I read Cary Town Manager Bill Coleman’s letter in response to the Evans Road story (“Indy unfair to Cary staff in Evans Road story,” Back Talk, March 5). There is an entire community in southwest Wake County, New Hill, that is familiar with the “integrity, dignity, respect and fairness” practiced by the Cary town staff (and the council, for that matter). We in New Hill know firsthand how little value the town staff and officials place on their Statement of Values. One of Coleman’s senior staff dismissively said about New Hill, “Seems to me New Hill is a ZIP code, not a community.”
The Town of Cary recklessly condemned a parcel for a sewage plant without the involvement of the local community or the approval from state or federal authorities. The analysis justifying the site was woefully incomplete and failed to include a critical analysis of other locations.
During the initial state environmental impact study process, the Town of Cary misrepresented the demographics of the neighborhood (predominantly below median income for Wake County and predominantly minority) where it was planning to locate the facility. After being taken to task on this by the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Coleman apologized for the “misinterpretation,” which of course favored Cary’s position at the expense of the minority neighborhood.
Coleman went on to state, “We have concerns about quantitatively including environmental justice demographics in a site-ranking process without first discussing potential impactsboth favorable and adverseand ways to mitigate adverse impacts.” Favorable impacts? Perhaps he thinks that some folks might like the odor, noise, traffic and light pollution.
The Town of Cary’s actions toward New Hill are consistent with its actions toward the Evans Road neighborhood.
John Brubaker
New Hill
