Vote to buy TAC
Dear Cary Town Council Members,
We are a local business called the Triangle Swim School. We have been a partner with the Triangle Aquatic Center for the past two years. Prior to coming to the Aquatic Center, we taught swim lessons to 40 families in the Triangle area.

Due to our partnership with TAC, we now have over 650 families who have taken lessons with us. We offer swim lessons to children as young as six months old up through adults. Our families love the ability to take lessons with our school without having to join a club.

Our families come from Chapel Hill, Garner, Durham, Creedmoor, Fuquay Varina and even as far as Fayetteville to take lessons through the Triangle Swim School. Bringing these families to Cary helps bring in additional revenue to Cary businesses such as the Cary Towne Center Mall and other local shopping and restaurants. This is helping to stimulate the economy in Cary.

We are the premier swim school in the area now. We would not be able to offer this service without the partnership of the Triangle Aquatic Center.

We are asking that you please vote to purchase of TAC.

Matt Harr, owner of the Triangle Swim School

Will pay a visit to Tew
I really enjoyed your story in last week’s Cary News about Morrisville’s longtime resident and barber Tommy Tew. I had heard there was an old-time barbershop in Morrisville but never knew much about it.

I have been cutting my own hair for 10 years now, but after reading your story, I’ll be paying Mr. Tew a visit soon.

The fact that Mr. Tew still only charges $8 for a haircut is fantastic, but the real value I’m sure is just listening to Mr. Tew and his stories.

Where else can you get a haircut, enjoy some humor, learn about the area’s history, and view a collection of collectibles?

I, for one, remember an old-time barbershop in our hometown that my dad used to take my brothers and me to back in the 1960s. The feeling we got just hanging out with Dad and the other adults, listening to stories and jokes, and drinking Cokes was unbeatable.Those were childhood memories that we’ll never forget.

People like Mr. Tew are a real treasure in today’s world , so enjoy the experience while you still can.

Doug Snyder, Cary

Cary FY2010 budget too fat
While we welcome the frugal spirit of Mr. Shivar’s comments, the town’s draft FY2010 budget we have reviewed still contains much fat. Although FY2010 represents a 25 percent decrease over FY2009, last year’s budget included a huge one-time $35 million appropriation for the downtown “Streetscapes.”

We question the need for new “curbs, sidewalks, landscaping, a town square and art enhancements” in an economy that is compared to the Great Depression. While most businesses are cutting staff by 20 percent or more just to survive, the FY2010 budget adds at least 27 positions, not the “single water resource engineer” as claimed in the article. A purported benefit of the new recycling program and electronic water meters was to eliminate 20 positions; we find no evidence of this. An essential service such as police protection should not depend on risky, one-time “stimulus” money from D.C.

The draft budget continues millions in subsidies for nonessential, money-losing facilities and services that should be terminated. The budget justifies large water rate increases on flat usage growth due to “weather variability and water conservation efforts.” This implies global cooling and punishment for using less water.

Claiming that “taxes are flat” is disingenuous: The draft budget documents a 42 percent jump in assessed property values last year, leading to higher taxes for most homeowners, who will also see higher water bills in FY2010. Based on the town’s recent spending habits and plummeting tax and fee revenue, its pay-as-you-go capital reserves will be wiped out within three years. We have provided our findings to the town council.

Ray Czarnecki and Kent Misegades, Cary