Hello neighbors.  No doubt by now you may have noticed some signage that has gone up from NCDOT regarding the closure of the intersection at University Dr. and Hope Valley Rd. (NC-751) and more signs were being installed today (though they are covered at the moment).  The closure will be due to the start of the construction of the roundabout that will be installed at the intersection instead of having traffic lights.

I am sure many of our neighbors are concerned as to how the traffic flow will impact our neighborhood for not only thru traffic but also local traffic.  An inquiry was submitted to NCDOT and below is the response that was provided.

The length of the closure will be for approximately eight months, from 3/4/2019 to 11/1/2019. Here are the detours:

– University Drive (from east to west): Turn right onto Durham-Chapel Hill Blvd, exit off to Academy Rd, turn left on Academy Rd, and turn right to continue on University Drive.
– Hope Valley Road (from north to south): Turn right onto University Dr. Turn left to Old Chapel Hill Road. Turn left onto Martin Luther King, Jr. Pkwy., then turn right to continue on Hope Valley Road.

All local access will remain for all local roads in the neighborhood, such as Cornwallis Rd, Stuart Dr, and Bexley Ave. You will simply not be able to cross the intersection of Hope Valley and University at the Epworth United Methodist Church due to the construction.

Here is a link to the press release that was sent out on 2/18/2019 that you can share: https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2019/2019-02-18-durham-intersection-pipe-replacement.aspx

To be completely upfront there is no real way to know what to expect come Monday and how much traffic may try to come through our streets.  Hopefully any spike in increased traffic will be temporary as drivers learn the correct detour routes.

3100 Block of Oxford Drive Last night at approximately 10:00 pm while the owners were at home,  someone came through the carport, broke a window entered and grabbed a backpack. The person was described as dressed  all in black . The homeowner immediately asked the person to get out.  Police were called and responded quickly . Canines were brought in to try to get a lead on the perpetrator however they were not able to apprehend anyone.

If you have an outside camera with footage of this area the police would  greatly appreciate it if you would share it with them. Also if you saw  anyone suspicious last night  please contact  the police.

Be extra vigilant making sure blinds/curtains are closed so as not to give whoever is doing this an easy crime of opportunity. PLEASE be on the look out and if you notice anything that feels unusual call 911.

Someone  kindly alerted that I  had  neglected  to  tell you  the street . The  attempted break-in occurred  on Oxford. The 3 100 block

There was an attempted  break-in in the 3100 block last night at about 10:00pm.  The folks were at home, both cars in the driveway, lights on in the house. Someone smashed the window in the kitchen door, reached in and turned the lock to break-in. The home owners were alerted when they heard the glass break so the intruder left. Nothing was taken and the police were contacted.

Please be extra vigilant as the likelihood of this happening again is high. If you saw anything suspicious please let us know.

A large set of keys with a pocket knife were found this morning at the corner of Oxford Dr and Bexley Ave.  If you are the owner of the keys please let us know how we can contact you.

The City of Durham Solid Waste Management Department suspended all curbside collection services on Thursday, September 13 and Friday, September 14 due to Hurricane Florence. Curbside collections are still planned to resume on Monday, September 17, at which time garbage and recycling customers not collected on September 13 as well as yard waste and bulky services customers not collected on September 13 and 14, will be serviced.

This schedule shift next week means that collection for all curbside services, including solid waste, recycling, yard waste and bulky services, will also be delayed by one business day for the entire week as follows:

· Monday customers – Tuesday, September 18 collection
· Tuesday customers – Wednesday, September 19 collection
· Wednesday customers – Thursday, September 20 collection
· Thursday customers – Friday, September 21 collection

Additionally, the City’s Waste Disposal and Recycling Center (Transfer Station), located 2115 E. Club Boulevard, closed at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, September 12. The City’s Waste Disposal and Recycling Center will re-open under normal operating hours on Monday, September 17.

Greetings Neighbors.  I hope everyone has done their due diligence for weathering the approaching storm.  Although it appears that Durham will be outside of the worst of the storm let us not drop our guard as there could still be possible reprecussions to manage during and after the storm.  With this in mind I believe it is important for neighbors to help neighbors should some “non-critical” assistance be needed once the storm has passed.

Any neighbor who may need a helping hand to help clear some debris that may be blocking your home entry or something similar can reach out by posting comments here or in the event of a power outage tie a rag to their mailbox post. After the storm has passed we will try to make a few rounds in the neighborhood to see what can be done to assist a neighbor until professional services can be arranged by the homeowner.

Neighbors are not likely professionals so anything to large to manage will need to be addressed by a professional.  Any critical emergencies should be address by calling 911.

Electrical outages can be reported to Duke Energy 1-800-769-3766.

Blocked roads can be reported to Durham One Call 919-560-1200

Water treatment plants are 24/7/365 with backup power so as long as water flows from your taps it is safe to drink.

More information available at alertdurham.com

Best of luck to everyone.

Hello Neighbors, 

Unfortunately due to a lack of interest, our annual NNO gathering will not happen this year on the 06 August 2018. This would have been our 9th annual celebration.

Many factors, but primarily an  overall lack of interest in having the event, have resulted in the event being cancelled. It takes time and participation in order to plan and coordinate for those who have worked on NNO event committees the past 8 years. 

This national celebration is also celebrated during the hottest time of year for us and on a Tues evening as well.

All is not lost however. We were thinking of having a neighborhood picnic in early October perhaps when the weather less hot and on a Friday or Sat evening. Feel free to comment with thoughts, interests and suggestions.

Stay cool and enjoy the rest of the summer.

UE Durham Community Watch Team.

It’s that time of year. Many neighbors spend more time outdoors in their yards, and walking along our streets. Rains are rare to sporadic so the gardens we covet need an eyeful watch and some TLC while the ivy and weeds seem to have a life of their own.

How can we do to make our neighborhood the safest and best areas in South Durham?

Neighbors have recently provided some suggestions on outdoor maintenance for thought:

• Control and/or remove invasive plants, particularly English ivy, Virginia creeper and Wisteria. These vines can be controlled but many are rampant and grow uncontrollably along the ground and up trees, eventually smothering them. Ivy in particular smothers native ground covers. Managing ivy will keep it confined and prevent it from growing up tree trunks or utility poles and further into your property or a neighbor’s yard. One means of ridding this ivy is to lay down and securing a black tarp to heat up and smother the ivy. It takes a season or two but works great without the need to pull out the vines or spray herbicides which can cause other environmental damage.
• Remove poison ivy to the greatest extent possible. Also a vine, poison ivy can be cut back and controlled by a careful herbicide brush application. Limit herbicide sprays whenever possible. It grows particularly lush along some roadsides and yards. As most of our streets are without curbs, dogs, children and unsuspecting adults may come into contact. Dogs especially are vulnerable to contact and then their owners by petting the dog then have the well-known skin reaction from a transfer of the potent oil the plant leaves produce. This vine will also grow easily up into trees. If you are working with this vine it is critical to be fully gloved and clothed and when done to shower with warm soapy water as soon as possible after removing the vine. Never burn poison ivy as the oil can become an aromatic that can possibly affect those that come in contact with the smoke.
  Not sure you are looking at poison ivy? Some examples can be seen at http://www.carolinanature.com/trees/tora.html
• Non-native Wisteria is a vine that produces attractive purple flowers in the spring however the aggressive vine will cling on to any bush or tree branch as it tries to reach for more sunlight. The end result is that it will smother the host bush or tree. You can see an example of how aggressive the vine can be along the fence line in the Epworth church parking lot. To control sever the vine and apply a brush herbicide for vine control. It may take several seasons to control depending on the vine population. Dead vines would need to be removed from branches.
• Tall grass, weeds, accumulated leaf litter, brush piles and over grown bushes can not only be unsightly but can also provide chiggers (a.k.a. mites) with a breeding ground which love our humid weather this time of year. Chiggers are microscopic so they are not easily seen but their bites are recognizable. The immature chigger will look for a meal of skin by attaching to humans or animals by direct contact or transfer. Chigger bites will itch like crazy because of the saliva they deposit on the skin. Keeping up with yard maintenance especially in shaded areas will help to reduce populations.

If you have other helpful suggestions for outdoor yard management feel free to post in the comments section.