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Local figure

Cal Horton

Cal Horton was Chapel Hill's town manager from 1990 to 2006, the longest tenure in that post in the town's history. When he retired he asked that money raised in his honor go to an award for town employees with at least ten years of exceptional service, now named for him.

Source: Chapelboro: Town of Chapel Hill Issues 2023 Service Award to Public Works Employee (Brighton McConnell, October 5, 2023)

Orange County Indexed has not yet linked an indexed work directly to Cal Horton. The biography and the dated events on this page provide sources about Cal Horton’s life and work. Suggest a source.

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Storylines this person is part of, in date order. Each has its own page.

StorylineThe Horace Williams Airport, 1940–20181940–2018 · 52 events · In 1940 the University bought the Chapel Hill airport that Charlie Martindale had opened in 1928 and planned a field named for Professor Horace Williams, who gave more than 200 acres. University students began Civil Aeronautics Authority flight training there that February. WPA workers began grading in January 1941 on a project costing about $200,000, and that month fire destroyed the hangar and seven training planes. By mid-October crews had finished rough grading for the runways, and that fall University and Duke students began joint pilot training. In 1942 the federal government paid for a new road to the field because of its military value, and in March 1943 paratroopers from Fort Bragg dropped on the airport. From 1968 townspeople and faculty opposed paving the field, and the Faculty Council asked that it be kept to University use; the runway was paved chiefly for medical flights, and in 1974 the Chapel Hill aldermen set up a study of the airport. In 1980 neighbors petitioned to close the airport, and in 1981, a year of three crashes near the field, Chancellor Christopher Fordham offered to close it once a replacement was built near Chapel Hill. The county commissioners approved a private Midway Airport in Bingham Township in 1982 and 1983. In 1988 and 1989 the county studied and then dropped a plan for a new county airport, and after a fatal crash in August 1989 about 350 people debated the University's runway extension at a council hearing. In 1990 UNC decided to keep the airport open to public use, and from 1991 county and town managers planned for moving it; mediators led a dialogue group on its future from October 1992. UNC closed Horace Williams Airport in 2018. StorylineChapel Hill's town managers, 1972–20061972–2006 · 16 events · In January 1973 the Chapel Hill aldermen voted 4 to 1 to dismiss Robert Peck, town manager since 1961, after he refused to resign; Mayor Howard Lee cited two years of disagreement over how he ran the town. The town's purchasing agent resigned in his defense, and Chester Kendzior became town manager that June. In 1974 the aldermen reorganized the town administration under two assistant managers, and in May 1975 Kendzior resigned after Mayor Lee, for five of the six aldermen, asked him to go. Kurt Jenne, Eugene Shipman and David R. Taylor followed Kendzior as town manager from 1975 to 1982; Taylor left at the end of 1989 to head the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce, and Cal Horton held the post from 1990 to 2006, the longest tenure of any Chapel Hill town manager. StorylinePublic housing and the Chapel Hill Housing Authority, 1974–19941974–1994 · 41 events · In 1974 two Chapel Hill Housing Authority commissioners resigned, saying the merged authority neglected housing, and Mayor Howard Lee's inquiry found bad judgment by some employees but no scandal. That spring the director asked two senior staff members to resign. Public housing tenants accused the authority and its director of unfair practices in 1979. In 1981 the Chapel Hill Town Council approved public housing duplexes at Piney Mountain over neighbors' petitions and a suit the town won in 1982, and in 1982 Carrboro's aldermen approved 30 units off North Greensboro Street, Oakwood Apartments. After a rent strike in the 1980s and deep federal cuts, the authority's board voted in 1987 to become a town agency, and the town took over public housing as a town department. HUD grants in 1988 and 1989 paid for 24 new units and for repairs, and a 1988 settlement refunded tenants' utility overcharges. In 1991 public housing residents marched for affordable housing, safer streets and better wages. In 1992 the town added drug-activity rules to its public housing leases, refused to reinstate evicted tenants who were acquitted, and put two residents on its Housing Advisory Board. From 1993 residents pressed the town over repairs with a videotape of conditions, and in 1994 the council formed a special committee with residents, the Airport Road units were finished and the Residents Council won a federal training grant. StorylineChapel Hill's police chiefs and the public safety department, 1975–19941975–1994 · 20 events · Chapel Hill hired Sidney Hilliard from Florida as police chief in 1975; after he resigned in 1977, Herman Stone, who had joined the force in 1949, led the department until he retired in January 1987. A 1985 consultant's report proposed merging police and fire into a public safety department, and the council created a public safety director's post in 1987, but the town put off filling it. Arnold Gold, interim chief since Stone's retirement, became chief in 1988. Cal Horton was public safety director by 1990, when the town named Daniel Jones fire chief. In 1991 the council moved to split the public safety department into police and fire departments, and after Gold retired in 1992 Ralph Pendergraph became chief. In October 1993 the council ended the cross-trained public safety system and split police and fire services, and in 1994 Chapel Hill and Carrboro agreed to run their fire departments in cooperation. StorylineUNC’s Cameron Avenue power plant and its neighbors, 1986–19941986–1994 · 22 events · In 1986 the Chapel Hill Town Council approved UNC's $96 million coal-fired power plant on Cameron Avenue to replace the 1940 plant. As it was tested in 1991 and 1992, the Power Plant Neighbors complained of noise, dust and light, the council asked for action and monthly reports, and the state cited the plant for wastewater and emissions violations and fined the University nearly $43,000. In 1993 six neighbors sued and the state fined the plant $123,670 for 1992 air violations. In 1994 UNC settled the suit for $47,000 and an easement limiting the plant's noise, and the town manager gave it a year to finish noise and ash controls. StorylineRecycling in Orange County and at UNC, 1986–19941986–1994 · 34 events · Recycling at UNC began with a student pilot in 1986, and curbside pickup began in Chapel Hill and Carrboro in 1988. From 1989 UNC had a recycling office and the county program grew to apartments, drop-off sites, plastics and magazines, though mixed-paper collections stopped twice for lack of a market. The program and UNC's office both won state awards, and Chapel Hill tried weekly pickup from roll-out carts. In 1993 curbside pickup added cans and plastic jugs and UNC began paying departments to buy recycled paper, and by 1994 the county took cardboard at every drop-off site, though a glutted market stopped unmixed paper at University Mall.
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StorylineUNC’s land use plans, the Horace Williams tract and the joint town-University committee, 1987–19941987–1994 · 24 events · In June 1987 more than 400 people came to object to UNC's campus land use plan, with its parking decks, a loop road through Battle Park and the removal of Odum Village. A joint town-University committee recommended against the loop road and against taking private property, and the Town Council and Chancellor Fordham accepted its advice in 1988. In 1989 a standing town-gown committee was formed and the council dropped the Pittsboro Street extension from its capital list. A revised plan in 1991 dropped the Pittsboro Street extension but kept a South Loop road through Odum Village and four more parking decks, which a new student group opposed, and that November the council voted to comment on state environmental reviews of University projects. In 1994 a University committee called for second and third campuses on the Horace Williams and Mason Farm tracts. Chancellor Hardin invited the towns to help plan them, Chapel Hill and Carrboro named advisory committees, and in November the Chapel Hill council rezoned parts of the Horace Williams tract so that UNC buildings there would need its review. StorylineThe University Place condominiums, 1991–19931991–1993 · 4 events · In 1991 Northside residents and student environmentalists opposed University Place, a student condominium complex off Clark Road, and the Chapel Hill Town Council denied its permit. The Bradley Company sued, and in 1993 the N.C. Court of Appeals reversed the denial; the town sought review by the state Supreme Court. StorylineRacial discrimination complaints in Chapel Hill’s town departments, 1993–19951993–1995 · 4 events · In 1993 Chapel Hill upheld one of four racial discrimination complaints by transportation workers. In 1994 a Black maintenance worker sued the town over racial harassment, including a noose hung in the garage, and settled for $50,000. In 1995 the Black Public Works Association filed a discrimination grievance against the town. StorylineThe Grateful Dead at the Smith Center, 1993–19941993–1994 · 5 events · The Grateful Dead's 1993 shows at the Smith Center brought an SBI drug checkpoint on Interstate 40 and a near-riot when a crowd pelted drug agents with bottles. Chancellor Paul Hardin then refused the band a return. Fans rallied to bring it back, and in October 1994 Hardin lifted the ban over the town manager's objections. StorylineThe Meadowmont plan, 19941994 · 5 events · In 1994 East West Partners filed its plan for Meadowmont, a village-centered community on the DuBose property along N.C. 54 that the Daily Tar Heel called the biggest development in Chapel Hill's history. After two public hearings, the Town Council set up a committee to review how much development the land should hold.

Dated events connected with this person, in date order. See these 95 dated events in the chronology →

  1. Chapel Hill names Daniel Jones its fire chief Interim Town Manager Sonna Lowenthal announced that Daniel Jones, deputy fire chief for operations in Pinellas Park, Florida, would become Chapel Hill's fire chief on April 23, ending a five-month national search to replace Everette Lloyd; Joe Robertson had served as interim chief. Public Safety Director Cal Horton praised Jones as a trainer and hazardous materials specialist. People: Cal Horton Place: Chapel Hill Fire Department, Chapel Hill · Also named: Daniel Jones, Sonna Lowenthal, Joe Robertson, Everette LloydSearch the index · The Daily Tar Heel, March 19, 1990, p. 3
  2. Cal Horton becomes Chapel Hill's town manager After a six-month national search, the Chapel Hill Town Council chose Cal Horton, the town's public safety director for the past year, as town manager on June 25, 1990, ending Sonna Loewenthal's months as interim manager. He was hired officially on July 9 and began work on July 30, and he held the post until 2006. Place: Chapel Hill · Also named: Sonna LoewenthalSearch the index · Town of Chapel Hill: Minutes of a public hearing of the Mayor and Council, September 17, 1990 · Also: The Daily Tar Heel, June 28, 1990, p. 3; The Daily Tar Heel, August 27, 1990, p. 8
  3. Chapel Hill Town Council adopts noise ordinance amendments defining nighttime nuisance noise The council adopted amendments from its noise ordinance committee that made yelling and singing on the streets at night, loud talk at night parties, loud stereos, late garbage loading and continuous horn-blowing nuisances, let police cite violators who kept on after a verbal warning, set a $50 maximum fine and sent running disputes between neighbors to the Orange County Dispute Settlement Center. Decibel limits and permit hours were left for the committee to take up after students returned in the fall. People: Cal Horton Place: Town Hall, Chapel HillSearch the index · The Daily Tar Heel, June 28, 1990, p. 3
  4. Chapel Hill Town Council asks its staff to find ways to limit outside use of Horace Williams Airport After UNC decided in October to keep Horace Williams Airport open to public use, the Town Council voted unanimously to have Town Manager Cal Horton study public regulation of the airport to limit its growth and use by larger planes not owned by UNC. People: Cal Horton Place: Horace Williams Airport, Estes Drive Extension, Chapel HillThe Daily Tar Heel, November 14, 1990, p. 2
  5. Chapel Hill Town Council narrowly backs a pilot of once-a-week curbside garbage pickup By a 5 to 4 vote the council approved designing a pilot program in which more than 600 homes would put out 90-gallon roll-out carts for weekly curbside collection in place of the town's twice-a-week backyard pickup, beginning in the 1991-92 fiscal year. Town Manager Cal Horton said the change could save about $150,000 a year for recycling; Mayor Jonathan Howes, Nancy Preston, Julie Andresen and Jimmy Wallace voted no. People: Cal Horton, Jonathan Howes Place: Town Council, Chapel Hill · Also named: Jimmy Wallace, Julie Andresen, Nancy PrestonSearch the index · The Daily Tar Heel, November 28, 1990, p. 3
  6. UNC's purchases of the Bolin Creek Center and the Kron Building take $27,000 a year off local tax revenue Town officials said UNC's two major property purchases since June 1989, the Bolin Creek Center and the Kron Building, had cost Chapel Hill and Orange County about $27,000 a year in tax revenue, as the plan to buy an apartment complex for Odum Village raised fears of more. People: Jonathan Howes, Cal Horton Place: Chapel Hill · Also mentions: Odum VillageThe Daily Tar Heel, November 27, 1990, p. 1
  7. Orange County commissioners vote 3 to 2 to let managers plan for moving Horace Williams Airport Meeting in Hillsborough, the commissioners authorized County Manager John Link to work with the Chapel Hill and Carrboro town managers on relocating the University's Horace Williams Airport, an idea Chapel Hill Town Manager Cal Horton had taken to the town-gown coordination committee, where Chancellor Paul Hardin approved it. Don Willhoit and Verla Insko voted no over Alice Gordon's broader statement on the airport's purposes, and a residents' group, Stop County Regional Airport Proposal, then came out against relocation. People: Cal Horton, Jonathan Howes, Ellie Kinnaird Place: Orange County Board of Commissioners, Hillsborough · Also named: John Link, Alice Gordon, Don Willhoit, Verla Insko, Paul HardinThe Daily Tar Heel, February 6, 1991, p. 3
  8. Chapel Hill keeps Festifall on West Franklin Street and sets Apple Chill for April 21 The Chapel Hill Town Council approved on February 25, 1991, holding Festifall on West Franklin Street again on October 6, after merchants and past participants favored the location in a Parks and Recreation survey, and set the 19th Apple Chill street fair, with 160 booths, for April 21 on East Franklin Street. Festifall had moved west after the 1989 West End Street Fair took the place of a rained-out Festifall. People: Cal Horton Place: Franklin Street, Chapel Hill · Also mentions: East Franklin StreetSearch the index · The Daily Tar Heel, February 27, 1991, p. 3
  9. The state restores fire protection payments to Chapel Hill for state buildings After fire departments protested, the state budget office told Chapel Hill and other towns they would after all receive payments for fire protection of state buildings for the last half of the fiscal year, about $150,000 for Chapel Hill, though the town still stood to lose about $150,000 in other state reimbursements. People: Cal Horton Place: Chapel HillSearch the index · The Daily Tar Heel, April 5, 1991, p. 3
  10. Chapel Hill Town Council grants the special-use permit for the Chapel Hill North shopping center By a 5 to 3 vote the council approved the special-use permit for Chapel Hill North with more than 40 conditions, among them double-walled tanks and a monitoring well for its gas station and a developer-paid traffic signal at N.C. 86 and Eubanks Road. Julie Andresen's motion to bar the gas station failed on a 4 to 4 tie, and the council voted 7 to 1, with Mayor Jonathan Howes against, to limit the station's hours to 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. People: Jonathan Howes, Cal Horton Place: N.C. 86 and Eubanks Road, Chapel Hill · Also named: Julie Andresen · Also mentions: Eubanks RoadSearch the index · The Daily Tar Heel, April 24, 1991, p. 3
  11. Hundreds brawl on West Franklin Street after a dance night at the Cat's Cradle About 3 a.m., as some 400 people left the Club Vogue dance night at the Cat's Cradle, a melee broke out on West Franklin Street that police put at as many as 800 people; shotgun blasts were fired at cars near Hardee's and Tarheel Textbooks, two people were beaten, and Hardee's closed. Town Manager Cal Horton called it outrageous, police said reports of weapons and group attacks downtown had risen over two years, and the club's owner said he would stop Club Vogue until he had talked with police. People: Cal Horton Place: West Franklin Street near the Cat's Cradle, Chapel HillSearch the index · The Daily Tar Heel, June 27, 1991, p. 1
  12. Chapel Hill Town Council lets Delta Delta Delta add a neighboring house on East Rosemary Street The Chapel Hill Town Council approved a special-use permit letting Delta Delta Delta sorority add a former single-family house it owns next to its chapter house on East Rosemary Street, in a Residential-6 zone, keeping three parking spaces and the existing landscaping to protect the neighborhood's character; council member Joe Herzenberg urged the sorority to honor the house's builder, the historian Robert Connor. People: Cal Horton Place: East Rosemary Street, Chapel Hill · Also named: Joe HerzenbergSearch the index · The Daily Tar Heel, July 11, 1991, p. 1
Show all 95 dated events
  1. Town manager cuts the Cat's Cradle's occupancy limit, then holds off enforcing it After the June 25 melee Town Manager Cal Horton cut the Cat's Cradle's occupancy limit from 558 to 212 under the ordinance requiring one parking space for every four occupants. At the July 8 Town Council meeting about 20 of the club's patrons opposed the limit, council member Art Werner called it inappropriate, and Horton agreed to hold off enforcing it while the Board of Adjustment heard the club's appeal; the council also turned down Horton's plan to let police enforce parking bans in private lots, which several West Franklin Street businesses had requested. People: Cal Horton, Frank Heath Place: Cat's Cradle, 206 West Franklin Street, Chapel Hill · Also named: Art WernerThe Daily Tar Heel, July 11, 1991, p. 3
  2. Chapel Hill approves the first phase of the Bolin Creek Greenway On September 23, 1991, the Chapel Hill Town Council unanimously approved the first phase of the Bolin Creek Greenway, a 10-foot-wide paved bicycle and pedestrian trail of about 4,200 feet from Airport Road near the police station toward Franklin Street, at a cost of $366,100, most of it from a state grant. Council members also said OWASA should answer for sewage that overflowed from manholes along its Bolin Creek line beside the trail. People: Cal Horton Place: Bolin Creek between Airport Road and Elizabeth Street, Chapel Hill · Also mentions: Bolin Creek, Airport Road, Franklin StreetSearch the index · The Daily Tar Heel, September 24, 1991, p. 3
  3. Chapel Hill begins a pilot of weekly curbside trash pickup in five neighborhoods Chapel Hill began collecting garbage once a week from 90-gallon roll-out carts at the curb, instead of twice a week from back yards, for 585 homes in Elkin Hills, Colonial Heights, Mount Bolus, Ironwoods and North Street-Cobb Terrace, with people over 65 and the disabled exempt. At a council hearing on February 17, 1992, solid waste administrator Gayle Wilson said the change could save more than $400,000 a year townwide while some residents called the carts ugly; the council was to decide in March whether to expand it. People: Cal Horton Place: Chapel Hill · Also named: Gayle WilsonSearch the index · The Daily Tar Heel, February 18, 1992, p. 1
  4. The Chapel Hill Town Council gives preliminary approval to splitting the public safety department into police and fire departments The council tentatively approved a task force proposal to end the public safety system, in place since 1976, under which 65 of the town's 118 officers were trained both as police officers and as firefighters, and to create separate police and fire departments. Town Manager Cal Horton put the added yearly cost at $135,000 to $149,000; final approval was set for January and the change for July 1992. People: Cal Horton, Jonathan Howes Place: Town Hall, Chapel HillSearch the index · The Daily Tar Heel, October 2, 1991, p. 3
  5. Chapel Hill, Carrboro and Orange County hold a joint hearing on the New Hope Corridor open space plan The town council, the Board of Aldermen, the county commissioners and the county planning board heard comment at Carrboro Elementary School on the New Hope Corridor Open Space Master Plan, which would link Eno River State Park, New Hope Creek and Corps of Engineers land at Jordan Lake as protected wildlife corridors with unpaved trails. The plan was put at $14.9 million to $26.4 million over 20 years, 85 percent paid by Durham; residents near landfill candidate Site 4 asked that the creek's headwaters be protected too. People: Cal Horton Place: Carrboro Elementary School, CarrboroSearch the index · The Daily Tar Heel, October 14, 1991, p. 3
  6. The Chapel Hill Town Council begins carrying out its crime task force's 49 recommendations The council agreed to begin carrying out the crime task force report, which found violent crime rising in line with state and national trends, counted 218 drunken-driving citations in Chapel Hill in 1990 and an average of 56 rapes reported a year in 1986-1990, and made 49 recommendations, among them a joint monitoring committee and stricter state sentencing. Task force chairman John Turner called it a serious problem. People: Cal Horton Place: Town Hall, Chapel Hill · Also named: John TurnerSearch the index · The Daily Tar Heel, October 16, 1991, p. 3
  7. Chapel Hill police chief Arnold Gold announces his retirement Arnold Gold, who joined the Chapel Hill force as a patrol officer 25 years earlier and had led it since 1987, said he would step down February 1, 1992. He said the timing alone decided it, not the coming split of the public safety department; Town Manager Cal Horton said no search had been planned yet. People: Cal Horton Place: Chapel Hill Police Department, Chapel Hill · Also named: Arnold GoldSearch the index · The Daily Tar Heel, October 16, 1991, p. 1
  8. Students march on Town Hall and Northside residents oppose the University Place condominiums About a dozen members of the Student Environmental Action Coalition marched to the Chapel Hill Town Hall before a public hearing on University Place, a proposed 98-unit student condominium complex of seven buildings on 14 acres off Clark Road beside Northside. Residents who filled the chamber cited traffic, parking for some 400 occupants, the clear-cutting of woods and leaks in OWASA's Bolin Creek sewer interceptor; Town Manager Cal Horton had recommended a permit with conditions. People: Mark Chilton, Cal Horton Place: Town Hall, Chapel HillThe Daily Tar Heel, October 22, 1991, p. 3
  9. The Chapel Hill Town Council asks UNC for immediate action on its power plant and monthly reports Acting on Town Manager Cal Horton's report on the plant, the council unanimously asked the University to act at once on noise, dust and light from its new power plant, to meet regularly with neighbors and town staff, and to report to the council each month. Planning Director Roger Waldon said UNC had clearly broken its 1986 special-use permit by not reporting violations within seven days; the University said it was seeking outside experts. People: Cal Horton Place: Town Hall, Chapel Hill · Also named: Roger WaldonThe Daily Tar Heel, October 29, 1991, p. 3
  10. Chapel Hill Town Council votes to comment on the state environmental review of University projects The council voted unanimously to take an active part in the review the N.C. Environmental Policy Act requires for state projects, so that council members, and not only the town manager's staff, could comment to the State Clearinghouse on the environmental effects of proposed University developments. The resolution gave the town no veto; University officials said they had long shared their plans, and council member Art Werner asked the manager for periodic reports on University construction. People: Cal Horton Place: Chapel Hill Town Hall, Chapel Hill · Also named: Art WernerSearch the index · The Daily Tar Heel, November 14, 1991, p. 1
  11. Chapel Hill adopts a resolution of intent to annex three areas The Chapel Hill Town Council approved on November 25, 1991, a resolution of intent to consider annexing the later phases of Southbridge north of Culbreth Road with the N.C. 54 West right-of-way, land along Culbreth Road south of town, and Chandler's Green with parts of Sweeten Creek Road east of town. A public hearing was set for February. People: Cal Horton Place: Southbridge, Culbreth Road and Chandler's Green, Chapel HillSearch the index · The Daily Tar Heel, December 3, 1991, p. 3
  12. Chapel Hill council agrees to quarterly planning sessions At its annual planning retreat on January 11, 1992, the Chapel Hill Town Council agreed to hold half-day planning sessions every three months and discussed downtown business, low-income housing, recreation fields and a possible move of Horace Williams Airport. People: Cal Horton Place: Chapel Hill Town Hall · Also mentions: Horace Williams AirportSearch the index · The Daily Tar Heel, January 13, 1992, p. 3
  13. Ralph Pendergraph is named interim Chapel Hill police chief Town Manager Cal Horton named Capt. Ralph Pendergraph, an 18-year veteran of the Chapel Hill Police Department, interim police chief on January 11, 1992, to take over when Chief Arnold Gold retired on February 1. Pendergraph said he would press the fight against the downtown drug trade; the town had 208 applications for the permanent job. People: Cal Horton Place: Chapel Hill Police Department · Also named: Ralph Pendergraph, Arnold GoldSearch the index · The Daily Tar Heel, January 15, 1992, p. 3
  14. Chapel Hill weighs dropping downtown private parking requirements The Chapel Hill Town Council voted unanimously on January 21, 1992, to send to the town manager and attorney a proposed downtown transportation management plan that would end the requirement that downtown businesses provide private parking. People: Cal Horton Place: Downtown Chapel HillSearch the index · The Daily Tar Heel, January 22, 1992, p. 1
  15. Chapel Hill offers an amnesty on unpaid parking tickets The Chapel Hill Town Council approved on January 27, 1992, a parking ticket amnesty forgiving half the late penalties on tickets paid between February 15 and March 15, to recover part of about $500,000 in unpaid fines, with lawsuits and collection agencies to follow. Enforcement had moved from the police to the transportation department, which began using a portable computer system on January 1. People: Cal Horton Place: Chapel HillSearch the index · The Daily Tar Heel, January 29, 1992, p. 1
  16. Chapel Hill puts leftover park bond money into Umstead Park and the Community Center The Chapel Hill Town Council voted unanimously on January 27, 1992, to spend $258,700 of the $273,630 left from the 1986 parks and open-space bonds on renovating Umstead Park and its building, with a new restroom and picnic shelter, and on the Community Center's gymnasium floor and pool heating. People: Cal Horton Place: Umstead Park and Chapel Hill Community Center, Chapel Hill · Also mentions: Umstead ParkSearch the index · The Daily Tar Heel, January 29, 1992, p. 3
  17. Chapel Hill opens its review of the Carolina Cable franchise with a public hearing Residents told the Chapel Hill Town Council and its new Cable Television Advisory Committee of slow service, old equipment and descrambler boxes that disabled the features of cable-ready sets and VCRs, at a hearing that began the town's review of Carolina Cable, whose 15-year franchise ran to December 1994. The council had appointed the committee, twelve residents and council member Roosevelt Wilkerson, on January 27. People: Cal Horton Place: Chapel Hill Town Hall · Also named: Roosevelt WilkersonSearch the index · The Daily Tar Heel, February 4, 1992, p. 3
  18. Carrboro aldermen join Chapel Hill in a joint task force on crime and drugs The Carrboro Board of Aldermen voted unanimously to adopt Chapel Hill Town Manager Cal Horton's recommendations for a joint task force on violent crime and illegal drug use, with a leadership and monitoring committee reporting to the governing boards and nine committees drawn from businesses and residents. Chapel Hill's own task force had reported in October 1991 that crime and drug use were widespread in both towns. People: Jacquelyn Gist, Ellie Kinnaird, Cal Horton Place: Carrboro Town HallSearch the index · The Daily Tar Heel, February 6, 1992, p. 3
  19. Chapel Hill Town Council sends the southern small area plan back for affordable housing rules The council accepted the general concepts of the Small Area Plan for the Southern Area, about 2,750 acres south of U.S. 15-501 and N.C. 54 and east of Smith Level Road laid out as a village for some 2,600 homes, but returned it to committee because nothing in it required affordable housing. Planning director Roger Waldon warned that without such rules the area might hold nothing but $500,000 houses. People: Mark Chilton, Cal Horton Place: South of U.S. 15-501 and N.C. 54, Chapel Hill planning area · Also named: Roger Waldon · Also mentions: N.C. 54, U.S. 15-501, Smith Level RoadSearch the index · The Daily Tar Heel, February 11, 1992, p. 3
  20. Chapel Hill Town Council adds drug-activity rules to its public housing leases The Chapel Hill Town Council unanimously adopted two changes to the town's public housing lease, one barring drug-related activity by tenants in or near public housing and one requiring the Housing Advisory Board to find a tenant guilty of drug or criminal activity by the greater weight of the evidence before an eviction. Public housing residents' leaders had asked for the stricter rules; a third resolution, letting tenants evicted on drug charges return if later found not guilty, went to the Housing Advisory Board for review. People: Cal Horton Place: Town Hall, Chapel HillSearch the index · The Daily Tar Heel, February 25, 1992, p. 1
  21. Chapel Hill Town Council backs the Orange Community Housing Corporation's Asheton Hill homes The council unanimously adopted a resolution to speed review of the Orange Community Housing Corporation's plan for 20 affordable single-family houses at Asheton Hill on Erwin Road, an eight-acre site earmarked in 1983 for 91 condominiums of which only 16 were built. The town also offered staff help and, under the manager's report, waived application and building permit fees for the houses, meant for families earning less than $34,940, 80 percent of the local median income. People: Cal Horton Place: Asheton Hill, Erwin Road, Chapel HillThe Daily Tar Heel, February 26, 1992, p. 3
  22. Chapel Hill Town Council decides to appoint a Citizens' Energy Task Force Acting on a residents' petition, the Chapel Hill Town Council decided to appoint a Citizens' Energy Task Force to weigh joining Green Lights, the federal Environmental Protection Agency's program for replacing inefficient lighting in town buildings. Town Manager Cal Horton said the town might not have the money or staff to meet the program's five-year terms in full, so the task force would review which parts fit Chapel Hill. People: Cal Horton Place: Town Hall, Chapel HillSearch the index · The Daily Tar Heel, February 25, 1992, p. 3
  23. Chapel Hill sends its road and bike lane requests to the state After a public hearing, the Chapel Hill Town Council unanimously approved sending its Transportation Improvement Program to the N.C. Board of Transportation and the Durham Urban Area Transportation Advisory Board, asking for more projects than before because a new federal law opened extra funds. The requests included widening N.C. 86 from Homestead Road to Interstate 40 and Weaver Dairy Road, extending the Bolin Creek Bikeway, building the Booker Creek Bikeway and adding bike lanes on Estes Drive, North Columbia Street and Piney Mountain Road. People: Cal Horton Place: Town Hall, Chapel Hill · Also mentions: Estes Drive, Homestead Road, North Columbia Street, Weaver Dairy RoadSearch the index · The Daily Tar Heel, March 20, 1992, p. 3
  24. Chapel Hill lets downtown developers offer transportation plans instead of parking The Chapel Hill Town Council unanimously amended its downtown parking ordinance so developers could submit a transportation management plan, with incentives such as free bus passes, bike racks, showers and carpool help, instead of providing parking or paying the town $7,200 for each space not provided. The council kept the power to require parking, and the developer of the proposed Pavilion on West Franklin Street, which would replace Cat's Cradle and a parking lot, said the change might let it go ahead. People: Cal Horton Place: Town Hall, Chapel Hill · Also mentions: Cat's CradleSearch the index · The Daily Tar Heel, March 24, 1992, p. 3
  25. Chapel Hill's anti-crime committees take the name Violent Crime and Drug Abuse Program Leaders of the committees formed on the recommendation of the town's 1991 task force on violent crime and drugs adopted the name Violent Crime and Drug Abuse Program and said no chairmen had yet been found. People: Cal Horton Place: Chapel HillSearch the index · The Daily Tar Heel, April 22, 1992, p. 3
  26. Chapel Hill Town Council lets police ticket cars parked on sidewalks The Chapel Hill Town Council voted unanimously to let police ticket cars parked on town sidewalks, a long habit of football fans and Sunday churchgoers. Tickets were to begin on Sunday mornings in mid-August and at football games with the October 3 game against Navy; interim police chief Ralph Pendergraph said about 500 cars had parked on sidewalks at home games the year before. People: Cal Horton Place: Chapel Hill · Also named: Ralph PendergraphSearch the index · The Daily Tar Heel, May 18, 1992, p. 3
  27. Chapel Hill Town Council backs outside mediation on moving Horace Williams Airport The Chapel Hill Town Council approved a preliminary process in which the University of Virginia's Institute for Environmental Negotiation would talk with UNC, Chapel Hill, Carrboro, Orange County and interested groups about relocating Horace Williams Airport, and named members Julie Andresen and Joe Capowski to represent the town. The town-gown Coordination and Consultation Committee had recommended the step on May 18, with the $15,000 cost to be split among the four governments. People: Cal Horton Place: Chapel Hill Town Hall · Also named: Julie Andresen, Joe Capowski · Also mentions: Horace Williams AirportThe Daily Tar Heel, May 28, 1992, p. 3
  28. Town Manager Cal Horton names Ralph Pendergraph chief of the Chapel Hill police On July 6, 1992, Chapel Hill Town Manager Cal Horton appointed Ralph Pendergraph, a 48-year-old Orange County native who had joined the department in 1973 and served five months as interim chief after Arnold Gold resigned, as police chief at $51,557 a year. Pendergraph said his priorities were pushing the open-air drug market out of the area near the Carrboro line and computerizing the department. People: Cal Horton Place: Chapel Hill Police Department, Chapel Hill · Also named: Ralph Pendergraph, Arnold GoldSearch the index · The Daily Tar Heel, July 9, 1992, p. 3
  29. Orange County's revaluation raises Chapel Hill property values an average 14 percent The countywide revaluation, done every six years, took effect January 1 and raised Chapel Hill property values an average 14 percent, Town Manager Cal Horton said. Presenting his preliminary 1993-94 budget in March, Horton proposed lowering the town tax rate from 62.125 to 60.25 cents per $100 of value, though most owners would still pay more. People: Cal Horton Place: Chapel HillSearch the index · The Daily Tar Heel, March 2, 1993, p. 3
  30. Census Bureau names Chapel Hill in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill metropolitan area Under a new census rule letting places of very different size share a regional title, Chapel Hill was officially named in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill metropolitan area, the Daily Tar Heel reported. Chamber of Commerce president Joel Harper hoped it would draw business and federal money, while council member Joe Herzenberg called it recognition of an existing reality. People: Cal Horton Place: Chapel Hill · Also named: Joel Harper, Joe HerzenbergSearch the index · The Daily Tar Heel, January 8, 1993, p. 3
  31. Chapel Hill Town Council funds the Midway Development Commission The council unanimously approved a $6,000 grant to promote Black-owned businesses and housing in the Midway district between Chapel Hill and Carrboro. James Brittian, NAACP president and the commission's project development coordinator, said the money would bring in millions. People: James Brittian, Cal Horton Place: Chapel HillSearch the index · The Daily Tar Heel, January 12, 1993, p. 1 (Council OKs grant for black-owned Midway businesses)
  32. Chapel Hill Town Council recommends street designs that favor walkers and cyclists The council unanimously approved a town manager's report urging that new streets be built with winding, tree-lined lanes, median strips and easily seen walkways to slow drivers and serve pedestrians and bicyclists. Advisory boards were to use it in reviewing new developments. People: Cal Horton Place: Town Hall, Chapel HillSearch the index · The Daily Tar Heel, January 15, 1993, p. 3
  33. Chapel Hill substantiates one of four racial discrimination complaints by transportation workers On February 11, 1993, Chapel Hill officials said a town investigation had substantiated only one of four complaints of racial harassment, slurs and discrimination that transportation department employees had filed against superiors earlier that week; the one upheld involved a racial joke. Transportation director Bob Godding acknowledged racism in the department but denied it was significant, Town Manager Cal Horton said employees should attend diversity training, and Mayor Ken Broun said the problems were being worked out. People: Cal Horton Place: Chapel Hill Transit, Chapel Hill · Also named: Bob Godding, Ken BrounSearch the index · The Daily Tar Heel, February 12, 1993, p. 3
  34. Chapel Hill Town Council hears debate on a charter nondiscrimination clause covering sexual orientation At a public hearing on February 16, 1993, the Chapel Hill Town Council heard sharp debate over council member Joe Herzenberg's proposal to write into the town charter that the town would carry out all its functions without discrimination because of race, creed or religion, gender, national origin, economic status or "affectional orientation." A resident opposed the clause as unneeded, while Orange County special registration commissioner Erik Ose and B-GLAD members backed it, and Herzenberg and Mark Chilton said a charter clause, unlike the comprehensive plan's policy, could not simply be revoked. People: Mark Chilton, Cal Horton Place: Town Hall, Chapel Hill · Also named: Joe Herzenberg, Erik OseSearch the index · The Daily Tar Heel, February 17, 1993, p. 3
  35. Chapel Hill Town Council forms a committee to bring computers to the police department The council passed a resolution forming a citizens' committee under council member Joe Capowski to oversee a computer system, expected to cost about $50,000, for a police department that still kept its records on index cards. People: Cal Horton Place: Town Hall, Chapel Hill · Also named: Joe CapowskiSearch the index · The Daily Tar Heel, April 1, 1993, p. 3
  36. About 20,000 fans celebrate UNC's NCAA basketball title on Franklin Street After UNC beat Michigan 77-71 for the national championship, an estimated 20,000 to 25,000 people filled Franklin Street that night; some threw paint on storefronts and bottles into the crowd and pulled down trees, and 130 police officers with help from other agencies watched over the crowd. Town officials put the damage at about $20,000 and asked the University to share the cost. People: Cal Horton Place: Franklin Street, Chapel HillThe Daily Tar Heel, April 7, 1993, p. 1
  37. UNC agrees to help Chapel Hill pay for the NCAA celebration damage In April 1993 UNC agreed to pay Chapel Hill $1,500 to replace five trees and $500 toward paint removal and security after the April 5 NCAA championship celebration on Franklin Street, which cost the town about $11,200. People: Cal Horton Place: Franklin Street, Chapel HillSearch the index · The Daily Tar Heel, May 27, 1993, p. 2
  38. Fire destroys the Umstead Park recreation center Early on June 23, 1993 fire burned a play structure and then the Umstead Recreation Center at Umstead Park, which dated from 1959 and had been renovated for about $45,000 in 1992. Fire officials suspected arson, and the town removed the ruined building and planned to rebuild away from the Bolin Creek flood plain. People: Cal Horton Place: Umstead Park, Umstead Drive, Chapel Hill · Also mentions: Bolin CreekSearch the index · The Daily Tar Heel, July 1, 1993, p. 3
  39. The Chapel Hill Town Council adopts the 1993-94 budget On June 28, 1993 the Chapel Hill Town Council adopted its 1993-94 budget 7-2, setting a tax rate of 59.1 cents per $100, which after county revaluation meant about a 6.2 percent tax increase. The budget added two narcotics investigators, downtown lighting, pay raises and $324,000 to connect four neighborhoods to sewer lines; Julie Andresen and Joyce Brown voted no. People: Cal Horton Place: Town Hall, Chapel Hill · Also named: Julie Andresen, Joyce BrownSearch the index · The Daily Tar Heel, July 1, 1993, p. 1
  40. Chapel Hill Town Council holds two crowded public hearings on handgun control More than 300 people packed Town Hall on September 7 for a hearing on possible local gun-control rules, and most of the roughly 60 speakers opposed new limits; a second hearing the next night heard about 30 more, mostly from out of town. Town Attorney Ralph Karpinos advised that the town could not ban handguns outright but could bar guns at public assemblies, on downtown streets and in the hands of people using drugs or alcohol. People: Cal Horton Place: Town Hall, 306 North Columbia Street, Chapel Hill · Also named: Ralph KarpinosSearch the index · The Daily Tar Heel, September 8, 1993, p. 1
  41. Chapel Hill Town Council bans smoking in town buildings and Chapel Hill Transit buses Voting unanimously on September 13, the council turned town smoking policy into an ordinance barring smoking in town-owned or managed buildings, in Chapel Hill Transit vehicles and in bus shelters enclosed on more than two sides, ahead of a new state law that froze local smoking rules after October 15. Members said they wanted stricter rules but feared a court challenge. People: Cal Horton Place: Town Hall, Chapel Hill · Also mentions: Chapel Hill TransitSearch the index · The Daily Tar Heel, September 14, 1993, p. 1
  42. Chapel Hill Town Council splits public safety into separate police and fire services Voting unanimously on October 13, the council ended the town's 17-year-old public safety system of officers cross-trained as police and firefighters, as Town Manager Cal Horton recommended. The town was to hire 10 firefighters by January, freeing four officers for downtown patrol from December, at about $311,000 a year; Mayor Ken Broun said the rise in crime made it the right time. People: Cal Horton Place: Town Hall, Chapel Hill · Also named: Ken BrounSearch the index · The Daily Tar Heel, October 15, 1993, p. 1
  43. Chapel Hill Town Council opens talks to put a local history museum in the old library The Town Council voted on October 25 to begin negotiations to bring the Chapel Hill Historical Society and the Orange-Person-Chatham Mental Health Authority into the old public library building on East Franklin Street, the society for a local history museum and the authority for offices, possibly by the next summer. The council also let the manager look for rent-paying tenants for the basement, which he had proposed for the parks and recreation department. People: Cal Horton Place: Old library building, East Franklin Street, Chapel Hill · Also mentions: East Franklin StreetSearch the index · The Daily Tar Heel, October 26, 1993, p. 3
  44. Chapel Hill pledges repairs after public housing residents show the council their conditions After public housing residents showed Town Council members a videotape of broken pipes, holes in walls, sewage backing into sinks and unsafe playgrounds, the town manager presented a report on October 25 promising to fix plumbing and structural damage, repaint apartments, inspect every unit each quarter and meet regularly with residents. Public housing director Tina Vaughn said the 18 apartments of residents who had complained would be repaired first and the rest upgraded with a $433,000 HUD modernization grant; residents' council leaders said they doubted the town's commitment. People: Cal Horton Place: Town Hall, Chapel Hill · Also named: Tina VaughnSearch the index · The Daily Tar Heel, October 27, 1993, p. 1 · Also: The Daily Tar Heel, November 17, 1993, p. 2
  45. Chapel Hill holds its last public hearing on five gun-control ordinances Fewer than 140 people came to the hearing at the Chapel Hill High School Cultural Events Center, where more than 60 speakers had three minutes each on the five proposals drafted by Town Attorney Ralph Karpinos, among them limits on displaying guns while drinking, at polling places and at public assemblies, and a ban on semi-automatic weapons holding 20 or more rounds off one's own property. The Daily Tar Heel reported Chapel Hill residents 2 to 1 in favor and out-of-town speakers mostly opposed; the council set its vote for November 22. People: Cal Horton Place: Chapel Hill High School Cultural Events Center, Chapel Hill · Also named: Ralph KarpinosSearch the index · The Daily Tar Heel, November 5, 1993, p. 1
  46. Chapel Hill Town Council funds a Streetscape pilot and writes the plan into its comprehensive plan The council voted on November 22 to spend $28,000 on a pilot section of Streetscape, the $4.8 million plan to fix sidewalks, add crosswalks, improve lighting, bury utility wires and add small parks along Franklin and Rosemary streets between Hillsborough Street and the Carrboro line. The pilot was to run along West Franklin Street from Ham's restaurant to Chapel Hill Cleaners; the council also made Streetscape part of the town's comprehensive plan and formed a committee to look for public money to pay for the rest. People: Cal Horton Place: Franklin and Rosemary streets, Chapel HillSearch the index · The Daily Tar Heel, November 23, 1993, p. 3
  47. Chapel Hill makes the Gimghoul neighborhood its third local historic district The Chapel Hill Town Council voted unanimously on November 22 to make the Gimghoul neighborhood a local historic district, the town's third after the McCauley-Cameron neighborhood and the Franklin Street area east of the campus. The Gimghoul Homeowners Association had sought the designation since January, and owners would now face closer review of changes to their houses. People: Cal Horton Place: Gimghoul neighborhood, Chapel Hill · Also mentions: Franklin StreetSearch the index · The Daily Tar Heel, November 30, 1993, p. 3
  48. Chapel Hill Town Council agrees at its retreat to hire more police, with officers for Northside and Pine Knolls At its annual retreat at the Friday Center the council agreed in concept to start hiring more police, including neighborhood officers for Pine Knolls and Northside near downtown, and asked the town manager for 1994-95 budget choices running from no tax increase to 3.7 cents. People: Cal Horton Place: William and Ida Friday Center, Chapel Hill · Also mentions: Pine KnollsThe Daily Tar Heel, January 18, 1994, p. 3
  49. A Black Chapel Hill transportation worker sues the town over racial harassment A Black service attendant in the maintenance division of the Chapel Hill Transportation Department filed a civil suit against the town, its transportation director and two maintenance supervisors, saying co-workers taunted him with racial jokes and slurs and hung a noose in the garage, and that he was harassed after he complained. His complaint stated that the town manager and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission had found racially discriminatory acts in the department in June and July 1993; it sought promotion with back pay, a task force on discrimination and supervisor training in Black history and culture. People: Alan McSurely, Cal Horton Place: Chapel Hill Transportation Department, Chapel HillSearch the index · The Daily Tar Heel, February 22, 1994, p. 3
  50. Public housing residents press the town manager and police chief on repairs and security At a Chapel Hill-Carrboro Residents' Council meeting on February 8, public housing residents told Town Manager Cal Horton and Police Chief Ralph Pendergraph that they had heard promises of repairs before, and Pendergraph presented a plan to assign officers to particular neighborhoods. The town said renovation of 14 of the 20 apartments shown in the council's October 1993 video would be finished that week; council chairwoman Joann Shirer called the housing department's new mail-in repair evaluation cards more paperwork and asked for visits instead. People: Cal Horton Place: Chapel Hill public housing communities, Chapel Hill · Also named: Ralph Pendergraph, Joann ShirerSearch the index · The Daily Tar Heel, February 14, 1994, p. 3
  51. Chapel Hill Town Council keeps Apple Chill on East Franklin Street On February 14 the Town Council turned down Town Manager Cal Horton's proposal to move the April 10 Apple Chill street fair to West Franklin Street, where police said they could provide better security and the wider street could hold 30 more vendors, and left the fair between Columbia and Henderson streets. The Rev. John Manley of First Baptist Church spoke for five West Franklin churches whose Sunday services the fair would disrupt, Downtown Commission director Robert Humphreys reported that East Franklin merchants mostly wanted the fair kept, and Festifall stayed on West Franklin, where it had been held since 1990. People: Cal Horton Place: East Franklin Street between Columbia and Henderson streets, Chapel Hill · Also named: John Manley, Robert Humphreys · Also mentions: West FranklinSearch the index · The Daily Tar Heel, February 15, 1994, p. 3
  52. Chapel Hill Town Council approves formal cooperation between the Chapel Hill and Carrboro fire departments The council approved a report by town managers Cal Horton and Robert Morgan calling for shared purchasing, joint training, common procedures and joint public education by the two fire departments, with annual reports to the governing boards; both fire chiefs supported it. A study by N.C. State's Charles Coe, ordered by both towns in July 1993, had favored joint operations but rejected a full merger as too costly. The Carrboro aldermen were to take up the plan March 1. People: Cal Horton, Ellie Kinnaird Place: Chapel Hill Town Hall, Chapel Hill · Also named: Robert MorganSearch the index · The Daily Tar Heel, March 1, 1994, p. 3
  53. Chapel Hill Town Council creates a Special Committee on Public Housing that includes residents Responding to residents' complaints about disrepair in town public housing, the council voted 8-0 to form a committee of public housing residents, town representatives and at-large members to recommend improvements and move toward resident management, with a report due by late September. The same night Town Manager Cal Horton reported that 11 of the 20 apartments named in residents' October petition had been repaired and that 41 more needed substantial work. People: Cal Horton, Mark Chilton Place: Chapel Hill Town Hall, Chapel HillSearch the index · The Daily Tar Heel, March 2, 1994, p. 1
  54. Chapel Hill Town Council leases the old Franklin Street library to UNC's Principals' Executive Program After two hours of debate the council voted 6-3 to lease the old public library at 523 East Franklin Street, left empty by the library's move to Estes Drive, to the UNC-system Principals' Executive Program for three years instead of the five it sought. It passed over the Orange-Person-Chatham mental health authority and residents who wanted a town-gown history museum there; Town Manager Cal Horton had also proposed a study group to finance a museum that might take the building later. People: Cal Horton, Mark Chilton Place: Old Chapel Hill Public Library, 523 East Franklin Street, Chapel Hill · Also mentions: East Franklin Street, Estes DriveSearch the index · The Daily Tar Heel, March 1, 1994, p. 1
  55. Public housing residents send HUD a videotape of conditions in Chapel Hill's apartments The Chapel Hill-Carrboro Residents' Council sent the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development a video and a package documenting leaky faucets, holes in walls, torn screens and broken doors in town public housing. HUD's Greensboro office said it would review the management of the 13 complexes and ask Housing Director Tina Vaughn why her department's inspections had rated them 85 when the video showed far worse. People: Cal Horton Place: Chapel Hill public housing · Also named: Tina VaughnSearch the index · The Daily Tar Heel, March 14, 1994, p. 1
  56. Chapel Hill's housing advisory board asks the council for local money to maintain public housing The Housing and Community Development Advisory Board voted to ask the Town Council for local funds for preventive maintenance and painting, with a five-year cycle for every unit, and for Public Works and Parks and Recreation to keep up grounds and playgrounds; public housing had relied wholly on federal money since 1987. Only three residents came, and a police patrol paid from $187,000 in federal drug grants had ended about two weeks earlier. People: Cal Horton Place: Chapel HillSearch the index · The Daily Tar Heel, March 14, 1994, p. 3
  57. Chapel Hill's town manager sets limits on paid administrative leave After council members learned that a police sergeant had been on paid administrative leave since August 1993 over noncriminal allegations without their being told, Town Manager Cal Horton set a policy on March 28 that no town employee could stay on leave more than two weeks without his approval and that the council be told after four weeks. People: Cal Horton Place: Town Hall, Chapel HillSearch the index · The Daily Tar Heel, March 30, 1994, p. 1
  58. Chapel Hill Town Council puts off ordering Cablevision refunds The Town Council suspended for 60 days an order making Cablevision of Chapel Hill refund subscribers while a Minnesota consultant interpreted new federal cable rate rules; Town Manager Cal Horton said any overcharge, up to 6 cents a month, came from faulty FCC inflation tables. People: Cal Horton Place: Town Hall, Chapel HillSearch the index · The Daily Tar Heel, March 23, 1994, p. 3
  59. Chapel Hill fires a police sergeant after eight months of paid leave On Chief Ralph Pendergraph's recommendation, accepted by Town Manager Cal Horton, the town dismissed a sergeant with ten years on the force who had been on paid administrative leave since August 7, 1993, over noncriminal allegations, among them driving a town vehicle without a valid license and misusing the state police information network. Her attorney said she had been denied a hearing and had filed three grievances alleging sex discrimination in the department; town officials said state law kept them from commenting. People: Cal Horton Place: Chapel Hill Police Department, Chapel Hill · Also named: Ralph PendergraphSearch the index · The Daily Tar Heel, April 14, 1994, p. 1
  60. Chapel Hill police open a substation on North Graham Street As part of the Bicentennial day, Mayor Ken Broun cut the ribbon on a police substation in a former office at 109 North Graham Street, renovated with donated materials and volunteer labor from local developers and residents, among them the Midway Development Commission. Chief Ralph Pendergraph said the department chose the area for its high-crime reputation and to balance the COP Shop at University Mall in east Chapel Hill, and that volunteers rather than paid staff would keep the office running. People: Cal Horton Place: 109 North Graham Street, Chapel Hill · Also named: Ken Broun, Ralph Pendergraph · Also mentions: University Mall, North Graham StreetThe Daily Tar Heel, April 25, 1994, p. 3
  61. Town manager gives the UNC power plant a year to finish noise and ash controls On May 27 Chapel Hill Town Manager Cal Horton gave the University until June 9, 1995, to add noise abatement at its Cameron Avenue power plant and an acceptable enclosure for handling ash, with monthly status reports. UNC said it had already installed quieter equipment and cut noise and light from the plant in response to neighbors' complaints. People: Cal Horton Place: University power plant, West Cameron Avenue, Chapel Hill · Also mentions: Cameron Avenue power plantThe Daily Tar Heel, June 2, 1994, p. 3
  62. Chapel Hill Town Council orders a survey of West Franklin merchants before the Streetscape pilot After about a dozen West Franklin Street merchants objected at a May 31 meeting and planners postponed the Streetscape pilot between Ham's Restaurant and Chapel Hill Cleaners, nine merchants spoke for the plan at the June 13 council meeting. The council voted 6-2 to authorize a formal survey of and meeting with landowners and businesses on the block, leaving room to move the pilot elsewhere if opposition held. People: Cal Horton Place: West Franklin Street, Chapel HillSearch the index · The Daily Tar Heel, June 16, 1994, p. 4
  63. Chapel Hill Town Council turns down a mental health lease and reopens bidding for the old library After UNC found it could not lease the old Franklin Street library for its Principals' Executive Program, the council on June 13 voted 6-2 against a five-year lease to the Orange-Person-Chatham Mental Health Center and set August 22 to hear new bids; the Chapel Hill Day Care Center and backers of a town museum were also bidding. People: Cal Horton, Mark Chilton Place: Old Chapel Hill Public Library, Franklin Street, Chapel Hill · Also mentions: Orange-Person-Chatham Mental Health Center, Franklin StreetSearch the index · The Daily Tar Heel, June 16, 1994, p. 3
  64. Fired police sergeant sues Chapel Hill, alleging harassment of women officers On June 20 a former Chapel Hill police sergeant, fired in April after months of paid administrative leave on noncriminal policy charges, sued the town, alleging that female officers in the department suffered sexual harassment and discrimination; her grievance hearing before the town personnel appeals committee was postponed twice that summer. People: Cal Horton Place: Chapel Hill Police Department, Chapel HillSearch the index · The Daily Tar Heel, August 26, 1994, p. 3
  65. Chapel Hill Town Council declines to require fire sprinklers in new buildings Facing objections from businesses, builders and the school board's attorney, the council did not adopt two proposed ordinances requiring sprinklers in new and renovated buildings and in new residential buildings of three or more units, which the town manager had urged after the 1992 Intimate Bookshop and Eastgate Food Lion fires. People: Cal Horton Place: Town Hall, Chapel Hill · Also mentions: Intimate BookshopSearch the index · The Daily Tar Heel, June 30, 1994, p. 3
  66. Chapel Hill Town Council sends the Streetscape pilot on West Franklin Street ahead Over objections from some merchants, the Town Council voted on July 5 to begin the first Streetscape work on West Franklin Street from Ham's restaurant to Chapel Hill Cleaners, replacing sidewalks and adding street lamps and planters; Joyce Brown cast the only no vote. Work began July 8 with the removal of a tree in front of Ham's, and by late August the crew had passed the midpoint of the 12-week, 400-foot pilot, which also buried power lines, as a model for the $4.8 million downtown plan. By mid-October the new sidewalks and paving were in, at about $28,000 of the $33,000 set aside. People: Cal Horton Place: West Franklin Street, Chapel Hill · Also named: Joyce BrownSearch the index · The Daily Tar Heel, July 7, 1994, p. 4 · Also: The Daily Tar Heel, October 18, 1994, p. 3
  67. Chapel Hill asks the FCC whether it may limit Cablevision's converter boxes With franchise renewal talks stalled over Cablevision of Chapel Hill's use of converter boxes for basic channels, the Town Council on July 5 asked the Federal Communications Commission whether the town could require some channels without a box and set public discussion of the franchise for the fall; on August 22 it passed two resolutions giving the staff room to negotiate before the franchise expired in December. People: Cal Horton Place: Chapel Hill Town Hall, Chapel HillSearch the index · The Daily Tar Heel, July 7, 1994, p. 4
  68. Chapel Hill town employees receive merit raises under the new budget Raises approved in the council's July budget took effect for the town's roughly 520 employees, ranging from 2 percent for those needing improvement to 5 percent for the top-rated tenth of each department, with 5 percent raises voted separately for the town manager and town attorney; council members got none. People: Cal Horton Place: Town Hall, Chapel HillSearch the index · The Daily Tar Heel, September 12, 1994, p. 2
  69. Chapel Hill Town Council refers a proposed rezoning of UNC's Horace Williams tract to the town manager On September 19 the Town Council referred to Town Manager Cal Horton a proposal to rezone part of the University's Horace Williams property, between the town's extraterritorial line and the airport, from Office/Institutional-3, which had no height or use limits, to the more restrictive OI-2. Vice Chancellor Wayne Jones said the University saw no need to rezone before its plan was made; council members Mark Chilton and Joe Capowski backed the change and Pat Evans called it a statement of mistrust. People: Mark Chilton, Cal Horton Place: Chapel Hill Town Hall, Chapel Hill · Also named: Joe Capowski, Pat Evans, Wayne JonesThe Daily Tar Heel, September 20, 1994, p. 1
  70. Chapel Hill suspends its parking services superintendent after an audit finds receipts may be missing On Sept. 26 Chapel Hill suspended its parking services superintendent without pay after an in-depth audit ordered by Town Manager Cal Horton found that parking money might be missing; the audit also found daily records for the Rosemary Street deck and Municipal Lot 5 missing, and the matter went to the Chapel Hill police, who said they were not investigating the superintendent. Finance Director Jim Baker put the year's parking revenue at about $950,000. People: Cal Horton Place: Chapel Hill · Also named: Jim Baker · Also mentions: Rosemary StreetSearch the index · The Daily Tar Heel, October 7, 1994, p. 1
  71. Chapel Hill Town Council puts off rezoning the Horace Williams tract after Chancellor Hardin's request On Oct. 10 the Town Council deferred until Oct. 24 a proposal to rezone the University's 970-acre Horace Williams tract from its 1956 OI-3 zoning, which Council member Mark Chilton called almost no zoning at all, to the stricter OI-2. The week before, Chancellor Paul Hardin had asked the town to wait 18 months, or until 90 days after the University adopted a land-use plan, and pledged that UNC would submit no development plan meanwhile; Mayor Ken Broun said the letter changed his mind, and the council planned a 19-member citizens' committee while UNC named a faculty committee. People: Mark Chilton, Cal Horton Place: Town Hall, Chapel Hill · Also named: Paul Hardin, Ken Broun · Also mentions: Horace Williams tractThe Daily Tar Heel, October 11, 1994, p. 1
  72. Residents oppose widening South Columbia Street at a Chapel Hill council forum At an Oct. 19 public forum on a state offer to study improving South Columbia Street between Purefoy Road and Mason Farm Road, most speakers, including the Orange County Greens, opposed four or five lanes and asked for sidewalks and bike lanes; Mayor Ken Broun said the town should have the main voice, and Town Manager Cal Horton was to advise the council. The council had rejected a five-lane plan in 1990 and 1993. People: Cal Horton Place: Town Hall, Chapel Hill · Also named: Ken Broun · Also mentions: South Columbia StreetSearch the index · The Daily Tar Heel, October 20, 1994, p. 3
  73. Chapel Hill's internal audit finds about $35,000 missing from town parking receipts Town Finance Director Jim Baker reported on October 21 that an internal audit ordered by Town Manager Cal Horton's office had found incomplete reports for 307 of the 410 days of records checked at town lots, including Municipal Lot No. 5 at Church and Rosemary streets and the Rosemary Street Parking Deck, and an estimated $35,000 missing. Parking Services was the first department examined in the town's first concentrated audit of its cash handling, begun September 26, and the Chapel Hill police opened an investigation. People: Cal Horton Place: Chapel Hill Town Hall · Also named: Jim BakerSearch the index · The Daily Tar Heel, October 24, 1994, p. 1
  74. About 35,000 people crowd Franklin Street for Halloween Chapel Hill police estimated the Halloween crowd on Franklin Street at about 35,000, which Capt. Barry Thompson called the largest the town had ever had, larger than the 1993 NCAA championship celebration. The street was closed at 10 p.m. from Raleigh Street to Columbia Street, 110 officers from six agencies patrolled, state Alcohol Law Enforcement agents cited 20 people for 28 violations, and police made 11 arrests. People: Cal Horton Place: Franklin Street, Chapel Hill · Also named: Barry Thompson · Also mentions: Columbia StreetSearch the index · The Daily Tar Heel, November 2, 1994, p. 1
  75. Chancellor Hardin lifts his ban on Grateful Dead concerts at the Smith Center Chancellor Paul Hardin approved the Smith Center as a possible spring stop on the Grateful Dead's tour after center director Jeff Elliott asked to book the band for the money it brought the building; Hardin said the canceled 1994 shows had conflicted with Bicentennial events. Town Manager Cal Horton said he still opposed the band's return because of traffic, drug sales and crime, but called it the University's decision. People: Cal Horton Place: Dean E. Smith Center, Chapel Hill · Also named: Paul Hardin, Jeff ElliottSearch the index · The Daily Tar Heel, October 28, 1994, p. 1
  76. Chapel Hill Town Council holds a public hearing on the Meadowmont plan for the Dubose property East West Partners presented its revised master plan for Meadowmont, a community on the 425-acre Dubose property straddling N.C. 54 in eastern Chapel Hill, built around a village center and calling for up to about 2,000 homes, 1.5 million square feet of commercial space and about 500,000 square feet of office space, with the land rezoned from Residential-1 to a mixed-use district. After residents spoke for and against parts of the plan and council member Joe Capowski said it was designed for much more shopping than a village, the council asked Town Manager Cal Horton to draft answers to its questions and set the next hearing for February 20. People: Cal Horton Place: Chapel Hill Town Hall · Also named: Joe Capowski · Also mentions: Meadowmont, N.C. 54Search the index · The Daily Tar Heel, November 3, 1994, p. 1
  77. Chapel Hill Town Council approves the second phase of the U.S. 15-501 corridor study Working with Durham and the state Department of Transportation, the council approved a second study of the crowded U.S. 15-501 corridor to Durham, weighing a widening to six lanes, which council member Joe Capowski estimated at $80 million to $120 million, against a light rail line at about $360 million. The same night it asked the state for a feasibility study of turn and bike lanes on South Columbia Street. People: Cal Horton Place: U.S. 15-501 between Chapel Hill and Durham · Also named: Joe Capowski · Also mentions: U.S. 15-501, South Columbia StreetSearch the index · The Daily Tar Heel, November 16, 1994, p. 3
  78. Chapel Hill Town Council sets up a committee to review the Meadowmont proposal The council created a short-term advisory committee, led by the planning board, to evaluate East West Partners' proposal to develop 425 acres of the DuBose property astride N.C. 54, a plan the paper said could bring up to 2,000 homes. The committee was to meet with the developers in January on the kind and amount of development the land should hold. People: Cal Horton Place: DuBose property, N.C. 54, Chapel Hill · Also mentions: N.C. 54Search the index · The Daily Tar Heel, November 16, 1994, p. 3
  79. Chapel Hill Town Council sets aside $130,000 for new sidewalks The council passed a resolution directing $130,000 to sidewalks on East Franklin Street, Willow Drive, Fordham Boulevard and Merritt Mill Road, and the town manager proposed sharing the Merritt Mill Road work, which alone could top $50,000, with Carrboro. The same night the council heard Cal Horton's proposals to streamline review of major developments by merging advisory boards. People: Cal Horton Place: Chapel Hill · Also mentions: East Franklin Street, Merritt Mill RoadSearch the index · The Daily Tar Heel, December 6, 1994, p. 3
  80. Black public works employees bring a discrimination charge against the Town of Chapel Hill The Black Public Works Association, with the NAACP's help, filed a charge with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission alleging racial discrimination in promotions, pay and training in Chapel Hill's Public Works Department, where about 75 of some 110 employees were Black and none were managers. The EEOC assigned an investigator in the summer of 1996. People: Alan McSurely, Cal Horton Place: Chapel HillSearch the index · The Daily Tar Heel, August 19, 1996, p. 19
  81. Orange Regional Landfill takes Hurricane Fran yard waste free as Chapel Hill faces tens of thousands of tons of debris The Orange Regional Landfill on Eubanks Road accepted yard waste at no charge until further notice. Town Manager Cal Horton estimated Chapel Hill had 25,000 to 40,000 tons of fallen limbs and trees and said the town would eventually remove curbside debris, while urging residents to haul debris to the landfill themselves. People: Cal Horton Place: Chapel Hill; Orange Regional Landfill · Also mentions: Eubanks RoadThe Daily Tar Heel: Officials: cleanup process efficient, September 11, 1996
  82. Duke University easement to NASA stalls landfill candidate site OC-17 Chapel Hill's manager reported that Duke University had filed an easement in favor of NASA on candidate site OC-17, leaving the towns unable to test the land. The council voted 8 to 0 to have the town attorney write to the U.S. Attorney and called an Assembly of Governments for October 22, 1997. People: Cal Horton Place: Chapel HillTown of Chapel Hill: Minutes of the Town Council, October 13, 1997
  83. Cal Horton retires after sixteen years as Chapel Hill's town manager Horton retired in 2006 after the longest tenure of any Chapel Hill town manager. At his request, money raised in his honor went to a town award for employees who have given at least ten years of exceptional service, now the Cal Horton Service Award. Place: Chapel HillSearch the index · Chapelboro: Town of Chapel Hill Issues 2023 Service Award to Public Works Employee (Brighton McConnell, October 5, 2023)

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People named in the same events

People named in the same dated entries as Cal Horton, those sharing the most entries first. Each line links one of the shared entries in the chronology, where its source is cited. A shared entry shows these people in the same event, not how well they knew each other.

Research sources

Sources and research tools for this person. For ready-made searches of other catalogs, see Search further. Research guide: Trace a family through historical records.

Collections and databases

  • NC LIVE: prepared search for Cal Horton Library card Search NC LIVE for this subject and Orange County. You can change the search terms. Sign in through your North Carolina library to access the materials.
  • Ancestry Library Edition In the libraryOrange County Public Library Census, birth, death and marriage records, and more, free on the public computers at OCPL libraries

Local help

Search further

Search other catalogs and collections for this name. Results may include other people with the same name and have not been reviewed by the Friends.

Books about Cal Horton

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Photographs, papers, and newspapers

Historical records and collections

These searches use Cal Horton’s name without birth or death dates, so results may include namesakes. Links open in a new tab.

Found a book OCPL doesn’t own? You can often borrow it through interlibrary loan at OCPL.

More to discover

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Two mice reading back to back against a leaf, with the hand-lettered words Friends of the Orange County Public Library
Illustration by Caldecott Medalist Matthew Cordell, gifted to the Friends 2026