Street Market exists because of the vision and acumen of Ruffin Slater. It is because of his social conscience and commitment to community that we have come to consider it a cultural institution. It is not. It is a business, and must make decisions and moves based upon maintaining its long-term health. The move to Hillsborough is somewhat disruptive, but growth is always disruptive. My understanding is that Weaver Street Market is working to provide or subsidize transportation to Hillsborough for the affected workers. How many other businesses would go that far? We should be incredibly thankful that we have Weaver Street Market in our community, and support it in the ongoing and increasingly difficult struggle to thrive in which all small businesses find themselves.
Berkeley Grimball
Carrboro
The neighborly thing
The recent article about the planned closing of Horace Williams Airport only mentioned the point of view of those opposed to the shutting of the airport. In fact, there are some members of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro community who look forward to the end of Horace Williams airport —not because of the AHEC medical flights, but because of the number of very late-night flights conducted by private pilots.
I learned recently from AHEC representatives that their medical flights occur between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m., with rare exceptions for unusual situations. Private pilots, however, fly their planes in and out of Horace Williams at all hours of the night. I have frequently been awakened by flights occurring at 2 or 3 a.m. When I inquired about this with staff at Horace Williams, they told me that they have no control over who flies in and out of the airport, despite the fact that the facility is officially closed between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. I was also told that flights increase before and after major UNC sports events.
I have nothing against private planes; one of my friends and neighbors is a private pilot who uses the airport at reasonable hours of the day. And I would not object if the wee-hours flights occurred because of medical emergencies. I do have a problem with the noise pollution created by private pilots who feel they have a right to fly small aircraft at low altitudes in the middle of the night for purely recreational reasons.
Some municipalities in the United States have ordinances restricting (by curfew) or banning late-night airplane flights. Chapel Hill-Carrboro has no such ordinance. So it comes down to showing basic consideration: While having an airport in the middle of Chapel Hill is certainly a convenience for private pilots, the neighborly thing to do before planning a trip would be to first stop and consider the impact of a noisy airplane flight on a sleeping neighborhood.
Denise Caignon
Carrboro
All aboard
Several years ago, the Carrboro Board adopted a resolution supporting “trains to Carrboro.†This was back in the olden days, when it looked as if the TTA might actually run trains and they might, just might, come to the old Carrboro station.
Well, we are going to get trains, but just the cars without the engines for now. In a few weeks, the builder says. I know you’ve seen the work going on at the old train cars at the station. They are about to become the latest incarnation of what has been, over 20 years, The Orient Express, Trains, Trains Cafe, Crazie Mae’s and maybe I’ve forgotten one or two.
But there is a new vision, and a renovation of the cars to make sense as a restaurant-cafe-bar-patio that should be a destination as well as a way station en route to the Art Center, Weaver Street events, the Music Festival or just for brunch or dinner.
It looks pretty exciting to me (and, no, I’m not an investor, except as a believer in Carrboro). Check it out, and all aboard?
Allen Spalt
Carrboro