GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE TOWN OF CARY AND WELLINGTON PARK PROPERTIES INFORMATION Print

 

 

Links to important information about the Town of Cary, North Carolina

 

Town of Cary Main Site

 

Sign up for the Cary Town Mailing List - very informative .

 

Watch live streams of  past Town of Cary Town Council meetings

 

View Agendas and meeting minutes of past Town of Cary Town Countil meetings

 

Submit a Suggestion to the Governor

 


 

 

Cary services, facts and contact information:




Best possible financial position
The Town of Cary is one of seven municipalities in North Carolina with the best possible credit ratings from the leading New York investment firms – Moody’s, Fitch, and Standard & Poor's.

Commitment to sound budgeting
The Town of Cary is a perennial recipient of the Government Finance Officers award for Distinguished Budget Presentation, demonstrating the highest principles of governmental budgeting.

The highest standards in government accounting and financial reporting
The Government Finance Officers Association of United States and Canada annually recognizes the Town of Cary for excellence in comprehensive financial reporting.

Continuing excellence in accounting and financial management
The State Treasurer's office has honored Cary with its Governmental Award for Excellence for running innovative and progressive programs.


Where people know how to have a good time
The Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources Department was the first parks department in the Triangle to receive national accreditation.

Summer home of the N.C. Symphony
Cary's Koka Booth Amphitheatre at Regency Park is a state-of-the-art performance center nestled in trees by Symphony Lake, where the symphony performs its annual Summerfest concert series.

Where future Olympians will swing for the fences
USA Baseball's National Olympic Training Center is scheduled to open in 2007 in Thomas Brooks Park.

The best place to spend a lazy summer Saturday
The Lazy Daze Arts & Crafts Festival is the top rated one-day festival in the nation as ranked by Sunshine Artist Magazine, September 2006.

An oasis in the midst of the city
Fred G. Bond Metro Park, located geographically in the center of town, hosts annual community events such as the Easter Egg Hunt, Kite Festival and the July 4th Olde Time Celebration.

Home of Cary Band Day
Since 1959, the oldest marching band competition in the southeast includes an annual downtown parade and field competition.
A great place to serve and volley

Awarded the United States Tennis Association’s Outstanding Tennis Facility of the Year for 2006 and Racquet Sports Industries’ Municipal Facility of the Year, Cary Tennis Park is one of the premier facilities in the Southeast for recreational and tournament play. 

Meeting the recreational needs of all age groups
Sk-8 Cary was the first public skate park in Wake County.

The place to tour on two wheels

With its safe cycling classes for children, annual Cycling Celebration, and growing bicycle network throughout the Town, Cary has received national recognition as a “Bicycle Friendly Community” from the League of American Bicyclists.  The League has also awarded Cary their Bronze Award for writing, directing and producing a bicycle education video in English and Spanish on bicycle facilities, rules of the road, and bicycle safety tips.
A jewel in the crown of Mother Nature

Hands-on exhibits, Nature's Niche Gift Shop, native wildlife garden, and environmental education programs are just a few of the natural experiences awaiting you at the Stevens Nature Center at Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve.


We know that getting the most out of your day often means getting the most out of your government. That’s why the Town of Cary developed the first Citizen’s Guide to Services in 2001.  Updated every third year, the Guide puts the answers to your most asked questions at your fingertips.

The Guide also gives you valuable information about many of the policies and processes used by the Town to implement your Town Council’s vision for our community. 

As you will see, the Guide is just one of several information vehicles we use in our comprehensive communications program to inform and involve Cary citizens in your local government. From www.townofcary.org to Cary TV 11 to 24-Hour Town Hall, we hope you take advantage of these resources to learn about and interact with the Town of Cary.  And as always, don’t hesitate to contact us if you see ways we can improve our service to you.

Cary, North Carolina is located in western Wake County and eastern Chatham County at the heart of North Carolina’s renowned Research Triangle Region.  Bound on the north and east by Raleigh, on the north and west by Research Triangle Park and Morrisville, on the south by Apex and Holly Springs, and on the west by the Jordan Lake area, Cary is one of the state's most progressive towns and the seventh largest municipality in North Carolina.

2007 Vital Statistics
Square Miles: 52.79
Street Miles: 551
Maintained by the Town:  381
Maintained by NCDOT: 104
Privately maintained: 66

Population: 117,442
Race and Ethnicity

Hispanic: 4%
African American:  6%
Asian: 8%
Caucasian: 82%

Median Age: 34.9
Median family income: $79,395
Households with children under 18: 44.2%
Cary adults with a college degree: 70.9%
Number of Parks: 21

Total Park Acreage: 1,800
Miles of Greenway: 26
Largest Employer: SAS Institute
No. of Town Employees: 1,090
Median Price of New Single Family House: $363,000
Residents living in Cary five years or less: 44.1%
Residents living in Cary over 10 years: 37%



History
Today’s Cary began in 1750 as a settlement called Bradford's Ordinary.  About 100 years later, the construction of the North Carolina Railroad between New Bern and Hillsborough placed Bradford's Ordinary on a major transportation route. Soon after, Allison Francis Page, a Wake County farmer and lumberman, bought 300 acres of land nearby and established a sawmill, general store, and post office. He called his development Cary after Samuel Fenton Cary, an Ohio prohibitionist whom Page admired. The Town of Cary—the community we serve today—was incorporated on April 6, 1871.

In 1868, Page built a hotel to serve railroad passengers coming through Cary.  Page sold the hotel to
J. R. Walker in 1884; meals and rooms were available to travelers until 1916.  It later became a private residence but by the mid-1980’s had fallen into disrepair. 

A group of concerned and dedicated citizens formed the Friends of the Page-Walker and spearheaded saving the historic structure. Following its inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places, the Friends partnered with the Town government to save the historic resource for use by all Cary citizens. Today, the Page-Walker Arts and History Center, located on Town Hall Campus, serves as a focus for arts and history activities as well as Town celebrations.

In the late 1800s, a prestigious, private boarding school was started in Cary and later became the first public high school in North Carolina. The school was located on the site currently occupied by Old Cary Elementary School in the heart of downtown Cary.
With the development of Research Triangle Park in the 1960’s and its proximity to Raleigh, Durham, and the Raleigh-Durham International Airport, Cary experienced the beginning of the high-quality development that still characterizes the Town today.  From about 1,000 residents, Cary grew dramatically during the first decade of the Research Triangle Park, adding nearly 6,000 new citizens by the early 1970’s.  That number more than tripled to about 24,000 in the early 1980’s and doubled again in the 1990’s to more than 45,000.  Cary broke the 100,000 mark in 2001.

Now known as the Technology Town of North Carolina, Cary is home to the largest privately-held software company in the world—SAS—and has attracted other key, world-class businesses including Cotton Inc., John Deere, IBM, Siemens, American Airlines, Oxford University Press, R.H. Donnelly, Infineon, and the Lord Corporation to name just a few.
Citizens Guide to Services-3

Cary, North Carolina exists because the people who lived here many years ago asked the State of North Carolina to officially recognize their community and to give them the right to chart their own destiny. These people banded together because they knew they could accomplish more as a group than they could as individuals. Over the years, they created a shared vision for the area and put in place a structure to make that vision a reality.  That structure is your local municipal government, the Town of Cary.

Overview of Governmental Responsibilities
Four distinct governmental entities serve Cary citizens – Town of Cary, Wake County or Chatham County depending on which side of the county line you reside, the State of North Carolina, and the United States government. Each provides, oversees, regulates, and/or enforces a number of shared as well as unique elements, services, and activities affecting Cary citizens.
Closest to Cary citizens is the Town of Cary municipal government, charged with providing the broad range of services that touch most citizens every day and are detailed in this Guide. Cary uses a council-manager form of government (see page 5) to provide vital services including but not limited to police and fire protection, solid waste and recycling collection, parks, recreation and athletic activities, cultural arts, water and sewer utilities, and building inspections.
Cary citizens are also served by either Wake County or Chatham County government, which under State law uniquely oversees such things as public, mental, and environmental health as well as social services. Each county government is headed by an elected board of commissioners, and county government also includes the Board of Elections as well as the elected county Sheriff and elected Register of Deeds.  In our area, responsibilities for K-12 public schools also fall to county government. While an elected county board of education develops, oversees, and implements school policies, practices, and hiring decisions, it is the county board of commissioners that approves school funding requests since boards of education have no taxing authority in North Carolina.

State government, headed by the Governor, the General Assembly, and the North Carolina Supreme Court, handles most everything related to motor vehicles including titles and tags, major roadway construction and maintenance, and driver licensing. Public colleges and universities as well as alcoholic beverage control, consumer protection, and insurance and utilities regulation also fall to the state.

Federal government includes the President, Congress, and the federal court system. Under the auspices of the federal government, citizens will find Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, postal service, air and rail service regulation, immigration, and more.

Often, service provision overlaps two or more of these government entities depending on the very specific nature of that service and the laws of a particular state. For example, all four governmental entities collect taxes, but these taxes come from different sources and are used to support different services. It is the state and county governments – not the Town of Cary – that share responsibility for courts, schools, and elections. On the other hand, it is the Town that provides most emergency services such as police and fire, but we can get assistance from the county, state, and federal governments when necessary.
While most of the information in this Guide is targeted to Town of Cary services and responsibilities, a separate listing of contact numbers for some key services performed by other government agencies is also included (see page 55).

Town of Cary Government
Chartered by the North Carolina General Assembly in 1871, the Town of Cary is one of more than 525 municipal corporations in the State of North Carolina. Governed by a council-manager form of administration as provided for in the North Carolina General Statutes, the powers and authority of the municipal government are spelled out in state law, and Cary may do no more than is authorized by that body of law.

Under its council-manager form of administration, the citizens of Cary elect a seven member Town Council, including the mayor. Four of the seven council members are district representatives chosen by voters within each geographic district. Two council members and the mayor are at-large representatives elected town-wide. Cary elections are held in odd-numbered years. The council members’ four year terms are staggered so that voters fill three or four of the seats every two years.
The elected council creates a vision for the community by setting the policies, goals, and direction of the government including adopting necessary laws. The council also appoints three staff members:  the town attorney, the town clerk, and the town manager. 

As the chief executive officer for the government, the town manager implements council’s policies and oversees all government operations. The manager advises the council on all issues, proposes the annual budget, and coordinates the work of all municipal staff not appointed by the council.  Cary’s professional staff develops and implements projects, programs, and services in support of council’s goals and is responsible for the organization’s day-to-day operations.  In 2007, this translated into needing about 1,090 staff to serve in more than 275 unique positions.

Location
Cary Town Hall and most of the administrative offices are located in the heart of downtown Cary – the 300 block of North Academy Street between Chatham Street and Chapel Hill Road.  There you’ll find Administration, Engineering, Finance, Inspections and Permits, Human Resources, Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources, Planning, Police, and Technology Services as well as the Page-Walker Arts and History Center and the Herbert C. Young Community Center.  Fire administration is housed one block south of Town Hall in the 100 block of North Academy Street, and most Public Works and Utilities operations are conducted out of the William M. Garmon Operations Center at 400 James Jackson Avenue.

Town Departments
Administration includes the town manager’s office, budget, and public information.  The town manager is responsible for implementing the policies set forth by the Town Council and exercises management responsibility over all operational departments. Through management of the operational departments, the town manager’s office ensures the advancement of the philosophies and policies of the Town Council and that all local, state and federal laws and regulations are met. Budget directs and manages the planning, development, and execution of the annual operating budget, annual capital improvements budget, and long-range capital improvements plan. Public information manages all aspects of communications including developing and executing the Town’s annual Comprehensive Communications Plan and overseeing Cary TV 11, BUD, the 24-Hour Town Hall recorded message line, and all Web site content. 
Telephone: (919) 469-4007

Engineering provides leadership for controlled infrastructure development within the Town of Cary and is responsible for overseeing the planning, design, construction, and inspection of public capital improvements projects including street improvements, right-of-way acquisitions, stormwater and utility system improvements, utility plant expansions, and traffic engineering.  Engineering and Planning collaborate on thoroughfare planning. Engineering also enforces stormwater management ordinances and other engineering-related laws and regulations.
Telephone: (919) 469-4030

Finance administers the financial affairs of the Town including utility billing and collection, accounts payable and receivable, payroll, risk management, purchasing, cash management, accounting, and debt administration. This department provides financial customer service to utility customers, taxpayers, other departments, employees, and vendors, and the department produces the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report which includes general information about the Town, financial statements, the independent auditor’s report, and statistical information. Thanks to prudent financial decision-making and action by the entire team of council and staff, the Town of Cary’s general obligation bonds are rated AAA, the best possible rating for a local government!
Telephone: (919) 469-4380

Fire trains firefighters to protect the community from the adverse effects of disasters and emergencies, enforces fire code ordinances, and provides public education in fire prevention and safety. The department received and has maintained national accreditation from the Commission on Fire Accreditation International since 1999, which requires every aspect of Cary’s fire program to be evaluated including governance and administration, assessment and planning, goals and objectives, financial resources, physical resources, human resources, training, and competency. 
Telephone: (919) 469-4056

Human Resources recruits, develops, and promotes model personnel and safety programs and practices designed to attract, develop, and retain a well-qualified and diverse work force. Responsibilities include advising management on recruitment and hiring, classification and pay, employee relations, performance reviews, equal employment opportunities, employee training and development, benefits administration, and employee safety. 
Telephone: (919) 469-4070

Inspections and Permits is responsible for enforcing the North Carolina Building Code through building, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing code inspections. The department is also responsible for street addressing and enforces minimum housing standards, reviews construction plans, collects fees, and issues permits for new construction and renovations.
Telephone: (919) 469-4340

Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources (PRCR) plans and provides a variety of enjoyable and cost-effective recreation, sports, environmental, historical, and cultural arts programs and services. PRCR acquires, develops, beautifies, conserves, and maintains a system of parks, greenways, and recreation facilities to assure quality leisure opportunities for all Cary residents.
Telephone: (919) 469-4061

Planning develops and implements comprehensive growth and land use plans, small area, district and corridor plans, open space and historic resources plans, affordable housing plans and programs, and downtown redevelopment. Staff also coordinates intergovernmental and regional planning and agreements. This department is responsible for assembling demographic data, maintaining and enforcing zoning ordinances, processing sign permits, preparing maps, and assisting planning boards and commissions. Transportation planning for roadways, pedestrians, and bicyclists is led by this department as well as managing C-Tran, the Town’s transit system.  Planning handles annexations and rezonings and reviews all development plans.
Telephone: (919) 469-4082

Police protects the life and property of the citizens of Cary through education, prevention, and enforcement efforts that include youth services, school resource officers, neighborhood watch programs, animal control, and the Citizens Police Academy. As one of the nation’s most progressive law enforcement agencies, the department has been nationally accredited since 1992 through the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies.  Cary is one of over 600 police departments across the country to receive this prestigious accreditation.
Telephone: (919) 469-4012

Public Works and Utilities provides an adequate and safe water supply to citizens of the towns of Cary, Apex, and Morrisville as well as the Wake County portion of the Research Triangle Park and the Raleigh Durham International Airport.  The department also provides environmentally-sensitive wastewater services for Cary, Morrisville, and the Wake County portion of the Research Triangle Park, including processing more than 4.4 billion gallons of wastewater each year.  The department performs system maintenance on water and wastewater instrumentation and equipment and directs the Town’s water conservation, reclaimed water, and wastewater treatment and monitoring programs. Responsibilities also include long-range utility planning as well as maintenance of streets, parks, Town-owned buildings and grounds, and traffic signals.  Staff also provides garbage and trash removal and disposal for residential and commercial customers, residential recycling pickup, and fleet maintenance for all Town vehicles and equipment. 
Telephone: (919) 469-4090

Technology Services supports the Town government’s council and staff in the management and use of information technology to provide better and more cost-effective services to the citizens of Cary. 
Telephone: (919) 460-4900

The Town Clerk gives notice of council meetings, prepares the council agenda and records council proceedings, serves as custodian of all permanent Town records, keeps the Town seal, attests all Town documents, updates the Town’s Code of Ordinances, and keeps records of appointments to and terms of office for the various boards and commissions. 
Telephone: (919) 469-4011

The Town Attorney is the full-time legal advisor for Town Council and staff. 
Telephone: (919) 469-4008

Budget Process
Everything that everyone does as part of or on behalf of the Town of Cary has its origins and justifications in the annual budget, the official plan that lays out how the organization will meet the vision for Cary. In the budget, the Town Council articulates its vision, which drives the operation of the organization by guiding Town staff in their creation and maintenance of specific programs, projects, and activities.

The Town of Cary prides itself on using the most progressive, comprehensive, and effective practices in developing and implementing the annual budget. A yearlong process tied directly to the Town Council’s priorities, Cary’s budget development begins with each department submitting prioritized budget requests to the budget office.  After reviewing the initial budget requests, the town manager, assistant manager and budget staff meet with departments to thoroughly examine all requests.  Emphasis is placed on achieving Council’s goals by maintaining a strong financial position and high levels of service, identifying opportunities for further efficiencies in the organization, reducing costs, and ensuring that we plan for future needs. Streamlined budget narratives submitted by the departments focus on program objectives and performance measures, with quantitative and qualitative performance indicators included to measure progress toward program objectives. After deliberations by the panel, public input from our citizens, work sessions with Council, and a formal public hearing, the Town Council adopts the budget each year on or before June 30th as required by state law.  Cary’s budget includes the Annual Operating Budget and the Annual Capital Improvements Budget as well as a 10-year Capital Improvements Plan.

The work of every staff member, every contractor, and every consultant is directly tied to Town Council’s vision and goals.  To illustrate, let’s take a look at one of the council’s goals to see how it all fits together.

Ensure that roads, water and wastewater facilities, parks, and other infrastructure exists for the existing citizens and for the future needs identified in the Comprehensive Plan.
To support this goal, the organization hires:


Scientists and engineers to make sure that the roads, water system, and wastewater systems are
designed to meet local, state, and federal environmental standards;



Construction workers to build the roads and lay the lines and meters for the water and wastewater systems;


Inspectors to ensure that roads are built to Town standards;


Fleet maintenance workers to keep the inspectors’ trucks in good working order;


Purchasing agents to acquire the trucks that the inspectors drive, the tools that the maintenance workers use, the shovels and heavy equipment that the construction workers need, and the office, lab, and safety equipment and supplies for the scientists and the engineers;


Buildings and grounds crews to maintain the buildings where the purchasing agents, engineers,
scientists, and fleet maintenance workers work.



And so it goes until every staff member, volunteer, consultant and contractor is accounted for.  From stocking inventory to designing and constructing a new downtown streetscape, everything we do can be tied to Town Council’s vision for Cary.
Please take time to review the current year’s budget online at www.townofcary.org.

On the Horizon
To meet the needs of the Town and requests of our citizens, Council has directed the undertaking of a diverse array of important projects including improving our downtown streetscape, renovating old Cary Elementary for use as a cultural arts center, building an aquatics center, a baseball complex, and a performing arts center as well as adding miles of new sidewalks, parks, trails, and greenways. Each of these and countless others are all targeted to enhance the ease and quality of life for Cary residents.

To improve travel times in and through Cary, the Town has installed a computerized traffic signal system that controls and synchronizes all of Cary’s more than 140 signalized intersections.  In addition, major roadway projects over the next few years include widening SW Maynard Road, Tryon Road (Phase 2), Chapel Hill Road, Evans Road, and Holly Springs Road. Through innovative working and financial arrangements, Cary recently facilitated NC Department of Transportation’s improvements to NC 55 and the ramps at Walnut Street and US 1/64.

A recently-completed major expansion of the North Cary Water Reclamation Facility as well as the addition and upgrade of sewage pump stations and the extension of main lines in northwestern Cary are helping us prepare for the high quality growth that continues in that area. And Cary is also partnering with Apex, Holly Springs, and Morrisville to design and construct the Western Wake Regional Waste Water Management Facilities which should come online in 2011. 
To stay informed about these and other Town projects, visit www.townofcary.org.  While there, subscribe to our free electronic mailing list service to receive timely information about projects, activities, and emergencies.

In the Town of Cary, how we approach our work is as important as the work itself, and there are three primary statements that guide Town staff in our approach: the Town of Cary Mission Statement, Statement of Values, and our Citizen Service Commitment.

Mission Statement
At the Town of Cary we focus every day on enriching the lives of our citizens by creating an exceptional environment and providing exemplary services that enable our community to thrive and prosper.

Statement of Values
To achieve our mission we will uphold the following values:
1.
Our organization exists to serve our citizens. We will be open, ensure access, encourage
involvement and be accountable to our citizens.


2.
Employees are our most important resource. We will attract and retain the best employees and
invest in their personal and professional growth.


3.
We will be honest, ethical and diligent.  Our actions will comply with local, state and federal laws.

4.
We will treat everyone with dignity, respect and fairness.

5.
We will achieve the best results through effective teamwork, strategic partnerships and community participation.

6.
We will provide outstanding customer service that is polite, friendly and responsive.

7.
We value creative thinking and innovation. We will continue to be nationally recognized for
excellence in local government.


8.
We value growth that balances desired service levels, economic benefits and continued stability for our community.

9.
We are cost conscious. We spend public funds responsibly and effectively to ensure the Town’s short and long term financial strength.

10.
We are committed to proactive, comprehensive planning to guide the future of our community.

11.
We will preserve and protect our environment.  We will be good stewards of our finite natural
resources.



Adopted by Town Council, 2006

Citizen Service Commitment
With service as our only product, the Town of Cary is dedicated to providing the highest achievable level of customer satisfaction by providing citizen services in the most effective manner possible.  We will accomplish this through polite, friendly, and courteous interactions with citizens and by making a personal commitment to resolving citizen problems quickly and thoroughly.  We strive to give immediate attention to citizen needs and to provide citizens with complete and accurate information in a timely manner. Our goal is to be recognized throughout the Eastern United States for providing the highest quality customer service to all citizens.

Citizen Involvement
An involved citizenry is the hallmark of a strong community and an effective government.  Indeed, it was a citizen’s movement that in 1871 resulted in the formation of the Town of Cary.  Today, opportunities abound for Cary citizens to continue taking part in shaping their government and, therefore, their own futures.
Attend Meetings: All meetings of the Town Council as well as those of its appointed boards and commissions are open to the public. Notices of meeting times and locations are posted days in advance at Town Hall, on the Town’s Web site, www.townofcary.org, and on Cary TV 11, the Town’s government access cable television channel. Meeting notices also appear each Wednesday in the local newspaper, The Cary News. Regular Town Council meetings include “Public Speaks Out,” a period designated specifically for public comment. In addition, many council meetings include public hearings during which citizens may speak about the subject of that particular hearing.


For many special projects, the Town reaches out to citizens with neighborhood meetings held to answer questions and receive input from residents in the area directly and potentially impacted by the project. Topics vary from widening an existing road to adding sidewalks to proposed construction projects of Town facilities.  These invaluable input sessions lead to projects’ being designed in ways that best meet the needs of those most closely associated with their long-term impacts. Just like regular council meetings, upcoming input sessions are advertised on Cary TV, www.townofcary.org, and in The Cary News. And for those most affected, check your mail for a letter directly from us.

E-Participation: As citizens of North Carolina’s Technology Town, Cary citizens enjoy wide access to their government electronically.  With over 94 percent of citizens having access to the Internet at home or at work in 2006, the Town’s #1 communication tool is our award-winning Web site— www.townofcary.org.  From Web polls to answers to thousands of frequently asked questions to the latest news to a growing list of online governmental services including program registration and utility payments, www.townofcary.org is where to go to get and give ideas and information concerning the Cary community.  Subscribe now to our electronic mailing list service and never miss an important announcement from your Town government.

Information is also available 24/7 on Cary TV 11.  Programming includes wink—a live look at rush-hour traffic via more than 20 cameras throughout Cary, the monthly news magazine BUD-TV, as well as live meetings of the Cary Town Council, the Wake County Board of Commissioners, and the Wake County Board of Education. Cary TV also carries programming from NASA and Annenberg CPB as well as news magazines from Wake County government and the Wake County Public School System.  You’ll find the daily programming guide at www.townofcary.org.

Finally, get information and participate in quick polls via your touch-tone telephone using the Town of Cary’s 24-Hour Town Hall telephone message system. More than 250 recorded messages and over 30 faxable documents answer the most frequently asked questions about government services and operations. Just call (919) 319-4500.
Volunteer to Serve: Citizens may apply to serve on one of several standing council-appointed boards and commissions (see www.townofcary.org for a current list).  The Town Clerk recruits to fill vacancies each fall with appointments being made by Town Council in January.  Most board seats are for three-year terms. In addition to the standing boards, the Town sometimes has a number of special committees and task forces working for a finite time on specific, current issues. Appointments to these special groups are made as needed and advertised on our Web site and in the local newspaper.  Terms of service for these groups vary.
Telephone: (919) 469-4011

In addition to council boards, the Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources Department recruits large numbers of volunteers to participate in many areas including coaching athletic teams, trail workdays, park cleanup, maintenance or enhancement projects, docents at Page-Walker Arts and History Center, and helping out with Applause! Cary Youth Theater.  The Athletics Committee, Greenways Committee, Teen Advisory Committee and Cultural Arts Committee serve as advisory bodies to the Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources Advisory Board. 
Telephone: (919) 469-4061

Groups of citizens may volunteer to stencil storm drains in the Town of Cary.  Storm drain stenciling is part of an effort to increase public awareness that what goes into storm drains eventually ends up in our rivers, not in a wastewater treatment facility.  Cary has more than 13,000 storm drains which empty into either the Neuse or Cape Fear watersheds. Small groups of volunteers attend a brief training session and then, using stenciling kits provided by the Town, spray-paint drains with a “Flows to the Neuse River” or “Flows to the Cape Fear River” message.
Telephone: (919) 469-4030
Many citizens are also interested in the Block Leader Program, a special grassroots communications effort to educate citizens about conservation and the environment. These volunteers are resources for their neighborhoods, providing information and materials to help residents become more conscientious about their water use, solid waste disposal, stormwater runoff, and recycling practices.  To become better informed, Block Leaders annually attend a one-hour orientation session and pick up their materials for distribution. Block Leaders do not have any enforcement responsibilities.
Telephone: (919) 469-4090

And finally, volunteer to help our police by becoming part of Cary’s CAP Team – Citizens Assisting Police. CAP Team members help provide security at public events and assist the Police Department with fingerprinting, child safety seat installation, clerical duties, service center staffing, Community Watch programs and other duties.  CAP members do not carry guns, and before becoming CAP Team members, a volunteer must successfully complete Cary's Citizens Police Academy and receive training in such responsibilities as report writing. For more information, call (919) 469-4324.