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Cary council authorizes up to $40,000 to study relocation options for downtown convenience center
Summary
Councilors approved using up to $40,000 from the general fund to hire a consultant to evaluate options for relocating or reconfiguring the Citizens Convenience Center after North Carolina Railroad said it needs the right-of-way by 2026; the center serves about 250 visitors per day.
The Cary Town Council voted unanimously to authorize staff to use up to $40,000 from the general fund to hire a consultant to evaluate options for the Cary Citizens Convenience Center, which sits partially in North Carolina Railroad right-of-way.
"North Carolina Railroad ... received a federal grant to improve the rail corridor and would need full use of their property including that right-of-way," Assistant Town Manager Shelley Kern told the council, saying the railroad has asked the town to remove everything operating in the right-of-way with a goal of doing so by 2026.
Kern said the convenience center at 313 N. Dixon St. receives about 250 visitors per day (roughly 90,000 per year) and accepts residential solid waste, recycling, yard waste and larger items such as mattresses and televisions. Staff recommended a two-step approach: a consultant feasibility study to develop options and costs, then return to council with recommendations before any design or construction work.
"What the money would do is we would have the consultant look at our operations and figure out: could we stay at this site? Or is there another site that we could move it to?" Kern said, specifying that the $40,000 would fund options analysis only, not design.
Council members pressed staff about timelines, whether partial continued use of the current site is possible, and whether the railroad might extend its deadline. Kern said the only certainty is that the town must vacate the railroad right-of-way; other details will be clearer after the consultant's report, expected in January.
The council approved the midyear appropriation by voice vote. Next steps: staff will engage the consultant to develop options and return to council with cost estimates and recommended next steps.
