Nationwide Protests will take place on Day of Action May 14, 2022 in response to SCOTUS draft ruling. 

Early Voting is until 6 pm today and runs until Saturday !  Find your Early Voting Site at https://www.wakegov.com/departments-government/board-elections

Last Day to Request Absentee Ballot is May 10th and all Ballots must be received by Board of Elections by May 17th at 5 pm.  

I wanted to wish each of you a very Happy Mother’s Day!   First, I want to thank my wife Komal for being such a great Mom and leader for our entire family.  

They were there for our first steps, and for me, the soothing and calming voice of my mother, has always served as a guiding force in my life.  

Take this day to spend time with your Mom, and thank her for always being there!  We pray for anyone who has lost a Mother due to Covid or any illness.  

Make it a wonderful Mother’s Day!  

I enjoyed some time with the Mother of the Hindu Society of NC, Saroj Sharma!  So blessed to be with them! 

I wanted to thank everyone for attending the sold out, Tech Tacos event with North Carolina Technology Secretary James Weaver at Wake Tech RTP! Thanks to Dean of Wake Tech RTP campus for welcoming us! 

We experienced some technical difficulty and we will be sending the recording shortly! 

During the event, attendees enjoyed a wonderful discussion on the Secretary's top priorities on Broadband, Cybersecurity, streamlining Vendor Procurement, and it was great to see so many Morrisville and Triangle Tech Companies and Tech CEOs and entrepreneurs in attendance. 

Finally, Secretary Weaver does see opportunities for the state to collaborate with Local Governments and shares my excitement on our Smart City Journey in Morrisville and making NC, A Smart State! 

Keep up the great work Jim Weaver and glad you could end your day at the Park West Concert! So great to have you in the All America City of Morrisville! 

More Tech Talks and other lectures coming soon!

We had a great turnout at our first in person Chamber Annual Meeting at Prestonwood Country Club on May 5th!  

Community Steward of the Year: Dorcas Ministries (in honor of the late Howard Manning and accepted by wife Pamela Manning. 

Small Business of the Year: SAM IT Solutions!  

Ambassador of the Year:  Mary Jane Royals

Non Profit of the Year: Blood Connection

My concerns on climate change heightened after reading Bill Gates’ book, How to Avoid a Climate Disaster, and a recent visit to a local startup, Susteon. So, I’m proposing that we rethink our region’s approach. Here’s why.

In his book, Bill Gates discusses the roles that philanthropists, investors, and governments can play in accelerating the innovation pipeline, from early stage research to the mass deployment of affordable, green, and reliable technologies.

Gates, with other notable investors including Michael Bloomberg, are investors in a $2 billion green innovation fund, which invests aggressively in green innovation.

According to Gates, governmental policy is not enough. Gates would say that we need to develop a pipeline of startup companies that, together, can assist in reducing the 51 billion tons of greenhouse gases that people add to the atmosphere each year. The cost of inaction is clear: By 2050, if we don’t get to zero, the temperature rise will be so damaging that life will get worse for humans and most of the natural ecosystems.

Gates convinced me we must challenge more startups and investors to focus on sustainability, and I’m also convinced that we can build an ecosystem that champions sustainable innovation across our region and state.

Last week, I was invited to the Cary-headquartered startup company Susteon, which is focused on carbon sequestration technology and is a portfolio company of the Gates Fund, Breakaway Energy Ventures, according to a story first reported by Bloomberg.

I’d previously heard Bill Gates talk about this technology, but I was still amazed to see such a game-changing sustainability innovation taking place in the Triangle.

The company developed “a novel direct air capture technology which uses renewable energy that will allow us to remove, replace, and reuse carbon,” and calls it “the missing link to restore the Earth’s carbon balance” on its website.

WRAL TechWire’s prior reporting showed that Sustaera and Susteon share an address in Cary. The company would later disclose a total fundraising round of $10 million later in December 2021.

“Our carbon-negative, cost-effective, and modular direct air capture system works around the clock in locations ranging from open grasslands to arid deserts to tropical savannas, serving as the cornerstone of a rapidly expanding carbon ecosystem that will include capture, credits, sequestration, and utilization,” the website reads.

During my visit and tour of the facility, CEO Shantan Agarwal indicated the company intends to run a pilot in RTP. I am also interested in introducing his solution to other local governments in the region. In addition, he revealed to me that they are also working on technology to convert natural gas to hydrogen.

Susteon’s sustainable innovation and the Gates Fund investment in a North Carolina company should be an inspiration to more entrepreneurs and startups. I hope that more will develop game-changing technologies, which can help us achieve the goal of zero Carbon Emissions.  I think it is time for our region to have a “Green Innovation Playbook,” which could be thought of as a set of plays that our cities, counties, and entrepreneurial ecosystems can turn to in an effort to address climate change. So here’s my best case, presented in what I’m calling the “Sustainability Playbook.”

The first green innovation play for Morrisville and the Triangle is to encourage and develop social entrepreneurs to participate in the Sustainable Innovation programs.  The idea would be for startups, focused on sustainability, to partner and offer pilot programs for different Town Departments.

We could begin to grow our own green innovation ecosystem, and become a destination in North Carolina for not only the data science and technologists, but also for entrepreneurs, focused on reducing the carbon footprint in our town and region.

We also can have market leading companies in the region pilot renewable energy technologies, based on Smart City and IOT Technologies. For example, local company, GreenStream, has had success working with Morrisville and other cities in the area to offer real time flood monitoring and real time environmental conditions.

We need to encourage municipal task forces focused on environment and sustainability initiatives. These should be established in every municipality in the Triangle. And these task forces ought to be able to solicit presentations from startup companies and from the excellent research occurring at our region’s wonderful universities.

And, meanwhile, companies and researchers could shift focus to innovative approaches to reduce our region’s and our state’s carbon footprint, while focusing on building established companies ready to play a role on the global stage, ensuring our region will continue to be a destination for investment and job growth

Our cities and towns must also establish a Master Sustainability Plan, which can serve as a roadmap for the each municipality’s sustainability program. Such a plan will draw from both qualitative and quantitative data to define initiatives and projects that balance the environmental, social, and economic impacts of Town programs, policies and operations. I am very proud of the great work that Kimberly Conley and our team in Morrisville have done in establishing a Master Sustainability Plan, which has led to momentum in our initiatives across all municipal departments. These plans can also help start ups and companies, focus their solutions on specific goals and identify places and areas where there are opportunities for pilots.

Finally, the most important part of any Innovative Sustainability Plan is for us to have engaged citizens who are willing to lead by example.  One needs to not look further for inspiring leadership sustainability than the youth led organization, Dedicated to Our Community of NC.

DOC NC is a leadership and advocacy student group that runs and supports different campaigns by planning, organizing, and executing different events.

In 2021-22, DOC NC focused on education and awareness in our community on sustainable living. Their team collaborated with the Town of Morrisville and Town of Apex on various sustainability projects and events to engage the community and were active in sustainability demos at both the Town of Apex and Town of Morrisville Earth Day Events.

DOC NC is engaging young adults in the development and execution of a sustainability initiative at the local, grassroots level. Some initiatives currently being worked on are social media marketing, grant writing, solar energy use in local government buildings, conducting educational sessions on sustainability topics for after school elementary school children, library, etc. Clearly, these young leaders have made it a priority to lead by example and we are grateful.

At the end of the day, I am convinced that our efforts to reduce carbon emissions go much further than recycling, solar, wind, and the traditional topics we cover and learn about in our communities. Our transportation systems, the foods we eat (plant based meats), how we grow crops, manufacturing (reducing carbon in cement), and the design of our buildings and planning/layout of our cities will have to look very different over the next few decades if we are to accelerate our sustainability efforts.

It is time for the Triangle and North Carolina to execute key plays in the Sustainability Playbook:

As Gates reminds us at the end of his book, the time has come for all of us to take action now to keep our government, our employers and ourselves accountable to our efforts to reduce carbon emissions for a cleaner and healthier planet not only for our time, but for all time.

Sustainable cities and communities are resilient, not only on how we bounce back from the pandemic but how we bounce forward to a zero carbon world! Let’s get to work!

In North Carolina, the statewide primary is Tuesday, May 17, 2022. During this election, voters can choose which candidates they prefer to be on the general election ballot in November. The purpose of a primary is to narrow the field of candidates for the general election.

Races on the ballot include:

Additionally, many voters will find municipal contests on their ballot due to rescheduled municipal elections. This applies to voters in municipalities that delayed their 2021 elections to finalize new electoral districts. This also applies to voters who live in cities and towns that conduct their elections during even-numbered years.

Registered voters across the state can vote in the primary. However, voters affiliated with any political party will be given a ballot of candidates for their party. Unaffiliated voters may choose the ballot of candidates for any party primary.

Note: In 2022, the Libertarian Party does not have any primary elections because there are no contested Libertarian nominations for any office. Any Libertarian candidate who properly filed for office will therefore appear as the party’s nominee on the general election ballot in November.

Therefore, unaffiliated voters in the May 17 primary may choose the Democratic or Republican ballot, or, if available, a nonpartisan ballot. Registered Libertarians may only vote a nonpartisan ballot, if available in their jurisdiction since there are no primary contests for that party.

Each candidate that wins in each contest on their party’s ballot will become a nominee. The nominee will appear on the ballot in the general election contest. To become the party’s nominee, the candidate must win by at least 30% of the vote plus one.

If no candidate reaches the total necessary to become the nominee in a contest on the ballot, a second primary may be held on July 26. Voters can revisit this page after the primary to confirm a second primary.

Early Voting starts on April 28th. You can register and vote at the same time.

Find your Early Voting Site at https://www.wakegov.com/departments-government/board-elections/election-information/early-voting.

Deadline to Request an Absentee Ballot is Tuesday, May 10: https://www.wakegov.com/departments-government/board-elections/election-information/absentee-mail-voting

Register at: https://www.ncdot.gov/dmv/offices-services/online/Pages/voter-registration-application.aspx?ref=voteusa_en

Learn more about Voter Registration at: https://vote.gov/register/nc/.

Voter registration deadlines in North Carolina

Thanks for listening to our Radio Nyra Interview with Secretary of State Elaine Marshall! We look forward to our interview with her on POD TV on ROKU tomorrow at 10 am, live on Facebook.

Get with the Program with Gary Jones!

Mar. 25th Black Issues Forum Discussion!

Steverao app can be downloaded at Apple App store by searching for "Steverao" app in Apple store and Google Play store.

Other Way to download the app is by below scan for Apple store scan code and Google Play store link.

Below are two links to download app from Apple App store and Google Playstore.

May 10 – 6:00 p.m. Town Council

May 11 – 6:00 p.m. Performance Measures Advisory Committee

May 12 – 6:00 p.m. Senior Advisory Committee

May 12 – 6:30 p.m. Planning & Zoning Board 

The Proposed amendments to the Tree Preservation, Landscaping, Buffer and Common Open Space sections of the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) will be presented to the Planning and Zoning Board (PZB) at their May 12 meeting. 

A draft of the proposed amendments can be found on the project website. Members of the public are encouraged to review the proposed amendments and provide input through the website’s public comment portal or to attend the meeting and comment in person. The feedback received will be considered with a revised draft anticipated to be presented to the PZB in June for a recommendation to the Town Council. For more information, please contact Planning Manager Chris Lawson. 

MAFC continues to work through our staffing shortages. Staffing is a national issue for many businesses but especially for the aquatics industry. So I am reaching out to you for referrals for our upcoming lifeguard certification class. If you know of a strong swimmer who is interested in working for the Morrisville Aquatics & Fitness Center, please have them contact PJ Nettesheim at pj@townofmorrisville.org. Thanks for spreading the word. The course information and prerequisites are below:

The class will run from May 11-May 25 on Wednesdays and Fridays from 5:30-8:30 pm and Sundays from 9 am-5 pm.

Please note the following prerequisites for participating in the class:

To achieve your lifeguard certification participants must: Attend all class sessions, successfully perform all required skills, successfully complete three final skill scenarios; and pass the written exam with a minimum grade of 80 percent or better on each section.

Participants will need the American Red Cross Lifeguarding manual which can be found here. You can view it online, download or print it. Alternatively, a hard copy of the Lifeguarding manual can be purchased here.

Successful completion of the course does not guarantee a job with the Town of Morrisville. Candidates will need to apply, interview, and pass a drug screening and background check to be considered. Candidates who are hired and work for the Town of Morrisville will receive their certification for free. Those who do not work for the Town will be given an opportunity to purchase their certificate for $250.

Remember, to register for the course or for additional questions, individuals should email pj@townofmorrisville.org. MAFC is a great place to work, and we appreciate you getting the word out!

The Morrisville Aquatics and Fitness Center is hiring lifeguards for $13/hour, and has openings for front desk staff. Applicants must be 16+, and scheduling hours include morning, mid-day, after school, evenings, and weekends. Not certified? The MAFC will train you free of charge. Learn more and apply here. 

SpringFest May 14

The Town of Morrisville's SpringFest turns Town Hall Drive into fun for the whole family. Join us on Saturday, May 14, from 4-8 p.m. for 

SpringFest is free but bring money for food and games. More information is available here. 

SpringFest is next weekend!  

May 14: SpringFest

Due to inclement weather, this weekend's Kite Festival has been postponed to Saturday, May 21, from 12-6 p.m. at Cedar Fork District Park. Event details will remain the same as below:

The Triangle Gujarati Association, in partnership with the Town of Morrisville, invites you to the 2022 Kite Festival at Cedar Fork District Park.

Morrisville Police Chief Pete Acosta recently sat down with us and shared his background, leadership philosophy and his goals as chief of police in Morrisville. Check out the video here.

The Morrisville Police Department is committed to the improvement of the quality of life for the Town by working in partnership with our residents. Is there something you’ve always wanted to ask the police? Looking for an answer to Town-related law enforcement information?

We’re giving you an exclusive opportunity to ask Chief of Police Pete Acosta these things (and more!) during an Engage Morrisville live text chat on Monday, May 16, from 11 a.m. – 12 p.m.

Chief Acosta leads and directs all police department operations and continues the Town’s strong commitment to maintaining a safe community. Residents are invited to ask Chief Acosta any questions that they may have regarding the Chief’s role in relation to the Town of Morrisville during this one-hour chat.

Join the conversation in three easy steps:

1. Register on EngageMorrisville.com

2. Leave a question for Chief Acosta

3. Tune-in May 16 to see your questions answered 

The Town of Morrisville has entered into a partnership with the Wake County Public School System (WCPSS) and Wake Technical Community College that will lead to a new high school and 17 acres of parkland and open space in Morrisville.

The land purchase by WCPSS from Wake Tech was approved during the April 19 Wake County Board of Education meeting. The future Morrisville high school could be open by the fall of 2027. The Morrisville Town Council will consider two memorandums of understanding to initiate comprehensive review of plans and concepts for the projects during its April 25 council meeting.

North Carolina Department of Revenue (NCDOR) has launched Phase 2 of the Business Recovery Grant Program. The grant will issue a payment to eligible NC businesses that experienced a significant economic loss due to COVID-19.

Applications close on June 1. Learn more and apply here. 

The Town of Morrisville and the Morrisville Police Department advise pedestrians not to walk on either side of Morrisville Carpenter Road between Town Hall Drive and Misty Groves Circle. This section of the road is an active construction zone area and does not have a sidewalk and is not safe for pedestrians. Please observe the posted sidewalk closed signs.

For Morrisville Carpenter Road Project updates Visit https://bit.ly/mcrcp1

In preparation for asphalt resurfacing during the week of May 9, water valves and manholes will need to be adjusted in a few areas throughout Town. Repairs to some ADA curb ramps and curb and gutter sections will need to be completed. This portion of the project is anticipated to have minimal traffic disruption. Only minor temporary lane closures should occur.

This work is planned for the following locations: Ashe Street, 

Page Street, Weeden Heights Court, Jennings Way, Apple Cart Way, Huntersville Road, Button Road, Shakespeare Street, Shadow Mountain Lane, Corsair Drive, Crescendo Drive. 

Cricket season has started, and the Church Street Park field will see matches beginning later this month. The Triangle Cricket League starts local league play on Friday, May 13, with games most weekends through June. 

Professional cricket also returns this year, with the Morrisville Cardinals playing in the Minor League Cricket program starting July 1. The Minor League Cricket season will run through August, with the National Finals set to be held at Church Street Park on August 27 and 28.

The Town of Morrisville and Major League Cricket entered a multi-million-dollar public-private partnership in February 2022 to jointly invest in the expansion of Church Street Park. The facility will be upgraded to an international-quality cricket venue to help support professional cricket. Work at the park is expected to begin later this year and carry into 2023. 

• Clearing and grubbing is underway for walking trails and prefabricated picnic shelter behind the baseball fields.

• The contractor will be closing a small segment of the Hatcher Creek Greenway for the month of May. The closure will be to lay stormwater pipes and additional site utilities. The contractor will be working to perform the work and reopen the greenway section as soon as possible for public use.

Click here to read more on MCP Phase III.

The Town of Morrisville is ranked 11th out of more than 1,300 towns and cities across the United States for its business climate for new entrepreneurs and business owners. Morrisville was the only town or city in North Carolina to rank in the top 45 cities.

Read the full article here.

The Town of Morrisville joined Wake County, Campbell University School of Law, City of Raleigh, and Town of Knightdale to celebrate the expansion of an anti-discrimination resource for the community. The county, law school and these cities and towns are partnering to allow residents who believe a business or organization has discriminated against them to file a complaint and receive assistance resolving the claim.

Residents can file a complaint at WakeGov.com/StopDiscrimination. If the complaint falls within the county’s jurisdiction and is factually validated, the county will offer a conciliation process to help resolve the dispute.

Registration is now open for the Morrisville Police Department’s Teen Citizen Police Academy.

The academy is a five-week program, held June 15-July 23, and is designed to give participants a working knowledge of the department. It is intended to increase transparency and enhance understanding between the community and the police. Learn more and register here.

Puttin’ Around Town is a placement of one temporary disc golf basket on a rotating basis. Spring 2022 locations are: Morrisville Community Park, April 11-May 2; Shiloh Park, May 2-16; and Church Street Park, May 16-31. Read more about Puttin’ Around Town here.

The Morrisville Pop-up Dog Park is back! Bring your dogs out to enjoy the sunshine at Morrisville Community Park. The dog park will be open May 8 - September 18 on select days. Click here for more information and to register.

Beginning the week of April 11, the MAFC program pool will be unavailable for public use on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Open rec swim and water aerobics participants will be accommodated in lanes 5 and 6 of the lap pool. Additionally, the Friday morning water aerobics class has been cancelled.

The Morrisville Aquatics and Fitness Center is hiring for part-time lifeguards. Applicants must be 16+, and scheduling hours include morning, mid-day, after school, evenings and weekends. Not certified? The MAFC will train you free of charge. Learn more and apply here.

The Town of Morrisville has opened vendor applications for the Morrisville Juneteenth event on Saturday, June 11. We are looking for vendors to sell their products at the event. Spaces are 10’x10’. Learn more and apply here.

The Town of Morrisville has launched the Sustainability Dashboard on Morrisville's Open Data Portal. The dashboard provides residents with tracking data showing the Town's progress in implementing sustainability practices. Data for the solar panel array on Morrisville Fire Station No. 1 and recycling participation rates for each of Morrisville's five GFL Environmental service routes are currently available. For details, click here.

What could rapid transit be between Garner-Clayton or Cary-RTP? How could if affect us in Morrisville? Provide input on alternatives for NC Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization's Wake BRT: Rapid Bus Extensions Study.

Learn about findings to date, take the survey, and visit virtual open house now through April 30 here.

The Morrisville Smart Shuttle, the Town’s newest public transit service, allows riders to request a pick-up or drop-off from one of 15 nodes, or stops, located around the Town using the Smart Shuttle application on their smartphone.

Watch this short video on how to use the Morrisville Smart Shuttle App by clicking here!

The service runs seven days a week, from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday, and from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday. Additional details on the Morrisville Smart Shuttle visit TownofMorrisville.org/SmartShuttle

The Western Wake Farmers' Market (WWFM) offers healthy and fresh food, goods, and live music from small and local businesses from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. (summer hours) every Saturday.

Visit http://wwfm.ag/ to see a complete list of local vendors and shop local!

Enjoyed interview with Susteon, talking Carbon Air capture!

Great to see Marbles Chief Learning Officer, and my Emory classmate, Hardin Englehardt at the Chamber Annual Meeting. 

Thanks to Mi-Cancun for making Cinco De Mayo so much fun for all of us!

Watched Wolfpack Tennis at the J.W Isenhour Tennis Center and Andy Andrews Tennis Stadium with the living legends!

Supported the NC Vet Biz Tri-County Ride for Veterans!

Enjoyed time with Congresswoman Deb Ross at the US-India Forum hosted by Swadesh Chatterjee!

Ukrainian forces pushed Russian invaders back from Kharkiv.

All women, children and elderly people were evacuated from the steel plant where the last Ukrainians were holding out in Mariupol.

Jill Biden, the first lady, met with Ukrainian refugees in Romania.

Russia miscalculated how much support it would get from Ukrainians.

Vladimir Putin, Russia’s president, will use a day commemorating victory over the Nazis to extol the use of military force.

The anti-abortion movement’s goals after Roe v. Wade is overturned include securing a national ban and classifying some abortions as homicide.

The Taliban ordered Afghan women to cover themselves from head to toe in public.

John Lee, a former security chief loyal to the Chinese government, was chosen as Hong Kong’s next leader.

A small U.N. agency entrusted its entire investment portfolio to a man its leaders met at a party. It did not go well.

Rich Strike, an 80-1 long shot, won the Kentucky Derby.

Watch Sunday at 4pm for a new Forum.

Please watch for the Black Issues Forum on UNC-TV!  Fridays at 7 pm and Sundays at 4 pm!

Website: https://video.pbsnc.org/search/?q=black+issues+forum

Thanks for joining us on Sunday for our Radio Nyra Interview with Democratic Sheriff Candidate Roy Taylor followed by a Sustainability interview with Shanthanu Agarwal, CEO Susteon.  

May 12th NC Tech Association Outlook for Tech!    9 am- 3 pm.

Save the Date: May 14th Spring Fest from 4 pm to 7 pm at Town Hall Drive!

Join me on MAY 23 at the Frontier 800 North Carolina Now Results 11:30 am- 1 pm with Brian Hamilton and WRAL ancho and Interim PBS Carolina CEO, David Crabtree. 

Join us this Sunday at 4 pm for our Radio Nyra program with Democratic Sheriff Candidate Roy Taylor followed by a Sustainability interview with Shanthanu Agarwal, CEO Susteon.  

99.9FMHD4, 101.9 FM and 1490 AM!  Listen at www.radionyrausa.com!

Join us every Friday on World Edition at 10 am for the Great America Project Panel where we discuss how we rebuild Americas' image with leaders from around the country and world.

Public Open Dialogue TV is a worldwide multilingual, multi-demographic network focused on inspiring, educating and entertaining the global community. We provide unique programming in areas not covered by traditional media, and provide a platform for the audience to engage with those shows. Formerly IBMTV.