Save a house, save a part of the history of Apex...

Save a house, save a part of the history of Apex...

Historic Cash Home in Downtown Apex NC

The Apex Baptist Church has decided that having a few more parking spaces is more important that saving a historic home located at 112 S Salem Street in Apex. The home in these photos is the 1910 Cash House located next door to the church building. It is one of the oldest homes in the Town of Apex and was built in the very early years of the town.

The church Deacons say that additional parking spaces are much more important now than continuing to have the historic home available for Church activities or to remain a part of Historic Downtown Apex. The Deacon group also refuses to listen to the many community and church members that want the home kept for the church and community. Since the home was sold to the church in 1985, it has been used for classroom space and other church activities and outreach ministries. As of this writing a decision has been made to destroy the home and a demolition permit has already been obtained from Town of Apex.

1910 Cash Home in Historic Downtown Apex

If you want a historic home to restore, or have a friend or acquaintance that might, please call the church as soon as possible and ask if they will give or sell it to you and wait to allow you time to have it moved. The word on the street is that they have tried to find someone that would move the house but have failed to do so and say they do not have a place to move it to or can afford to do so.

The town is widely known for its "small town look and feel" and has been named one of the best places to live in 2013. One of numerous features of the town is having a number of preserved historical homes, many of which are on the Apex Historical Society annual home tour in each December. Seems like the new, younger Deacons in the church do not have the same values the town is known for and are willing to tear down this home that has been part of the Historic Downtown Apex district since 1910.

Even if you do not have a place to have the home moved to, demand that the church keep the church until a new owner can be found and it can be moved to a new site.

Call the church today (919-362-6176) and ask them to save the home and keep it protected and preserved for all of Apex. Tell the church and Deacons that the home is a part of the culture of the town and must be preserved for future generations.

Spring arrives at Apex Town Campus

Spring arrived in April, 2011, at the Apex Town Campus. This extended wall of flowers wraps around a fenced area on the East side of the campus next to North Mason Street.

Tired of CSX engines idling in Apex?

The annual CSX ritual of leaving diesel engines idling all night and day started again before Thanksgiving, 2010. CSX parks 3 or 4 engines and leaves them idling at the downtown Apex depot every day and night starting in late fall each year. The practice will continue well into the warm days of late spring. Even after working hours when the engines are not being used they are left running all night and all weekend with no one in attendance or at the depot.

It is interesting in this era of rising fuel costs and concerns about air pollution that CSX continues this practice with no regard to the effect on the surrounding community. One of the engines is left running 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and is not even used. It just sites there running, running and running.

Sit in one of the downtown restaurants or walk along the Salem Street sidewalks and you will quickly discover a loud rumbling that never goes away. And you will often smell the noxious odor of diesel fumes drifting through the air. Eventually you may realize that the rumbling never ends and there are no "quiet times" in the downtown community.

Take that view a few blocks away from the downtown area and you will discover that in any home east or west in a several block radius from the depot has the same constant rumbling to deal with. On many days and nights there is the same noxious odor of diesel fumes in the air surrounding the homes. Imagine having to live in this area and hearing this every day, every winter. Imagine the effect new homeowners moving into homes being built in the Villages of Apex and having to live with the constant background rumble of engines sitting nearby most of the year.

Town Manager Bruce Radford (Email the Apex Town Manager) and Town Council representatives (Email the Apex Town Council) have been asked many times to require CSX officials to turn off the idling engines when they are not being used. The usual response is that the noise level does not show up on the Town's noise level monitoring device (Mr. Radford actually asked the police to measure the noise level a year ago at the intersection of Center and Mason Streets) or that the Town has no control over what CSX does with it's engines. Mr. Radford also says he lived near a train track when growing up and the sound of trains does not bother him. Interesting that he does not live near the area where these engines are left running all night - he chose to live miles away from the sound.

Wasting fuel, polluting the air with diesel fumes and creating a steady engine roar all night and all weekend when the train engines are not in use makes CSX an obviously poor neighbor. The roar of the engines is constant at all hours of the night and is accompanied by a frequent loud hiss of air when a pressure valve releases compressed air every few minutes. The end result is never having quiet at night in residential neighborhoods in the Center-Mason-Hunter Street depot area and beyond. For a good demonstration of the noise problem, try standing two blocks or further away along the sidewalk on Mason Street late at night and you will be amazed at the constant roar of the diesel engines and the hiss of air being released...

If you would like to help eliminate the noise and air pollution, contact the Apex Town Manager (Email the Apex Town Manager) or your Town Council (Email the Apex Town Council) and ask them to put a stop to the noise and pollution. It's a simple matter of courtesy and duty to town residents to require CSX to be a good neighbor and turn the engines off at night and on the weekend. There is no technical reason for diesel engines to be left running all night and it's an obvious waste of energy during a time when the country is trying to reduce dependence on foreign oil.

It is interesting to note that when the Town Manager was asked to investigate what the the City of Raleigh did to implement an ordinance preventing the railroad from leaving engines running all night in the Logan Station area that he says he could not find anyone that knows anything about the ban. Kind of strange that neither Mr. Radford and his counterpart in Raleigh are unable to provide information on the ban put in place by Mayor Charles Meeker several years ago.

Town of Apex butchers historical tree

Town of Apex 1, resident 0. Game over.

The Town utilities department butchered one of the historical oak trees along Center Street on July 12, 2010. The tree has been part of the character the old Herbert Poe house in the so-called Historical District since the early 1900s.

Granted, some trimming is necessary to protect the Town's power grid, but butchering the tree would seem to be an extreme step to take. Especially since the Town long ago adopted the position to require owners of properties in the Historic District to preserve the original look of homes in order to protect and maintain the "small town character" in the older Town neighborhoods.

Ana's with Santa's sleigh passing overhead

Anna's
in Historic Downtown Apex

Santa's sleigh passing overhead

Christmas in Historic Downtown Apex

Christmas Tree
Historic Downtown Apex

Fall in Apex

Fall 2009
at Baucom Elementary,
Apex, NC

Daddy Stop !

Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!

Stop so we can get ice cream!



Sign in Clinton, NC

Apex - The peak of good make-believe

Another outstanding review of The Rusty Bucket Kids Club TV project!

Good things are coming to Apex in the form of a TV series for young people filmed in and around town.

If you have seen recent news about the locally produced show you will know it is being filmed right here in the community, features local stores and homes for scenes and background and has actors drawn from the immediate area.

If you haven't kept up, a new report in the November 11th Southwest Wake News section of the News and Observer tells more about the exciting pilot episode to be featured at the Peak City Film Festival on November 20th...

News and Observer
Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2009
Vickie Jean Dehamer - Staff writer

The peak of good make-believe

Apex goes Hollywood as backdrop for 'The Rusty Bucket Kids Club'

For the past month, there have been some strange things happening on Salem Street.

Mayor Keith Weatherly was spotted dangling from a cherry picker bucket 20 feet in the air. Triangle Gazette Publisher J.C. Knowles strutted around in a red, white and blue tie, saying he was the mayor. And two local kids insisted they could travel through time on a train to talk to a teenaged Abe Lincoln.

Hollywood has come to Apex. "The Rusty Bucket Kids Club" started filming in downtown shops and other parts of Wake County in October. Created, written and produced by locals, the pilot episode will premiere at the Peak City Film Festival on Nov. 20. Read more...

Change coming in Apex Historic Downtown District

What mysteries do the latest two store renovations hold in the Historic Downtown District?

Only the owner knows at this point.

The framed plywood covering was recently added in place of the dilapidated old plywood paneling in front of one store adjacent to the Peak City Grill. The other store now has wood beams supporting the second floor front area. No signs are posted so far indicating what is planned in these spaces.

Any thoughts on what will be in these two spaces?

The battle goes on

The battle goes on for sign locations and Town Council seats.

This latest sign encouraging Apex voters to cast ballots for the three candidates challenging the trenched in "Mayor's Yes Men" voting block was placed briefly at the intersection of Salem and Hughes Streets.

A previous sign calling the three challengers "Independent Thinkers" was stolen or removed from all locations within hours of when the signs were placed. This new one, listing only the names, was up for one day (just long enough to capture this photo) but has now disappeared.

It's interesting that the only signs disappearing are the ones listing the three names Tom Haynie, Margo Bills and Lance Olive. Are the other candidates removing the signs to protect their turf? Or is the Town of Apex "sign enforcer" removing the signs incorrectly thinking they are not real political signs? Either way, removal of the signs indicates poor judgement and a violation of all candidates right to free speech.

Vote for these three and help make the Town Council back back into a responsible group of elected representatives that listen to town residents and do what is best for the community.

611 Olive Street - Move one house, add three more

Packin 'em in...

That's the deal according to plans for the lot at 611 Olive Street in the historic overlay district of Apex. Sarah Potter bought a small lot a couple of years back and tried to get the Town Planners to change the building ordinances to let her split the lot into two parts - but narrower than current rules permit. And to change the rules to let her move the old house already on the lot to the back just five feet from the edge of the lot.

Saving the old house is required under Town ordinances and tearing it down would force the builder to wait four years to build on the lot. In order to comply with the ordinance and move on with building on the lot, Mrs. Potter has devised a plan to build three more homes on the lot and slip around the Town's building rules.

The plan files with the Town would leave her room to build three more houses on the half-acre lot. Two "main" houses and two "accessory apartments". The accessory apartments would in essence be so called "mother-in-law" apartments or small residences under the control of the main residence owners. The idea of "accessory houses" came from an old concept of having servants quarters or small guest homes on a homeowners property from long ago.

The big issue is that Mrs. Potter has taken advantage of a little known North Carolina law that allows a builder to sub-divide a lot under two acres and cram relatively small houses onto it.

An even bigger issue is that this can and will totally change the look and feel of the lot in one of the town's older historic overlay areas and change the character of the neighborhood.

Town officials have long claimed that the character of these older neighborhoods will be protected and preserved but the Planning Department has refused to stop the builder from packing four homes onto this small lot. The department claims this is being done under a state law that lets a lot owner subdivide small lots and build homes and that the department can't stop the builder.

Take a drive by 611 Olive Street and see how one builder has decided to alter a neighborhood with no concern for the views of the neighbors and the character of the area. Voice your concerns to the Apex Town Council to stop this blatant abuse of the Town's stated objectives of preserving the character of older neighborhoods...

Another sign of our discontent

Another sign of discontent with Weatherly "yes men" on the Apex Town Council...

The popular view continues that several Town Council members don't think on their own and need to be replaced. Attend any Council meeting and you will see that members currently running for 2009 re-election sit back and rock in their chairs and in the end vote with Mayor Weatherly for whatever he wants to push through.

The new competing candidates are generally tuned in to the interests of community residents and listen and think about issues affecting lives of all... controlled growth rather than unbridled development, not changing development guidelines to favor builders that pursue infill building in older neighborhoods, finding ways to build sidewalks in all parts of town - not just in new neighborhoods, preventing builders from packing lots with multiple homes and destroying the character of established neighborhoods, etc.

First Apex Annual Tree Award

The first Apex Annual Tree Award...

Several years back, the first Town of Apex and Apex Appearance Commission tree award was presented for the 1950 Pearson Magnolia - Center and Mason street.

The sign was stolen a week after it was awarded but the honor lives on.

Want to learn more about Apex?

Interested in learning more about the historic side of Apex?

Check out the Apex Historical Society. A local organization made up of members ranging from original residents that always lived here to relative newcomers interested in learning more about the history of the community and surrounding area. Read more...

Infill Building - Is it right for your neighborhood?

In recent times the concept of "infill" building has gotten a lot of attention as builders discover buyers are opting for buying homes in established neighborhoods. Builders are buying up empty lots and old homes on established lots and adding new homes where space was not developed during the time when buyers flocked to outlying new neighborhoods.

This sets off alarms when neighbors see activity on empty lots or around old homes left vacant after a neighbor has moved or passed away. Builders will often try to pick up these lots and divide them, then build multiple new homes where one or none stood before. Is this a good idea in an established neighborhood and should Town Planners and Builders take into consideration the views of neighbors during these projects?

The Town of Apex NC Planning Department and the Planning Board previously established development guidelines (Apex Unified Development Ordinance)to protect older areas of Town

considered part of the Historic Overlay District or Small Town Character Area. Now these rules

are being questioned by Planners and Planners want to change the rules in favor of builders (and not the neighborhood residents) by allowing lots to be narrower and allowing small apartments to be constructed on lots when new homes are added in these infill areas. By making lots narrower, a builder can build more houses and also let a driveway be shared by multiple homes and put more homes where this would not have been allowed under the old rules. Reducing the minimum lot width to 50 feet from 60 feet and allowing a common driveway to be used will allow construction of two or more houses where only one would have been approved previously.

An even more controversial ordinance change would allow a builder to construct "accessory apartments" behind a new home either as a stand alone structure or as an apartment above a garage. This would in effect allow two homes to be built where only one was allowed before and the owner could make the structure available as a rental house. The end effect lets the builder pack in homes on sub-divided infill lots and this would substantially change the look and feel of a neighborhood formerly protected for its "small town character". One premise used by Planners to justify this is that long ago it was common to have a "guest house" or "servant house" on some properties and that the "new" idea of a "accessory apartment" would follow this concept.

One such example is a project under way to build four houses on a half-acre lot at 411 Olive Street in Apex. The builder is Sarah Potter and she wants to divide a 60 foot lot and build two normal sized "green" homes and also add an "accessory apartment" behind both houses. This would allow the builder to slip four homes into a space where only two would normally go and significantly impact the all residental single family neighborhood.

Michael Lander, a developer and president of the Minneapolis-based Lander Group, considers that it is is necessary for builders to respect views of neighbors and not move in and change the neighborhood without considering the neighbors and the character of the area. He states "Prime lots are waiting to be developed in older, established neighborhoods. Lander offers a few tips to make the experience easier for first-time infill developers or builders. The list starts with a command of biblical significance: Love your neighbor.".

"It's just absolutely critical in an infill situation to work collaboratively with the neighbors—whoever that might be," Lander says. It might be businesses, it might be churches, it might be residents.". Read more...

If you feel strongly that the character of older neighborhoods should be protected and development ordinances should not be changed to reflect needs of developers, take the time to contact your Town Council members (Apex Town Council), Town Manager (Apex Town Manager), Mayor (Mayor), Planning Department (Apex Planning Department) and members of the Planning Board (Apex Planning Board)and let your views be known!

Way up high in Apex

Had any power interruptions lately?

Maybe you need the services of this Apex Utilities Department team.

The Apex Utilities Department folks go the extra mile to insure electric power is not interrupted by trees touching power lines during foul weather.

This crew member was high above the lines along Center Street in late July trimming limbs that would brush against power lines during storms and when ice accumulates during the winter.

Erin's Prairie

Erin's Prairie is located on a hillside at the intersection of West Chatham and Saunders Streets in Apex, NC. While there are many beds of colorful Daylilys along NC highways, this is the one to see when you are near Apex. The display peaks in late June and is presented by Weston Farms.

Sad day for Apex kids

Declining economic woes have brought hard times to Apex kids. At least in the eyes of Bruce Radford, Apex Town Manager, and John Brown, Parks, Recreation and cultural Resources Manager.

A March 14 news item in area papers says the Town of Apex won't hold the annual Easter event this year, alledgedly due to declining Town revenues.

Too bad the Town staff doesn't make the effort just for the kids sake and give up a little extra overtime pay this time around. It would only require getting a supply of pre-wrapped candy eggs (has anyone tried to get these be donated?), reserving the Community Center grounds and holding the event with staff volunteers or even a few parents.

Its ok to spend millions to build a new police station and a new fire station during hard times, and to put all those spiffy new parking spaces by the road in front of the Town offices. But the kids, they can make up the difference...

In local news:

News and Observer
March 14, 2009
Sarah Lindenfeld, Staff Writer

The bunny trail skips Apex this year

APEX - Even the Easter Bunny's out of work this year.

Budget cuts have forced Apex to cancel its annual egg hunt, where youngsters make a mad dash for hundreds of brightly colored plastic eggs filled with candy.

"The Easter Bunny just couldn't afford air fare this time," said Bruce Radford, town manager. "That's what it boiled down to. He called us and said he regrets it, but he just wouldn't be able to come."

In reality, the town's $750,000 general fund shortfall forced officials to cancel the hunt, among other cuts. The town expects less money from sales taxes and the fees developers pay as they build houses.

An egg hunt for the town's senior citizens also was canceled because the event's sponsor backed out, said John Brown, the town's parks, recreation and cultural resources director. "That's another casualty of the economy," he said.

As Brown looks to save money, he said he aims to keep programs that generate revenue. The egg hunt for kids, which cost the town about $3,000, was free. A youth fishing derby and basketball contest also were canceled. All were mainstays of Apex's events calendar for kids.

Brown said many churches and subdivisions in Apex already hold their own egg hunts. And most other Triangle towns and communities are planning them, too.

Radford said once the economy improves, the town hunt will return.

The Bunny, Radford pledged, will be back.

In state news...

Asheville Citizen-Times
March 14, 2009
Associated Press

Budget woes hit Easter: Egg hunt out in NC town

APEX — No need to get the kids hopping this Easter in Apex. The North Carolina town is canceling its annual Easter egg hunt because of budget problems.

Town Manager Bruce Radford told The News & Observer of Raleigh that declining sales tax revenue and fees from developers have left a $750,000 hole Apex's budget.

Radford says he hopes to bring the egg hunt back next year if conditions improve.

If any kids ask, Radford isn't using the budget line. Instead, he says the Easter Bunny just couldn't afford the flight down.

Stacy's crocus blossoms II

Spring is here!

March brings more crocus blossoms as Spring moves in. Days are longer and flowers signal the time is right to get outdoors...