Chapel Hill Review

July 3, 2024

Start July off with a bang at the July 4 Celebration at Southern Community Park. A shuttle service will be available from the Jackson Parking Deck, allowing attendees to enjoy a display of red, white, and blue fireworks. Additional activities this month include Parks and Recreation Month celebrations and events like the Library’s Family Fun Friday or Moth Madness. Residents can also sign up for the Greene Tract newsletter and provide comments on NCDEQ's draft Brownfields Agreement addressing coal ash at the 828 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. property.

The National Park and Recreation Association has named this year's Parks and Recreation Month celebration "Where You Belong." This initiative celebrates how parks and recreation professionals foster community belonging by providing inclusive programs, essential services for all ages and abilities, and safe spaces for meaningful connections.

Participants are encouraged to sign up for inclusive programs such as Painting Possibilities, an adapted art experience designed for artists with diverse abilities. Visitors can also explore the Bolin Creek Trail or take a facilities bus tour to learn more about local parks.

The Chapel Hill July 4th Celebration returns to Southern Community Park with recommended use of a free shuttle service from Jackson Parking Deck at UNC Hospitals starting at 6 p.m., while limited parking opens in Southern Village at 7 p.m. Fireworks begin around 9 p.m., but attendees are advised to hydrate due to expected hot weather.

Town holiday services on July 4 will see several changes:

- The Chapel Hill Public Library will be closed.

- Chapel Hill Transit will not operate except for the shuttle service.

- Community Center facilities will have adjusted hours.

A full list of impacts is available online.

Feedback is sought through an eight-question survey regarding future July 4th Celebrations, exploring options such as maintaining fireworks or switching to drones.

A television show filming in downtown Chapel Hill and on UNC's campus from July 8-10 will cause temporary street closures and detours affecting various modes of transport. Businesses remain open despite some on-street parking closures.

Due to OWASA water testing, Homestead Aquatic Center will be closed on July 4; however, the Community Center Indoor Pool will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Submissions are still open until July 5 for designing Chapel Hill Transit's logo commemorating its 50th anniversary. Selected designs will feature prominently around town.

Family Fun Friday continues on July 12 from 6-8 p.m. at Chapel Hill Public Library with live music, games, food vendors, summer reading sign-ups, and prize books.

Free weekend parking in downtown Chapel Hill extends through July across town-operated lots detailed on parkonthehill.com.

Chapel Hill Public Library’s Summer Blast offers concerts, movie screenings, a summer reading program with free books and prizes for completed challenges tracked over thirty days.

On Saturday night of July 13 at Pritchard Park, join a science educator in identifying local moth species using special lights during "Moth Madness."

A Parks and Recreation Facilities bus tour is scheduled for Sunday, July 14 where participants can meet staff members and learn about local parks underlining their theme "Where You Belong."

Officer Haramrit Singh received praise from a community member for his professional assistance in helping locate a car mistakenly thought stolen by someone who speaks limited English.

Motorists should treat intersections as four-way stops when power outages affect traffic signals as part of statewide efforts ensuring driver safety during signal disruptions.

Comments are welcomed until July 30 on NCDEQ's draft Brownfields Agreement concerning coal ash management at the site located at Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., with public comment opportunities later this summer pending scheduling details.

Residents interested in following Greene Tract Master Planning developments can subscribe to receive updates via its newsletter aiming to guide development plans jointly managed by Orange County along with Carrboro and Chapel Hill towns.

Local artists aged eighteen or older within Triangle areas are invited to submit applications by July18th for displaying their work in public spaces through Community Arts & Culture's exhibition series offering stipends for lead artists/curators.

New roadwork projects starting next week include:

- Overnight turn lane work on Fordham Blvd.

- Multi-use path construction near University Place

- Utility work requiring flaggers’ assistance

Schedules may adjust based upon weather conditions monitored via Google Maps/Waze showing real-time traffic updates.