City of Durham NIS Community Engagement

February 28 Submission Deadline

DURHAM, N.C. – Local and regional artists are invited to apply for a new public art project to be displayed as part of the upcoming renovations at Morreene Road Park.

The City of Durham General Services Department, Durham Parks and Recreation, and the Public Art Committee are now seeking professional artists or artist teams to submit qualifications to design, fabricate, and install a signature, permanent piece of public art at Morreene Road Park.

The Durham City-County Planning Department has received, and continues to receive, numerous comments regarding the set of proposed changes to the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) known as the “Expanding Housing Choice” initiative or “EHC.” EHC is intended to create additional housing opportunities in the highest demand neighborhoods in Durham, while preserving the character and quality of these neighborhoods. This should help stabilize housing prices and allow for greater housing access in high-opportunity neighborhoods. 

Nine New Guides Now Available on the City’s Small Business Services Webpage

DURHAM, N.C. – Durham entrepreneurs looking to start or expand their businesses now have a new tool to better understand their regulatory requirements, conveniently located in one place.

The City’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development and the Durham City-County Planning Department have collaborated on a set of new guides for small businesses called Startup Roadmaps. The roadmaps were created to remove barriers and build capacity for small businesses by providing an easier way to understand all of the regulatory and permitting requirements in the beginning of the planning process.

together4resilientyouth.org 919-491-7811

Car Theft
On a cold winter morning it might seem like a good idea to start your car and let it warm up while you finish getting ready for work or school, but Durham police are warning people to be extra careful if they do this. Unattended cars warming in driveways and parking lots are easy targets for car thieves. Every winter, Durham officers take several reports from people whose vehicles were stolen in this manner.

After working through the idea collection, brainstorming and project development phases, Participatory Budgeting, PB Durham, will now evaluate ideas to determine their feasibility over the coming months.

City Council committed $2.4 million for projects suggested by the community. A steering committee appointed by council created the rules in partnership with the Budget and Management Services Department to ensure the process is inclusive and meets local needs.

Ideas were submitted through public meetings, online tools, and resident discussions. Through April, staff and volunteers, called budget delegates, will evaluate the ideas to determine feasibility, need, and impact.

Building Futures is celebrating the success of its pilot program as three students graduated from the program on Friday, December 14, 2018. Through the coordination of services and resources by the Transformation in Ten (T²) Initiative, the program provided paid training and certification in the construction field to three residents of the 10.01 Census Tract.

Program Hopes to Provide 300 Jobs for Durham Youth This Summer;

Seeking Employers to Offer Internship Opportunities

DURHAM, N.C. - Durham employers interested in staffing for projects and tasks this summer while also developing skilled future talent should now consider hosting youth interns through the 2019 Durham YouthWork Internship Program.

The program is administered by the City of Durham’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development and is a partnership with Durham County Government, Durham Public Schools (DPS), Durham Technical Community College, and Made in Durham.

This program, now in its 16^th year, has a goal to grow from serving approximately 200 youth each summer to serving more than 1,000 youth within the next three years. In 2019, the goal is to offer more than 300 paid youth summer internship opportunities, and local employers are needed to make this a reality.