You’ve guessed it ladies and gentleman this blog site is neglected! With all the advances Facebook has made:
Invite only Groups; Public Pages; ability to share documents and links
This blog has become sorely neglected.
I will try and keep it updated more often but your best bet is to get on Facebook and “Like” the Isothermal RPO: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Isothermal-Rural-Planning-Organization-RPO/109407949084150
Yes I know you must think it’s some kind of Start Trek knock off but its really not. The enviromental community, historic preservation, NCDOT, and me (representing the local governments) must reach a descion on CP4a (concurence point 4a of the overall NEPA/404 Merger Process) on what is the least damaging to the human and natural enviroment.
You my avid (lol) reader might think this is an easy desicion to make, but wo ho ho it is not. If you but the on/off ramps for Charlotte Rd on one side you take out two major shopping plazas, a major employer, and some severe impacts to a stream. On the other side is a historic African American community with cemetaries, churchs, neighborhoods, and wetland impacts. You have to put an interchange in at this road and if you try to avoid impacts to any of these you throw off the balance of the rest of the road and could have greater impacts someplace else along the route.
So if you ever watched Ashton Kutcher in the Butterly Affect you’d begin to understand the complexity that is road building.
So many people are trying to balance careers, home, kids, and aging parents. There will come a time in everyone’s life when they should give up the keys. It is a personal discussion between your caregivers and you. The link below is to a webinar series put out by AARP. It’s free and takes about 30 minutes for each module.
http://www.aarp.org/home-garden/transportation/we_need_to_talk/
CITIZENS INFORMATIONAL WORKSHOP (CIW) – Division 14, Polk County
B-4792 – Replace Bridge No. 4 over a small branch of the Pacolet River on SR 1102 (Pearson Falls Road)
WBS #: 38562
PIO: Eileen Fuchs (919) 431-1610
Division 14: Josh Deyton (828) 586-2141
Rdwy: Jimmy Goodnight / Steve Kendall (919) 250-4016
Citizens Informational Workshop, Monday, September 20, 2010, 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Facility: Saluda Mountain Jamboree
Friendship Church Road
Saluda, 28773
(I-26 Exit # 59)
Contact: Linda Whitaker (828) 749-3676
Pedal to the metal: Police officers trade car duty for bikes
http://www.shelbystar.com/news/pedal-47095-bikes-police.html
NCDOT SEEKING COMMENTS ON REVISING
TRAFFIC NOISE REDUCTION MEASURES
RALEIGH – The N.C. Department of Transportation is seeking public input on its Traffic Noise Abatement Policy. This policy identifies NCDOT’s commitment to providing noise reduction measures in accordance with federal and state regulations and procedures.
NCDOT strives to provide appropriate traffic noise measurements and noise reduction options such as sound walls, earthen mounds or trees whenever the public is adversely affected by highway noise. NCDOT is looking for public comments on the existing policy and potential changes for future policy. Comments will be received from May 24 to June 25. NCDOT anticipates the policy revisions to be put in effect by early 2011.
The Federal Highway Administration delegates responsibility for performance of traffic noise studies to each state’s transportation agencies on all federally-funded transportation projects. The FHWA reviews each state’s policy to make sure it meets federal traffic noise reduction standards.
There are two types of noise reduction projects. Type I projects include construction of new highways or widening of existing roads. Type II projects provide noise reduction measures on existing highways.
The Department constructs noise barriers for Type I projects when they meet policy requirements. NCDOT does not construct noise barriers for Type II projects, and does not have a Type II policy because of funding restrictions. It is the responsibility of local governments or developers to secure funding for Type II noise reduction projects.
Noise studies performed by NCDOT provide the noise data used to determine whether noise-sensitive areas comply with policy provisions.
To submit a comment, go to the NCDOT Contact Us website:
https://apps.dot.state.nc.us/ContactUS/PostComment.aspx?Unit=Abatement
Citizens can also mail comments to:
NCDOT Traffic Noise Abatement Policy
1598 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-1598
All comments will be considered during the revision process.
The complete NCDOT policy is available at www.ncdot.org/doh/preconstruct/pe/ohe/noiseair/abatement.html. The federal regulations are available at www.fhwa.dot.gov/legsregs/directives/fapg/cfr0772.htm.
The FHWA noise website (www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/noise/index.htm) is an excellent site for more information on traffic noise and abatement.
***NCDOT***
Jerry Higgins
Communications Officer
North Carolina Department of Transportation
1 S. Wilmington Street
Raleigh, NC 27699
(919) 716-5707
News Releases
Public Planning Session Will Consider Chimney Rock State Park Master Plan
May 17, 2010
RALEIGH – As part of the process to create a master plan for Chimney Rock State Park in the Hickory Nut Gorge, the N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation will conduct a public planning session May 26 at the Lake Lure Town Hall. Citizens are invited to visit the drop-in session anytime from 10 a.m. until 7 p.m.
Proposed design alternatives for the state park will be presented and the public will be able to ask questions and offer comments to officials of the state parks system and Greenways Inc., a Durham-based environmental planning and landscape architecture firm responsible for completing the plan.
“Creating a world class state park at Chimney Rock has been and continues to be a partnership effort between the state parks system and the community,” said Lewis Ledford, division director. “Chimney Rock State Park has benefited from strong support in the community, and it’s important that citizens continue to be involved in the process.”
A state park’s master plan is essentially a blueprint for long-term development of facilities and recreation opportunities and a guide for protection of natural resources. It is meant to be an organic document, evolving as the park grows and as knowledge is gained about a park’s natural resources and public use.
The N.C. General Assembly authorized Chimney Rock State Park in 2005, and more than 4,300 acres in Rutherford, Polk, Henderson and Buncombe counties has been acquired in partnership with The Nature Conservancy, the Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy, the Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina and others. In 2007, the former Chimney Rock tourist destination was added to the park and offers the principal current public access.
The drop-in planning session will involve a workstation format allowing citizens to attend at any time during the day and spend as much time as necessary to review and discuss design alternatives. Proposed designs will also be available beginning May 26 at www.greenways.com/chimneyrock. Written comments may be submitted through June 23 either by using an online comment sheet or by mail to: General Management Plan Coordinator, NC Division of Parks and Recreation, 1615 MSC, Raleigh, NC 27699-1615.
