In a work session Monday, commissioners reviewed the county’s Capital Improvement Budget, which outlines spending on buildings for the seven years. During the review, county staff presented information about what would happen if the county took on debt to pay for Wake Tech’s $210.2 million building program.

Community college officials previously presented a six-part plan to commissioners, stressing the need for more room. Officials say they are turning students away from enrollment.

Click to view larger image.

Nicole Kreiser, Wake County’s Debt and Capital Director, said the county could take on $200 million in debt through general obligation bonds, which must be approved by voters. The other $10.2 million would be paid for in cash.

She said the county has the capacity to take on the debt, because some other obligations will be paid off. But Wake County Schools are also in need of capital improvement funds. Estimating their need for $150 million next year (a low estimate, according to County Manager David Cooke), the county cannot manage the debt of both large projects without more money.

Doing both would require a 2.70 cent property tax increase, not next year, but in the 2014 fiscal year Kreiser said.

Wake County Schools officials are far from ready to present their construction plans, Cooke said. He doesn’t expect any such information until this fall or next spring.

That means Commissioners have options – and decisions to make in the next few months. They can move forward with Wake Tech and its plan, adding the referendum to this November’s ballot. Or, they can wait for a plan from Wake County Schools before deciding how to proceed.

He said the county has the capacity to get at $240 million without increasing taxes.

“We can give that to any need you want,” he said. “But we have one entity that has a plan on the table, that we’ve traditionally supported with bond referendums … So our question is do we wait until we have plans for everybody, or do we start moving pieces forward?”

Cooke said they could even exercise the option of levying a 0.25 cent sales tax, which also requires voter approval.

“This is all ‘What if,’” he said.

Commissioners wondered if they moved forward with Wake Tech’s plans and later asked voters to approve a tax increase for county schools, but voters did not approve it. Commissioners also wondered at the urgency in both situations.

“Which one carries the greater urgency?” asked Commissioner Joe Bryan. “And is there urgency to move forward or not move forward? What if you wait two years?”

Cooke said they can debate the urgency in the next few months. If they choose to add a referendum to the November ballot, they must approve that by July.

“All we’re saying is, there are more capital needs right now than money,” he said.

“All I’m looking for you to say, David, is that we can do all this without a tax increase,” Bryan said, eliciting laughter from the audience.

“I can’t say that,” Cooke said.

Commissioners will review the county operating budget at their meeting next Monday. A public hearing on the budget will take place June 4.Similar Posts:

• Wake County Will Trim Capital Funds
• Cuts Still Part of (Slightly) Larger Wake Budget
• Job Cuts Ahead for Wake Schools

Representatives from Wake County, UNC Health Care and Alliance Behavioral Healthcare (Alliance) presented a framework Tuesday for a partnership among the three entities.

WakeBrook recovery center provides substance abuse treatment.

Alliance Behavioral Healthcare is the county’s new Managed Care Organization, a partnership with Durham County required by changes in state law. The group now oversees management of behavioral health services in both counties.

The county appoints members to the new MCO board, and yet still provides some services that compete with it – a conflict of interest, Cooke said.

The transition requires Wake County to stop offering federally-funded behavioral health services currently provided by Wake County staff by January 2013.

Cooke told commissioners the county spends about $20 million per year on behavioral health services, much of which is duplicated by other programs. The partnership will solve the conflict of interest by turning that management over to UNC.

Learn more about the county’s health services.

The exact picture of how the partnership will work is still unclear. Cooke said the goal is to rebalance services offered, optimize the dollars spent and overall, offer better care.

“I think it’s a benefit for Wake County and our consumers, because I think the money can go farther,” he said. “And I think it’s building on the expertise of UNC healthcare.”

Kevin FitzGerald, chief of staff at UNC, said the partnership is especially helpful during the transition to the new Managed Care Organization.

“What we believe we can bring to the table is a rigor and set of expertise I think will be helpful in managing this transition,” he said. “This will be a hand-in-hand effort with the MCO that you’ve entered into.”

FitzGerald said the particulars are under negotiation and a final plan will be brought before commissioners by August.

RTP Presents Master Plan Update
Research Triangle Park could someday feature mixed-used development, including shops and residences.

RTP officials presented a plan to commissioners Tuesday to overhaul the park in the next few decades. The goal is to remain competitive and keep RTP at the forefront of people’s minds as they look for a place to set up business, said Bob Geolas, president of the Research Triangle Foundation.

Geolas said the creation of RTP was “a big, bold decision” and “one of the most ambitious big bets ever in our state.” In its early days, it was considered a unique and amazing thing.

A vision for the future of RTP. Rendering by the Research Triangle Foundation.

But now, they face competition as people seek different environments, that often include amenities, more services and a better quality of life for the more than 39,000 full-time employees and estimated 10,000 contractors inside.

There are no specific site plans yet, Geolas said, but the principles of the new plan are: density, nature and sustainability. The idea is to keep the beautiful landscapes and open spaces while creating some areas of density, offering a blend of new and old.

They have three goals: to maintain attractiveness to current tenants, continue to attract large companies and to attract broader range of tenants.

“We don’t want to forget our bread and butter, which has been these large companies,” he said. “We want to create a great cohesive laboratory.”

The first part of the new plan includes a mixed-use center, which would be located in the Durham County section of the park. Geolas also wants to work more with universities to enhance research in the park.

The plan will take decades, he said. For now, the Research Triangle Foundation is working to get input from companies and begin working on regulatory changes needed to move forward. Such changes include zoning laws and amendments to the original state law that created a special tax district for RTP.

Geolas said while top corporate executives still list RTP in their top five “utopia” sites, younger people might list RTP in the top 10 or even top 50.

“We’d better be getting into the game of getting into their conversation of one of the places to grow,” he said. “[We want to] put together a plan that’s big, exciting and that people are going to want to pay attention to.”Similar Posts:

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• Wake-Durham Mental Health Center Approved
• Legislature to Study Rex Hospital Sale

The resolution outlining the city’s support for the increase was approved 7 to 1, with Councilor John Odom voting in opposition.

Wake County Commissioners have yet to decide whether to include the referendum for voter approval on the Nov. 6 ballot.

Last November, Durham residents approved its own half-cent sales tax increase by 60 percent.

The Raleigh Times Bar to Get City Loan
Using funding from the city’s Downtown Loan Pool Program, the Raleigh Times Bar will be increasing its seating capacity by about 90 seats. The $50,000 loan will be used to cover kitchen equipment and furniture.

Councilor John Odom was the only opposing vote and questioned how often the city approves these types of loans.

The Downtown Loan Pool Program was created in 2004 to stimulate economic development and revitalization in the downtown area, particularly on Fayetteville Street. Recently, the program was expanded to include other major streets such as Wilmington and Hargett.

The Raleigh Times Bar is the fifth business to take advantage of the program.

Affordable Housing Community Approved
City councilors also approved funding for an affordable housing community in Northeast Raleigh. The city will provide $1.3 million in financing for the project through federal HOME funding at 2 percent interest.

The rental community will be located at 3100 Forestville Road, which is considered a Priority One area according to the city’s Scatter Site Policy. Priority One areas generally lack affordable housing developments.

Brighton Pointe Place will consist of 80 rental units, made up of 56 two-bedroom apartments and 24 three-bedroom apartments. The apartments will target families who are at 30, 50 and 60 percent of the area median income.

City Purchases Land for New Park
The city will be purchasing about 25 acres for a neighborhood park located near Interstate 540 and U.S. 401 in Northeast Raleigh.

The city will purchase the land for $84,900 per acre for a total of about $2.1 million. Funding will come from the city’s Capital Improvement Program budget. Site plans for the park have not been created, but there is a greenway under construction that will run through the park area. The site will go through the park master plan process.

Lake Wheeler Road Improvements Approved
City councilors approved going forward with road improvements for a stretch of Lake Wheeler Road. Each driving lane will soon be 13 feet wide to accommodate future bike lanes, left turn lanes at Lineberry Road and Sierra Drive and sidewalks.

At the previous council meeting, residents suggested including a light at the intersection of Lineberry Road to deter drivers from using Sierra Lane to enter the neighborhood. The issue was sent to the Public Works Committee for further discussion.

Councilor Thomas Crowder questioned why the Lineberry Road light was not included in the recommendation. Traffic engineering staff said that they will restudy the intersection after a student housing development now under construction is complete.

Waste Water Treatment Plant Contractor Chosen
Florida-based RTD Construction was chosen to handle the upgrade and expansion of the Little Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant. RTD Construction was one of eight companies to bid for the work, winning out with a low bid of about $5 million.

The upgrades and expansion to the plant, which mainly serves the Town of Zebulon, will increase capacity from 1.9 million gallons per day to 2.2 million.

Similar Posts:

• Downtown Loan Program Working, But Underutilized
• Council Roundup: City Endorses Commuter Rail Stations, Outlaws Can Stealing
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Raleigh first permitted food trucks to operate downtown, eight months ago. Since then, the city has 18 authorized trucks, 11 approved locations for trucks to park, and experienced a dearth of problems, said Planning Manager Greg Hallam.

See list of permitted trucks below.

“I’ve not heard any complaints that it’s not working well,” Hallam said. “Nor have I heard complaints from brick-and-mortar restaurants as far as being infringed upon. Nor have we heard any complaints from citizenry.”

In 2011, opponents of the permit ordinance foresaw many problems, including safety hazards, traffic hazards, litter, grease dumping and unfair competition with bricks-and-mortar businesses with higher overhead. Supporters said the problems were manageable.

“We recommended that food trucks be allowed but restricted within certain distances of existing restaurants,” said Paul Reimel of the Downtown Raleigh Alliance. “Though a fine dining restaurant may not compete with a food truck for the same customer, the majority of downtown restaurants have a fast casual format that caters to our 40,000 employees who want a quick bite.”

Photo by Steven Valentino

Hallam said police have only issued one truck-related citation in the eight-month period, for a food truck operating without a permit. City staffers are drawing up a report for council on the effects of the ordinance.

“We haven’t had any issues come up that need changes,” said Zoning Administrator Walt Fulcher. “Unless some of the food-truck owners were to propose something, the staff position is that we wouldn’t recommend any changes.

City Councilor Mary-Ann Baldwin said the city crafted the food-truck rules to bring extra fun and excitement downtown without hurting bricks-and-mortar restaurants. She said the ordinance appears to have succeeded.

Among the restrictions in the ordinance are that trucks must park on private business property — the business they park at needs its own permit — at least 100 feet from the main entrance of any eating establishment, 100 feet from any outdoor dining area and 50 feet from any permitted food-vending cart.

Truck owner requirements include a business license; a Wake County food-vendor permit; a grease-disposal facility; and a $150 permit fee. The hosting property requirements include a site plan showing where the trucks will park; a business license; and a $76 fee. Truck owners told the Record they’re happier with Raleigh’s fees than Chapel Hill’s $718 annual permit.

City Councilors discussed the food trucks Tuesday. Some reported seeing more trucks on Rock Quarry Road on state-owned property and outside the flea market. Neither location is permitted. The issue will go before the Council’s Law and Public Safety Committee for further discussion.

Cynthia Deis of the Ornamentea jewelry store said she’s glad she took out a hosting permit: Food trucks make a good promotion, a nice amenity for customers and they’re also convenient when she wants a quick bite.

Nevertheless, she said, the permit process would have discouraged her if she’d been less eager.

Deis said city staff hadn’t seemed familiar with the requirements so she kept getting different instructions. A bigger problem was that her landlord had to take out his own business license, “which didn’t fully make sense even to the people in the permit office.”

Deis said that even though the staff comped her landlord’s license fees, completing the paperwork, taking it to him and getting it signed — after he consulted his lawyer — made for another hurdle to getting her permit.

“The entire permitting process should be re-thought,” said Jim Belt of the Downtown Living Alliance. “I feel the new rules are too restrictive to food trucks rather than encouraging them to set up. Events bring them downtown but on off nights, food trucks don’t really set up in downtown that often.”

Mike Stenke of Klausie’s Pizza and Steven Valentino of Valentino’s Food Truck both said they’re glad to have Raleigh permits, but the city’s requirements are often overkill: Wake’s health permit for food businesses covers grease disposal so there’s no need for the city to watchdog that as well.

“I don’t, over-all, have anything negative to say,” Valentino said, adding that he didn’t think trucks were a challenge to restaurants. “Restaurants have the ability to have air-conditioning, bathrooms, tables, wait service. They don’t need to attack the food trucks, they need to go after the city to get their taxes lowered.”

David Fowler of Wilmoore Café said he doesn’t see any problems with food trucks entering Raleigh’s food mix: “We’re in a redevelopment part of town, so the more the merrier.”

Similar Posts:

• Council Stalls on Food Truck Decision
• Food Trucks Could Get a New Lease in Raleigh
• UDO Day 8: Who decides what?

City Manager Russell Allen presented his $678.9 million operating and capital budget to the city council Tuesday. It is a 2.4 percent increase from the current $660.8 million budget. About $383.6 million is allocated for the General Fund operating budget, with the capital budget taking up the remainder.

In October, voters approved a bond referendum that would result in a 0.9 percent property tax increase to fund transportation and affordable housing projects, but residents won’t see any additional tax increases, or increases in solid waste fees, stormwater fees or privilege license fees.

Allen said additional revenues are coming from a slight uptick in the property tax base and a 4 percent projected increase in sale tax collections.

Residents can expect to see an average monthly increase of $3.97 cents to their sewer and water bill.

The proposed budget will not cut funding for the arts or human services.

City Hiring
While city staffers can consider their jobs secure, the city’s 209 vacant positions will remain unfilled. But because of of an 18 percent increase in calls for emergency service and continued growth in the city, seven positions have been added to the 911 call center. The city will also hire a police department attorney and paralegal and will no longer delay the fire or police academies.

Because of a 39 percent increase in greenway miles since last year, 10 greenway maintenance employees will also be added. Additionally, five of the six highway maintenance positions that were cut during the downturn will be restored.

“We don’t even meet our own code requirements for private property,” Allen said of the ever-growing grass along Raleigh’s roadways.

Finally, five staff members will be added to Parks and Recreation to support the opening of new and renovated facilities and programs.

Current employees will see a $1,000 merit increase, but a reduction in tuition reimbursement and a 4 percent increase in dependent healthcare premiums. Allen said that healthcare costs have increased 8 percent, but the city will only be passing along half of that increase to its employees.

Tackling Deferred Maintenance
One of the major issues presented this year was tackling all of that maintenance put off during the economic downturn. Some of that maintenance can no longer wait.

This includes the purchase of a new ladder truck for the fire department and $7.9 million allocated to replace solid waste vehicles and equipment. About $10.4 million will go toward general equipment replacements.

About $5.3 million will be allocated to cover maintenance at the Municipal Building and One Exchange Plaza, along with overall energy efficiency changes.

The fire departments will see about $4.2 million in funding and the greenways $12.7 million.

Enterprise Funds
The city has five departments, or enterprises, that are suppose to be self-sustaining, but currently only two are – public utilities and stormwater. The remaining three – parking, transit and solid waste services – are subsidized by the general fund.

Solid Waste Services was recently named an enterprise, so 40 percent of its budget, or $12.7 million, will be subsidized from the general fund. Allen said that it will take five years to be at full cost recovery.

The city’s parking program continues to require extra money from the general fund as revenues from city parking decks fall behind the cost to build them. This year, the parking program will require an extra $2 million.

The transit program, which runs the Capitol Area Transit buses, will require a $17 million subsidy and does not include any expansion of bus services.

The Raleigh Convention Center and Performing Arts Center enterprise will require a $2 million subsidy to keep up with maintenance projects.

The city will hold a public hearing on June 5 and will begin its budget work sessions in June. The budget must be adopted by July 1.Similar Posts:

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Section 6 of the housing report delves a little bit more into the social issues that could arise if North Carolina proceeds with fracking. I talked a little bit in the last post about how this could affect housing. This section really dives into that, so if you’re interested, make sure you check it out. It covers issues such as increased demand in water supply, potential overpopulation in schools and the possible construction of temporary modular housing, known as “man camps.”

It also talks about the potential impacts on property values. Several states, including Colorado, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania were studied, and the outcome varies from state to state, making it hard to determine how drilling will affect North Carolina’s housing market.

In Colorado, the statewide drop in property list prices was six percent, while the decline in the top 10 gas-producing counties was 19 percent.

In Oklahoma and Pennsylvania, the numbers did the opposite: statewide decline was seven and 21 percent, respectively, while the top 10 gas-producing county prices actually increased seven and 18 percent.

But the comparison is, once again, limited, because there could be common characteristics not controlled for in the analysis, such as quality of life, economic and social factors.

This section also discusses increased traffic and damage to existing roads, as well as the increased potential of accidents. Because of the nature of the material being transported (liquid chemicals, fresh water, wastewater), the report also points out that these traffic accidents would be more complex and time-consuming than typical one or two-car accidents.

In states like Pennsylvania, these differences have increased the demands on local police. Some areas have also seen an increase in crime rates, putting an additional strain on law enforcement.

There’s also been a increase in the requirements for emergency services in come oil and gas drilling regions. Because of the specialized nature of the spills, explosions and fires related to the natural gas industry, this increase in demand also calls for new equipment, training and staff.

The report points out that being prepared for such specialized accidents is necessary in advance, and recommends that oil and gas operators be required to develop emergency response plans.

The report also pushes the General Assembly to encourage the Department of Labor to review its ability to appropriately inspect drilling sites and enforce OSHA standards within the natural gas industry.Similar Posts:

• Section 5.3 — The Costs of Fracking
• Section 5.2: Money talks
• Section 4, Part One: Chemical questions

Today, if a resident wants access to public records, that person has to make a formal request to the city. When the city provides that information on the new website, residents can access it without putting in formal requests and waiting for a response.

The site is part of a resolution to make Raleigh more transparent, which was approved by the city council in February. Last month, the city council approved $50,000 be allocated in next year’s budget to fund the new website.

The project is spearheaded by Councilor Bonner Gaylord, who chairs the Technology and Communications Committee. He said opening up the city’s data will provide opportunities for software developers to create applications for computers and smart phones and could lead to other business projects.

He said in Boston, developers were able to access the locations of all of the fire hydrants in the city, which lead to an adopt-a-hydrant program. Gaylord added that many Raleigh bicyclists have said they would like more access to bike rack locations or information about bike-friendly streets.

See an example of how the Raleigh Public Record uses public records.

“We need to figure out what data people what first,” he said. “The long-term goal is to open up everything that is possible to open up.”

Provide your feedback on what information should be posted.

The resolution and subsequent program came from discussions that took place at last year’s CityCamp Raleigh, an “unconference“ for people who are interested in opening up the city’s government through open-source technology.

Gaylord said this year’s CityCamp Raleigh will look into furthering the efforts of TrangleWiki but otherwise, specific ideas and goals will be created at the meeting.Similar Posts:

• Raleigh Taking Steps to Publish Open Source Data
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Read More: Raleigh’s Disparity in Growth and School Building

The organization that predicts student distribution for Wake hasn’t done a major update since 2008—before the recession started to be felt.

“We can sense that there are going to be some pretty significant changes on the next update,” said Mike Miller, a lead researcher on the project. “Things are changing.”

Miller works with the Operations Research and Education Laboratory (ORED) which is a subsidiary of NC State University’s Institute for Transportation Research and Education (ITRE) the organization contracted by Wake.

He said despite expecting change, it’s hard to quantify exactly how those changes play out in terms of student populations. Miller said he is seeing fewer large-scale subdivisions in the outer part of the county and more multi-family housing.

In other words, it’s possible the recession changed the dynamics of countywide student distribution, which may affect current thinking of where new schools need to be placed.

School capacity is currently being stretched in five areas of the county — downtown Raleigh, northwest Cary, Apex, north Raleigh and Wake Forest. Downtown Raleigh is the only area ORED didn’t anticipate.

It’s also the trickiest place of all to build new schools. Right now, officials are in the preliminary stages of looking at two former schools to be reconverted.

Another option Superintendent Tony Tata has mentioned is lowering the percentage of magnet seats in the downtown magnet schools. Earlier this year, the school board voted to do just that at Poe Magnet Elementary.

At this point, Miller said it’s impossible to know if the modeling could’ve anticipated downtown Raleigh’s capacity issues. The fact that demand exceeds capacity could be a product of downtown Raleigh schools being over-chosen during the recently introduced controlled-choice plan, rather than increased student population in downtown, he said.

How ORED modeling works
When it was initially contracted by the school system in 2005. ORED began by dividing the county into more than 6,000 planning units, or regions.

ORED then reached out to county planners and city planners at each of Wake’s 13 municipalities, asking them to fill in information about zoning, permits, developments and density for each planning region.

“It was a big, big undertaking,” Miller said.

For classification purposes, planners graded each region on more than a dozen criteria. (Some of these are likely to change in the upcoming study, said Miller, especially since Raleigh has updated its Comprehensive Plan.)

All the information was put into a database and fed through a program called the Student Population Distribution Model (SPDM.) The SPDM then spit out a prediction for student distribution during the next 20 years. (The numbers are less reliable the further out you get, noted Miller.)

This map shows growth by volume from 2002-03 to 2008-09.

This summer, as during the only other major update in 2008, planners will only revisit planning regions where the predicted student population was significantly more or less than expected.

Once the SPDM produces its optimal school sites, the data is released into the school system’s atmosphere of budget realities and political pressure. The process becomes less scientific.

Based on available land, available resources (i.e. money) and what areas need new schools the most, planners at the school system develop a map of “circle areas” where they’d like to build new schools that’s more realistic than the idealism of the SPDM.

For instance, the last time the SPDM delivered its map of optimal school sites, several were located inside the Beltline, Miller said. However, no schools have been built inside the Beltline in the past 12 years and few are planned for construction inside its boundaries in the future.

“If you look out at the more rural areas—the Garners, the Rollsvilles, places like that—it makes sense to build a school that will minimize the travel distance for students in that area,” Miller said. “And so of course there is more distance in between people as you work your way outside of Raleigh.”Similar Posts:

• Councilors Voice Doubts About Raleigh’s School Capacity
• Raleigh’s Disparity in Growth and School Building
• Tata: “You Need More Seats Downtown and We Need to Provide Them”

Amra’s – 106 Glenwood Ave. –  Josh Hamilton (Covers) — 9 p.m. Cover: Free.

Mark Wells is one of many talented jazz musicians in the area. He is also gifted with a truly remarkable and powerful voice. The resulting sound is one of the better jazz tones in the Triangle. Catch him and his trio at Sullivan's Thursday. (Photo Courtesy of Mark Wells Music)

Big Easy – 222 Fayetteville St. – EARLY: Cecil Johnson (Jazz) 6pm  LATE: Will Burton Trio (Covers) 9pm

Irregardless Café – 901 West Morgan St. –  Be the Moon (Americana) — 6:30 p.m.  Cover: Free.

King’s Barcade – 14 West Martin St. –   Spelling Bee (Contest) — 8:30 p.m. Cover: Free.

London Bridge – 110 East Hargett St. –  Hunters, DJ Manifest (Electronica, House) — 9 p.m. Cover: Free.

PourHouse – 224 South Blount St. – Four 14, Overmind (Rock/Inide) — 9 p.m.  Cover: $6.

Sadlacks – 2116 Hillsborough St. – Open Mic

Shakedown Street – 2500 Hillsborough St. – Electronica/Dubstep/Lounge Showcase – Hosted by HappyMask, Almost Legendary, Moonfuries (Electronica/Garage/Pop/Folk) — 9 p.m. Cover: Free.

Slim’s Bar – 227 South Wilmington St. – Alpha Cop, Rocket Cottage (Indie) — 9 p.m.  Cover: $5.

Southland Ballroom – 614 North West St. – Dubstep Wednesdays Feat: Lena Marie, Funk Junkie  (DubStep/Electronica) — 9 p.m. Cover: $5.

Sullivans – 420 Glenwood Ave.  – Mark Wells Trio (Jazz) — 7 p.m. Cover: Free.

Volume Eleven Tavern – 658 Maywood Ave – Hard Rock Open Mic – 8 p.m. Cover: Free.

Thursday, May 10

Amra’s – 106 Glenwood Ave. –  The Applause (Covers) — 8 p.m. Cover: Free.

Berkeley Café – 217 West Martin St. –  Atom Smash (Punk) — 8 p.m. Cover: $5.

Big Easy – 222 Fayetteville St. – Early: Cecil Johnson (Jazz) — 6 p.m. Late: Open Mic w/ Bruce Clark  (Covers) — 10 p.m. Cover: Free.

Busy Bee – 225 South Wilmington St. – Bumble w/ DJ Thein (Electronica) — 10 p.m.

Deep South The Bar – 430 South Dawson – Kelly Carvin, Peanut Butter & Jealous  (Acoustic/Indie) — 8 p.m. Cover: $5.

Hibernian – 311 Glenwood Ave. – Evan Olson & Dana Bearor (Covers) — 10 p.m. 

Irregardless Café – 901 West Morgan St. – Workbook (Jazz) — 6:30 p.m. Cover: Free.

King’s Barcade – 14 West Martin St. –  Ben Solee & Justin Lewis (Folk/R&B) — 8 p.m.  Cover: $15-17.

Lincoln Theatre – 126 East Cabarrus St. –  Ballyhoo, Doco (Indie Pop/Reggae) — 8 p.m.  Cover: $8-10.

Napper Tandy’s – 126 North West St. – T Rex (Covers) — 9 p.m. Cover: Free.

O’Malley’s – 5228 Hollyridge Dr. – David Howell (Covers) — 9 p.m.

PourHouse – 224 South Blount St. –  The Steepwater Band (Americana/Indie) — 9 p.m.  Cover: $6.

Shakedown Street – 2500 Hillsborough St. –   Hip Hop Showcase Feat: Young Free & The Revolutions (Hip-Hop) — 9 p.m.

Slim’s Bar – 227 South Wilmington St. -  The Venus Flies, The Temperance League (Indie) — 9 p.m. Cover: $5.

Sullivans – 420 Glenwood Ave. –  Ricky Young (Covers) — 7 p.m. Cover: Free.

The Point – 1626 Glenwood Ave. –  Old Habits (Folk/Covers) — 10 p.m. Cover: Free.

Tir Na Nog – 218 South Blount St. – Local Beer Local Band Presents: Des Ark, Midtown Dickens (Indie) — 10 p.m. Cover: Free

World of Beer – 121 St Albans St. – Spencer Scholes (Covers) — 9 p.m. Cover: Free.

Volume Eleven Tavern – 658 Maywood Ave. – HBLU Squad, Gone Ape, One biglove,  more (Metal) — 8 p.m. 

Midtown Dickens plays Thursday night as part of the "Local Beer, Local Band" series at Tir Na Nog. This local band has been around for a couple of years and has refined its punk/folk sound with excellent elements of bluegrass. The resulting sound is unique - and solidly rooted in the North Carolina music fabric. Come check out this free show. (Photo Courtesy of The Duke Chronicle)

Friday, May 11

Amra’s – 106 Glenwood Ave. –  More Rythmn (Covers) – 10 p.m.  Cover: Free.

Berkeley Café – 217 West Martin St. – Drunk in a Dumpster, RBT, Gorbash, Pure Scum, more (Rock) — 8 p.m.  Cover: $8.

Big Easy – 222 Fayetteville St. – Early: Cecil Johnson (Jazz) — 6 p.m. Late: Soulominos (Covers) — 10 p.m. Cover: Free.

Cameron Bar & Grille – 2018 Clark Ave. – The Dirty Birds (Covers) — 9 p.m. Cover: Free.

Deep South The Bar – 430 South Dawson –  Trevor Gordon Hall, Sergio Altamura, Owen Van-Larkins, more  (Blues/Rock) — 8 p.m. Cover: $5.  

Dive Bar – 3 Glenwood Ave. – Born Again Rebels (Rock/Metal) — 10 p.m. Cover: Free.

Irregardless Café – 901 West Morgan St. – Foscoe Philharmonic (Jazz) — 6:30 p.m.  Cover: Free.

King’s Barcade – 14 West Martin St. – Motor Skillz CD Release party w/ Airstrip, Wowser (Experimental) — 9 p.m. Cover: $8-10.

Lincoln Theatre – 126 East Cabarrus St. – House of Fools, Ryan Montbleau Band, Jason Adamo Band (Indie/Acoustic) — 9 p.m. Cover: $10-12.

The Longbranch – 608 Creekside Dr. – DJ Brian (House/Dance/Electronica) — 9 p.m.  Cover: Free.

Mosaic – 517 West Jones St. -  Spring Music Fest Day 2 a showcase of all things global. Expect hot sounds from all around the likes of Latin, House, Afro, Brazilian beats, Moombahton, Dancehall, Reggae, Hiphop and more. The featured guest is NYC’s Nappy G, DJ, percussionist and producer. As a major component of long running NYC party Turntables on the Hudson and Bembe Brooklyn sessions, he who represents a broad spectrum of global beats and rhythm all in one take. The night well rounded with other favorites who will also take this night to a new level. Come take a trip!”)

Napper Tandy’s – 126 North West St. – DJ Randy (Covers) — 9 p.m. Cover: Free.

PourHouse – 224 South Blount St. –  The Mighty Lester, Will McBride (Blues/Indie/Americana) — 9 p.m. Cover: $5.

Ruckus Pizza – 2233 Avent Ferry Rd. – Young and New (Indie) — 9 p.m.

Shakedown Street – 2500 Hillsborough St. – Electric Soul Pandemic, Octopus (Soul/Funk/Jazz) — 10 p.m. Cover: $3.

Slim’s Bar – 227 South Wilmington St. – North Elementary (Indie) — 9 p.m. Cover: $5.

Southland Ballroom – 614 North West St. – Vaudevillian Revue (Burlesque, Music, Magic,more) Two shows. Early: 7:30, Late 10:30. Cover: $12 for each show.

Sparians – 120 St Albans St. – Magic Pipers (Covers) — 9 p.m. Cover: Free.

Sullivans – 420 Glenwood Ave. – Shane Bullis (Covers) — 7 p.m. Cover: Free.

The Oxford – 319 Fayetteville St. –  Jimmy Dasher (Covers) — 9 p.m. Cover: Free.

Tir Na Nog – 218 South Blount St. –  Early: Craichdown (Irish Folk) — 6:30 p.m. Late: Shakedown Street (Covers) — 9:30 p.m. Cover: $3.  

World of Beer – 121 St Albans St. –  Hot Damn Band (Americana) — 9 p.m. Cover: Free.

Volume Eleven Tavern – 658 Maywood Ave – Raplord Presents Metal Showcase (Rock/Metal) — 9 p.m. Cover: Free.

42nd Street Oyster Bar – 508 W. Jones St. –  Rewind (Covers) — 9 p.m. Cover: Free.

Local Favorites Old Habits are a mainstay of our local Folk scene. The Thompson Brothers set the standard in a crowded field and do it very well. With solid musicianship, vocals and an excellent stage presence, these guys have it all. Come out Thursday night as they take over The Point and play to a packed house. (Photo Courtesy of Craig Thompson)

Saturday, May 12

Amra’s – 106 Glenwood Ave. – The Magic Pipers (Covers) – 10 p.m.  

Berkeley Café – 217 West Martin St. – Noisy Dubs Presents: Rumble Sessions (Electronica/Dance/Dubstep) — 8 p.m. Cover: $5.

Big Easy – 222 Fayetteville St. – Early: Cecil Johnson (Jazz) — 6 p.m. Late:  Shine (Covers) — 10 p.m. Cover: Free.

Cameron Bar & Grille – 2018 Clark Ave. – The Basics (Covers) — 9 p.m. Cover: Free.

Deep South The Bar – 430 South Dawson – The Stray Dogs, Gimme Shelter (Americana) — 8 p.m. Cover: $5.

Dive Bar – 3 Glenwood Ave. – The Exiles, Shadows and Noctumbs (Punk/Rock) — 10 p.m. Cover: Free.

Irregardless Café – 901 West Morgan St. – Joe Gore Dance Band (Jazz)— 6:30 p.m.

King’s Barcade – 14 West Martin St. – Archers of Loaf, Pipe (Indie) — 10 p.m. Cover: $20. SOLD OUT

The Longbranch – 608 Creekside Dr. –  DJ Freeze (House/Electronica) — 9 p.m. Cover: $5.

Marsh Woodwinds – 707 North Person St. – The Small Ponds, Houston Brothers  (Americana) — 8 p.m. Cover: $10.

Napper Tandy’s – 126 North West St. – The Switch (Covers) — 9 p.m. Cover: Free.

O’Malley’s – 5228 Hollyridge Dr. –  Tino Gray (covers) — 9 p.m. Cover: Free.

PourHouse – 224 South Blount St. – Bloodkin, Luego (Jam/Indie) — 10 p.m. Cover: $10.

Shakedown Street – 2500 Hillsborough St. – Lactose Quervo, Jimmy Dasher, more (Jam) —  9 p.m. 

Southland Ballroom – 614 North West St. – Urban Sophisticates, J Gunn, more (Jam) — 10 p.m. Cover: $8-11.

Sullivans – 420 Glenwood Ave. – Matt Bowen (Covers) — 7 p.m. Cover: Free.

The Oxford – 319 Fayetteville St. –  New Sweat (Covers) — 9 p.m.  Cover: Free.

Tir Na Nog – 218 South Blount St. –  Spivey’s Corner (Covers) — 9 p.m. Cover: Free.

Volume Eleven Tavern – 658 Maywood Ave – Metal Showcase (Deathcore/Metal) — 8 p.m. Cover: Free.

42nd Street Oyster Bar – 508 W. Jones St. – Mad Elaine (Covers) — 9 p.m. Cover: Free.

World of Beer – 121 St Albans St. – Those Meddling Kids (Covers) — 9 p.m. Cover: Free.

Brandon McLean - formerly of Cougar Magnum - is back on the scene with a new band. The Young & New and combine elements of jam/indie/americana to come up with a sound that is entertaining and showcases the talent of the band. Catch their show this Friday at Ruckus Pizza in Raleigh (Photo Courtesy of Brandon McLean)

Sunday, May 13

Berkeley Café – 217 West Martin St. – Mobile Deathcamp, Hemlock, Kiff, One Man Riot, more (Metal) — 8 p.m. Cover: $5.

Five Star – 511 West Hargett St – Neu Romance – DJ Collection (Dance, Hip-Hop, Old School, Electronica) — 9 p.m. 

Irregardless Café – 901 West Morgan St. – Early: Larry Hutcherson (Jazz) — 10:30 a.m., Late: Scott Niebauer — 4:30 p.m. Cover: Free.   

Lincoln Theatre – 126 East Cabarrus St. – Clutch (Rock/Metal) — 7 p.m. Cover: $20-25.

O’Malley’s – 5228 Hollyridge Dr. – Chris Overstreet  (Covers) — 9 p.m.

Pour House – 224 South Blount St. –  Early: Michael Stagliano (Acoustic) — 7:30 p.m.  Cover: $12-25 Late: Mike Pinto (Rock) — 10 p.m. Cover: $8-10.

Shakedown Street – 2500 Hillsborough St. – Eargasm Presents: Drigue London, more (Hip-Hop) — 9 p.m. 

The Oxford – 319 Fayetteville St. – Jazz Brunch (Jazz) 11am

Tir Na Nog – 218 South Blount St. – Irish Jam Session (Celtic/Jam) — 3 p.m.

Volume Eleven Tavern – 658 Maywood Ave – Afton Presents: Indie/Hip-Hop Showcase Feat over 10 acts (Indie/Hip-Hop) — 6 p.m. Cover: $10-13.

Local Siren Caitlin Cary has her band The Small Ponds at Marsh Woodwinds on Saturday night for an intimate evening of music. She is a local favorite and this promises to be a great evening of music and conversation. Get there early; seats are limited. (Photo Courtesy of Band)

• Music Calendar: Feb. 9-12
• Music Listings: Feb. 3-5
• Music Listings: July 14-17

As the news that Amendment One had passed began to spread around downtown Raleigh a little after 9 p.m., so did a mixed wave of emotions.

While some tears were shed, and plenty of hugs were passed around the LGBT Center on Hillsborough Street, the overall atmosphere was one of encouragement and resolution.

Lorraine Johnson is a board member for Equality NC, but chose to spend her election night at the community center, win or lose, rather than at the party held by Equality NC.

“I am here because this is my family,” Johnson said. “In the end, all the politics, all they’re about is community.”

She said the LGBT community knew they would have a tough time fighting the amendment as soon as they found out it would go onto the ballot.

She pointed out that every state that has fought similar legislation has faced an uphill battle — and those states had 12 months to prepare. North Carolina only had six months.

“So from the beginning we had to have a coalition,” Johnson said. She said the coalition that emerged is the silver lining to the whole vote: Most states who have faced this sort of legislation lost by at least 75 percent of the vote. The amendment was opposed in NC by almost 40 percent of voters.

A few blocks away, at the Amendment One opposition party held at The Stockroom, Deputy Finance Director for the Coalition Jon Broyhill echoed this sentiment.

“What the opposition doesn’t know is that all they have done is awoken a sleeping giant,” Broyhill said. “We have such a strong coalition now, and we’re not going anywhere.”

On the other side of town, at the North Raleigh Hilton on Wake Forest Road, the party looked a little different. At 9:21, when the announcement was made that the results had been called in favor of the amendment, a sustained cheer spread throughout the crowd of almost 200 people and slices of wedding cake were served.

Victory Peterson, center, applauds win for the marriage amendment. (Karen Tam)

“Through God’s great Mercy we have won an overwhelming victory,” said Tami Fitzgerald, chair of Vote for Marriage NC. “We have wanted one thing only: to protect marriage as a union between one man and one woman. We are not anti-gay. We are pro-marriage. You do not rewrite God’s law.”

Skip Stam, the house Republican leader, said he isn’t too concerned about the amendment being repealed later.

“The younger people who didn’t support the amendment haven’t married and had children,” Stam said. “When they do that, then they’ll understand the importance of marriage.”

But civil rights groups, including the ALCU and Equality NC are already looking toward that next step. Communications Manager of the American Civil Liberties Union Mike Meno said they will hold a press conference Wednesday at the LGBT Center on Hillsborough Street to talk about what happens next.

“Even if we had won tonight, the fight still isn’t over,” Meno said. “There are a lot of other ways in which LGBT citizens are second class.”

Executive Director of Equality NC Stuart Campbell has been involved in the fight for LGBT rights for more than 20 years, and made it his career a couple of years ago after the upsurge in teen LGBT suicides.

He called the passing of the amendment a temporary setback, also referencing the LGBT community in the state as an awakened giant.

“We now have a progressive infrastructure that will help us move to the next stage in LGBT equality in North Carolina,” Campbell said.

Will Huntsberry contributed to this report.Similar Posts:

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