Durham Celebrates Duke

Duke fans have been celebrating since Tuesday's historic NCAA Championship Men's Basketball win and now the community is invited to Durham to celebrate.

The community will come together to show a little Durham love to the 2015 Duke University Men’s Basketball NCAA championship-winning team with an event on Tuesday, April 14 from 5-6 p.m. at the American Tobacco Campus lawn and amphitheater.

Music and pre-event festivities will start at 4:30 p.m. with the Duke pep band and Duke cheerleaders. At 5 p.m. the team will be welcomed by Durham Chamber President Casey Steinbacher and then recognized by Durham Mayor Bill Bell and Durham County Board of Commissioners Chairman Michael Page. The team will be presented and Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski will give remarks.

The celebration is presented by the Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau, Downtown Durham Inc., The Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce, The City of Durham, and Durham County to recognize and thank the team for bringing such tremendous honor to Durham through their excellence as a team.

Durham Seeks Nominations for 2012 Golden Leaf Awards

Having Durham be a beautiful place is important to many.  In fact, people in Durham think appearance should be a high community priority by a ratio of almost four to one.  For those that do feel that way, now is the time to mobilize.

Residents who think there are certain Durham properties that have outstanding curb appeal are now invited to nominate those properties for the 2012 Golden Leaf Awards for Community Appearance.

The Durham City-County Appearance Commission and Keep Durham Beautiful, Inc., in association with the Environmental Affairs Board, are seeking nominations from the community for properties that raise the bar for excellence in design and maintenance in Durham. These awards are given to highlight the value that Durham puts on community appearance.

The deadline to submit nominations for this year’s award is Monday, July 30, 2012. Nominations may be submitted in the following categories:

•    Small Scale Residential Properties Award will be given to new construction, renovation, or restoration of a single-family house or residential building containing four units or fewer.

•    Large Scale Residential Properties Award will be given to new construction, conversions, or improvements to a multifamily residential property or mixed-use property incorporating residential units.

•    Commercial Properties Award will be given for new construction, renovation or adaptive reuse of non-residential properties.

•    Community Properties Award will be given for projects that enhance the appearance and livability of highly visible public areas including churches, schools, parks, and other projects providing community services.

•    Landscape Award will be given for landscape, hardscape, or garden projects at least one year old, which have consistently maintained high standards of upkeep and appearance.

•    Keep Durham Beautiful Award will be given to a volunteer or group of volunteers for projects, programs or events that impact a Durham community or neighborhood, and address Keep Durham Beautiful’s mission to support volunteer efforts to (1) beautify the natural environment (2) prevent or reduce litter and/or (3) reduce waste through reducing, re-using or recycling.

•    Sustainable Properties Award will be given for projects creating a sustainable built environment by incorporating green building principles in the planning and development of projects. Projects must document these principles in the areas of energy, design, site, water, and building materials.

•    People’s Choice Award will be given to one project selected by public vote from the nominees under consideration for the above award categories.

Visit the Durham Golden Leaf website to review the complete list of categories, submission criteria, and nominations forms.

Natural Beauty Remains Important in Durham

By a ratio of almost 4 to 1, Durham residents believe appearance should be a high community priority.  They will have an opportunity to prove it during the Fourth Annual Creek Week, scheduled for March 17-24, 2012.

This year’s week-long observance will provide dozens of opportunities for residents to discover and explore local streams and lakes through educational programs and recreational activities, and to do their part to protect waterways through volunteer projects.

According to Tania Dautlick, executive director of Keep Durham Beautiful, this week-long event is an opportunity to take care of Durham’s environment. “Creek Week is a fantastic way for Durham residents to discover local natural areas and make a difference through volunteer projects,” said Dautlick. “These activities illuminate the importance of protecting waterways for recreation and drinking water as well as show how we can all do our part to preserve a healthy natural environment for people, wildlife, and plant life.”

With the range of events offered, there is something sure to entice everyone in the family – even Fido. Residents can get outdoors and explore Durham’s hidden nature gems by canoe or kayak, or on foot via nature walks and hikes in beautiful locations including Duke Forest, Eno River State Park and Sandy Creek Park. Residents can bring their dogs to a Durham Dog Park and take the Canines for Clean Water Pledge to reduce pet waste.

Residents are also invited to learn about the Northeast/Crooked Creek Improvement Plan on Monday, March 19, at 6:30 p.m. at the South Regional Library, located at 4505 S. Alston Ave., Durham. This event will feature information on the City of Durham’s plan to clean up Northeast Creek and Crooked Creek. This family-friendly event will offer food, games, hands-on demonstrations, crafts, and story time.

Other events planned for Creek Week will showcase birds and butterflies, films and nighttime stories, guided hikes and paddles, all providing something for everyone to enjoy. Several restaurants, including Bull City Burger and Brewery, Geer Street Garden, Pinhook, and The Bar, will offer Creek Week Specials for sale benefiting Keep Durham Beautiful, Inc.

Creek Week will also provide easy volunteer opportunities for residents and organizations to connect with several scheduled cleanup events at local creeks, marshes, streams and lakes throughout Durham. Last year, 250 volunteers picked up over 10,000 pounds of trash from Durham waterways. Volunteers can also help by labeling storm drains in their neighborhood.

Creek Week is a collaboration of City, state, and nonprofit organizations that manage, monitor, and protect area waterways including the City of Durham Neighborhood Improvement Services, Parks and Recreation, Stormwater Services Division with Public Works, and Water Management Departments along with Durham County Government, Durham County Library, Durham Soil & Water Conservation District, Ellerbe Creek Watershed, Eno River Association, Frog Hollow Outdoors, Keep Durham Beautiful, Haw River Assembly, New Hope Creek Corridor, North Carolina State Parks, and Northeast Creek Stream Watch.

For a detailed schedule of events, visit the Durham Creek Week website or contact Laura Webb Smith, public education coordinator for the Stormwater Services Division of the City’s Public Works Department, at (919) 560-4326, ext. 30235.