Excerpts of the Minutes from the January 12, 2004 Business Meeting

 

Mayor Foy suggested moving Agenda Item 11, Council Petitions, forward due to the amount of public interest in the two petitions on the agenda.  He noted that it was not the Council's general procedure to take action on a petition the night it is presented, and it was unlikely that the Council would take action on either of the two petitions.

 

There was no objection from Council members to moving Item 11 forward.

 

Item 11 - Petitions:

 

a.  By the Mayor and Council Members.

 

2.      Petition to Rename Airport Road, or Other Thoroughfare, Martin Luther King Jr.  Boulevard - Mayor pro tem Wiggins.

 

Mayor pro tem Edith brought a petition on behalf of the local chapter of the NAACP.  The petition asked that the name of Airport Road, or a comparable thoroughfare, be named in Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard.  This would be a much more fitting tribute to Dr. King than the short street that is currently named after him, she said, adding that most Chapel Hill citizens don't even know that the other street exists.

 

MAYOR PRO TEM WIGGINS MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCIL MEMBER KLEINSCHMIDT, TO RECEIVE AND REFER THE PETITION TO THE NAMING COMMITTEE AND STAFF TO BRING BACK A RECOMMENDATION.  THE MOTION WAS APPROVED UNANIMOUSLY (9-0).

 

 

Item 3 - Petitions by Citizens and Announcements by Council Members

 

a.  Petitions by citizens on items not on the agenda.

 

13.     Bill Thorpe, regarding Support of Petition regarding Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard and an Invitation to the MLK, Jr. Celebration.

 

Mr. Thorpe expressed support for Mayor pro tem Wiggins' petition and invited Council members to the First Baptist Church on Monday, January 19 at 10:00 a.m. to celebrate the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday.  He noted that Chapel Hill was the first in the nation to have a paid holiday in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr.  This will be a celebration of 20 years from that date, Mr. Thorpe said.

 

Mayor pro tem Wiggins pointed out that Mr. Thorpe had been on the Town Council when it took the action 20 years ago to make this day a Town holiday.  Mr. Thorpe replied that the Council took that action on December 12, 1983, and that he was indeed a part of that decision.

 

THE COUNICL RECEIVED THE PETITION BY CONSENSUS.