A monthly digest of news, events, and other updates from The Peak of Good Living! 
May 2023
 

  
May / June Events

Other Dates to Note

 
Saturdays in May - Apex Farmers Market

May 9, 23 - Apex Town Council Meeting

May 25 - Love Your Local Market

May 29 - Holiday, Town offices and facilities closed  
 

Reminders from Last Month's Issue 

• Home Repair Fair

Public Service Recognition Week
 
Nearly 600 Town of Apex employees, with a combined 5,000+ years of time with the town, stand ready to deliver the services you rely on every day! During the week of May 7-13, we recognize those who have chosen a career in public service.

The month of May also includes a time of national recognition for many of our individual town departments! We're joining in recognizing the following:

• Building Safety Month – May 1 - 31
• Police Week – May 14 - 20
• Public Works Week – May 21 - 27
   

 
Solid Waste Schedule Change for Memorial Day 

All Town facilities and offices will be closed on Monday, May 29th. Here's the solid waste schedule for the week of May 29 - June 2:

• Trash and recycling collection will be delayed by one day for all routes during the week of May 29th (Friday's route will be collected Saturday).
• Yard Waste collection will run Tuesday through Friday, with all five routes being collected during those four days. We appreciate your patience as crews work on this condensed schedule.

Sign up to receive notifications when changes to solid waste collection schedules are made.

 
Reminders from Last Month's Issue

• Peak Connections Program
• Passport to the Peak

 
Money Matters - Annual Operating Budget 

The annual operating budget gives Apex the authority to collect revenue and make expenditures, depending on the priorities of the council, community, and staff. Building the Town of Apex’s annual operating budget and five-year Capital Improvement Plan is a collaborative process between the public, town staff, and the Town Council. The draft budget for Fiscal Year 2023-24 is now posted to our website for public viewing. 

Ways to Get Involved in the Budget Process
Hearing from residents, businesses, organizations, and the community at large is critical to creating the Town’s budget. There are multiple ways to participate and make your voice heard throughout the year:

• Attend or watch Town Council meetings online to stay informed.
• Provide your comments during the budget public hearing (scheduled this year for May 23rd).
• Email comments or questions to annual.budget@apexnc.org. Staff will respond to questions and report feedback to Town Council and Administration.
• Complete the Community Budget Priorities Survey, used in part to build the draft budget. You'll typically see this posted between December and February of each year.

Graphic below shows the breakdown of your tax dollar for the current fiscal year, by function:

Love Local During Small Business Week

Now through May 6^th is Apex Small Business Week, a part of the U.S. Small Business Week. Join us as we celebrate Apex’s small businesses, their impact on our community, and how they enhance our economic vitality. Throughout Apex Small Business Week, we encourage you to Love Local by showing your support of small businesses and entrepreneurs in Apex.

Are you a small business owner? Check out some of the Small Business Week activities:

• Wake Tech & Triangle Small Business Week Activity
• Apex Small Business Network (ASBN) Meeting
• FREE Lunch & Marketing Workshop with GLU Consulting
• Wellness Walk with Apex Economic Development Small Business Team
• Cheers to Apex’s Small Business Sip & Stroll
• Celebrate Apex’s Small Businesses at PeakFest

Find the full activity list and learn more here!

Text to Connect - New Way to Report Water / Sewer Issues

In October of 2022, Apex launched a new way to report electric outages with the TextOUT service. We’re excited to expand that service to include water and sewer utilities!

Beginning June 20th of this year, water and sewer utility customers can report water / sewer issues, receive status updates, and receive water / sewer information via text message. Customers will receive information and report issues using the same number as TextOUT (919) 372-7475 but will report issues by using “WATER” instead.

Prepare to use Text WATER to Connect:

1. Check and Correct: Customers will be auto-enrolled in the reporting platform using the phone number currently listed on your account. Note: Only phone numbers listed on the account can report issues. Check that the phone number listed on your utility account is current and can receive text messages at www.apexnc.org/customercontact. Using your utility account number, view your information & correct outdated info.
2. Contact: Text WATER to (919) 372-7475 to report a water / sewer issue at your home or business. Customers will receive a phone call from Water Resources staff requesting more information about the reported issue. Customers will also receive additional text communication like status updates.
3. Receive texts to Stay Informed: We will send text notifications from (919) 372-7475 so you can stay in the know during planned outages and maintenance, emergency outages, and receive information on topics like annual water flushing and more.

Lake Pine Water Level Lowered for Inspection

Over the next few days, you may notice water spouting near the dam at Apex Community Park, or that the water level is low. Lake Pine is currently being drained a few feet to allow for inspection of the spillway. You should see the water return to normal pretty soon after inspection is complete, as rainfall refills the lake to its regular level.
 

 
New Sculptures Installed for 3rd Annual Sculpture Walk 

The 3rd Annual Apex Sculpture Walk features nine new sculptures installed from Hunter Street Park through Apex Town Campus, and into downtown Apex. Spend a couple of hours browsing the sculptures, download the Otocast app to hear directly from this year’s artists, vote for your selection for the "People's Choice" award (voting ends June 17th), and soak up all that downtown Apex has to offer!

Learn more: www.apexnc.org/publicart

Top Three Takeaways: Peak Academy Session 1

Apex Peak Academy kicked off its first session on April 19th. Our newest communications team member, Kendall Hart, (who is also a new North Carolina and Apex resident) is participating in the 12-week program, and sharing her top three take-aways from each session.

Session #1: Orientation, Administration, and DEI

1. What’s in a name? (Whatever you want evidently)

Like most, I believed that if a municipality had town, city, or village in their name that it directly correlated with the size of their population. However, Shawn Purvis, Apex Deputy Town Manager, informed us that there is absolutely no correlation! A governing body can just choose to put town, city, or village within their name no matter the size of their population. So, within North Carolina we can have the Town of Apex (approx. 70,000 residents) and the City of Creswell (approx. 206 residents). Honestly what a zinger of a fact!

2. The Language of Apex

Have you heard of our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) department? Their mission is to provide consultation and education to ensure a community of belonging, diverse representation among employees, and that residents have equitable access to services. Linda Graham Jones, Director of DEI and Celeste Sherer, DEI Coordinator shared about their participation in the Local Government Language Access Collaborative Program. This program is a one-year interactive course designed to build capacity for North Carolina local governments to communicate with residents in community languages. Aside from English, the top three household languages spoken in the Apex area are Spanish (estimated 5,124 households), Telugu (2,863 households), and Chinese (2,4525 households). Through the knowledge gained from this assessment, the Town can now move forward with better communication strategies and further create a warm and welcoming community.

3. Tunstall House - The Peak of the Peak

Part of the first Peak Academy session was a tour around the Town Hall campus and beyond. We got an insider’s view of Apex Town Hall and the Halle Cultural Arts Center. We took the Strollway (a paved path that connects the two points), and along the way we stopped at the Tunstall House. We learned about the rich history of the Tunstall House, and the fact that the house sits on the highest point of Apex – meaning it truly is the peak of the peak. The house, built in 1872, has been home to a few of Apex’s influential families that are represented in its full name: The Thompson-Utley-Fletcher-Tunstall house. The Town now owns the Tunstall house and restoration plans are in the beginning stages. It will be exciting to see what the house will look like fully restored!

If you find yourself interested in participating in Peak Academy, keep your eye out for applications opening for next year’s class in the early spring 2024!