👋 Good Morning, Apex! Today is Thursday, May 21, 2026 and this is the 72nd consecutive weekly issue of The Peak Weekly.

I want to start by saying Happy Memorial Day. I’m grateful to live in a community that never forgets and continues to honor those who gave everything.

The Apex American Legion Post 124 will be hosting the Memorial Day Ceremony on Monday in front of Fire Station 1 downtown at 9:30am. The road will be closed from 9am-11am and GoApex Route 1 will operate on a detour.

Lots of other great events this week in Apex and I have also updated the “A Look Ahead” section at the bottom of this email with some things to look forward to in June so make sure to give that a look and add some things to your calendar.

Lastly before we jump into all the good stuff, The Peak Daily is officially sitting in the Apple and Google app stores pending a final review.

It should be live any day now. What is it exactly? Well… it’s everything you need to know about Apex in your pocket. A morning daily brief, events, real-time alerts (you choose what you want to see), tons of interactive maps… there are 32 different tools and growing. You just kind of have to see it to believe it :)

Note: The app is not free. It’s the first thing I’ve ever done since starting this newsletter that isn’t free. BUT… it’s only $3.99/mo and you get to try it out free for 7 days to see if it’s worth it. With all the different tools and costs to maintain the fees associated with it, I just have no option but to attach a small cost to it, but I kept it as low as possible.

I’ll post on my Instagram as soon as it gets approved. Try it out. Subscribe. Or don’t! No pressure. Either way, The Peak Weekly isn’t going anywhere.

Here’s a one-pager that shows off several of the features of the app.

Miscellaneous Info:

🚛 Three Day Weekend
Town facilities will be closed on Monday, May 25th. Trash and recycling will be delayed by one day for all routes next week.

🦺 Volunteer Opportunities
The Town of Apex keeps a running list of open volunteer opportunities. You can view them and sign up here.

🌊 Splashlantis Opening Day
The splash pad will open on weekends (Saturdays/Sundays) starting on this Saturday, May 23. On Monday, June 15, it will be open daily through Labor Day.

🎶 🎬️ Rhythm & Reels
The 2026 lineup is here starting with the Sweet Dream concert on June 6 followed by the Freakier Friday movie on June 13, and then more fun concerts and movies through the end of August. All concerts start at 7pm; all movies begin at Dusk. The Rhythm & Reels free concert and movie series takes place at the Apex Nature Park Amphitheatre.

👩‍🌾 Simple Gifts Work Day
Join Simple Gifts Community Garden for a work day this Tuesday, May 26 from 5pm-7pm. It’s only $20/year for your whole family to join. Most of the produce the community gardens goes to local food banks, but you also get to take home some produce any day that you work. Right now - potatoes, onions, kale, carrots, cabbage, broccoli and more. Raspberries and strawberries in the coming weeks. Regular workdays are Tuesdays 5-7pm and Saturdays 9am-Noon. Learn more here.

👩🏻‍💼 Serve on an Advisory Board
Serving on a Town Advisory Board is a great way to get involved, collaborate with local leaders, and make a real impact. Current vacancies include Culture and Arts, Environmental, Multimodal Transportation, Parks and Recreation and one youth position on the planning board. Learn more and apply by May 29 here.

👷 Hughes Street Site Planning
A 13-acre site at the corner of S Hughes St and Perry Road, acquired by the Town in February 2025, is being developed through a Town-led initiative for a mixed-income, mixed-use development to create long-term affordable housing. Learn more and share your feedback by June 1.

🪧 New Signage Coming
The Town of Apex Wayfinding Bid was approved by council at the end of April and will begin fabrication in June followed by installation through December.

Things to Do This Week in Apex:

Today, May 21

🎏 Mahjong Social
5pm - 8pm | Apex Senior Center

🧠 Caring for Your Mental Health
6-8pm | Halle Cultural Arts Center

Saturday, May 23

🧑‍🌾 Apex Farmers Market
8am - 12pm | The Depot

🏃‍♀️ Run Club Apex
Meet at 9am | Foxtail Coffee

🎸 Live Music: Joe Hero
7pm - 10pm | TapStation

🎤 Center Street Band
7:30pm - 10:30pm | Oaklyn Springs Taproom

🌴 Reggae Night w/The Amateurs
8pm | The Backyard Bar

Sunday, May 24

🌿 Invasive Plant Removal Workday
10am - 12pm | Kelly Road Park

🏎️ Indy 500 & Canadian Grand Prix Watch Party
11am - 6pm | Apex Racing Lab

🍣 Sushi & Sumo
11:30am - 1:30pm | Apex Community Park

🎤 Peak City Band
3pm - 6pm | Bottle Theory

Monday, May 25

🎖️ Memorial Day Ceremony
9:30am | Apex Fire Station 1

Wednesday, May 20

🎬️ Wednesday Morning Movie
9:30am | The Halle

🔡 Music Bingo
7:30pm - 9:30pm | Rudy’s Pub

Local Business Updates

🥤 Cook Out
Now open regular hours from 10:30am to Midnight daily.

🐔 Wing Stop
Opens next Wednesday. Same hours as Cook Out.

🧊 The Local
Heading to Jordan Lake or just planning to be out in the heat this Memorial Day weekend? Stop by The Local and grab a big bag of ice on your way!

🍓 Southern Peak Brewery
Their annual release of the Strawberry One Mile Round will take place on Saturday, May 23rd at Noon. Stop in and enjoy a tasty pint of the German Pale Wheat Ale with local Honey and Strawberries from BuckWheat Farms right here in Apex NC. On draft for a limited time.

🍷 Wine & Design
Learn the art of fine silver clay jewelry making using real .999 pure silver in this one-of-a-kind Tolkien-inspired workshop! Next Thursday at 6pm, you’ll plan your design, work the clay, torch it, and buff it to a brilliant shine, walking away with a stunning real silver piece made by your own hands! $12 per ticket

💃 Curate Studio + Events
Whether you’re looking for a fun beginning of the week or midday reset or a way to start your Friday morning strong, these energizing Zumba classes are open to all levels and designed to get you moving, smiling, and feeling great. In-person and virtual classes.

🔨 Adventures in Bloom
Partnering with the North Carolina Museum of History, Adventures in Bloom is kicking off the Plott Hound Book Club with a hands-on metal stammping bookmark workshop and book swap. $30 per ticket

🛍️ Uptown Cheapskate
This is the perfect time to stock up on fresh styles, trending brands, shoes, accessories, and all your favorite finds for less. Shop Buy 3, Get 1 Free on all full-price items at Uptown Cheapskate from Friday, May 22 through Monday, May 25.

🖌️ Mad Splatter
Turn your furry friend into a work of art! During the Paint Your Pet event, Mad Splatter will guide you in creating a custom pet portrait you’ll cherish forever. Wednesday, May 27. $10 per ticket.

🛻 Crossroads Ford of Apex
Need some Memorial Day plans? 10am-1pm Crossroads Ford will have 94.7 WQDR on site live, Carolina Boxer Rescue, heart of Carolina Mustang Club’s Cruise-in, face painting by In Your Face and Wicket Links Food Truck.

🚜 The Peak Weekly Farm Series (Part 8)

🐴 Sun Star Family Farm

This article was written by The Peak Weekly’s amazing content contributor, Susan McGrath

Sun Star Farm is a nature-based school and camp program located on a beautiful 12-acre parcel at 2092 Marthas Chapel Rd. in Apex. Inspired by the Waldorf philosophy of education, Sun Star Farm offers toddler, preschool, transitional kindergarten, homeschool enrichment, and summer camp programs that honor the magic, wonder, and simplicity of childhood. 

Founded and directed by Heidi Watkins, a mother of three and an educator who believes in the magic and wonder of childhood and keeping it simple, the Sun Star Farm School focuses on child-led play, meaningful work, creativity, and connection to nature. The daily and weekly curriculum includes storytelling, bread-baking, songs, seasonal celebrations, imaginative play, and caring for animals. The farm environment features forest trails, swings, and sand play, as well as an indoor cozy playroom with natural toys and silks. Each day the children visit with the farm’s horses, sheep, miniature llamas and donkeys, pig, goats, chickens, bunnies, and more.

They offer the following programs.

Toddlers on the Farm

Designed for children ages 24–36 months, the Toddlers on the Farm program offers a nurturing and predictable rhythm that includes indoor and outdoor play, nature walks, animal care, wholesome snacks, puppet stories, songs, and restful quiet time. Families may choose either a four-day or five-day schedule.

Preschool Program

The Preschool Program serves children ages 3–5 and provides a warm, play-based environment where young children can grow socially, emotionally, creatively, and physically. Each day begins outdoors whenever possible and includes animal care, gardening, storytelling, practical activities, imaginative play, and seasonal crafts and celebrations.

Transitional Kindergarten

Sun Star Farm’s Transitional Kindergarten (T-K) program is thoughtfully designed for children who would benefit from an extra year before entering a traditional kindergarten setting. The program helps children build confidence, independence, emotional resilience, creativity, and the practical and social skills needed to thrive in the academic years ahead.

Folk School Homeschool Program

The Folk School is a Waldorf-inspired homeschool enrichment program for first and second graders that offers a rich and developmentally appropriate curriculum in a small-group setting led by experienced teachers. The program supports creative thinking, hands-on learning, and meaningful connection.

Summer Camps

Summer at Sun Star Farm is filled with adventure, creativity, and outdoor exploration. Campers ages 3–12 enjoy gardening, hiking, creek exploration, animal care, crafting, songs, games, and plenty of imaginative play and one-on-one farm animal time.

The farm also partners with Tinkering School NC to offer Forest Tinkering Camp for ages 9–12, where children use real tools to build projects, create abstract art, and engage in hands-on problem-solving and innovation in a natural outdoor setting.

Sun Star Farm additionally offers Counselor-in-Training opportunities for teens ages 13–15, as well as summer employment opportunities for camp counselors.

Families interested in visiting the farm may schedule a tour by contacting the school directly.

Contact Information

Sun Star Farm School Website
2092 Marthas Chapel Rd
Apex, NC 27523

Director: Heidi Watkins
Phone: (919) 699-4429
Email: heidi@sunstarfarmpreschool.com

Instagram: @sunstarfarmnc
Facebook: Sun Star Farm School Facebook

Civic News:

🔌 Billing Updates
In July 2024, the town suspended late fees and disconnections following the cybersecurity incident. Beginning July 2026, the town will return to standard procedures, including implementing a 1% late fee on past due balances and disconnection for accounts with balances over $500 that are greater than 90 days past due. More info and access to resources and payment plans here.

💰️ Budget Update
The original budget proposed by Town Manager Vosburg included a 3.5 cent tax rate increase. That has since been adjusted down to 3.0 cents. During the last budget work session, staff was instructed to prepare three additional versions of the budget: one with a 2 cent tax rate increase, one with 1.75 cents and one with 0 increase. Today, Council is expected to select one of these four options. The work session takes place at noon today. The Budget Public Hearing, where it would get officially adopted, is scheduled for June 9.

🎦 DeFlock Apex
An Apex resident has been digging into the contract between the Town of Apex and Flock Safety. Not just the contract - but many documents obtained through public records. The findings: Apex flock data is connected to hundreds of in-state and out-of-state agencies - including, at times, federal agencies. A very thorough analysis of findings through public records can be seen here: deflockapex.org

🔎 Public Records Requests
Speaking of public records... The Town’s handling of such records have been a topic of conversation in recent weeks. I’ve talked about it a lot myself as I have gone through the process many times while working on various stories.

Here’s my weekly editorial rant: It’s an absolute mess. From being denied based on incorrect statutes, to being denied again with the bold claim that private contracts override state law, to finding out that public record destruction logs don’t even exist in almost every single department, to being stonewalled and ignored and lied to… I don’t know what it is yet, but I know something needs to be done.

By the way - those unsupported denials and incorrect statutes that are cited to withhold public records from the public go down in the books as a “completed” public record request.

Anyway, quick check-in on my outstanding, very simple, very straight-forward public records requests:

That’s 4+ months of ongoing waiting on a simple export of public record data that he has ignored while ironically giving a statement about delayed public record requests.

Serious question… he calls my fact-based, highly sourced reporting fake news, he created a news website which claims to be the source of truth (social) that has a backend algorithm to filter out news he doesn’t want you to see, he posts on social media constantly to flood the zone, he is covering for the Town Manager who committed $61M in tax payer money without a public hearing instead of holding him accountable, his biggest donor is the Realtor PAC (pro development), he gives quotes to reporters about taking public records requests seriously while refusing mine and ignoring others for months on end and we celebrate him for being transparent?

If you go back to the early days of The Peak Weekly, you’ll see that I celebrated that too. I was a fan. But if you can look past the claimed political affiliation and the relentless posting of words that are rarely backed up by his actual actions, you’ll see it too.

Just saying this because I care about Apex. I have zero political aspirations. I have nothing to gain. In fact, I’m just setting myself up for more hate mail. But it’s important. If he had an R next to his name, are you ok with all of this? I’m not.

Upcoming Meetings:

A Look Ahead:

A Look Ahead:

🥾 Natural Heritage Interactive Trail
Apex's newest interactive trail is located at Apex Nature Park. Starting at the Pollinator Garden near the Seymour Athletic Fields, visitors can engage with nature and Apex’s history as they walk through the trail. Ten interactive signs have been placed along the trail showcasing environmental features, Town initiatives, and Apex history through a self-guided experience that brings the landscape to life.

🏈 Youth Fall Sports Registration
Fall youth sports registration opens this Monday, May 18th at 9am for Apex residents! Non-resident registration will open on June 1st. Find the Program Guide here.

▶️ Want to See What Veridea Will Look Like?
Fly over Viridea to see where each part of the project will come to life - from construction to visual animated renderings. Click the image below to watch (2m 48s)

A Final Note:

Thank you for taking time out of your day today to read this week's edition of The Peak Weekly.

As always, if you have any ideas of how to make this newsletter better, want to nominate a local business or organization to be featured, or anything else, please respond to this email or email me directly at adam@thepeakweekly.com

See you next Thursday... 😘

👋 Good Morning, Apex! Today is Thursday, May 14, 2026 and this is the 71st consecutive weekly issue of The Peak Weekly.

Twenty-eight years ago today, the series finale of Seinfeld aired. Fun fact about me: I have never seen that show in my life.

Another fun fact about me: I have been working tirelessly for months on something new. It’s called… The Peak Daily.

I’ve teased this before, but it’s getting close to launch day. Very close…

Rendering of the Park View & What’s on Tap View

I don’t have an exact date of when it will be available for download in the App Store. I’m wrapping up testing right now and then will submit it in a few days. Could be a few days or another week or two after that once it gets approved.

Here’s what will be in it day 1:

• Events and things to do each day

• Important alerts via Town News Flash

• A searchable map of all Apex businesses with special deals and events

• A searchable map of all parks and their amenities

• Interactive map of active development projects and latest development filings

• Commute planning and live street cameras

• High school sports scores and schedules

• GoApex Transit Map

• Daily map of food trucks

• Daily list of what’s on tap at local breweries

• Push notifications when it’s trash day

• Push notifications of any utility outages

• A flight radar of what’s overhead

• Town Council meeting recaps

• Searchable restaurant health inspections

• School calendars and events

• An ask-me-anything chat where you type your Apex related questions and get instant answers

• Customizable push notifications

• And much more to come

I will let you know as soon as it’s available. And if you have any other feature ideas, let me know!

Miscellaneous Info:

🎶 Apex Amplified Concert - Tonight
An evening of live music, food, and community fun at tonight at Apex Amplified! Enjoy a high-energy performance from The Castaways while grabbing a bite from local food trucks and other refreshments.

This free event will take place in the Apex Town Hall Parking Lot and kicks off with parking lot access opening at 5:30 pm, followed by live music from 7:00–8:30 pm. Bring your chair, sit back, and enjoy the show in a relaxed outdoor setting.

🔌 Utility Disconnections to Resume
Beginning July, late fees and disconnections for past-due accounts will resume. If you are behind on your utility bill and need help catching up, you can apply for a payment plan here.

🥾 Natural Heritage Interactive Trail
Apex's newest interactive trail is located at Apex Nature Park. Starting at the Pollinator Garden near the Seymour Athletic Fields, visitors can engage with nature and Apex’s history as they walk through the trail. Ten interactive signs have been placed along the trail showcasing environmental features, Town initiatives, and Apex history through a self-guided experience that brings the landscape to life.

🏈 Youth Fall Sports Registration
Fall youth sports registration opens this Monday, May 18th at 9am for Apex residents! Non-resident registration will open on June 1st. Find the Program Guide here.

🚧 Salem Street Update
Contractors are back on site after a disruption in the project. The original estimated complete was for October. The updated time frame anticipates completion in December.

📸 Pittsboro Terminates Flock Contract
With Apex’s Flock Cameras becoming a more frequent discussion item around town, just noting that our neighbors in Pittsboro have terminated their contract.

▶️ Want to See What Veridea Will Look Like?
Fly over Viridea to see where each part of the project will come to life - from construction to visual animated renderings. Click the image below to watch (2m 48s)

Things to Do This Weekend in Apex:

Thursday, May 14

🧇 Waffle Bar
9am | Rose & Lee

🚔️ Learning Lunch: National Police Week
12pm - 1pm | Senior Center

📣 Apex Amplified Concert
5:30pm - 8:30pm | Town Hall Campus

Friday, May 15

🎶 Spring Concert Series
5pm - 8pm | Market Square at Sweetwater

🎭️ “Suite Surrender” Spring Play
7:30pm - 9pm | The Halle

Saturday, May 16

🛍️ Community Yard Sale
7am - 1pm | Salem Village Neighborhood

🧑‍🌾 Apex Farmers Market
8am - 12pm | The Depot

🏍️ Bikes & Coffee
8am - 11am | Fratelli’s Deli

🏃‍♀️ Run Club Apex
Meet at 9am | Foxtail Coffee

🚶‍♂️ March 1000 Men’s Mental Health Walk
10am | Town Hall Campus

🎨 SuperFun Saturday (ages 4-12)
10:30am - 12:30pm | The Halle

🐶 Coffee with the Pups
11am - 1pm | Notes Coffee House

🪞Desi Shopping Event
12pm - 7pm | Ample Storage

🎹 Dueling Pianos
7pm | TapStation

🎸 Live Music: Two4One
7pm - 10pm | Oaklyn Springs Brewery

🎭️ “Suite Surrender” Spring Play
7:30pm - 9pm | The Halle

Sunday, May 17

🍓 Berry Good Cook-Off
2pm | Peakway Taps

Tuesday, May 19

📖 May Book Club: The Correspondent
6:30pm - 8pm | Adventures in Bloom

Wednesday, May 20

🎬️ Wednesday Morning Movie
9:30am | The Halle

🔡 Music Bingo
7:30pm - 9:30pm | Rudy’s Pub

Friday-Sunday is the big Got to Be NC Festival at the Fairgrounds. There will be a big carnival with rides, live music, tons of vendors and good food and a lot of things to do! More about the festival here.

Local Business Updates

😀 Wing Stop in 13 Days
Wing Stop will be opening in Beaver Creek on Wednesday, May 27. Their hours of operation will be 10:30am - Midnight, 7 days a week.

📋️ Sanitation Scores - Highest & Lowest
So far in the month of May, the highest scoring restaurant in Apex was Firehouse Subs with a 97.50 rating. The lowest was Bawarchi Grill Spirits with 87.5. The restaurant was in violation of 14 standards including mustard oil being used to marinate chicken and the oil is “a body oil for external use only”.

🚜 The Peak Weekly Farm Series (Part 7)

🐴 The Mother Ranch

This article was written by The Peak Weekly’s amazing content contributor, Susan McGrath

The Mother Ranch, owned by Julia MacMonagle, is located on Friendship Road in Apex. It’s a small, unique, woman-owned farm and creative sanctuary focused on healing, creativity, and connection—with animals, nature, and self. Julia blends art, mindfulness, and animal presence into experiences that are gentle, reflective, and intentionally small-scale.

Services offered at The Mother Ranch include:

• Women’s Circles: in person, combining meditation, art-making, and meaningful conversations

• Art classes and creative workshops: one monthly live online freebie art class and an online Monday evening women’s art group. All classes are watercolor, mixed media, and intuitive art. Custom groups are welcome either online or in-person!

• Equine-partnered coaching by appointment, no riding; gentle, guided experiences with ponies and mini donkeys focused on self-awareness and growth

• Neurofeedback sessions (by appointment)

• Reiki sessions (by appointment)

• Seasonal special events, such as meditations at the ranch, creative immersions, yoga classes, and sound baths

Animal interactions are quiet and respectful—participants may spend time with ponies, mini donkeys, and goats, as part of guided experiences rather than petting-zoo-style visits.

The Mother Ranch offers products for sale as well, including original artwork, prints and small art offerings, and occasional digital classes (announced via newsletter).

The best way to stay informed about current news and new offerings is to subscribe to The Mother Ranch newsletter, which publishes every Saturday morning, here: https://www.themotherranch.com/subscribe.

The Mother Ranch is also open to collaborations! If you’re looking for a small, intimate farm setting for your gatherings, reach out at  julia@themotherranch.com.

Julia is also active on Nextdoor under Julia MacMonagle and on Facebook under Julia Johnson MacMonagle. Many offerings are seasonal or offered in small batches, so advance registration is encouraged.

The Mother Ranch is open year-round, but drop-in visits are not allowed due to the confidentiality of Julia’s work. All experiences are offered by appointment or registration for events, and the property address is shared privately upon appointment or registration for events.

The Mother Ranch contact info:
Website: https://www.themotherranch.com
Email: julia@themotherranch.com
Telephone: 720-635-7015

If you’re looking for a peaceful and supportive setting to make meaningful connections with both animals and people, The Mother Ranch is that place.

Civic News:

🙋 Ask Randy Vosburg Anything
This Saturday, Town Manager Vosburg will be at the Apex Farmer’s Market hosting a “Ask Me Anything” meet-up from 9am-11am.

If you want to ask a question but aren’t sure what - here are some prompts:

• What is your favorite color?

• Why did you sign an NDA with a private company, hide their identity, and agree to destroy public records upon their request?

• Why do no public record destruction logs exist in the following departments: Town Manager’s Office, Town Attorney’s Office, Information Technology, Electric Utilities, Finance, Budget and Performance Management, Economic Development, Human Resources, Planning, Parks & Recreation

• With several data centers getting approved in Stafford County, VA while you were the County Administrator, why did you feel it was appropriate to lead an internal movement to modify the Town’s UDO with data center regulations, while in discussions for many months with a pending data center applicant?

• Why did you commit tax payer money to NC Children’s Hospital months prior to any public discussion, public forum, or council vote in public?

• Why is the public records process such a disaster? For example, the Peak Weekly guy has several requests out with one very simple request as old as 114 days with no response.

• How is the budget about to be approved but the audited financials are many months overdue?

• Why, with all of these questions outstanding, is the Town putting so much effort into Miss Annie providing parking to students, and now demanding $1000 from her?

Those are just some questions I have been trying to get answered. But of course, feel free to ask your own!

🤝 North Carolina Budget Deal
The State of North Carolina, the only state to yet pass a budget, is one step closer to finally doing so as House Speaker Destin Hall and Senate leader Phil Berger. announced an agreed framework on Tuesday. The framework includes about $208M for the development of the NC Children’s Hospital in Apex. Note: this would be a big deal for the hospital, but it has not yet been finalized.

💰️ Town of Apex Budget & Financials
The Town of Apex is getting closer on finalizing its FY26-27 budget. However, the Town’s Audited Financials, which need to be completed in order to pass a budget, have yet to be completed. This marks the 4th year in a row that the Town of Apex is late on its audit.

Monday, May 18
Culture and Arts Advisory Board
6pm | Town Hall

Tuesday, May 19
Town Council Work Session
3:30pm - 5pm | Town Hall

Thursday, May 21
Town Council Budget Work Session
12pm | Town Hall

Wednesday, May 13
Multimodal Transportation Advisory Board
4:45pm - 6:45pm | Town Hall

A Look Ahead:

May 21
CommUniversity: Caring for Your Mental Health | The Halle

May 23
Splashlantis Opening Day | Pleasant Park

May 24 (rescheduled)
Sushi & Sumo | Apex Community Park

May 26
Memorial Day Ceremony | Downtown Service Memorial

May 30
Meadow Melody Makers | Kelly Road Park

June 4
Lunch Series - Organizational Excellence | The Halle

In Case You Missed it

🏗️ Apex Development Report
Want to know the latest on population growth, density, pending annexations, current residential projects, commercial developments, and rezoning cases? There’s no better place than the Apex Development Report, updated April 30.

🚛 Landfill Study
Wake County has officially launched the "Beyond the South Wake Landfill Study" to plan for the future of waste management as the existing South Wake Landfill nears the end of its operational life. A new project website and a three-month public survey have been introduced to gather community feedback on environmental, financial, and operational priorities.

❤️‍🩹 55+ Health & Wellness Fair - Vendor Apps
The event takes place September 12 but applications for vendors is open now. Apply by July 17 for advanced consideration.

🛝 KidsTowne Playground Survey
Share your feedback on the upcoming renovations of the playground at Kelly Rd Park by taking this survey.

🌎️ Environmental Priorities Survey
The Environmental Advisory Board wants to learn about your environmental priorities and get your ideas on how we should preserve our natural environment. Take that survey here.

🛣️ Hughes Street Site Planning & Design Survey
A 13-acre site at the corner of S Hughes Street and Perry Road is being developed through a Town-led initiative. That survey is here.

A Final Note:

Thank you for taking time out of your day today to read this week’s edition of The Peak Weekly.

As always, if you have any ideas of how to make this newsletter better, want to nominate a local business or organization to be featured, or anything else, please respond to this email or email me directly at adam@thepeakweekly.com

See you next Thursday... 😘 

👋 Good Morning, Apex! Today is Thursday, May 7, 2026 and this is the 70th consecutive weekly issue of The Peak Weekly.

Mother’s Day is this Sunday - to all the great moms out there, you’re appreciated. Happy Mother’s Day!

Just a quick message on the lengthy article that I published last week, $61 Million, a Children's Hospital, and a Deal Made Without You.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to read it. I had no intention of creating a Part II. But, as with pretty much anything I say that’s remotely critical of town operations, a certain council member has continued his assault on my credibility with his “misinformation” narrative. And since no one else from the Town has stepped up to address the substantive questions, a Part II is in order.

The Part II follow-up can be read here.

Please note: this story is told through direct quotes, general statutes and public records - all easily verifiable. The original article invited anyone who recognized anything factually inaccurate about my reporting to reach out to me so that I could correct it. In the seven days since that was published, I have received zero correction requests from any council member, staff member, or legal representative.

Have an amazing week!

Miscellaneous Info:

🏗️ Apex Development Report
Want to know the latest on population growth, density, pending annexations, current residential projects, commercial developments, and rezoning cases? There’s no better place than the Apex Development Report, updated April 30.

🌊 Splashlantis Opening Day
Splashlantis splash pad at Pleasant Park will reopen for the 2026 season on Saturday, May 23rd! Operating hours are 10 am – 6pm.

🍣 Sushi & Sumo
In celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, the Town is hosting Sushi & Sumo today from 6pm - 8pm at Apex Community Park. Raijin Sumo, a North Carolina based non-profit and recreational sports club that teaches and trains in the art of Japanese Sumo Wrestling, will perform live sumo demonstrations and share the history behind the sport. Tombachi Food Truck will be on site serving hibachi and sushi.

❤️‍🩹 55+ Health & Wellness Fair - Vendor Apps
The event takes place September 12 but applications for vendors is open now. Apply by July 17 for advanced consideration.

👔 What Being Mayor Actually Means
Earlier this week, The Line published a Q&A with Mayor Gilbert which you can read here.

📸 Flock Camera Video Explainer
The topic of 10 Flock cameras placed around Apex (potentially more by private entities), has been a hot topic lately. Indy Week published a good explainer on Flock Cameras, as well as some specific information related to Apex. Worth nothing: the April 14 Town Council Meeting Agenda listed “Automated License Plate Reader Program Update” as a special presentation, but it was then removed from the agenda and has not yet re-appeared.

🏄‍♂️ Worth Watching: Shore Surf
A surf park has been in talks with Veridea. Some initial research shows that the water consumption tied to these surf parks is in the ballpark of 1 million gallons to initially fill the wave pool, plus 100,000 gallons per day for evaporation replacement. Looking forward to hearing more about this in open session should the project continue to move forward.

Things to Do This Weekend in Apex:

Friday, May 8

☕️ Mother’s Day in Stars Hollow
5pm | Mad Splatter

🎭️ “Suite Surrender” Spring Play
7:30pm | The Halle

🎤 Live Music: Something Special
8pm | The Exchange Lounge

Saturday, May 9

🧑‍🌾 Apex Farmers Market
8am - 12pm | The Depot

🏃‍♀️ Run Club Apex
Meet at 9am | Foxtail Coffee

🎭️ “Suite Surrender” Spring Play
7:30pm | The Halle

🎸 Live Music: Maskell Freeman Band
8pm | Peak of the Vine

🎤 Rudy’s Karaoke
9pm | Rudy’s Pub & Grill

Sunday, May 10

🎭️ “Suite Surrender” Spring Play
3pm | The Halle

Local Business Updates

Not a ton of new information this week. So, here are some reminders of recent activity:

💿️ Hunky Dory Now Open
Hunky Dory buys and sells records. Now open downtown above the antique store Thursday to Sunday, 12-8pm. @hunkydoryapex

🥃 Aqua Vitae Now Open
The liquid luxury bar in Sweetwater is opening soon. Their website countdown timer suggests they will be open next Wednesday. They will be open daily 5pm until midnight.

☕️ Foxtail Sweetwater
The second location of Foxtail Coffee is now open in Sweetwater. They are open daily from 6:30am until 7pm at 1451 Richardson Road in Suite 126.

🍺 The Local
Formerly Vicious Fishes, The Local is now open. Lunch and dinner food truck every day along with coffee, smoothies, soda, dirty sodas, beer, wine, selzer and more.

👱‍♀️ Blo Bar Dry Bar
Blo Bar believes that blow outs have the power to uplift you and enhance your day. But beautiful hair is just the beginning: they also offer makeup and other luxurious services, too. Now open, located between Mr Dumpling and Doherty’s Irish Pub.

🥐 Popovers Cafe
Fresh baked popovers, signature Turkish tea and French press coffee are now being served at Popovers Cafe in downtown Apex. Located in the old Villa19 location at 219 N Salem Street, Suite 103 - pop in and see them!

🫐 A Health Conscious Eatery
Taking the place of Tandoori Trail, which is now closed, this summer Grain & Berry, a health-focused cafe, will open at 2017 Creekside Landing in Beaver Creek. Grain & Berry’s menu includes flatbreads, toasts, salads, acai bowls and smoothies with a focus on high protein, lean meat and other nutritious supplements like turmeric and ginger shots.

🚜 The Peak Weekly Farm Series (Part 6)

🥬 Peak City Farms

This article was written by The Peak Weekly’s amazing content contributor, Susan McGrath

Peak City Farms, located at 1933 Olive Chapel Road in Apex, is a family-owned urban hydroponic farm dedicated to supplying fresh, organic produce to the local community. Everything is grown right on-site in their giant state-of-the-art greenhouse using sustainable methods that work in harmony with nature.

They grow a wide range of produce, including different types of lettuce, tomatoes, herbs, cucumbers, bell peppers, jalapeños, red potatoes, blueberries, green beans, and pumpkins. They also offer farm-fresh eggs and homemade scones in many flavors, including cranberry white chocolate, key lime,
cookies and cream, chocolate chip, and more.

A highlight of the farm is their microgreens. Microgreens are nutrient dense, flavorful, and packed with vitamins and antioxidants. Some of their favorite ones to grow are broccoli, radish, pea, and sunflower.

The microgreens are grown hydroponically in trays with water, clay pebbles, and carefully balanced nutrients under calibrated grow lights that deliver the optimal light spectrum for crisp, vibrant sprouts. Microgreens are a great way to add a fresh, flavorful, healthy boost to just about any meal. Peak City Farms even offers bulk orders for local restaurants and shops.

If flowers are more your thing, Peak City Farm has plenty to choose from, including hibiscus, lantana, zinnias, marigolds, hydrangeas, and more. They also sell perennial plants with a focus on native species. Though the nursery is closed for this season, it will be restocked in the fall.

They’ll soon be opening their “Peak City Farms Urban Market,” located on Holly Springs Road, every Wednesday–Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. “Peak City Farms” at Olive Chapel Road is open Saturdays 9a.m. to 5 p.m. You can also find them at the Apex Farmers Market every other Saturday.

They’ll be there this coming Mother’s Day weekend (May 9), and on May 23, and June 6. So make sure to stop by either Peak City Farms shop to get fresh, organic produce, flowers, eggs, scones, microgreens, and more!

Open every Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Peak City Farms
1933 Olive Chapel Rd
Apex NC 27502
919-561-0368

ed.careyjr@peakcityfarms.com
Instagram @peakcityfarms

Apex Farmers Market:
Every other Saturday April through October

Civic News:

🥪 Upcoming B4 Series
The Brown Bags to Building Bridges (B4) Series is a quarterly lunchtime discussion featuring various Town representatives. The next one is June 4th and will feature the Town of Apex’s Department of Organizational Excellence. More details here.

🛝 KidsTowne Playground Survey
Share your feedback on the upcoming renovations of the playground at Kelly Rd Park by taking this survey.

🌎️ Environmental Priorities Survey
The Environmental Advisory Board wants to learn about your environmental priorities and get your ideas on how we should preserve our natural environment. Take that survey here.

🛣️ Hughes Street Site Planning & Design Survey
A 13-acre site at the corner of S Hughes Street and Perry Road is being developed through a Town-led initiative. That survey is here.

Friday, May 8
Town Council Budget Work Session
12pm - 5pm | Town Hall

Monday, May 11
Planning Board Meeting
3:30pm - 5pm | Town Hall

Tuesday, May 12
Town Council Meeting
6pm | Town Hall

Wednesday, May 13
Multimodal Transportation Advisory Board
4:45pm - 6:45pm | Town Hall

A Look Ahead:

Thursday, May 14
Learning Lunch: National Police Week | Senior Center

Thursday, May 14
Apex Amplified Concert | Town Hall Campus

Saturday, May 16
March 1000 | Town Hall Campus

May 15, 16 & 17
“Suite Surrender” Spring Play | The Halle

May 21
CommUniversity: Caring for Your Mental Health | The Halle

May 26
Memorial Day Ceremony | Downtown Service Memorial

In Case You Missed it

📷️ Fujifilm Hall
A major new anchor is coming to the Veridea area following Wake Technical Community College's recent application for a significant expansion of its Conlon Western Wake Campus. The project, situated on 34.16 acres north of Technology Drive and east of NC Highway 55, features a prominent five-story building named "Fujifilm Hall". Spanning approximately 114,000 square feet, this "Major Site Plan" represents a high-density institutional addition to the southern corridor, likely aimed at supporting the region's growing biotechnology and manufacturing workforce.

🚛 Landfill Study
Wake County has officially launched the "Beyond the South Wake Landfill Study" to plan for the future of waste management as the existing South Wake Landfill nears the end of its operational life. A new project website and a three-month public survey have been introduced to gather community feedback on environmental, financial, and operational priorities.

🏠️ Property Tax Relief
Low-income seniors, veterans or those with a permanent disability may be eligible for programs to assist with property taxes. The application for the Property Tax Relief Programs closes June 1, 2026.

🏣 Post Card Project
The Postcard Project is North Left’s year-round love letter to Apex and the people who make this town feel like home. Each season, they design and curate locally inspired postcards that anyone can pick up for free, fill out, and send to someone who needs a little encouragement. No rules. No purchase required.

A Final Note:

Thank you for taking time out of your day today to read this week’s edition of The Peak Weekly.

As always, if you have any ideas of how to make this newsletter better, want to nominate a local business or organization to be featured, or anything else, please respond to this email or email me directly at adam@thepeakweekly.com

See you next Thursday... 😘 

👋 Good Morning, Apex! Today is Thursday, April 30, 2026 and this is the 69th consecutive weekly issue of The Peak Weekly.

Two important things to start:

First, today is National Adopt a Shelter Pet Day and the Wake County Animal Center is celebrating with $5 adoption fees for every pet at the shelter now through May 10.

Visit the Adoption Gallery Here

Second, I've spent the last week pulling apart the proposed budget to figure out how we got to this:

• Residential electric rate up 6.25%

• Residential water and sewer rates up 4%

• Property tax rate up $0.0354 per $100 valuation

• Wholesale water rates up 12.5%

• Bulk water hookup fees up 66.7%

• Capital project transfers up 143-193%

For a typical Apex household, the rate and tax increases in the proposed budget add up to approximately $34/month, or about $413 per year (not even including the 39% increase to Yard Waste).

And it all it traces back to a $61 million commitment to a single project that will use up to 1.7M gallons of drinking water per day and was approved and committed to behind closed doors in apparent violation of NC open meeting laws. And now you’re paying for it. Here’s the full story →

Miscellaneous Info:

⏸️ Salem Streetscape Project
Construction has been stalled. Due to “multiple technical reasons” the Town had to get an updated electrical plan in place. It is expected that this will impact the timeline. Just how much should be known following a meeting taking place tomorrow.

📝 Peak Plan 2055 Feedback
If you’d like to give the Town your input on the Peak Plan 2055 - today is the final day to share your input here.

🚒 ISO Class 1
The Apex Fire Department has officially earned an ISO Class 1 rating for both Apex town limits and throughout the unincorporated areas they protect known as the HIPEX Fire District. This rating is the highest possible fire protection score and a distinction achieved by only the top 1% of departments nationwide!

🏎️ F1 Watch Party
Apex Racing Lab is hosting an F1 Watch Party for the Miami Grand Prix on Sunday, May 3 from 4-6pm. Details here.

Things to Do This Weekend in Apex:

Friday, May 1

🍖 Annual BBQ Fundraiser
11am - 7pm | Apex UMC

🖼️ Apex Pride Art Exhibit (free opening reception)
6pm - 8pm | The Halle

💃 Apex Community Dance
7pm - 9pm | The Halle

🎸 Live Music: The 9one9 Band
8pm | The Backyard Bar

Saturday, May 2

🥞 Apex Rotary Pancake Breakfast
7am - 11am | Salem Street Fire Station

🧑‍🌾 Apex Farmers Market
8am - 12pm | The Depot

🎪 Peakfest
9am - 4pm | Town Hall Campus + Hunter Street

🏃‍♀️ Run Club Apex
Meet at 9am | Foxtail Coffee

🛍️ Apex Underground Market
11am - 3pm | Sweetwater

🍾 Bubbles & Beats
11:30am - 1:30pm | Rudy’s Pub

🎸 Live Music: Police & Thieves
8pm - 11pm | The Backyard Bar

Sunday, May 3

🪴 May Plant and Seed Swap
2pm | Peak Church

🌸 Spring Vendor Market
3pm - 5pm | Bottle Theory

Local Business Updates

🍔 Cook Out is Now Open
Cook Out is now in its ‘soft opening’ with limited hours. Once fully open, hours will be Sunday-Thursday open until 3am and Fri/Sat until 4am.

🥳 1 Year Anniversary Celebration
Peak Sports Apex (Pickleball & Badminton) is celebrating its 1-year anniversary on Saturday with a full afternoon of play, competition, food and fun.

🏎️ F1 Watch Party
Apex Racing Lab is hosting an F1 Watch Party for the Miami Grand Prix on Sunday, May 3 from 4-6pm.

🍺 Fill’r Up Thursday
$2 off 32oz growler fills and 25% off Peakway Taps Growlers all day Thursday at Peakway Taps.

💍 Silver Clay Jewelry Making Workshop
Spend Friday evening with Wine & Design shaping, firing, and polishing your very own sterling silver ring from pure metal clay. No experience needed.

👸🏻 Mother’s Day Mommy & Me
Celebrate Mom with a creative outing! Paint something meaningful and enjoy quality time together at Mad Splatter on May 4th.

🛸 Darth Punch 7 Skywalker Sipper
These two new drinks have arrived just in time for Star Wars Day at Soda Box. One day only. May the 4th be with you.

🚜 The Peak Weekly Farm Series (Part 5)

🍓 FigMINT Farms

This article was written by The Peak Weekly’s amazing content contributor, Susan McGrath

This week, we’re spotlighting FigMINT Farms, a one-of-a-kind farm venue set on 22 beautiful wooded acres at 1501 Two Pond Lane in Apex.

Surrounded by tall pine trees, FigMINT offers a peaceful setting that’s perfect for all kinds of gatherings. A large, covered pavilion and a flat, open grassy area provide the event space. The property also features a large firepit, a pond with a deck and walking path, and a vegetable garden that helps supply fresh mint to Sassool Mediterranean Restaurants. In 2025 alone, more than 1,800 pounds of mint was harvested from that garden! 

FigMINT focuses on creating memorable experiences. In partnership with Sassool, they offer a Dinner in the Pines package, an all-inclusive outdoor dining experience in a gorgeous setting that includes drinks, appetizers, dinner, and optional custom add-ons for groups from 20 to 80 people. The catering, tabletop décor, and staffing is included. They also offer an intimate date night package set in a clear igloo tucked into the pines, complete with beverages, dinner, and dessert from Sassool.

The venue also hosts a wide range of events, including parties, weddings, receptions, corporate events, wellness and yoga retreats, reunions, and engagement or beauty photo shoots. Check out their website here.

In addition to private bookings, FigMINT offers special events throughout the year, such as the upcoming Nature Connection Workshop for Nurses retreat on Saturday, June 27, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

There are two primary ways to rent the venue. You can rent by the hour and act as the host, handling all the details, which gives you maximum flexibility, or you can reserve a curated Dinner in the Pines experience and leave all the details to them.

FigMINT operates year-round providing a perfect venue to experience every season.

They also host a biweekly Farmers Market pickup location for a local food co-op serving Apex: Rooted Community Foods.

Dinner in the Pines is a perfect setting for a family reunion, girlfriends’ night, or work retreat, and would also make a great gift for the upcoming Teacher Appreciation Week! So book one now!

FigMINT Farms Contact Info:

Simone Lawson, property manager and event coordinator  - simone@sassool.com

Hours of operation: hours available to rent are 9am-10pm

Months of operation:  year round

Website: https://sassool.com/figmintfarms

Instagram: @figmintfarms_NC

FigMINT Farms Outdoor Venue

1501 Two Pond Lane, Apex NC 27523

Mailing Address: 1347 Kildaire Farm Rd. (Sassool)

Sassool

1347 Kildaire Farm Road, Cary, NC 27511

9650 Strickland Road, Raleigh, NC 27615

Phone: 919-300-5586 (Cary)

Fax: 919-234-6046

Phone: 919-847-2700 (Raleigh)

www.sassool.com

📸 Photo credits:
Sara Tiberio
Aldrik Mio
Jessica Bratton

Civic News:

🗑️ Yard Waste Program Updates
The Town is preparing to significantly update our yard waste program. Those changes include:

• Ordinance changes for limb size, contractor disposal, excess waste fees, and more

• Moving to biweekly collection schedule

• Elimination of grass clipping collection

• Adding a yard waste cart for disposal

It’s expected that staff will bring this to Council for vote on May 12 and the proposed effective date for most of these changes is July 1. See the official coversheet here.

🔌 Utility Collections & Disconnections
Only July 1, the Town of Apex will return to standard utility billing procedures, which means late fees and disconnections for unpaid balances will be reinstated. If you are behind and need help catching up, you can apply for a payment plan here.

Thursday, April 30
Special Ad-Hoc Town Council Finance Committee Meeting
10am - 12pm | Town Hall

Thursday, April 30
Regular Town Council Work Session
3:30pm - 5pm | Town Hall

Friday, May 8
Town Council Budget Work Session
12pm - 5pm | Town Hall

A Look Ahead:

May 3rd - May 9th
Small Business Week | Apex

Thursday, May 7
AAPI Heritage Month: Sushi & Sumo | Apex Community Park

May 8, 9 & 10
“Suite Surrender” Spring Play | The Halle

Thursday, May 14
Learning Lunch: National Police Week | Senior Center

Thursday, May 14
Apex Amplified Concert | Town Hall Campus

May 15, 16 & 17
“Suite Surrender” Spring Play | The Halle

May 26
Memorial Day Ceremony | Downtown Service Memorial

In Case You Missed it

🫱🏻‍🫲🏽 Meaningful Service Opportunities
JustServe provides a free space for volunteer organizations and small groups to post volunteer needs and for individuals to find ways to serve.

In honor of National Volunteer Month, proclaimed by Mayor Gilbert for the Town of Apex, this is a wonderful time to highlight service opportunities in our community. Additionally, as we approach America’s 250th anniversary this July - with a national goal to make 2026 a record year of service - there is growing momentum to encourage volunteerism nationwide

JustServe helps connect residents who want to serve with organizations that have volunteer needs to help make a meaningful difference in strengthening our community. Visit the website here.

🫐 A Health Conscious Eatery
Taking the place of Tandoori Trail, which is now closed, this summer Grain & Berry, a health-focused cafe, will open at 2017 Creekside Landing in Beaver Creek. Grain & Berry’s menu includes flatbreads, toasts, salads, acai bowls and smoothies with a focus on high protein, lean meat and other nutritious supplements like turmeric and ginger shots.

♻️ Recycle Bin Upgrades
Recycling bins are being upgraded from 65-gallon to 95-gallon. You’ll receive notice when your neighborhood is on the schedule. It will happen on the same day as your trash collection.

A Final Note:

Thank you for taking time out of your day today to read this week’s edition of The Peak Weekly.

As always, if you have any ideas of how to make this newsletter better, want to nominate a local business or organization to be featured, or anything else, please respond to this email or email me directly at adam@thepeakweekly.com

See you next Thursday... 😘 

👋 Good Morning, Apex! Today is Thursday, April 23, 2026 and this is the 68th consecutive weekly issue of The Peak Weekly.

The first ever YouTube video gets to have its first beer today.

21 years ago today, “Me at the Zoo” was uploaded to YouTube and became the first ever video uploaded to the platform. You can watch it here. (spoiler alert: elephants have long trunks).

To celebrate, here are some cool animal encounters nearby where you can make your very own “Me at the Zoo” video:

Hidwell Family Farms
Apex | ~15min

Historic Oak View County Park
Raleigh | ~20min

Carolina Tiger Rescue
Pittsboro | ~25min

Duke Lemur Center
Durham | ~35min

The Feathered Farm
Zebulon | ~40min

Brajboro Cow Sanctuary (you can cuddle with the cows! 😭)
Chapel Hill | ~45min

Aloha Safari Park
Cameron | ~45min

Sunset Ridge Buffalo Farm
Roxboro | ~1hr

🤔 OR… bring the zoo to you and adopt a dog, cat and/or little critter here.

Miscellaneous Info:

🥪 Learning Lunch - National Poetry Month
Bring your lunch today to the Apex Senior Center from 12pm - 1pm for a learning lunch around the topic of National Poetry Month.

♻️ Spring into Sustainability
Tonight, at the Senior Center from 6-8pm, attend this month’s CommUniversity workshop. Join local experts from different environmentally focused programs for an engaging workshop focused on practical strategies for building a more sustainable home and community.

🧑‍🎨 Open Call for Artists
The Town of Apex has two mural projects planned; one on retaining walls in the Saunders Street parking lot in downtown Apex and the other on the amphitheater in the Apex Nature Park. Artists are invited to submit proposals for one or both projects.

🚻 Restroom Renovations
Apex Community Park restroom renovations are scheduled to begin on Monday and are likely to last through May 8.

🥞 Annual Apex Rotary Pancake Breakfast
On Saturday May 2nd (morning of Peakfest!) from 7am-11am at the Salem Street Fire Station. Proceeds will benefit the charities listed below along with other local non profits. 

💰️ Apex’s FY26-27 Draft Budget
Town Manager Randy Vosburg laid the draft FY26-27 budget on the council's table last week, and it came with a number that deserves everyone's attention: a roughly $6 million gap between what Apex expects to bring in and what staff say the town needs to spend.

That gap exists after staff already cut about $14 million from the original requests before the budget ever reached the council.

Here's what it means for your wallet and our town:

Property Taxes Going Up
The proposed rate jumps from $0.356 to $0.3914 per $100 of assessed value. For the median Apex home ($600,000), that's an extra $212/year. The increase funds new police and fire positions, a fleet replacement program (30 vehicles), long-term infrastructure, expanded Parks/Rec programming.

Utility Bills Going Up Too
Electric, water, sewer, and yard waste fees are all increasing. Vosburg estimates the average homeowner will see about $16/month more across all utilities. The electric base charge jumps $1.75/month with a 6.25% energy rate increase on top. Water and sewer go up 4%. Yard waste collection spikes 39%. The town's Electric Fund has only 61.5 days of cash on hand (target is 90), so they're on a 5-year plan to rebuild reserves.

Where that money would go
Those tax and fee increases aren't abstract. Here's where the capital dollars are pointed:

• $7 million to extend the town's electric system, including to the Veridea development - the future site of the NC Children's Hospital

• $2.4 million to upgrade one electric substation and build another

• $1.5 million to replace the UV water disinfection system

• $175,000 to stabilize Capitata Crossing stream against erosion and flooding

• A new fire truck for $2.3 million - originally scheduled to be replaced in 2021, since when the town has spent $1 million keeping the old one alive

• A new outdoor stage near Town Hall, around $700,000 total, with Wake County covering about $348,000. Plans call for 1,700 seats, roughly 1,100 of them on a lawn

Inflation Is Squeezing Everything
The Salem Streetscape project now costs 57% more than initial estimates. The LED streetlight conversion has more than doubled. Chemical costs for utilities are up 12%, and construction materials have surged 30% over the past few years. Employee compensation and benefits alone account for over $5 million in new costs, which eats up all the natural revenue growth before anything else gets funded.

Departments Asked for 57 New Hires. They Got 18.
The budget includes 6 new patrol officers, a fire inspector, 3 Parks/Rec staff, an IT analyst, and a few other positions. The other 39 requested positions didn't make the cut. "Our focus is balancing service expectations with responsible staffing levels," said assistant town manager Demetria John. "There are budget realities and trade-offs."

What's Next
The finance committee meets April 23 and 30 to continue discussions. A council workshop is set for May 8, with a public hearing tentatively scheduled for May 28.

(more insight on the April 23/30 meetings below in the civil news section)

Things to Do This Weekend in Apex:

Friday, April 24

🥳 Annual Summer Kickoff Party
3pm - 2am | JD’s Tavern

💿️ Vinyl Night with MotelShot Records
5pm - 8pm | Southern Peak Brewery

🎸 The 919 Band
6pm | South Line Brewing Apex

Saturday, April 25

🏍️ Bikes & Coffee
8am - 11am | Fratelli’s Deli

🧑‍🌾 Apex Farmers Market
8am - 12pm | The Depot

🏃‍♀️ Run Club Apex
Meet at 9am | Foxtail Coffee

🩸 Apex UMC Blood Drive
9am - 2pm | Apex UMC

🐍 Backyard Snakes
10am - 3pm | Apex Community Park

🦋 The Eras Market: A Day for Taylor Swift Fans
10:30am - 3:30pm | The Studio

🌎️ Apex EarthFest
12pm - 4pm | Town Hall Campus

🧩 Puzzle Exchange
12pm - 4pm | Senior Center during EarthFest

🐶 Canines & Fashion
1pm - 3pm | Market Square at Sweetwater

🛼 Bootleggers vs. Regulators (roller derby)
5pm | XL Sports World Apex

🎸 Jim Morgan Music
7pm - 10pm | Oaklyn Springs Brewery

Sunday, April 26

❤️ Love Local Showcase
11am - 4pm | Downtown Apex

A Few Things to Do Nearby

If you feel like venturing over to visit our neighbors, here are a few things going on around us this weekend:

Friday, 5pm-1pm
Raleigh Earth Day
Harvey Hill | Raleigh

Friday & Saturday, 12pm-8pm
Brewgaloo NC Craft Beer Festival
Downtown | Raleigh

Saturday & Sunday, 10am-4pm
Touch A Truck!
Phillips Farms | Cary

Saturday, 9am-5pm
33rd Annual Spring Daze Arts + Crafts Festival
Bond Park | Cary

Saturday, 10am-4pm
SpringsFest 2026
Downtown | Holly Springs

Sunday, 12pm-5pm
5th Annual Kids Fest
Fortnight Brewing | Cary

Anniversary, Volunteering & an Upcoming Announcement

🎂 Apex Peak Preschool Montessori
Congratulations to Apex Peak Preschool Montessori. They are celebrating 15 years in Apex as Apex Peak Preschool Montessori (and 17 years of offering services as Apex Montessori). Their mission, in part, is to strengthen communities and to support all families by investing in the only real future: Our Children. Learn more about them here.

🫱🏻‍🫲🏽 Meaningful Service Opportunities
JustServe provides a free space for volunteer organizations and small groups to post volunteer needs and for individuals to find ways to serve.

In honor of National Volunteer Month, proclaimed by Mayor Gilbert for the Town of Apex, this is a wonderful time to highlight service opportunities in our community. Additionally, as we approach America’s 250th anniversary this July - with a national goal to make 2026 a record year of service - there is growing momentum to encourage volunteerism nationwide

JustServe helps connect residents who want to serve with organizations that have volunteer needs to help make a meaningful difference in strengthening our community. Visit the website here.

🏗️ Veridea Crossing
The next phase of the massive mixed-use Veridea project is a $100 million retail village called Veridea Crossing. Site work has begun on the retail district, expected to deliver in late 2027, but it is already attracting lots of interest from grocers to food-and-beverage to soft goods and fitness centers.

RXR’s VP of Development says they’ll start making some announcements within the next 2 months!

🚜 The Peak Weekly Farm Series (Part 4)

🍓 Neighbor Boy Farm

This article was written by The Peak Weekly’s amazing content contributor, Susan McGrath

Neighbor Boy Farm, located at 1008 Davis Drive in Apex, is a year-round farm and certified plant nursery offering far more than its well-known Christmas tree experience (though that alone is worth a visit).

From spring through fall, the farm operates as a pick your own and pre-picked chemical-free destination carrying a huge variety of fresh vegetables and fruits. Some of the produce they offer includes collard greens, cabbage, broccoli, squash, zucchini, carrots, turnips, radishes, onions, potatoes, peaches, figs, apples, pears, herbs, tomatoes—slicing, Roma, grape, cherry, and heirloom—and so much more.

They also offer pick your own blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries when in season. And they have pumpkins in the fall.

They offer a Produce Membership (similar to a CSA) that provides savings over purchasing items separately. Members get eight produce boxes and can choose from pick your own and pre-picked from a large variety of fresh, chemical-free produce. It’s a perfect way to support your local farm and get the freshest produce all season. For more information and to sign up, click here.

On-site you’ll also find an ice cream counter serving fresh ice cream, freshly squeezed lemonade, and snacks, as well as a florist. The Rusty Bucket, formerly located in downtown Apex, is now at the farm as well.

And we’re still not done! The farm hosts Educational Group Farm Adventures and Parties (minimum six people), described as “a sensory-filled farm experience designed for curious minds of all ages.” Learn more about the farm adventures here.

And of course the Christmas trees. They are a full-service Christmas tree farm offering fresh cut North Carolina Frasier fir trees, as well as wreaths, garlands, and bows. They offer both a full-service experience here and a no-frills in-and-out one here.

Farm hours vary by season, so the best way to keep up to date is to check their website, Facebook (neighbor.boy.farm), or Instagram (@neighborboycountrystore). You can also call or text Dave at 919-422-0216 or email Val at val@neighborboyinc.com.

So get out there and buy some farm-fresh produce and support your hardworking farmer neighbors!

Civic News:

🚩 $61M Promised. Who Authorized it?
The Town Council Finance Committee has two special meetings on the calendar for next week: Monday, April 27 at 3:30 PM to discuss the Stormwater, Water and Sewer, and Electric Funds along with proposed rate changes, and Thursday, April 30 at 10:00 AM to discuss the General Fund, Affordable Housing Fund, Debt Service / Community Investment Fund, and Capital Reserves. Both meetings build on the FY26-27 budget that Town Manager Randy Vosburg presented on April 16.

These are worth watching because of the backdrop: the Town appears to have made a commitment to North Carolina Children's Hospital that the Finance Committee meetings next week will implicitly be funding - through the very utility and capital funds on their agenda.

The Peak Weekly has obtained letters where Manager Vosburg committed $61M of taxpayer money to the children's hospital, signed June 25, 2025. On July 10 - 15 days later - UNC Health publicly announced Apex as the site. This past Tuesday, a Memorandum of Understanding formalizing the huge monetary commitment was placed on the Town Council's Consent Agenda (intended for routine, non-controversial items) before being pulled. To date, we have yet to find where the commitment was voted on and approved in open session as required by law. And nowhere in the budget does it state where or how the $61M is going to be paid.

How the Town plans to fund the commitments - particularly through utility rates and capital planning - and whether Town Council has ever authorized them in open session, are questions I've been looking into. Under North Carolina open meetings law (NCGS 143-318.11(a)(4)), any action approving an economic development commitment must be taken in open session. We have not been able to identify an open-session vote authorizing these commitments.

Still working through the details for a fuller story in the next week or two. But with these special finance committee meetings coming up next week, I wanted to go ahead and get it on your radar.

Finance Committee meetings are open to the public. April 27 begins at 3:30 PM and April 30 at 10:00 AM, both at Town Hall, Training Room B, 3rd Floor.

📜 Updating Policies
Apex Town Council spent Monday afternoon in a work session working through a major governance review covering committee structure, advisory board appointments, financial policies for elected officials, social media guidelines, and public forum rules.

The session covered a lot of ground. Here are the highlights:

Committee Structure Stays, With Tweaks
Council will keep its five standing committees (Environmental Leadership, Public Safety, Responsible Development, Governance & Fiscal Stewardship, and Vibrant Community & Economic Vitality). Mayor Gilbert presented revised assignments that addressed concerns about how the original appointments were made.

Advisory Board Appointments
Four appointment models exist across the state. Apex uses a hybrid where the mayor recommends and council approves. Council discussed adding formal interviews but landed on reserving them for tie-breaking situations or statutory boards. Each member will nominate one candidate per open seat going forward.

New Financial Guardrails for Elected Officials
Staff proposed a financial framework based on UNC School of Government best practices.

Social Media Gets Best Practice Guidelines
All six members agreed to add disclaimers on social media accounts distinguishing personal views from official positions. A majority supported allowing comments on official posts and including professional conduct standards. Press releases proved more divisive, with opinions split between issuing freely (with disclaimer) versus notifying the full group first. The majority said no to elected officials using town logos and seals on their personal accounts. It was clarified that these will be "best practice guidelines" rather than enforceable policy.

Public Forum: Same Format, Better Overflow Plan
Current rules stay mostly intact: in-person participation, public comment at every regular meeting (twice monthly), and a 12-speaker or 36-minute cap. The new wrinkle: when more than 12 people sign up, several members prefer reducing each speaker's time at the start (say, two minutes instead of three for 16 speakers) so everyone gets a turn, rather than cutting people off after the limit.

Naming Practices Deferred
This item was pushed to the Thursday work session due to time.

Timeline
Draft policies go to the town attorney and then back to council by June 1. Adoption is targeted for the June 23 regular meeting.

🗓️ Upcoming Town Meetings

Friday, April 24
Special Meeting: Environmental Advisory Board
3:30pm | Town Hall

Monday, April 27
Special Ad-Hoc Town Council Finance Committee Meeting
3:30pm | Town Hall

Tuesday, April 28
Regular Town Council Meeting
6pm | Town Hall

Thursday, April 30
Special Ad-Hoc Town Council Finance Committee Meeting
10a | Town Hall

Thursday, April 30
Regular Town Council Work Session
3:30pm | Town Hall

A Look Ahead:

Friday, May 1
Apex Pride Art Exhibit (free opening reception) | The Halle

Friday, May 1
Apex United Methodist Church Annual Barbecue | Apex UMC

Friday, May 1
Apex Community Dance | The Halle

Saturday, May 2
Peakfest | Town Hall Campus + Hunter Street

Saturday, May 2
Apex Rotary Pancake Breakfast | Salem Street Fire Station

May 3rd - May 9th
Small Business Week | Apex

Thursday, May 7
AAPI Heritage Month: Sushi & Sumo | Apex Community Park

May 8, 9 & 10
“Suite Surrender” Spring Play | The Halle

Thursday, May 14
Learning Lunch: National Police Week | Senior Center

Thursday, May 14
Apex Amplified Concert | Town Hall Campus

May 15, 16 & 17
“Suite Surrender” Spring Play | The Halle

In Case You Missed it

🚧 30-40% Sales Decline
In an interview with Triangle Business Journal, the owners of North Left in downtown Apex shared that they have seen a 30-40% decline in sales during the streetscape construction project. This is just your friendly reminder to keep supporting those businesses as much as you can!

👩‍🚒 Camp Ignite Applications
The Apex Fire Department, in partnership with the Cary Fire Department and Morrisville Fire & Rescue Department, hosts a FREE interactive 5 day summer camp for girls ages 14-18 each year. For 2026, camp will be held from July 27th through July 31st. Those interested in a career in fire service are encouraged to apply, which you can do so right here.

🫐 A Health Conscious Eatery
Taking the place of Tandoori Trail, which is now closed, this summer Grain & Berry, a health-focused cafe, will open at 2017 Creekside Landing in Beaver Creek. Grain & Berry’s menu includes flatbreads, toasts, salads, acai bowls and smoothies with a focus on high protein, lean meat and other nutritious supplements like turmeric and ginger shots.

♻️ Recycle Bin Upgrades
Recycling bins are being upgraded from 65-gallon to 95-gallon. You’ll receive notice when your neighborhood is on the schedule. It will happen on the same day as your trash collection.

☀️ Farmer’s Market Summer Hours
The Apex Farmer’s Market is now in its summer hours, starting up an hour earlier: every Saturday 8am-Noon downtown at the Depot.

A Final Note:

Thank you for taking time out of your day today to read this week’s edition of The Peak Weekly.

As always, if you have any ideas of how to make this newsletter better, want to nominate a local business or organization to be featured, or anything else, please respond to this email or email me directly at adam@thepeakweekly.com

See you next Thursday... 😘 

👋 Good Morning, Apex! Today is Thursday, April 16, 2026 and this is the 67th consecutive weekly issue of The Peak Weekly.

That’s right. Issue number… six… sevennn. 🫲🤪 🫱

67 is actually a pretty important number here in Apex.

Long before the massive master-planned communities of today like Bella Casa or Sweetwater, there was Knollwood. Widely considered to be the very first major suburban subdivision in Apex history, the very first houses in Knollwood hit the market and were sold in 1967.

The local Western Wake Herald excitedly reported on the community's early growth just a few months later.

The year of ‘67 really sort of marked the true beginning of Apex’s modern residential boom.

But it wasn’t just the beginning of population growth (Apex’s population grew 60% during the 1960s) - you could also argue that 1967 was the beginning of downtown Apex’s growth.

And for that, you can credit… Bob Barker.

Let me tell you how cool Bob Barker is and why he’s a big part of Apex’s history.

Bob Barker actually got his start in Apex, NC by working as the publisher and editor of a small Apex newspaper in the mid-60s.

Seriously…

He covered town board meetings every week which gave him the visibility - and the frustration with the downtown's lack of revitalization at the time.

So he decided to to run for Mayor of Apex, which he famously won in 1967 - by just 16 votes!

Following his term as Apex Mayor, Bob Barker went on to host his very own game show business, the Bob Barker Company.

Wait… you didn’t think I was talking about that other guy did you?

Apex’s former Mayor, Robert “Bob” Barker, runs a very successful business, headquartered just down the road in Fuquay-Varina (where he also served as Mayor from 1995-1999), running the largest supplier of personal care products, clothing, and institutional supplies to jails and prisons in the United States and worldwide.

If you look closely at the labels on the uniforms or mattresses in almost any modern prison documentary, you'll likely see the name of the 1967 Mayor of Apex!

So here’s the real question… Who is the cooler Apex Mayor? Mayor Barker or Mayor Gilbert? Vote here.

As always, thank you for subscribing, thank you for taking a little time out of your day each week to support local journalism. Enjoy the rest of the issue. It’s about a 6… 7 minute read.

Miscellaneous Info:

⏸️ Apex Pauses Data Centers
The Apex Town Council voted unanimously on Tuesday night to enact a one-year moratorium on the development of data centers and related uses, such as cryptocurrency mining. This temporary ban effectively puts all new applications on hold until April 27, 2027.

🚧 30-40% Sales Decline
In an interview with Triangle Business Journal, the owners of North Left in downtown Apex shared that they have seen a 30-40% decline in sales during the streetscape construction project. This is just your friendly reminder to keep supporting those businesses as much as you can!

🧠 Peak Resilience and Wellbeing Task Force
On Tuesday, Council Member Sue Mu introduced a resolution to create a task force to promote behavioral health awareness, reduce social stigma, and improve access to mental health resources and services in Apex. It is a "non-standing" (temporary) task force scheduled to remain active until June 30, 2028, unless the town decides to extend it or make it a permanent advisory board. The group will consist of 18 official members plus a team of volunteers, representing various expertise and community perspectives. The resolution notes that previous Wake County health assessments in 2022 and 2025 identified mental health as a top priority, but many residents still face barriers like long wait times and high costs. This task force is intended to create a "structured, collaborative body" to bridge those gaps locally. The resolution passed unanimously.

🌊 New Water Tower
Apex’s newest water tank, holding 1.5 million gallons of water used for fire protection and drinking water, is now complete. The tank at Tinger Road is next in line for repairs and a makeover.

👩‍🚒 Camp Ignite Applications
The Apex Fire Department, in partnership with the Cary Fire Department and Morrisville Fire & Rescue Department, hosts a FREE interactive 5 day summer camp for girls ages 14-18 each year. For 2026, camp will be held from July 27th through July 31st. Those interested in a career in fire service are encouraged to apply, which you can do so right here.

🗳️ Vote on Our Growth
Peak Plan 2055 wants you to share your input on the 5 growth scenarios that were presented at the last public forum. This survey is open now through April 27. You’ll need to have this guide in front of you to reference, while taking the survey here.

🏫 Grace Christian School
Relocating to Apex soon, Grace Christian School sold its 9.5-acre site in Cary to Triangle Math and Science Academy. They will lease the campus until they’re ready to move to their new $100 million campus in Apex. They’ll be just across US-1 from Veridea and expect to be open for the 2027-28 school year.

🎷 AHS Jazz Bands and Percussion Ensemble
You are invited to join us for an evening of Jazz and Percussion music with the Apex High School Jazz Bands and Percussion Ensemble TODAY, 7pm. Admission is free.

📸 Flock Cameras
We’ve brought this up before, but it’s worth another update. A resident spoke again at Tuesday’s council meeting about the flock cameras in Apex. If you aren’t too familiar with it all, it’s really worth the 3-minute watch here. In fact, if you click on just one link in this email… in my opinion… it’s this one.

🛡️ New Property Tax Guardrails
Property tax revenues in the state's 10 largest counties (including Wake) exceeded inflation and population growth by $2.6 billion over the last decade. Yesterday, the NC House Select Committee on Property Tax Reduction and Reform met and voted to approve a proposed constitutional amendment that would require the General Assembly to set "levy limits" on local governments. The committee also endorsed a bill to close a tax loophole used by for-profit developers. Currently, some developers partner with nonprofits to claim property tax exemptions intended for affordable housing; this bill would tighten those rules to ensure only genuine nonprofit projects benefit. The General Assembly is expected to take up the proposals when the short session officially begins next week on April 21st. If they pass the amendment this summer, it will likely appear on the November 3, 2026, statewide ballot for a final vote by the public.

Things to Do This Weekend in Apex:

Friday, April 17

☕️ Grounded Together: Coffee Hour for Parents of Neurodivergent Kids
12:30pm | Foxtail Coffee (Hunter Street)

🛍️ Downtown Apex Boutique Crawl
3pm - 8pm | Downtown Apex

🍷 Wine Tasting w/Michael Trujillo
4pm - 6pm | Bottle Theory

Saturday, April 18

🧑‍🌾 Apex Farmers Market
8am - 12pm | The Depot

🏃‍♀️ Run Club Apex
Meet at 9am | Foxtail Coffee

🌸 Open House + Native Plant Sale
10am - 12:30pm | Simple Gifts Community Garden

Simple Gifts Community Garden is a community garden powered by volunteers growing a wide variety of fruits vegetables and herbs. They build everything using sustainable and organic practices, mostly using people power and amending the soil with our own compost and organic treatments when needed.

Most of the harvest is donated to local food banks (4,871 pounds of fresh, organic produce just last year!) Simple Gifts is holding an open house on Saturday, along with their partner, South Wake Conservationists (SWC), who are once again holding their annual Native Plant Sale as part of the open house. Click here for all the details.

🍻 10-Year Anniversary Celebration
11am - 10pm | Southern Peak Brewery

🐾 Paws & Pints Adoption Event
12pm - 2pm | Bottle Theory

Saturday-Sunday, April 18/19

🥒 Anything Pickled Snack Sunday Cook-off
2pm | Peakway Taps

🎭️ 2026 Senior Showcase
3pm both days | Senior Center

Local Business Update:

🫐 A Health Conscious Eatery
Taking the place of Tandoori Trail, which is now closed, this summer Grain & Berry, a health-focused cafe, will open at 2017 Creekside Landing in Beaver Creek. Grain & Berry’s menu includes flatbreads, toasts, salads, acai bowls and smoothies with a focus on high protein, lean meat and other nutritious supplements like turmeric and ginger shots.

🍻 Ten-Year Anniversary - Southern Peak Brewery
Saturday, April 18th from 11am-10pm, Southern Peak Brewery will host a day of Beer Releases, Vendors, Live Music, and delicious Food from Bulkogi and Henry's Hot Chicken!

The first 100 customers will receive a FREE commemorative Southern Peak Brewery 10 Year Anniversary Glass!

Live Music Schedule:

- Maverick Rose | Noon-2pm
- Jamey Meeker | 3-5pm
- Emma Rae | 6-8pm (Taproom Performance)

✂️ Ribbon Cutting - Brunswick Physical Therapy
Whether you are recovering from an injury or need help with pain management, Brunswick Physical Therapy’s experienced team is here in Apex to support you every step of the way. The official ribbon cutting ceremony will be held Thursday, April 16 from 12-1pm at 852 Perry Rd.

✂️ Ribbon Cutting - Bright Achievements
Bright Achievements believes every child with autism has the potential to lead a joyful, fulfilling, and independent life. They provide child-centered ABA Therapy. The official ribbon cutting ceremony will be held Wednesday, April 22 from 12-1pm at 2121 E Williams Street, Suite 102.

🍰 22% Off the Entire Store
This Tuesday, April 22, Uptown Cheesecake Cheapskate is celebrating Earth Day in a major way. It’s their biggest sale of the year and it’s all about doing good for the planet and looking amazing while doing it. 22% OFF full-price items. Tons of fresh, trendy clothes you’ll love

🚜 The Peak Weekly Farm Series (Part 3)

🍓 Buckwheat Farm

This article was written by The Peak Weekly’s amazing content contributor, Susan McGrath

This week we’re featuring Buckwheat Farm, located at 2700 Holland Road in Apex. Buckwheat Farm is owned by Jim and Karma Lee, and this is their 29th year of growing strawberries! Fun fact: Karma was the first woman to be named “Grower of the Year” by the North Carolina Strawberry Growers Association in 2005.

Strawberry-picking season is right around the corner, and the best way to stay updated on opening dates is by checking the farm’s website, Instagram (@buckwheat_farm), or Facebook page. They offer pick their own strawberries or purchase pre-picked buckets. Later this summer, blueberries will also be available for both picking and pre-picked purchase.

But strawberries and blueberries are just the beginning. At the roadside farmstand, you’ll also find a variety of fresh produce, including squash, zucchini, tomatoes, corn on the cob, green beans, watermelon, peppers, okra, cantaloupe, fresh flowers, and more.

In addition to produce, the farm offers homemade ice cream made with produce from their farm in many flavors, such as strawberry, blueberry, peach, spiced pumpkin, and more. They also sell jams and jellies made from berries grown right on the farm, including strawberry, blueberry, blackberry, peach, and pepper jelly. Honey from their own hives—as well as from 🐝 local bees—is harvested in early July and sold in one-pound glass jars. Shiitake mushrooms are also grown on the farm and are available in limited quantities during the spring and fall.

The farm offers field trips for a wide range of groups, including preschools, daycares, public and private schools, senior organizations, and businesses.

From April through June, field trips focus on strawberry picking. Visitors receive an introduction to the farm, learn the best techniques for picking strawberries, and leave with a bucket of freshly picked berries and an activity booklet titled Strawberry Time.

In September and October, field trips highlight honeybees and pollination. Visitors learn about the important role honeybees play in farming, observe a working hive, participate in a question-and-answer session, and explore a small maze designed for younger guests. The maze leads to a pumpkin patch, where each visitor can select a pumpkin to take home.

Field trips also include an introduction to the entire farm, along with shaded picnic areas for groups to relax and enjoy their visit. Call 919-303-0339 or 919-244-6947 to schedule your group trip for 2026.

Be sure to visit Buckwheat Farm this summer and give your support to another hardworking Apex farming family!

Civic News:

💻️ Town Council Meeting Real-Time Updates
If you have ever watched or attended a Town Council meeting, you know those things can go 2… 3… sometimes 4+ hours. It’s a lot to dig through sometimes in order to provide updates. So I created a tool that watches the meeting for me and then gives me updates in real-time.

Here it is in action during last night’s meeting:

Once the meeting is over, it cleans it up all nicely and saves it for future reference as needed. If you find this to be useful, feel free to check it out during the next Council meeting on April 28, or pull it up right now to see the recap of this week’s meeting.

View the Live Meeting Digest Here

The best thing about this tool - doesn’t require you to register an account, log in, share your identity, nor does it track you and store your information for personal gain. Just a thing I made for myself that I’m now sharing with you. 😁 

🌱 Yard Waste Update
The Public Works Director presented a proposed timeline and ordinance changes for yard waste collection. Key changes include transitioning to bi-weekly collection, eliminating grass collection effective January 1, 2027, and moving towards a containerized collection system by July 2028. The presentation detailed proposed ordinance revisions, enforcement strategies, and addressed public concerns regarding disposal capacity and stormwater impacts.

📜 Town Proclamations
The council presented proclamations honoring several causes on Tuesday. These proclamations recognized the vital contributions of various groups and initiatives within the community.

• Proclamation for Apex Electric Lineworker Appreciation Day.

• Proclamation for National Public Safety Telecommunicator Week.

• Proclamation for Child Abuse Prevention Month.

• Proclamation for Nepal Day.

• Proclamation for Earth Day and Apex Earth Festival Day.

✅ Public Hearing: Annexation No. 827
The council held a public hearing for Annexation No. 827, located on Twin Creek Road, requested to obtain town utilities due to a well failure. Staff recommended approval, and with no public speakers signed up, the hearing was closed and the annexation was approved.

🗓️ Upcoming Town Meetings

Today, April 16
Town Manager's Recommended Budget Presentation
3pm - 5pm | Town Hall

Today, April 16
Environmental Advisory Board Subcommittee Meeting
Special Meeting: Tree Canopy Policy
5pm - 6pm | Town Hall

Today, April 16
Environmental Advisory Board Subcommittee Meeting
Regular Meeting
6pm | Town Hall

Monday, April 20
Culture and Arts Advisory Board
6pm | Town Hall

Tuesday, April 21
Board of Adjustment Meeting
6pm | Town Hall

Tuesday, April 21
Town Council Work Session
3:30pm - 5pm | Town Hall

A Look Ahead:

Thursday, April 23
Learning Lunch: National Poetry Month | Senior Center

Thursday, April 23
CommUniversity: Spring into Sustainability | Senior Center

April 24 & 25
Brewgaloo 2026 | Downtown Raleigh

Saturday, April 25
EarthFest | Town Hall Campus

Saturday, April 25
Backyard Snakes | Apex Community Park

Sunday, April 26
Love Local Showcase | Downtown Apex

Friday, May 1
Apex United Methodist Church Annual Barbecue | Apex UMC

Friday, May 1
Apex Community Dance | The Halle

Saturday, May 2
Peakfest | Town Hall Campus + Hunter Street

Thursday, May 7
AAPI Heritage Month: Sushi & Sumo | Apex Community Park

May 8, 9 & 10
“Suite Surrender” Spring Play | The Halle

Thursday, May 14
Learning Lunch: National Police Week | Senior Center

Thursday, May 14
Apex Amplified Concert | Town Hall Campus

May 15, 16 & 17
“Suite Surrender” Spring Play | The Halle

In Case You Missed it

🏳️‍🌈 2026 PFLAG Apex Scholarship
PFLAG Apex is will be awarding one or more $500 scholarships to high school students. The purpose of these scholarships is to reward outstanding LGBTQ+ students and allies, to encourage them to continue and complete post-secondary education, and to promote a positive image of LGBTQ+ youth. You can apply here (deadline to apply is May 31).

♻️ Recycle Bin Upgrades
Recycling bins are being upgraded from 65-gallon to 95-gallon. You’ll receive notice when your neighborhood is on the schedule. It will happen on the same day as your trash collection.

🎪 Upcoming: PeakFest (New Location)
PeakFest will be relocated to Town Hall Campus + Hunter Street during the Salem Streetscape construction project. It will take place from 9am - 4pm and will feature over 100 vendors, festival food and food trucks, live music and entertainment, kids zone with inflatables and roving street performers.

☀️ Farmer’s Market Summer Hours
The Apex Farmer’s Market is now in its summer hours, starting up an hour earlier: every Saturday 8am-Noon downtown at the Depot.

🚛 Landfill Study
Wake County has officially launched the "Beyond the South Wake Landfill Study" to plan for the future of waste management as the existing South Wake Landfill nears the end of its operational life. A new project website and a three-month public survey have been introduced to gather community feedback on environmental, financial, and operational priorities.

🚽 Restroom Renovations
Kelly Road Park restroom renovations have begun and will likely last through April 24th. Apex Community Park restroom renovations are currently scheduled to begin on April 27th and will likely last through May 8th.

A Final Note:

Thank you for taking time out of your day today to read this week’s edition of The Peak Weekly.

As always, if you have any ideas of how to make this newsletter better, want to nominate a local business or organization to be featured, or anything else, please respond to this email or email me directly at adam@thepeakweekly.com

See you next Thursday... 😘 

👋 Good Morning, Apex! Today is Thursday, April 9, 2026 and this is the 66th consecutive weekly issue of The Peak Weekly.

As the subject line indicates, I’m sorry to tell you that we have made the difficult decision to close down The Peak Weekly… today in observance of National Unicorn Day 🦄 

And that’s because Unicorns are real.

(almost as real as that click-bait subject line)

Here’s the proof:

The Elasmotherium sibiricum was a giant, hairy rhino that lived alongside early humans until about 39,000 years ago. It had a massive single horn on its forehead and was well-known as the Siberian Unicorn. It likely served as the biological inspiration for many early unicorn myths in Central Asia.

You could actually even buy unicorn horns (alicorns) back in the day. In the Middle Ages, alicorns were worth many times their weight in gold. (But it turns out that most of these were actually narwhal tusks sold by Viking traders.)

Speaking of narwhals…

Did you know that scientists discovered that whales, like the narwhal, are actually “even-toed ungulates” that just happened to return to the ocean?

If you go back far enough, whales share a common ancestor with cows and hippos that walked on four legs and lived in the mud.

That means that the narwhal is less related to a shark and more related to a pig.

And speaking of pigs…

Miscellaneous Info:

🐖 Peak City Pig Fest is This Weekend!
This annual two-day event, hosted by Apex Sunrise Rotary Club, is coming up soon. April 10 & 11 at Town Hall Campus. It’s one of my favorite annual events. Food trucks, beer garden, live music, desserts… it’s a good time. Looks like beautiful weather too. Here’s everything you need to know.

🎪 Upcoming: PeakFest (New Location)
PeakFest will be relocated to Town Hall Campus + Hunter Street during the Salem Streetscape construction project. It will take place from 9am - 4pm and will feature over 100 vendors, festival food and food trucks, live music and entertainment, kids zone with inflatables and roving street performers.

☀️ Farmer’s Market Summer Hours
The Apex Farmer’s Market is now in its summer hours, starting up an hour earlier: every Saturday 8am-Noon downtown at the Depot.

🌿 Apex Garden Club’s Annual Plant Sale
This Saturday, April 11 and next Saturday, April 19, the Apex Garden Club will have a booth at the Apex Farmers Market. They will be selling native perennial plants (harvested directly from their own gardens) as well as vegetable and herb plants started from seed by various members. The Garden Club uses the proceeds to maintain the planters in front of the Depot train car as well as the garden on the right-hand side of the building. They also periodically donate to various charitable organizations in Apex and Wake County.

✂️ Shred Day
Twice each year, during the Spring and Fall, the police department encourages all residents help keep identity theft away by bringing unwanted papers containing personal information to be shredded, free of charge. The next event is from 8-11am this Saturday, April 11, at the Public Works parking lot (105 Upchurch).

📷️ Fujifilm Hall
A major new anchor is coming to the Veridea area following Wake Technical Community College's recent application for a significant expansion of its Conlon Western Wake Campus. The project, situated on 34.16 acres north of Technology Drive and east of NC Highway 55, features a prominent five-story building named "Fujifilm Hall". Spanning approximately 114,000 square feet, this "Major Site Plan" represents a high-density institutional addition to the southern corridor, likely aimed at supporting the region's growing biotechnology and manufacturing workforce.

The development plans include six separate parking areas (Lots A–F) and community-focused amenities such as pedestrian plazas with stadium seating. To expedite construction, the college submitted a concurrent "Grading Only" minor site plan on April 1, 2026, allowing site preparation to begin while the full building design completes the town’s review process. Interestingly, a virtual neighborhood meeting held on March 25, 2026, concluded with no public attendees, signaling a quiet start for one of Apex's most significant upcoming vertical developments.

🚎 GoApex Route 1 Service Increases
Beginning Saturday, April 18th, GoApex Route 1 will increase the amount of service offered, nearly doubling the weekly trip options for riders! On Mondays-Saturdays, GoApex will operate 30-minute service from 6am-7pm and hourly service from 7pm-10pm. It will also operate new hourly service on Sundays from 7am-9pm. 

🚛 Landfill Study
Wake County has officially launched the "Beyond the South Wake Landfill Study" to plan for the future of waste management as the existing South Wake Landfill nears the end of its operational life. A new project website and a three-month public survey have been introduced to gather community feedback on environmental, financial, and operational priorities.

🚽 Restroom Renovations
Kelly Road Park restroom renovations are currently scheduled to begin on April 13th and will likely last through April 24th.

Things to Do This Weekend in Apex:

Friday, April 10

🐷 Peak City Pig Fest
5pm - 10pm | Town Hall Campus

0|||||0 Jeep Night
6pm | Mad Splatter

Saturday, April 11

🧑‍🌾 Apex Farmers Market
8am - 12pm | The Depot

🗑️ Spring Shred Day
8am - 11am | Public Works Dept.

🏃‍♀️ Run Club Apex
Meet at 9am | Foxtail Coffee

🧚 Pottery Painting & Henna Tattoo Art
10am - 11:30am | Notes Coffee House

🐷 Peak City Pig Fest
11am - 9pm | Town Hall Campus

🛍️ Apex Underground Market
11am - 3pm | Sweetwater Town Center

🐐 Easter Petting Zoo
1pm | Po House Farms

🎵 Sunset Concert
7pm | Sweetwater Town Center

🎤 Rudy’s Karaoke
9pm - 11:45pm | Rudy’s Pub

Sunday, April 12

🌱 Invasive Plant Removal Day
10am - 12pm | Apex Community Park

🪴 Apex Plant/Seed Swap
2pm - 2:30pm | The Peak Church

🎤 NC Pints and Live Music: BeckyAnn Music
2pm - 5pm | Oaklyn Springs Brewery

Monday, April 13

🎲 Game Night!
7pm - 10pm | Bottle Theory

Wednesday, April 15

Free Wednesday Morning Movie
🌺 Lilo & Stitch 2025
10am | Halle Cultural Arts

🧠 Apex Trivia Night
7pm - 8:30pm | The Dugout Tavern

🔡 Music Bingo
7pm - 8pm | Abbey Road Tavern

🔡 Music Bingo
7:30pm - 9:30pm | Rudy’s Pub

🎻 Concert Series: Shana Tucker
7:30pm | Halle Cultural Arts

Local Business Update:

💿️ Hunky Dory Now Open
Hunky Dory buys and sells records. Now open downtown above the antique store Thursday to Sunday, 12-8pm. @hunkydoryapex

🍲 Hope Cafe Now Open
Hope Cafe took over the Myra Cafe location at 76 Hunter Street and is already open for business. Hope Cafe is a Thai restaurant that first opened in Durham about a year ago. That location is rated 4.9 on Google from 298 Google reviews. Their new location now here in Apex serves Thai dishes like Pad Thai, Drunken Noodles, Pad Woon Sen and more.

🥃 Aqua Vitae Opening Soon
The liquid luxury bar in Sweetwater is opening soon. Their website countdown timer suggests they will be open next Wednesday. They will be open daily 5pm until midnight.

🚜 The Peak Weekly Farm Series (Part 2)

🍓 DJ’s Berry Patch

This article was written by The Peak Weekly’s amazing content contributor, Susan McGrath

Strawberry picking season is almost here! This week, we’re featuring DJ’s Berry Patch, a family-owned and operated farm located at 1223 Salem Church Road in Apex.

Strawberry season at DJ’s Berry Patch typically runs from mid- to late April through late May or early June, depending on the weather. You can pick your own berries or grab a bucket of pre-picked strawberries from their roadside stand. They grow two delicious varieties—Sweet Charlie and Camarosa.

For details on picking, click here, and be sure to check their Facebook (DJ’s Berry Patch) and Instagram (@djsberrypatch) accounts for the latest updates before you go. You can also give them a call at 919-600-4020.

But DJ’s offers much more than just strawberries. Open from April through October, they grow a wide variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, including tomatoes, sweet corn, watermelon, cantaloupe, lettuce, radishes, zucchini, cucumbers, eggplant, and hot peppers - plus free-range eggs.

To see what’s in season, take a look at their crop calendar here.

In the fall, DJ’s is also a great spot to pick up pumpkins, mums, hay bales, cornstalks, gourds, sweet potatoes, NC apples, and even Christmas wreaths and garlands.

They also offer produce boxes - perfect if you’d like a curated selection of fresh fruits and vegetables ready for pickup. To learn more about ordering produce boxes, click here.

DJ’s Berry Patch
1223 Salem Church Road
Apex, NC 27523

919-600-4020
www.djsberrypatch.com

Hours:
Monday–Saturday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Sunday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Civic News:

🗑️ An Appeal by Greenway
On April 21, the Apex Board of Adjustment will hold a quasi-judicial public hearing on an appeal filed by Greenway Waste Solutions of Apex, the owner of a roughly 112-acre former landfill site at 5940 Old Smithfield Road. The company, represented by Raleigh-based Morningstar Law Group, is challenging a determination by Planning Director Dianne Khin regarding the use of the property as a fats, oils, and grease (FOG) dewatering facility. The property is zoned Light Industrial–Conditional Zoning. The hearing begins at 6 p.m. in the Apex Town Hall Council Chamber. Property owners within 500 feet of the site have been notified by mail.

🔄 Land Swap
The Town of Apex has announced its intent to conduct a minor land exchange with AR Custom Homes, LLC involving two small parcels in Buckhorn Township. The swap includes a 1,478-square-foot Town-owned tract valued at approximately $3,253 and a 1,469-square-foot tract owned by the developer valued at roughly $2,562. To account for the difference in property values, AR Custom Homes will pay the Town an additional $691 to complete the transaction. The Town Council is scheduled to officially authorize the exchange during their regular meeting this Tuesday.

🚒 Potential Fire Station Site
A rezoning petition filed by an Apex builder could bring a new fire station to the corner of Olive Chapel Road and Transit Trail. The application, which will be in front of Council on April 28, seeks to rezone 4.58 acres at 3100 Olive Chapel Road and 1911 Transit Trail from R-80W to a split classification: Rural Residential–Conditional Zoning for the existing home, and Office & Institutional–Conditional Zoning for the remainder. The proposal also requires an amendment to the 2045 Land Use Map, changing the designation from Rural Residential to Rural Transition Residential and Office Employment & Commercial Services.

According to the application, the Town of Apex has shown interest in the parcel as a potential site for a fire station, citing its location at the intersection of a thoroughfare and a major collector road and its proximity to infrastructure serving a fast-growing area. If the fire station does not move forward, the O&I portion would allow uses such as daycare, veterinary services, medical offices, and small-scale retail - all subject to operating hour restrictions and traffic conditions designed to limit impact on surrounding neighborhoods. Neighbors who attended two neighborhood meetings largely supported the fire station concept but raised concerns about increased traffic on Transit Trail, which is already absorbing new volume from the Weston Farm development.

🏘️ New Hill Meadows
KB Home Raleigh-Durham has filed a master subdivision plan for New Hill Meadows, a 110-lot single-family development on roughly 55 acres at Old US 1 Highway and Lashlee Way in New Hill. The project assembles nine parcels from a mix of owners including KB Home, Henderson-based New Hill Plaza LLC, several local family trusts, and a small strip from New Hill Baptist Church. The property was rezoned to PUD-CZ last May. Homes will range from about 1,455 to 3,174 square feet, with first occupancy projected for summer 2027.

The filing flags a potential infrastructure bottleneck: the Jordan Pointe Pump Station is nearing sewer capacity, and KB Home may be required to upgrade it before connecting. A 17-acre commercial component on the southeast portion of the site will come through a separate future filing. The plan has been through three rounds of TRC review and remains under staff consideration.

🏘️ Kelly Commons PUD Project
The Kelly Commons PUD project is moving forward at the southwest corner of Kelly and Holland roads, proposing a 90-unit residential community split by a central stream. To handle increased traffic, the developer is planning significant road improvements, most notably a new roundabout at the Kelly/Holland intersection and road widening along all three property frontages. The project design aims to minimize environmental impacts by utilizing a pedestrian-only crossing, rather than a vehicular bridge, to link the townhome and single-family districts.

Beyond infrastructure, the developer has committed that at least 10% of the units in the mixed residential district will be designated as affordable housing. This commitment follows neighborhood meetings where adjacent residents in the Westwinds subdivision raised concerns about failing wells, leading to ongoing discussions regarding the extension of town water lines. As of April 2, 2026, the project is in its sixth submittal phase as it works through final town staff comments.

🏢 Towns at Parkside
The Townes at Parkside project is seeking a major amendment to its plan for 29 townhomes off Olive Chapel Road. The most controversial change is the proposed removal of the bridge that would have extended Hammocks Beach Trail across Beaver Creek to connect with Bella Casa. Charm City Developers cited environmental risks and an unexpectedly long span as reasons for dropping the bridge. In its place, the developer is offering the Town nearly $1.8 million in fees-in-lieu for future connectivity.

The project, which is currently in its sixth submittal phase as of April 2, 2026, also includes a notable commitment to provide 10 affordable housing units for the next 30 years. Despite the housing commitment, neighboring residents in Holland’s Crossing have expressed concern over construction traffic and the placement of three-story townhomes adjacent to existing single-story residences.

Estates at Olive Chapel
Baker Residential is moving forward with a new 55-lot single-family subdivision on a 41-acre site at 3228 Olive Chapel Road. The project, which also carries the alternative name "Eleve at Olive Chapel," targets a price point between $500,000 and $1 million. A defining feature of the design is its heavy focus on natural preservation, with 40% of the site (over 14 acres) dedicated to resource conservation.

Notably, the developer plans to relocate an existing historic structure on the property to a new spot on the south side of Olive Chapel Road. Planned infrastructure updates include a new turn lane at the neighborhood entrance and a 10-foot-wide sidepath to enhance pedestrian access along Olive Chapel Road. Site construction is slated to begin in January 2027, with the full neighborhood projected to be complete by late 2030.

🗓️ Upcoming Town Meetings

⚠️ Some important things to watch for in the meetings listed below:

• The April 14 Town Council meeting will include a legislative hearing to consider the adoption of a 12-month moratorium on data centers.
  
  

• The purpose of April 15’s meeting is to review information previously presented to the Planning Board and Town Council regarding data centers; to consider the adoption of a regular meeting schedule with proposed topics; to discuss the creation of a data center subscription list to support ongoing community engagement; and to address other matters related to data center development research and associated Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) amendments.

Tuesday, April 9
Special Ad-Hoc Town Council Finance Committee Meeting
3:30pm - 5pm | Town Hall

Monday, April 13
Planning Board Meeting
4:30pm | Town Hall

Tuesday, April 14
Town Council Meeting
6pm | Town Hall

Wednesday, April 15
Environmental Advisory Board Subcommittee Meeting
5pm - 7pm | Town Hall

Thursday, April 16
Town Manager's Recommended Budget Presentation
3pm - 5pm | Town Hall

A Look Ahead:

Friday, April 17
Downtown Apex Boutique Crawl | Downtown Apex

Saturday-Sunday, April 18/19
2026 Senior Showcase | Senior Center

Saturday, April 18
Open House & Native Plant Sale | Simple Gifts Community Garden

Thursday, April 23
Learning Lunch: National Poetry Month | Senior Center

Thursday, April 23
CommUniversity: Spring into Sustainability | Senior Center

Saturday, April 25
Disc Golf Tournament | Apex Nature Park

Saturday, April 25
EarthFest | Town Hall Campus

Saturday, April 25
Backyard Snakes | Apex Community Park

Sunday, April 26
Love Local Showcase | Downtown Apex

Friday, May 1
Apex United Methodist Church Annual Barbecue | Apex UMC

Saturday, May 2
Peakfest | Town Hall Campus + Hunter Street

In Case You Missed it

♻️ Recycle Bin Upgrades
Recycling bins are being upgraded from 65-gallon to 95-gallon. You’ll receive notice when your neighborhood is on the schedule. It will happen on the same day as your trash collection.

📚️ Help Shape the Future of Local Libraries
Wake County Public Libraries is developing a new five-year organizational roadmap to guide priorities, services and investments. Weigh in on the future of local libraries (like the Eva Perry Library here in Apex) through their online engagement tool.

👨🏻‍💻 New Information on the July 2024 Cyberattack
The Town of Apex announced this week that approximately 22,000 residents may have had personal data compromised in the July 2024 ransomware attack - and that the stolen data has been recovered with FBI assistance. Town Manager Randy Vosburg framed the recovery as a legal victory, noting the town secured a Temporary Restraining Order from Wake County Superior Court compelling cloud provider Bublup, Inc. to return the data.

That's the press release version. The Town's own incident disclosure page and the underlying court filing paint a far more alarming picture.

According to the Town's formal Notice of Data Incident, unauthorized actors had access to Apex's systems for ten days - from June 23 through July 2, 2024. The categories of data potentially stolen go well beyond what the WRAL coverage conveyed. The Town's disclosure lists: names, Social Security numbers, driver's license and passport numbers, financial account information, credit and debit card numbers, email addresses, usernames and passwords, dates of birth, health insurance information, medical conditions and treatment information, medical record numbers, patient account numbers, and phone numbers.

The underlying case, 24CV032253-910, filed October 9, 2024 - is publicly viewable on eCourts, and shared the Town's complaint and affidavit. The scope of what was stolen is pretty staggering.

We’ve heard a lot about the Utility department, but according to the Town's own filing, the compromised data spanned every single major department: Water/Sewer/Electric Utilities, Police, Fire and Rescue, Public Works, Planning and Inspections, Human Resources, and Finance.

The filing also states that all town services - emergency and non-emergency - were "degraded as a result of the loss of Data."

That degradation has been anything but theoretical. In the 21 months since the attack, Apex residents have dealt with missing utility bills, unexplained billing spikes, lost solar credits, and a town that suspended late fees for 19 months while overdue balances ballooned to $5.9 million. The town is now reinstating late fees and disconnections as of July 1.

The Town says there is no evidence the data reached the dark web. But does “no evidence” necessarily mean it didn’t happen?

Either way, it took nearly two years to start notifying the 22,000 people whose most sensitive information - medical records, Social Security numbers, financial accounts, passwords - was in the hands of criminal actors.

A Final Note:

Thank you for taking time out of your day today to read this week’s edition of The Peak Weekly.

As always, if you have any ideas of how to make this newsletter better, want to nominate a local business or organization to be featured, or anything else, please respond to this email or email me directly at adam@thepeakweekly.com

See you next Thursday... 😘 

👋 Good Morning, Apex! Today is Thursday, April 2, 2026 and this is the 65th consecutive weekly issue of The Peak Weekly.

We traveled south of the border (South Carolina) to the lake for the week to celebrate our 14th anniversary and to let the kids splash in the pool for Spring Break.

It’s been nice to slow down for a bit, but I’m also excited to be heading back later today and looking forward to another great weekend in Apex!

Our Saturday will start with Common Grounds coffee and the Farmers Market (as usual) and then off to the Mayor’s Eggstravaganza before we head to WakeMed Soccer Park for the NC Courage game in the evening ⚽️ 

I also want to draw attention to World Autism Awareness Day, which is celebrated today, as well as International Children's Book Day.

There’s a really cool book called Lights Out Apex, written by an Apex author, where children can explore the Town of Apex with a dog named Dash. You can grab the book on Amazon, and I believe they carry copies of it at the Alleyway Bookstore as well.

Miscellaneous Info:

🎬️ Thursday Night Movie
Tonight at 7pm, The Halle Cultural Arts will by showing Anaconda. It’s free and starts at 7pm.

🚪 Town Offices Closed Tomorrow
Town administrative offices and facilities will be closed on Friday, April 3rd in observance of Good Friday. Trash/Recycling will run on its regular schedule.

🐖 Peak City Pig Fest
This annual two-day event, hosted by Apex Sunrise Rotary Club, is coming up soon. April 10 & 11 at Town Hall Campus. Everything you need to know.

🏞️ Haddon Hall Greenway Crosswalk
Crosswalk rehabilitation is scheduled to begin the week of April 6 at the Haddon Hall Greenway crossing on Haddon Hall Drive. This project, coordinated with the Transportation Department’s resurfacing program, will impact pedestrian and vehicular access at the crossing for approximately one week, weather dependent.

🚻 Upcoming Restroom Renovations
Kelly Road Park restroom renovations are currently scheduled to begin on April 13th and will likely last through April 24th. Apex Community Park restroom renovations are currently scheduled to begin on April 27th and will likely last through May 8th.

🏳️‍🌈 2026 PFLAG Apex Scholarship
PFLAG Apex is will be awarding one or more $500 scholarships to high school students. The purpose of these scholarships is to reward outstanding LGBTQ+ students and allies, to encourage them to continue and complete post-secondary education, and to promote a positive image of LGBTQ+ youth. You can apply here (deadline on the website says March 31, but it has been extended to May 31).

Also, at their next meeting this Saturday, April 4, PFLAG will be hosting a guest speaker at the Halle Center from 7-8:30. Here is more information about the speaker: Dr. Julia Bernards is a local Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with a personal and professional passion for the LGBTQ+ community. She is the mother of four children, three of whom have come out as queer and/or transgender. Her PhD dissertation was a qualitative study on Latter-day Saints families' processes on coming to accept a transgender child. She will be sharing her research about the mental, emotional, social, and spiritual journey many parents of transgender kiddos experience—one that is often transformative.

🏠️ Property Tax Relief
Low-income seniors, veterans or those with a permanent disability may be eligible for programs to assist with property taxes. The application for the Property Tax Relief Programs closes June 1, 2026.

📚️ Help Shape the Future of Local Libraries
Wake County Public Libraries is developing a new five-year organizational roadmap to guide priorities, services and investments. Weigh in on the future of local libraries (like the Eva Perry Library here in Apex) through their online engagement tool.

Things to Do This Weekend in Apex:

Friday, April 3

🎶 Live Music: Richard Boston
7pm - 10pm | Oaklyn Springs

🎸 Live Music: Rockzilla
8pm - 11pm | The Backyard Bar

Saturday, April 4

🧑‍🌾 Apex Farmers Market
9am - 12pm | The Depot

🏃‍♀️ Run Club Apex
Meet at 9am | Foxtail Coffee

🎨 SuperFun Saturday
10:30am - 12:30am | The Halle

🧁 Mini Lu Bakery Popup
11-1pm | North Left Mercantile

🫧 Bubbles & Beats
11:30am - 1:30pm | Rudy’s Pub

👉🏽 Mayor’s Eggstravaganza
🥚 2,000 eggs + 🎶 DJ + 🎁 Prizes
1:30pm - 3pm | Norris Park (S. Hughes St)

🎸 Peak City Band
8pm - 11pm | Backyard Bar

🎤 Rudy’s Karaoke
9pm - 11:45pm | Rudy’s Pub

Monday, April 6

📖 The Book Club at Sweetwater
6pm - 8pm | Southern Peak Taproom

🎲 Game Night!
7pm - 10pm | Bottle Theory

Local Business Update:

🍲 Hope Cafe
On Tuesday, Myra Cafe permanently closed. But on Wednesday, in a seamless transition, Hope Cafe took over the location at 76 Hunter Street and is already open for business. Hope Cafe is a Thai restaurant that first opened in Durham about a year ago. That location is rated 4.9 on Google from 298 Google reviews. Their new location now here in Apex serves Thai dishes like Pad Thai, Drunken Noodles, Pad Woon Sen and more.

🎥 621 Productions
The production company located downtown is relocating on April 6. They are moving right down the street, 0.8 miles away on the same street and same side. The new address on April 6th will be 320 N Salem St Suite 205 Apex, NC 27502.

🐰 Easter Deliciousness
Utica Bakery is baking TONS to meet the holiday demand! No need to preorder. Full menu plus holiday extras available for walkup customers on Saturday from 10am - 6pm. Utica Bakery will be filling handcrafted pastries fresh to order: stuffed bread rolls, tomato pie, Easter Cassata, Pizza Rustica, Italian cookie boxes, sausage bread, Easter bread, NY Cheesecake, Tiramisu & lots more!

🌷 Adventures in Bloom
Hosting a workshop today from 6:30pm - 8:30pm, Hoppy Easter Cookie Decorating Workshop. And on April 9, they are hosting a Paint Your Pet Workshop from 6:30pm - 8pm.

🏣 Post Card Project
The Postcard Project is North Left’s year-round love letter to Apex and the people who make this town feel like home. Each season, we design and curate locally inspired postcards that anyone can pick up for free, fill out, and send to someone who needs a little encouragement. No rules. No purchase required.

🎨 Art Club
Each month, Artfully Apex picks a project, like an Emily Lex Workbook or Gelli Printing kit and the needed supplies for it at special pricing. With Art Club, you get a monthly email invite to purchase the coming month's project. If you already have an item or don't care to purchase, don't sign up for the coming month. Join the art club here.

🚜 The Peak Weekly Farm Series

Welcome to our new series all about getting to know the local farms in Apex.

From fresh produce and flowers to free-range eggs and more, there’s a lot happening right here in our community that many of us don’t even realize.

Each week, we’ll feature an Apex farm or two and showcase their offerings.

Supporting local farms is a simple way to strengthen our community, eat fresh, and feel more connected to the place we live. Visiting farm stands, picking strawberries and blueberries when in season, signing up for a CSA, or hitting up the Apex Farmers Market every Saturday morning are all great ways to support local farms and the farmers who work hard to provide freshly grown food and other products to the residents of Apex.

We hope this series helps you discover a few new favorites right around the corner.

Po Hous Farms

This article was written by The Peak Weekly’s content contributor, Susan McGrath

We’re starting the series with Po Hous Farm, a family-owned and -operated farm located at 2300 Richardson Road. Po Hous is a sprawling farm that is open from mid-April through October. They offer strawberry picking (coming soon, check out their Instagram @pohousfarm to stay up to date), a farm stand featuring a wide variety of produce all summer long, and a family-friendly pumpkin patch in the fall.

Everything they sell is grown right on their farm. They also have a small store on the property where you can buy local honey and other products. And they offer free-range eggs year-round.

During strawberry season, you can pick your own strawberries or buy a bucket of freshly picked ones. At the farm stand you’ll find over 20 varieties of produce (including cauliflower, tomatoes, zucchini, potatoes, peppers, corn, and so much more). They also sell pumpkins, mums, vegetable plants and flowers, sourdough bread, free-range eggs, homemade ice cream, honey, canned/pickled goods, BBQ sauce, cider, handmade gifts, garden flags, and Po Hous Farm merchandise.

A new addition to the farm is Highland cow experiences that offers mini photo sessions and cuddling, brushing, and feeding their Highland calf. To learn more or make an appointment, check out their website at pohousfarm.com.

So be sure to come out and support Po Hous Farm when they open for the season in mid-April! You can also find them at the Apex Farmers Market every Saturday morning, April through October.

Spring & Summer Hours:
Monday-Saturday 9am-6pm
Sunday 10am-6pm

Email: pohousfarm@gmail.com
Website: www.pohousfarm.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/pohousfarm
Instagram: @pohousfarm

Civic News:

👨🏻‍💻 New Information on the July 2024 Cyberattack
The Town of Apex announced this week that approximately 22,000 residents may have had personal data compromised in the July 2024 ransomware attack - and that the stolen data has been recovered with FBI assistance. Town Manager Randy Vosburg framed the recovery as a legal victory, noting the town secured a Temporary Restraining Order from Wake County Superior Court compelling cloud provider Bublup, Inc. to return the data.

That's the press release version. The Town's own incident disclosure page and the underlying court filing paint a far more alarming picture.

According to the Town's formal Notice of Data Incident, unauthorized actors had access to Apex's systems for ten days - from June 23 through July 2, 2024. The categories of data potentially stolen go well beyond what the WRAL coverage conveyed. The Town's disclosure lists: names, Social Security numbers, driver's license and passport numbers, financial account information, credit and debit card numbers, email addresses, usernames and passwords, dates of birth, health insurance information, medical conditions and treatment information, medical record numbers, patient account numbers, and phone numbers.

The underlying case, 24CV032253-910, filed October 9, 2024 - is publicly viewable on eCourts, and shared the Town's complaint and affidavit. The scope of what was stolen is pretty staggering.

We’ve heard a lot about the Utility department, but according to the Town's own filing, the compromised data spanned every single major department: Water/Sewer/Electric Utilities, Police, Fire and Rescue, Public Works, Planning and Inspections, Human Resources, and Finance.

The filing also states that all town services - emergency and non-emergency - were "degraded as a result of the loss of Data."

That degradation has been anything but theoretical. In the 21 months since the attack, Apex residents have dealt with missing utility bills, unexplained billing spikes, lost solar credits, and a town that suspended late fees for 19 months while overdue balances ballooned to $5.9 million. The town is now reinstating late fees and disconnections as of July 1.

The Town says there is no evidence the data reached the dark web. But does “no evidence” necessarily mean it didn’t happen?

Either way, it took nearly two years to start notifying the 22,000 people whose most sensitive information - medical records, Social Security numbers, financial accounts, passwords - was in the hands of criminal actors.

In my opinion, residents deserved to know the full scope of what was taken, and how deeply it compromised their town's operations, long before now.

With that said, Mahaffey’s data breach was also swept under the rug (with the help of the same lawfirm used here) and nobody has been notified to this day on that one, so it’s not exactly surprising to me that Vosburg would take the least transparent route available to him and then play it off like a big win.

🗓️ Upcoming Town Meetings

Monday, April 13
Planning Board Meeting
4:30pm | Town Hall

Tuesday, April 14
Town Council Meeting
6pm | Town Hall

Note: The April 14 Town Council meeting will include a legislative hearing to consider the adoption of a 12-month moratorium on data centers.

A Look Ahead:

April 10 & 11
Peak City Pig Fest | Town Hall Campus

Saturday, April 11
Spring Shred Day | Public Works Dept

Wednesday, April 15
Free Wednesday Morning Movie | The Halle

Wednesday, April 15
Concert Series: Shana Tucker | Halle Cultural Arts

Friday, April 17
Downtown Apex Boutique Crawl | Downtown Apex

Thursday, April 23
Learning Lunch: National Poetry Month | Senior Center

Thursday, April 23
CommUniversity: Spring into Sustainability | Senior Center

Saturday, April 25
Disc Golf Tournament | Apex Nature Park

Saturday, April 25
EarthFest | Town Hall Campus

Sunday, April 26
Love Local Showcase | Downtown Apex

Friday, May 1
Apex United Methodist Church Annual Barbecue | Apex UMC

Saturday, May 2
Peakfest | Town Hall Campus + Hunter Street

In Case You Missed it

🍣 Gas Station Sushi
Akami Sushi was recently recognized by Southern Living as one of the region’s best sushi spot. “The words ‘high-end’ and ‘gas station sushi’ aren’t typically used in the same sentence,” the magazine wrote. “But in the South, some of the best eateries are found in gas stations. Akami Sushi in Apex, NC proves just that.”

☕️ Foxtail Sweetwater
The second location of Foxtail Coffee is now open in Sweetwater. They are open daily from 6:30am until 7pm at 1451 Richardson Road in Suite 126.

🍺 The Local
Formerly Vicious Fishes, The Local is now open. Lunch and dinner food truck every day along with coffee, smoothies, soda, dirty sodas, beer, wine, selzer and more.

👱‍♀️ Blo Bar Dry Bar
Blo Bar believes that blow outs have the power to uplift you and enhance your day. But beautiful hair is just the beginning: they also offer makeup and other luxurious services, too. Now open, located between Mr Dumpling and Doherty’s Irish Pub.

💿️ Hunky Dory
The vinyl record store, Hunky Dory, is set to open any day now. They’ll be upstairs above the antique store.

🥐 Popovers Cafe
Fresh baked popovers, signature Turkish tea and French press coffee are now being served at Popovers Cafe in downtown Apex. Located in the old Villa19 location at 219 N Salem Street, Suite 103 - pop in and see them!

♻️ Recycle Bin Upgrades
Recycling bins are being upgraded from 65-gallon to 95-gallon. You’ll receive notice when your neighborhood is on the schedule. It will happen on the same day as your trash collection.

🚧 2026 Road Rehab Project
The road resurfacing and patching project has been awarded. Construction is expected to begin this month. The full packet showing what roads are a part of this project can be seen here.

🚐 Library On the Go
Wake County’s new Bookmobile is hitting the road for a sneak peek tour. While it’s primarily for children, the 24-foot Bookmobile carrying more than 2,000 books also features a small section of adult titles, making sure parents and caregivers don’t go away empty handed. It will be at the Crowder County Park on April 20, the Eva Perry Regional Library on April 24, and the Middle Creek Community Library on May 11. All events are 10am - 12pm. Full schedule here.

📝 Zencity Community Survey
The Town of Apex has partnered with Zencity for its semiannual Spring Survey to gather feedback from residents. If you soon see social media ads sponsored by Zencity asking for feedback, they are indeed the official partner conducting the survey. More info here.

A Final Note:

Thank you for taking time out of your day today to read this week’s edition of The Peak Weekly.

As always, if you have any ideas of how to make this newsletter better, want to nominate a local business or organization to be featured, or anything else, please respond to this email or email me directly at adam@thepeakweekly.com

See you next Thursday... 😘 

👋 Good Morning, Apex! Today is Thursday, March 26, 2026 — the 64th consecutive weekly issue of The Peak Weekly.

We are just three short weeks away from the highly anticipated Peak Weekly issue number: ⁶🤷⁷

This past week, I received quite a few “did you see this?” emails. So let’s just address it right out of the gate.

I’ve answered this before but I guess it’s hard to believe that there is no motive with the Peak Weekly other than to share fun, interesting and important information about Apex. You will never see me run for political office - ever. Of any kind. I appreciate those who do. But that’s just not in my DNA.

Secondly, I’ve done some reporting recently where Terry has been the subject of some of the more serious journalism. But it’s not Terry vs Adam. I am rooting for the elected officials who represent us. When they succeed, we succeed.

At the same time, this self-appointed role of newsletter publisher has led me down a road to where I’ve seen and experienced things that I likely never would have if it wasn’t for The Peak Weekly. And sometimes it’s good. Other times, it’s not.

You know, it wasn’t too long ago when Terry was hyping me up for this newsletter.

And likewise, I’d promote his content and defer to him for what I thought was expert guidance.

At the time, it felt like we were working together to bring the best information.

But I think what changed the tone for me was his response to the utility billing situation and the presentation from BerryDunn. I started asking questions and started getting… let’s say, what I felt like were dishonest answers, a little bit of gaslighting and maybe a little bit of covering up. Fast-forward a little bit to me reporting on a data breach from one of his side projects in which he responded with a blatant, dangerous and multiple false accusations about me - that people still repeat as if they are factual to this day - and that’s when I started to really see it for what it is. And to be honest, until those statements are corrected, I will not let that go.

And now… the launch of Terry Mahaffey’s latest website, the Peak News Network. “Your source for reliable, accurate local news for Apex, NC”.

A lot of you have asked what I think.

👉 Doesn’t really matter what I think. But if you have 20 minutes, here’s everything I know.

Miscellaneous Info:

 🥚 The Mayor Jacques Golden Egg Hunt
If you haven’t heard, Mayor Gilbert is hosting a Golden Egg Hunt where you can win some cool prizes if you can find the golden egg. Today is day 2 of 5. Details here.

🐖 Peak City Pig Fest
This annual two-day event, hosted by Apex Sunrise Rotary Club, is coming up soon. April 10 & 11 at Town Hall Campus. Everything you need to know.

📸 Flock Cameras
I have spoke about the Flock Cameras in Apex recently and concerns voiced by community members. One resident, though, has taken it even further to track down more information. If you’d like to know more, his public forum comments can be seen here, or check out this great write-up here.

🍣 Gas Station Sushi
Akami Sushi was recently recognized by Southern Living as one of the region’s best sushi spot. “The words ‘high-end’ and ‘gas station sushi’ aren’t typically used in the same sentence,” the magazine wrote. “But in the South, some of the best eateries are found in gas stations. Akami Sushi in Apex, NC proves just that.”

🎹 Apex Music Producer’s Viral Video
The “Feel the Spark” music video, produced by an Apex resident has been viewed more than 4.7M times on YouTube in the past 12 days. You can read the story here and watch the video here.

🌺 Drive-in Movie at the Park
On Friday, March 27, the live-action “Lilo & Stitch” movie will be playing at Pleasant Park. $10 per vehicle. They do sell out! Get tickets here. (And/or plan ahead and grab tickets no the May 22 showing of Zootopia 2 here).

🚿 Water System Maintenance
Through April 6, the Cary/Apex Water Treatment Plant will undergo its annual maintenance. You may experience temporary low water pressure, slight chlorine taste or odor, and/or water discoloration during this time.

♾ Autism Awareness
April is Autism Acceptance Month and National Volunteer Month. Proclamations for both were made during Tuesday’s Council meeting.

Things to Do This Weekend in Apex:

Friday, March 27

🚒 Engine 32 Push In Ceremony
3pm | Firestation #2 in New Hill

🎤 Live Music: Becky Ann
7pm - 10pm | Oaklyn Springs Brewery

🌺 Drive-in Movie at the Park
7:30pm | Pleasant Park

Saturday, March 28

🚘 Cars and Coffee
8am - 11am | Sweetwater

🏍️ Bikes & Coffee
8am - 11am | Fratelli’s Deli

🧑‍🌾 Apex Farmers Market
9am - 12pm | The Depot

🏃‍♀️ Run Club Apex
Meet at 9am | Foxtail Coffee

🚶‍♂️ Parkinson’s Walk of Apex
9am - 12pm | Apex Community Park

📣 No Kings Apex
9:30am - 11:30am | Beaver Creek Commons

🐮 Chatham County Ag Fest
10am - 3pm | Chatham Co. Agriculture Center

👜 Handbag Drop
10am - 8pm | Uptown Cheapskate

🏒 Heated Rivalry Market
10:30am - 3:30pm | The Studio

🐰 Easter Fest
10:30am - 12:30pm | Ambassador Presbyterian Church

✂️ Crafter-noon!
3pm - 5pm | Bottle Theory

🎤 Live Music: Kyle Mullins
6:30pm - 9pm | Southern Peak Brewery

🖤 Emo Punk Night
7pm - 10pm | Oaklyn Springs Brewery

🎤 Live Music: Jonatas Alves
8pm - 11pm | Peak of the Vine

Sunday, March 29

🌿 Invasive Plant Removal Workday
10am - 12pm | Apex Community Park

🍳 Snack Sunday: The Egg Event
Starts 2pm | Peakway Taps

📖 Buddy Howard Book Signing
2pm - 4pm | Alleyway Bookstore

Local Business Update:

☕️ Foxtail Sweetwater
The second location of Foxtail Coffee is now open in Sweetwater. They are open daily from 6:30am until 7pm at 1451 Richardson Road in Suite 126.

🍺 The Local
Formerly Vicious Fishes, The Local is now open. Lunch and dinner food truck every day along with coffee, smoothies, soda, dirty sodas, beer, wine, selzer and more.

👱‍♀️ Blo Bar Dry Bar
Blo Bar believes that blow outs have the power to uplift you and enhance your day. But beautiful hair is just the beginning: they also offer makeup and other luxurious services, too. Now open, located between Mr Dumpling and Doherty’s Irish Pub.

💿️ Hunky Dory
The vinyl record store, Hunky Dory, is planning to open next weekend. They’ll be upstairs above the antique store.

🥐 Popovers Cafe
Fresh baked popovers, signature Turkish tea and French press coffee are now being served at Popovers Cafe in downtown Apex. Located in the old Villa19 location at 219 N Salem Street, Suite 103 - pop in and see them!

🤸‍♀️ Coming Soon:
No exact dates yet but each of these is coming along and getting closer and closer to opening their doors: Wing Stop (former GNC in Beaver Creek), Groovy Duck Bakery (right on the corner downtown), Cook Out (former Skipper’s on 55).

Civic News:

🐝 New Environmental Committees
The Environmental Advisory Board has formed three new subcommittees: data centers, trees, and bees (for Bee City/Tree City designations).

🚂 Train Noise
Council actively working with CSX on sound mitigation and potentially relocating the overnight train depot away from downtown residential areas.

🛣️ Multimodal Transportation Board
Held its first-ever strategic work session to expand scope beyond just walkability/bikeability to include road design.

♻️ Recycle Bin Upgrades
Recycling bins are being upgraded from 65-gallon to 95-gallon starting March 30. You’ll receive notice when your neighborhood is on the schedule. It will happen on the same day as your trash collection.

🌱 Yard Waste / Grass Clippings
Council directed discontinuation of grass collection at the February retreat, but public pushback has been significant. Mayor Gilbert recommended during Tuesday’s council meeting to pause and implement an official community feedback process before taking any action. The Town Manager responded that there will be another presentation on April 14 and possible public input on April 28.

⚡️ More Utility Billing Issues
Cycle 2 customers got bills with incorrect due dates (showed March 28, actual is April 13). Town is working with vendor to fix portal. Also, 37-day billing period instead of the usual 30, so bills will look higher. Paper bills going out with correct dates.

⏭ Two Rezoning Applications Continued
Annexation and Rezoning of Welch Homestead PUD was continued to 4/28 after council expressed concerns regarding affordable housing (only 5% / policy calls for 10%). Camp Branch Lane was continued to 5/12 after council expressed concerns about environmental conditions (only 4 of 9 EAB recommendations accepted).

✅ Unanimous Approval
Annexation of Wimberly Road, Deer Creek Greenway Connector, Tingen Road Bicycle and Pedestrian Crossing Feasibility Study, Tingen Road Crossing Transportation Plan Amendments all approved 4-0.

⏸️ Paused
The Tingen Road Tunnel project was paused, pending the above mentioned Feasibility Study. The project, should it move forward, is estimated to cost $10.7M.

❌ Denied
The Rezoning for Camp Branch Lane was unanimously denied.

🗓️ Upcoming Town Meetings

Today, March 26
CommUniversity: Connect and Dive into Water Resources
6pm - 8pm | Apex Senior Center

Monday, April 13
Planning Board Meeting
4:30pm | Town Hall

Tuesday, April 14
Town Council Meeting
6pm | Town Hall

Note: The April 14 Town Council meeting will include a legislative hearing to consider the adoption of a 12-month moratorium on data centers.

A Look Ahead:

Wednesday, April 8
Harris Plant Siren Test (5-30 seconds)

April 10 & 11
Peak City Pig Fest | Town Hall Campus

Saturday, April 11
Spring Shred Day | Public Works Dept

Wednesday, April 15
Concert Series: Shana Tucker | Halle Cultural Arts

Friday, April 17
Downtown Apex Boutique Crawl | Downtown Apex

Saturday, April 25
EarthFest | Town Hall Campus

Sunday, April 26
Love Local Showcase | Downtown Apex

In Case You Missed it

🎬️ Drive-in Movie at the Park
Tomorrow, the live-action “Lilo & Stitch” movie will be playing at Pleasant Park. The next showing will be Zootopia 2. Plan ahead and grab tickets here. $10/car.

☀️ Art Explorers Summer Camp!
Art Camps for Curious Creative Kids. This is a mixed media camp, July 27-31, perfect for rising 2-6th graders who are creative and curious about any and every kind of art. Learn more and register here.

☀️ Summer Dance Camps
Star Path Dance Academy has published their summer camps. Camp options start at 3 years old up to 17. Check them out here.

👩‍🚒 Female Firefighting Camp
Camp Ignite is a Free all female (high school aged) firefighting camp run by Cary, Apex and Morrisville female firefighters.  Camp Ignite is a hands-on, week-long experience where students will learn essential firefighting and EMS skills, build confidence, teamwork and leadership.  This camp is designed to give students a real look into careers in the fire service while creating a fun, supportive, and empowering environment. The camp takes place from July 27-31 and applications are now open.

🚧 2026 Road Rehab Project
The road resurfacing and patching project has been awarded. Construction is expected to begin next month. The full packet showing what roads are a part of this project can be seen here.

🚐 Library On the Go
Wake County’s new Bookmobile is hitting the road for a sneak peek tour. While it’s primarily for children, the 24-foot Bookmobile carrying more than 2,000 books also features a small section of adult titles, making sure parents and caregivers don’t go away empty handed. It will be at the Crowder County Park on April 20, the Eva Perry Regional Library on April 24, and the Middle Creek Community Library on May 11. All events are 10am - 12pm. Full schedule here.

📝 Zencity Community Survey
The Town of Apex has partnered with Zencity for its semiannual Spring Survey to gather feedback from residents. If you soon see social media ads sponsored by Zencity asking for feedback, they are indeed the official partner conducting the survey. More info here.

A Final Note:

Thank you for taking time out of your day today to read this week’s edition of The Peak Weekly.

As always, if you have any ideas of how to make this newsletter better, want to nominate a local business or organization to be featured, or anything else, please respond to this email or email me directly at adam@thepeakweekly.com

See you next Thursday... 😘 

👋 Good Morning, Apex! Today is Thursday, March 19, 2026 — the 63rd consecutive weekly issue of The Peak Weekly.

Hope you've had a great week. Temperatures are climbing back up today, and tomorrow marks the first official day of Spring. It looks like a beautiful weekend to get out and enjoy town.

On Tuesday, the Town Council held a Work Session on Economic Development. I've got a full recap in the Civic News section below - but first, I want to highlight one two-minute moment from an otherwise four-hour session.

When participants were asked what's working and what isn't, Economic Development Director Joanna Helms said this:

"This could hurt our reputation… is um… negative resident activism. That's something that we're, um, dealing with."

When asked for clarification, the room shared a nice laugh and then Council Member Mu jumped in and explained that we often share incorrect information at public forum.

You can watch that portion here.

I'm watching public records requests get denied on false pretenses. I've been publicly defamed by Mayor Pro Tem Mahaffey and harassed by community members who believed him. My emails and formal filings have been ignored by the Town Manager, the Town Attorney, and every sitting Council member. And through all of that, I've also watched ordinary residents find the courage to speak up at public forum - only to have this room turn around and criticize them.

Joanna Helms is responsible for economic development. She doesn't like "negative resident activism."

So what exactly are we supposed to do when, for example, she signs an NDA shielding the other party's identity - in apparent violation of North Carolina public records law - and that NDA includes language authorizing the destruction of public records if the mystery company requests it - also in apparent violation of North Carolina public records law?

Is this reporting negative activism? Or is it regular activism reporting on negative behavior?

Thank you for continuing to support honest, local, independent journalism. ❤️ 

Miscellaneous Info:

🫒 Learning Lunch Series
This Month’s Learning Lunch Series topic is Greek American Heritage. It takes place today at the Apex Senior Center from 12pm - 1pm.

🎓️ CommUniversity: Water Resources
Next Thursday, March 26, from 6-8pm at the Apex Senior Center, join the Water Resources Department to learn about Apex’s utility system and drinking water sources. Learn more and RSVP here.

🚒 Engine 32 Push In Ceremony
Apex Fire Station 2 in New Hill will pay respect to their old fire engine for its years of service as they literally push in the new Engine in this time honored tradition. The event will take place on March 27th at 3pm.

📝 Zencity Community Survey
The Town of Apex has partnered with Zencity for its semiannual Spring Survey to gather feedback from residents. If you soon see social media ads sponsored by Zencity asking for feedback, they are indeed the official partner conducting the survey. More info here.

🥾 Middle Creek Greenway Trailhead
Improvements on the Middle Creek Greenway trailhead off Sunset Lake Road have begun. Work includes paving the parking lot and installing drainage upgrades. The trailhead and access point will be closed for approximately one month.

📰 Program Guides
Summer (May-August 2026) Programs are open for resident registration. Non-resident registration will open March 30. Program guides here.

⭐️ More Summer Camps
Shared some last week; here are some more. Star Path Dance Academy has published their summer camps. Camp options start at 3 years old up to 17. Check them out here.

👩‍🚒 Female Firefighting Camp
Camp Ignite is a Free all female (high school aged) firefighting camp run by Cary, Apex and Morrisville female firefighters.  Camp Ignite is a hands-on, week-long experience where students will learn essential firefighting and EMS skills, build confidence, teamwork and leadership.  This camp is designed to give students a real look into careers in the fire service while creating a fun, supportive, and empowering environment. The camp takes place from July 27-31 and applications are now open.

🔬 Camp Helix
Last week, a subscriber reached out asking about some construction going on around 3945-3973 Friendship Road in New Hill with some signs out front that read Apollo 11. Did a little digging and found out about Camp Helix, a big biotech facility in the works. I don’t know a ton about it, but that link shares some great info for those interested.

🚐 Library On the Go
Wake County’s new Bookmobile is hitting the road for a sneak peek tour. While it’s primarily for children, the 24-foot Bookmobile carrying more than 2,000 books also features a small section of adult titles, making sure parents and caregivers don’t go away empty handed. It will be at the Crowder County Park on April 20, the Eva Perry Regional Library on April 24, and the Middle Creek Community Library on May 11. All events are 10am - 12pm. Full schedule here.

🥁 July 4 Parade
The 2026 Fourth of July parade has been officially canceled due to the Salem Street construction project. Fireworks and drone show are still a go.

Tomorrow, March 20 - Ready to find lucky deals in Downtown Apex? The Shamrock Showdown is a new annual celebration combining St. Patrick’s Day spirit, college basketball excitement, and community pride. Wear green or your favorite college team gear and enjoy some lucky deals at participating downtown businesses. View the full list of promotions here.

Things to Do This Weekend in Apex:

Friday, March 20

🌿 Creek Week: Invasive Plant Removal Workday
10am - 12pm | Apex Community Park

🏀 Shamrock Showdown
5pm - 9pm | Downtown Apex

🎵 Spring Concert Series
5:30pm - 9pm | Sweetwater Lawn

🎤 Friday Night Live: Jim Morgan Music
7pm - 10pm | Oaklyn Springs Brewery

Saturday, March 21

🧑‍🌾 Apex Farmers Market
9am - 12pm | The Depot

🏃‍♀️ Run Club Apex
Meet at 9am | Foxtail Coffee

🎨 SuperFun Saturday
(ages 4-12, free)
10:30am - 12:30pm | Halle Cultural Arts

🥚 Spring Fling (Peak City Church)
11am - 12pm | Apex HS Parking Lot

🎤 Live Music: Tom Neuhauser
6pm | Bottle Theory

Note: a little light on the events this week - sorry! I pull most from Facebook events and it’s late Wednesday evening and Facebook Events is not working properly. I’m not great at social media updates, but follow me on Instagram and I’ll make an extra effort this week to post events throughout the week.

Local Business Update:

💿️ Hunky Dory
The record store, Hunky Dory, is opening up next month above Antiques on Salem. If you have any records to sell, they are currently buying in an effort to stock up before the grand opening. They pre-price records and pay 50% retail on quality records.

If you have any to sell, email hunkydoryapex@gmail.com or DM them on Instagram.

🥐 Popovers Cafe
Fresh baked popovers, signature turkish tea and french press coffee are now being served at Popovers Cafe in downtown Apex. Located in the old Villa19 location at 219 N Salem Street, Suite 103 - pop in and see them!

Civic News:

📣 Peak Plan 2055: Your Input Matters
Public Forum #2 will take place next Wednesday, March 25. The Peak Plan 2055 sets the strategic vision for the town’s growth. It will take place from 4-7pm but it’s a drop-in event - show up any time in that window. Here’s a great article from The Line about how you can provide input.

🏛️ Upcoming Town Council Meeting
The next Town Council meeting will be this Tuesday, March 24. On the agenda as of today: Annexation Welch Homestead (83 acres), Annexation Wimberly Road (.2 acres), Rezoning Welch Homestead PUD, Rezoning Camp Branch Lane, Amendments related to Tingen Road railroad pedestrian crossing, the Tingen Road Bicycle and Pedestrian Crossing Feasibility Study, and an amendment to add a proposed greenway connection in western Apex. The full agenda should be posted at this link by end of day Friday.

Work Session Recap

On Tuesday, Town Council hosted ECU’s Economic Development Academy. The goal was to give council a shared vocabulary around economic development and facilitate a structured conversation so council and staff hear each other's priorities. The ultimate goal was getting everyone aligned on what Apex’s economic challenges and opportunities are.

Here’s a brief summary. You can watch the full 4h presentation here.

📊 Apex by the Numbers

- Approaching 100,000 population - now 12th or 13th largest city in NC
- Median household income: $144,500
- 70% of adults hold at least a bachelor's degree
- Extremely low commercial vacancy rate (businesses want in but can't find space)

🔑 Top Resident-Impact Highlights

- Affordable housing crisis was front and center. The "missing middle" - ages 25-40 was called out specifically. Young people with family here are being pushed to surrounding towns

- Children’s Hospital cited as Apex’s biggest economic win. Vertical integration of companies around the hospital was flagged as a strategy.

- S-Line Rail still part of the long-term vision (5-20 yrs out).

- Infrastructure vs. Growth tension. Traffic, water/sewer capacity, and the pace of development vs. infrastructure were repeated concerns.

- Small businesses can’t find space and some are closing. Access to capital was raised as a gap. The Launch Apex incubator program was praised.

- Land availability is why Holly Springs gets Life Science projects. Holly Springs had hundreds of acres for sale. Apex's land is largely tied up in developer build-to-suit arrangements. Council acknowledged this is why neighboring towns land certain large projects Apex doesn't.

- Sustainability as Apex’s brand. Council discussed making environmental stewardship a defining characteristic. Biotech and green/clean tech were cited as natural fits.

- Remote Work & Live Anywhere Economy. The shift to hybrid/remote work was discussed as both opportunity and challenge. Apex has highly educated residents who may work globally from home — great for quality of life, but changes what "economic development" looks like for downtown foot traffic and commercial demand

- “Negative” resident activism flagged as a risk. Council candidly discussed how “hostile” public comments at meetings can scare off prospective businesses. Site consultants watching council recordings see that negativity. Misinformation was cited as a driver - residents sometimes showing up angry based on incorrect info.

- AI and Automation jobs. The session covered macro trends including AI replacing jobs, automation in manufacturing/distribution (Amazon facilities projecting 500 jobs that become 200), and the need to stay ahead of workforce shifts.

- Apex Gateway / Chatham County Strategy. Mentioned as a proactive win - a no-rooftops zone entirely focused on economic development on the Chatham County side.

- Peak Plan 2055 & Think Apex. Both referenced as examples of forward-looking planning. Think Apex's community heroes awards and day of service were highlighted as building "ambassadors" for the town.

The Big Takeaway From the Session:

Apex's problems are ones most NC towns would kill to have. The facilitators noted they just came from a rural county where median income is $44,100 and 13.2% have bachelor's degrees. Apex's challenge isn't survival - it's managing success. The council's focus was: how do we grow without losing what makes this place special?

🗓️ Upcoming Town Meetings

Today, March 19
Environmental Advisory Board Subcommittee
Special Meeting: Tree Canopy Policy
5pm - 6pm | Town Hall

Today, March 19
Environmental Advisory Board Subcommittee
6pm | Town Hall

Tuesday, March 24
Town Council Meeting
6pm | Town Hall

Wednesday, March 25
Peak Plan 2055: Public Forum #2
4pm - 7pm | Town Hall

Wednesday, March 25
Parks & Rec Advisory Board
6pm | Town Hall

A Look Ahead:

Tuesday, March 24
UltiMutt Dog Egg Hunt | Apex Nature Park

Saturday, March 28
Easter Fest | Ambassador Presbyterian Church

Saturday, March 29
Invasive Plant Removal Workday | Apex Community Park

Wednesday, April 8
Harris Plant Siren Test (5-30 seconds)

April 10 & 11
Peak City Pig Fest | Town Hall Campus

Saturday, April 11
Spring Shred Day | Public Works Dept

Wednesday, April 15
Concert Series: Shana Tucker | Halle Cultural Arts

Saturday, April 25
EarthFest | Town Hall Campus

Sunday, April 26
Love Local Showcase | Downtown Apex

In Case You Missed it

🌺 Drive-in Movie at the Park
On Friday, March 27, the live-action “Lilo & Stitch” movie will be playing at Pleasant Park. $10 per vehicle. They do sell out! Get tickets here. (And/or plan ahead and grab tickets no the May 22 showing of Zootopia 2 here).

☀️ Summer Camp!
Art Explorers: Art Camps for Curious Creative Kids. This is a mixed media camp, July 27-31, perfect for rising 2-6th graders who are creative and curious about any and every kind of art. Learn more and register here.

🐻 Bear Hands Gifts is Moving
The literary & mystic boutique, currently located at 305 S Salem (next to First National Bank near Tap Station) is relocating to 209 N Salem St, Suite 103 (the former Monroe Boutique). Their last day in the current shop is March 29 and place to be in the new space on or around May 9.

🚿 Water System Maintenance
Through April 6, the Cary/Apex Water Treatment Plant will undergo its annual maintenance. You may experience temporary low water pressure, slight chlorine taste or odor, and/or water discoloration during this time.

🚧 2026 Road Rehab Project
The road resurfacing and patching project has been awarded. Construction is expected to begin next month. The full packet showing what roads are a part of this project can be seen here.

👩‍🎨 Call for Artists: Murals
The Town of Apex has two mural projects planned; one on retaining walls in the Saunders Street parking lot in downtown Apex and the other on the amphitheater in the Apex Nature Park. Artists are invited to submit proposals for one or both projects. Deadline to apply is Monday, April 27.

A Final Note:

Thank you for taking time out of your day today to read this week’s edition of The Peak Weekly.

As always, if you have any ideas of how to make this newsletter better, want to nominate a local business or organization to be featured, or anything else, please respond to this email or email me directly at adam@thepeakweekly.com

See you next Thursday... 😘 

👋 Good Morning, Apex! Today is Thursday, March 12, 2026 and this is the 62nd consecutive weekly issue of The Peak Weekly.

Happy Girl Scout Day! Time to get the thin mints out of the freezer and celebrate.

Truth be told, the original title of today’s newsletter was, “Thin Mints and Four Leaf Clovers”. At the last minute, I hesitated… “is it 3 leaves or 4?”

Pardon my ignorance, but I had to look it up. Apparently the Three-Leaf Shamrock symbolizes faith, hope and love.

And the Four-Leaf Clover represents faith, hope, love… and luck.

Well, Saint Patrick didn’t need any luck apparently so the correct version is the three-leaf shamrock. ☘️ 

Good to know. I learned something today.

Anyway, big week this week! We have the Downtown Apex Semi-Annual Sidewalk Sale, some fun St. Patrick’s Day activities, exciting local business updates, and the first day of Spring is right around the corner…

I feel like I am forgetting something 🤔 

Oh that’s right. And no more data center application!

Shout out to the Jordan Pointe neighbors, New Hill residents and everyone else from Apex and beyond who showed up and spoke out to push back. The battle has been won. But it’s not over. What happens next, especially the issue of revising the UDO for data centers, is extremely important. That has major implications on the future and I hope that the voices of our community will be heard during that process.

Before we jump into the good stuff, 2 quick housekeeping items.

📃 NDA Clarification
When I’ve spoken about this particular NDA that the Town Manager signed with an unknown party that certainly has the appearance of a data center related agreement, I’ve seen some comments like, “What’s the big deal? It’s normal to sign NDAs.”

I just want to be clear that I agree with that completely. From Economic Development to Town Managers and other people in between, it’s standard practice. Signing an NDA in and of itself is not a problem. If a Town wants opportunities to bring in big economic opportunities, job providers, etc. that’s standard procedure. I was never saying or trying to imply that the process or existence of NDAs in the economic development processes of our Town is a problem.

Driving a car isn’t a problem. Driving a car while intoxicated and texting is.

The problem isn’t NDAs. The problem is this particular NDA.

For one, the other party is anonymous. Why? Second, it requires the Town to notify them if someone does a public record request for their identity to allow them to seek remedies to stop it. Why?

But the most concerning part is this line: “Agency (Town of Apex / Randy Vosburg) will return or destroy all tangible materials embodying Confidential information … promptly following Company’s written request.”

That raises serious concerns about the possibility of destroying public records, confidential or not, which are subject to certain retention periods by law. So the issue isn’t Town officials or employees signing NDAs. The issue is this NDA, its requirements, its strong desire to stay anonymous, and the fact that the Apex Town Manager inked his signature on it anyway.

By the way, 22 days and counting on my public record request asking them to officially identify “The Company”.

🌐 Data Breach Clarification
Second item to clear up, on January 14th, 2026 I notified the Town Manager and Town Attorney of a data breach involving Council Member Mahaffey’s 2026 CIP Survey.

Shortly after this, Mahaffey was asked on his Facebook account if there was any update to his software and my allegation that there was a data breach. He said this:

If that’s too small to read on your screen, let me recap: Mahaffey’s response to a question about the status on my data breach notification (the exact question was, “any facts to share about survey participants info being compromised?”) was to share a letter from the Town Attorney written to me with my name on it and say, “The political actor got ahold of the raw survey results” … “the town had to spend $15,000 or so hiring an outside firm…” and “Please share to anyone else alarmed by this non-sense. It’s just a stunt by the Wake GOP.”

What followed this, and continues to this day, are attacks on me for being a liar, politically motivated hate comments, claims that I demanded an investigation, and so on.

Here’s what actually happened. I sent an email alerting the Town Attorney and Town Manager that personal information had been exposed online by a council member’s personal software project. A serious matter. I stand by that to this day. In the email, I offered to send the Town the evidence. No demand for investigation. I said I have the proof, and I’ll send it to you. Not once have they asked me for it. You can read my email here.

In the screenshot above, you can see that a letter was shared alongside those comments (which made up for just 1 of the 4 total correspondances in the chain). Here’s the letter.

That letter has been floating around as proof that I lied.

Okay let’s look at the rest then. Here is my response to Attorney Hohe’s letter.

And, finally, her 4-sentence response to my 4-page statutory interpretations and 16 questions can be seen here.

She did not answer a single question, did not identify a single error in my reporting, and did not defend her statutory interpretation.

When Terry Mahaffey made those comments about me being a political actor and being part of a Wake GOP stunt, a lot of things changed for me. That resulted in a lot of unsubscribes, hateful comments and continued, to this day, statements that share a recurring message that I made up a data breach (that I have proof of and offered to them), that I demanded an investigation (which I never did; I offered to provide the proof), and other politically motivated attacks based on claims that are simply not true.

For what it’s worth, after sending the Town a demand letter the other day, Mahaffey is attempting to backtrack and is now claiming that his comments - made on a post about my data breach notification, alongside a letter with my name on it, which have been echoed back at me across multiple social media platforms by those who read his comments - weren't about me.

Anyway. I do this for free. I do it because I love Apex. I’ve been taking a lot of hits lately because of these statements. But local independent journalism is important. Not backing down to bullies is important. So let’s keep it going. Enjoy this week’s update and I’ll see you back here next week with #63. ❤️ 

📩 By the way, if you are interested in more Apex reporting, give Holly Springs Update a follow. They report on Apex too and do a great job!

Also good follows: Raleighwood Inbox and Cary Digest

#SupportLocalJournalism

Miscellaneous Info:

🩸 Apex PD Blood Drive
The Apex Police Department is partnering with The Blood Connection to host a blood drive on Monday, March 16th, 2026 from 12pm - 5pm. Each donor will receive credit toward an e-gift card and a $10 donation will be made in their honor to the Special Olympics of North Carolina. Sign up here.

🏗️ Phase 2: Development
Peak Plan 2055 is an initiative that will result in an updated comprehensive plan for the Town. Phase 1: Discovery is now complete. Phase 2 focuses on development and how do we grow from here. Mark your calendar for the public forum on March 25, 2026 from 4-7pm at Apex Town Hall. The topics discussed will be Land Use + Conservation Scenarios, “Vision” Plan, and Subarea Concepts. Learn more here.

🚿 Dive into Water Resources
On March 26, from 6-8pm, CommUniversity will host an interactive education session at the Apex Senior Center to help you learn how your Water Resources Department provides dependable, safe, and cost-effective drinking water and wastewater services. More info here.

🧑‍💻 Resident Advisory Board Positions
Are you passionate about shaping the future of our community? Serving on a Town Advisory Board or Committee is a great way to get involved, collaborate with local leaders, and make a real impact. Applications are being accepted through this Sunday, March 15.

🌺 Drive-in Movie at the Park
On Friday, March 27, the live-action “Lilo & Stitch” movie will be playing at Pleasant Park. $10 per vehicle. They do sell out! Get tickets here. (And/or plan ahead and grab tickets no the May 22 showing of Zootopia 2 here).

Things to Do This Week in Apex:

Friday, March 13

🐶 Pints + Puppies: Adoption Option
5pm - 8pm | Southern Peak Brewery

☘️ St. Paddy’s Celebration with Joe Hero
8pm - 11pm | The Backyard Bar

Saturday, March 14

🧑‍🌾 Apex Farmers Market
9am - 12pm | The Depot

🏃‍♀️ Run Club Apex
Meet at 9am | Foxtail Coffee

🏞 Creek Week: Big Sweep Stream Cleanup
9am - 12pm | 820 E Williams

🛍️ Apex Sidewalk Sale
10am - 5pm | Downtown Apex

🌈 Apex Holi 2026
11am - 3pm | Salem Middle School

🛍️ Apex Underground Market
11am - 3pm | Sweetwater Town Center

☘️ Irish Beer Fest
Starts: 12pm | Oaklyn Springs Brewery

☘️ St. Patrick’s Outdoor Party
Starts: 2pm | Doherty’s Irish Pub

🎸 Deep 6, Pearl Jam Tribute Band
7pm | TapStation

☘️ Ultimate St. Paddy’s Party w/Crush
Starts: 8pm | The Backyard Bar

🎸 Live Music w/ Sonic Blues
8pm - 11pm | Peak of the Vine

Sunday, March 15

🧀 Mac and Cheese Cook-off
2pm | Peakway Taps

🎻 Classical Concert Series
3pm | Halle Cultural Arts Center

Tuesday, March 17

☘️ 2026 St. Patrick’s Celebration
Starts: 3pm | Doherty’s Irish Pub

Wednesday, March 18

🎬️ Wednesday Morning Movie
10am - 12pm | Halle Cultural Arts Center

🏃‍♂️ Rudy’s Run Club
6:30pm - 9:30pm | Rudy’s Pub & Grill

Local Business Update:

🧱 Yamato Steak, Seafood & Sushi Bar
Word on the street (and by street I mean the Mayor’s Facebook video) is that Yamato may be closing soon.

Sounds like more details to come, but if you’re figuring out what to do for lunch or dinner today, might be good timing to go support them!

🍛 IndiFresh Supermarket
An Indian grocery store and a 2-story office building are coming soon near Costco (behind Academy Sports) at 1215 Pine Plaza Dr. The 5.47 acre site was purchased for $1.875M. last April. The Apex IndiFresh will have a restaurant with with indoor and outdoor seating as well as a bakery, beer cave and ice cream station and will employ up to 50 people. The plan is to break ground this year and finish construction in 2027.

☀️ Summer Camp!
The last day of school is just 91 days away! That may seem like a lot, but time flies and activities fill up quick! If you are part of an organization with fun summer activities for kids, please reach out so we can share. In the meantime, here’s one - Art Explorers: Art Camps for Curious Creative Kids. This is a mixed media camp, July 27-31, perfect for rising 2-6th graders who are creative and curious about any and every kind of art. Learn more and register here.

🐻 Bear Hands Gifts is Moving
The literary & mystic boutique, currently located at 305 S Salem (next to First National Bank near Tap Station) is relocating to 209 N Salem St, Suite 103 (the former Monroe Boutique). Their last day in the current shop is March 29 and place to be in the new space on or around May 9.

🛋️ French Bleue - Last Weekend Downtown
This weekend will be the shop’s last days in downtown Apex as they are moving to a new location on a horse farm down the road. During this weekend’s Downtown Apex Sidewalk Sale, they will be offering 20% off everything in the shop.

🐠 The Local Apex
The former Vicious Fishes, now The Local, will be opening this month. They will offer coffee drinks, sodas (including dirty soads), beer, cider, seltzers and wine. Food trucks every day for lunch and dinner with some breakfast sprinkled in. Thee former Vicious Fishes in Fuquay, now called Duke’s Kitchen & Taphouse, will be re-opening at about the same time.

Civic News:

🏭️ Data Center Moratorium
Council voted unanimously to direct staff to begin the process of enacting a one-year moratorium on data center construction and related activities (including crypto mining) within Apex. A notice period and public hearing will take place, as required by law, before it will be officially adopted. Official adoption will likely take place during the April 14 council meeting.

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Debate: Community Advisory Committee
During Tuesday’s council meeting, Mayor Gilbert proposed standing up a non-standing (temporary) citizen committee to research data center impacts and provide policy/transparency recommendations - essentially a residents' advisory group. This sparked the longest and most contentious debate of the night.

Gilbert pushed hard for a standalone committee, citing the need for two-way community engagement, transparency, and the precedent of the affordable housing committee from ~2021. He invited Dr. Michelle Hoffner O'Connor to speak directly on community engagement. She emphasized the one-way communication problem and said the community wants to partner with the town.

Mahaffey opposed a new committee, arguing staff is fully capable of soliciting public input. Zegarman proposed referring the matter to the Environmental Advisory Board (EAB) and letting them figure out how to organize, possibly with a subcommittee. Gray built on Zegarman's idea, suggesting a resident subcommittee housed under the EAB, with a 60-day timeline to report back. Reese supported the EAB route and agreed with the subcommittee concept, calling it a "redemption moment" for the EAB after the October meeting debacle (where their role was misrepresented in media coverage as having "approved" the data center when they only voted on recommendations). Mu raised concerns about procedural fairness, noting that pro-data-center voices were underrepresented and that clear rules are needed for future citizen committees.

The council members voted unanimous to refer the matter to the EAB, with the EAB to report back within 60 days on their findings and how they plan to organize community input. You can watch the full exchange here (about 56 minutes total). Or read some follow-up comments from the Mayor here.

🔌 Electric Meters
Over 11,000 meter upgrades are complete; on track for Fall completion.

🛣️ Salem Streetscaping Update
Storm drainage installed, underground conduit is going in, street light pole foundations are coming next, underground soil cells are being installed for tree health.

☎️ Ask Apex Day
A proclamation was made making March 11 Ask Apex Day to celebrate the town’s 311-style customer service center (919-249-3311).

♀️Women’s History
A proclamation was made making March 2026 Women’s History and Appreciation Month.

🚘️ Detached Garage Utility Rate Change
Council unanimously approved moving separately-metered detached garages from the small general service rate to the residential rate.

🗓️ Upcoming Town Meetings

Monday, March 16
Culture & Arts Advisory Board Meeting
6pm | Town Hall

Tuesday, March 17
Board of Adjustments Meeting
6pm | Town Hall

Tuesday, March 17
Town Council Work Session
3:30pm - 5pm | Town Hall

Wednesday, March 11
Multimodal Transportation Advisory Board
Work Session
4:45pm - 6:45pm | Town Hall

A Look Ahead:

Thursday, March 19
Women’s History Month: Time for Tea | Senior Center

Thursday, March 19
Learning Lunch Series: Greek American Heritage | Senior Center

Friday, March 20
Spring Concert Series | Sweetwater Lawn

Friday, March 20
Shamrock Showdown | Downtown Apex

Friday, March 20
Creek Week: Invasive Plant Removal Workday | Apex Community Park

Saturday, March 21
Spring Fling (Peak City Church) | Apex High School Parking Lot

April 10 & 11
Peak City Pig Fest | Town Hall Campus

In Case You Missed it

🚿 Water System Maintenance
Beginning Feb 27 thru April 6, the Cary/Apex Water Treatment Plant will undergo its annual maintenance. You may experience temporary low water pressure, slight chlorine taste or odor, and/or water discoloration during this time.

⛺️ Triangle Camps, Track-Out, and More
The Triangle Camps, Track-out, and More directory is a biannual publication which offers valuable information to parents about camps, track out programs, enrichment activities, and more for children in the Triangle region. View the Spring/Summer 2026 Triangle Camps Directory here.

▶️ 2026 Apex State of the Town
If you haven’t seen it yet, it’s worth a watch - the annual State of the Town video reflects on key accomplishments of 2025. Watch it here.

🎭 Performance and Event Stage
The Wake County Board of Commissioners has approved $23.5M in hospitality tax funds for 12 projects across the county. Relevant to Apex is the $348k designated to construct a stage on the Town Campus to host concerts, performances and to support Town events. It will include roughly 600 seats and capacity for 1,100 on the lawn.

🚧 2026 Road Rehab Project
The road resurfacing and patching project has been awarded. Construction is expected to begin next month. The full packet showing what roads are a part of this project can be seen here.

👩‍🎨 Call for Artists: Murals
The Town of Apex has two mural projects planned; one on retaining walls in the Saunders Street parking lot in downtown Apex and the other on the amphitheater in the Apex Nature Park. Artists are invited to submit proposals for one or both projects. Deadline to apply is Monday, April 27.

A Final Note:

Thank you for taking time out of your day today to read this week’s edition of The Peak Weekly.

As always, if you have any ideas of how to make this newsletter better, want to nominate a local business or organization to be featured, or anything else, please respond to this email or email me directly at adam@thepeakweekly.com

See you next Thursday... 😘 

👋 Good Morning, Apex! Today is Thursday, March 5, 2026 and this is the 61st consecutive weekly issue of The Peak Weekly.

🔍️ The NDA Update
Quick update to last week’s long article regarding the mysterious NDA signed by the Town Manager. Today marks 45 days since I made the original request - and 14 days since I requested they reveal the identity of the company name that was withheld once the NDA was sent. I’ll let you know as soon as I know something.

⏰ Springing Forward
Secondly, a quick reminder that we lose an hour this Sunday as we spring forward. But despite being the "shortest" day of the year, it’s actually one of the biggest in my house. We’ll be celebrating a major milestone as my daughter, Emerson, turns 17 on Sunday.

💜 International Women’s Day
Between celebrating her day and figuring out how to change the clock on the microwave, we’ll also be celebrating ALL women. International Women's Day gives focus to issues such as gender equality, reproductive rights, and the fight for liberation. It commemorates the movement that paved the way for the women in our lives today.

As my favorite coaster says:

To the grandmothers, mothers, and daughters; to the women who lead our town, nurture our families, teach our kids, run our businesses, and inspire the next generation - I see you, I thank you, and Apex is better because of you.

Miscellaneous Info:

▶️ 2026 Apex State of the Town
If you haven’t seen it yet, it’s worth a watch - the annual State of the Town video reflects on key accomplishments of 2025. Watch it here.

🗳️ Wake County Primaries
Wiley Nickel won the DA race and, with no challenger outside of his party in the fall, he is set to be Wake County’s next district attorney. Winn Decker won the Democratic primary for House District 37 and will face incumbent Erin Paré in the general election. There are two new at-large seats on the Wake County Board of Commissioners - Christine Kushner and Mona Singh won the Democratic primary and will face Republicans Gary Hartong and Kyle Stogoski. For more results and info, you can find that here.

🏞️ Brown Bags to Building Bridges (B4) Series
Today at 12pm at the Apex Senior Center. 1st Quarter 2026 Speaker: Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Resources Department. Details here.

🎬️ Thursday Night Movie
“Now You See Me: Now You Don’t" plays tonight at 7pm for The Halle’s free Thursday night movie.

👩‍🎨 Call for Artists: Murals
The Town of Apex has two mural projects planned; one on retaining walls in the Saunders Street parking lot in downtown Apex and the other on the amphitheater in the Apex Nature Park. Artists are invited to submit proposals for one or both projects. Deadline to apply is Monday, April 27.

🏃🏻‍♀️‍➡️ Run the Peak
This Saturday is the Apex Chamber’s 5th Annual Run the Peak event. The 5k/10k will start at 8am. The kids Fun Run will begin at 9am. For GoApex Route 1 detour information, from 8am-11am, click here.

⛈️ Emergency Preparedness Week
March 1-7 is NC Severe Weather Preparedness Week. Find some educational resources here.

♻️ 2025 Environmental Programs Impact Report
The Town released their report covering stormwater outreach, invasive species removal, EarthFest 2025, the Pollinator Programs, Compost Volunteer Program, Adopt a Park, Plant the Peak and internal recycling efforts. You can see it here.

🏘️ Another Big Land Deal
Homebuilder Lennar paid $86.35M for 258 acres in Veridea. They have also committed to investing $4 million in infrastructure for the site. The deal equals $337,300 per acre. Lennar is permitted for 1,077 homes. Its plan is to build 327 single-family homes and 750 townhomes.

While we’re at it, quick math correction from last week. Taylor Morrison, a national homebuilder out of Scottsdale, purchased 130 acres along Old US Hwy 1 in New Hill. They paid $446,000 per acre and are apparently still working on closing an additional 102 acres. [Correction: The $59M purchase price was for the initial 130 acres and the additional 102 acres making the price per acre approximately $253,000.]

Things to Do This Week in Apex:

Thursday, March 5

🎬️ Thursday Night Movie 
7pm | The Halle

🎤 Live Music: Mysti Mayhem
7pm | Salem Street Pub

Friday, March 6

🐟️ Apex Lions Club Fish Fry
11am - 6:30pm | 309 Holleman St

🥚 Art Reception: Eggs in Nest 
6pm - 8pm | The Halle

🎤 Live Music: JAK Acoustic Covers
8pm - 11pm | Exchange Lounge

Saturday, March 7

🏃‍♂️ Run the Peak
8am - 10am | Downtown & Town Hall Campus

🧑‍🌾 Apex Farmers Market
9am - 12pm | The Depot

🧘 Triangle Yoga Fest
11:30am - 6:30pm | Apex Senior Center

⏺️ Vinyl Pop-Up
12:30pm - 4:30pm | Peakway Taps

🏀 Duke vs UNC Watch Party
6:30pm | JD’s Tavern

🎤 Live Music: Joe’s Cousin
7pm | Oaklyn Springs Brewery

🎤 Live Music: Maskell Freeman Band
8pm | Peak of the Vine

Sunday, March 8

🪴 March Plant/Seed Swap
2pm - 3pm | The Peak Church

Wednesday, March 11

👮 Coffee with a Cop
8am - 10am | Peace, Love and Little Donuts

🏌️‍♀️ Tees & Tea for Women’s History
6pm - 7:30pm | Knights Play Golf Course

Local Business Nonprofit Update:

🧱 Pass the Bricks
Over 1.1 trillion LEGO pieces have been produced (an estimated 1.8 million tons). That’s enough for every human on earth to have an average of ~140 pieces.

If you’re one of those people with some extra legos laying around, pass those bricks!

Dan Senko’s non-profit organization collects your LEGO donations and distributes them to individuals in need, Boys and Girls Clubs in the area, some schools and STEM clubs, as well as many being given to the Ronald McDonald House in Durham (for Durham, Chapel Hill and Raleigh houses).

PasstheBricksRDU, the Raleigh-Durham chapter of PasstheBricks.org, currently provides LEGO sets to RMHC as part of their mission to “collect LEGO donations, clean used bricks, build and package new sets and pass-the-bricks to other organizations.”

Dan even recently helped the Ronald McDonald House by consulting, finding an artist for a mural, fundraising, and soliciting new LEGO donations from retail stores to convert a small room into a LEGO play room.

Watch the mural get painted here and then learn more about PasstheBricksRDU here.

Civic News:

📋 Monday’s Planning Board Meeting
The board will consider recommending approval of a feasibility study for a bicycle and pedestrian crossing at Tingen Road. A proposal is on the table to amend the Bicycle and Pedestrian System Plan Map to add a new greenway connection.

Two significant rezoning cases involving Lennar Carolinas are scheduled for discussion: Welch Homestead PID (rezoning 83 acres from Residential-40 Watershed to Planned Unit Development Conditional Zoning), and Camp Branch Lane (rezoning 22 acres from Rural Residential to Medium Density Conditional Zoning).

It is important to note that the Planning Board does not make final decisions on these requests. Instead, they conduct public hearings to evaluate the proposals and provide a formal recommendation to the Town Council. You can view the Planning Board Agenda here. All of these items are on the agenda for Town Council on March 24.

🏛️ Tuesday’s Town Council Meeting
This agenda has not yet been posted. It should be uploaded to this page tomorrow. But from the legal ads that have been posted, we can see there will at least be an annexation for 45 acres on Jenks Rd, annexation for 2 acres on Green Level, and a Fee Schedule Amendment for Residential and Residential Time-of-Use specific to detached garages.

Additionally there will be the first standing public monthly hearing related to the Annual Operating Budget. You can see all of these notices here.

🏠️ Property Tax Appeals
Property taxes are the largest source of revenue for both Wake County and Apex. Many property owners have appealed their assessed values, and early numbers may signal lower-than-expected collections for the current fiscal year and impact budget forecasting. Read more here.

🚛 Grass Collection Ends July 1
Curbside grass collection will end on July 1. As a result, yard waste will move to bi-weekly collection. They are looking to move toward containerized yard waste service by 2028.

💰 Utility Late Fees & Disconnections Resume July 1
If you are behind on your utility bills (about 8% of accounts), you can request a payment plan or payment assistance. If you’re on either of those, you will not be charged late fees or disconnected. If not, those late fees and disconnections will start back up July 1.

🗓️ Upcoming Town Meetings

Monday, March 9
Planning Board Meeting
4:30pm | Town Hall

Tuesday, March 10
Town Council Meeting
6pm | Town Hall

Wednesday, March 11
Developer Roundtable
Partnering to Build Homes for All in Apex
12:30pm - 2pm | Town Hall

Wednesday, March 11
Multimodal Transportation Advisory Board
Work Session
4:45pm - 6:45pm | Town Hall

A Look Ahead:

Saturday, March 14
Downtown Apex Sidewalk Sale | Downtown Apex

Saturday, March 14
Day Market hosted by Makrs Society | Sweetwater Lawn

Saturday, March 14
Apex Holi Festival | Salem Middle School

Saturday, March 14
Creek Week: Big Sweep Stream Cleanup | 820 E Williams

Sunday, March 15
Classical Concert Series | Halle Cultural Arts

Thursday, March 19
Women’s History Month: Time for Tea | Senior Center

Thursday, March 19
Learning Lunch Series: Greek American Heritage | Senior Center

Friday, March 20
Spring Concert Series | Sweetwater Lawn

Friday, March 20
Shamrock Showdown | Downtown Apex

Friday, March 20
Creek Week: Invasive Plant Removal Workday | Apex Community Park

Saturday, March 21
Spring Fling (Peak City Church) | Apex High School Parking Lot

April 10 & 11
Peak City Pig Fest | Town Hall Campus

In Case You Missed it

🚿 Water System Maintenance
Beginning Feb 27 thru April 6, the Cary/Apex Water Treatment Plant will undergo its annual maintenance. You may experience temporary low water pressure, slight chlorine taste or odor, and/or water discoloration during this time.

⛺️ Triangle Camps, Track-Out, and More
The Triangle Camps, Track-out, and More directory is a biannual publication which offers valuable information to parents about camps, track out programs, enrichment activities, and more for children in the Triangle region. View the Spring/Summer 2026 Triangle Camps Directory here.

🏘️ Developer Roundtable
The Town of Apex Community Development & Neighborhood Connections (CDNC) Housing Division will convene local and regional development partners (homebuilders, affordable home developers, and nonprofit partners) for a Developer Roundtable, “Partnering to Build Homes for All in Apex,” on March 11th 12:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Apex Senior Center.

🎭 Performance and Event Stage
The Wake County Board of Commissioners has approved $23.5M in hospitality tax funds for 12 projects across the county. Relevant to Apex is the $348k designated to construct a stage on the Town Campus to host concerts, performances and to support Town events. It will include roughly 600 seats and capacity for 1,100 on the lawn.

🚧 2026 Road Rehab Project
The road resurfacing and patching project has been awarded. Construction is expected to begin next month. The full packet showing what roads are a part of this project can be seen here.

A Final Note:

Thank you for taking time out of your day today to read this week’s edition of The Peak Weekly.

As always, if you have any ideas of how to make this newsletter better, want to nominate a local business or organization to be featured, or anything else, please respond to this email or email me directly at adam@thepeakweekly.com

See you next Thursday... 😘 

👋 Good Morning, Apex! Today is Thursday, February 26, 2026 and this is the 60th consecutive weekly issue of The Peak Weekly.

I’d like to introduce you to Axel. He's our intern this week:

He wants you to know that he’s responsible for any typos in today's email. He also wanted to remind you that the Wake County Animal Center has been closed since January 16 for repairs, but is set to open back up on Monday, March 2nd. He says you should adopt, not shop and that he’s really excited to grow up a bit more so that he can get neutered because that’s really important.

That advice is pure gold.

Also pure gold - a 17 pound rock used as a door stop in North Carolina back in 1799.

Conrad Reed, a 12-year-old, found it while bow-fishing, thought the big shiny rock looked cool, brought it home and then his family used it as a door stop for about 3 years before they discovered that the rock was pure gold.

That is the first documented gold discovery ever in the United States, which kicked off the very first gold rush in our country’s history - right here in North Carolina.

That’s a big discovery.

Also a big discovery - local officials in Warrenton, Virginia, Orange County, Virginia, and Falls Township, Pennsylvania all signed NDAs practically identical to the one signed in Apex. And in all cases, the other party of the NDA was Amazon, for the development of a data center.

We have submitted a public record request for the Town to state the name of the other party on the record, as required by North Carolina Public Record Laws.

The evidence points to Amazon. But the question remains, whether it’s Amazon or not, why did the Town and this other party sign an NDA that was meant to go unnoticed in a records request, and why did it contain language that, if followed, would violate North Carolina public record laws by illegally destroying public records? And why was staff, under the direction of a Town Manager bound by an NDA, put in charge of research and UDO recommendations rather than hiring an independent, outside consultant and subject matter experts?

There are still a lot of questions that need to be answered. And I will keep you posted as I find out those answers.

In the meantime, if you feel like digging into the details of the NDAs, outcomes of those other Amazon data centers, concerns about the internal data center research and more, you can read all about it here.

It’s about a 10 minute read, but gives some pretty good context to what's going on. I punted the social media story to next week because of these developments, but stay tuned for that!

Miscellaneous Info:

🏢 Morrisville Apartment Fire: How to Help
More than 70 residents were displaced Monday, Feb. 23 night after a fire tore through the third floor of a Morrisville apartment complex. The following donations and fundraisers have been started to help the displaced residents: the Red Cross is accepting donations, the Carolina Asian Alliance is holding a food drive, and NeighborUp is also raising donations (make sure to indicate for “fire relief”)

💡 Preparing Youth to Lead and Thrive
Today, February 26 from 6-8pm at the Apex Senior Center, the Town will be hosting the next in its series of CommUniversity workshops for the community to learn how to intentionally design programs and opportunities that prepare youth to become confident and effective community leaders, while also giving them the skills and experiences needed for future career success.

🥙 Apex Restaurant Week
This is going on now and will continue through Sunday 3/1. This annual celebration invites residents and visitors to explore Apex’s diverse dining scene through specially priced lunch and dinner menus at participating local restaurants.

🏃 Run the Peak
Next Saturday, March 7, is the Apex Chamber’s 5th Annual Run the Peak event. The 5k/10k will start at 8am. The kids Fun Run will begin at 9am. Register here.

🏘️ Developer Roundtable
The Town of Apex Community Development & Neighborhood Connections (CDNC) Housing Division will convene local and regional development partners (homebuilders, affordable home developers, and nonprofit partners) for a Developer Roundtable, “Partnering to Build Homes for All in Apex,” on March 11th 12:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Apex Senior Center.

🗳️ Wake County 2026 Primary Election
The last day for early voting is this Saturday, February 28. And then you’ll have one last chance on election day, Tuesday, March 3. All the details on early voting and election day voting can be found here. If you’re unsure what the primaries are all about, we shared some details in last week’s newsletter, which you can see here.

🏞️ Beaver Creek Greenway
A section between Kelly Road and Patterson Grove will be closed February 26–27 (this Today/Friday) for bridge repairs.

👗 The Prom Shoppe at Apex UMC
Free prom dresses, shoes, makeup and accessories for girls in need. Tomorrow (Friday, 27th) fro 3-7pm and Saturday 10am-1pm.

🏭️ Data Center Discussions - Air Quality
Several individuals spoke out against the data center proposal again during this week’s Town Council meeting. You can watch all of those speeches here. The primary theme from those discussions was air quality. One of those speakers was a 26-year resident of Apex who is a Chemical Engineer and Professor of Environmental Sciences and Engineering at UNC Chapel Hill. Additionally, he is the Director of the Center for Environmental Modeling for Policy Development at the UNC Institute for the Environment. You can watch his speech, among the others, at the link above. Or, read the transcript and see the supporting visuals on this blog post, put together by another Apex neighbor.

Things to Do This Week in Apex:

Friday, February 27

👠 Cinderella!
7pm | Apex High School

🎤 MikeMickXer Duo
8pm - 11pm | Peak of the Vine

Saturday, February 28

🏍️ Bikes and Coffee
8am - 11am | Fratelli’s Deli

🧑‍🌾 Apex Farmers Market
9am - 12pm | The Depot

🏃‍♀️ Run Club Apex
Meet at 9am | Foxtail Coffee

🪞 Winter Vintage Fest
11am - 4pm | The Vintage Nook

👠 Cinderella!
2pm | Apex High School

✂️ Crafter-noon!
3pm - 5pm | Bottle Theory

🎻 United Strings of Color: Partnership in Black Music
7pm - 8:30pm | The Halle

👠 Cinderella!
7pm | Apex High School

🎸 Skeleton Crew
8pm - 11pm | Peak of the Vine

🎤 Rudy’s Karaoke
9pm | Rudy’s Pub & Grill

Monday, March 2

📚️ Sweetwater Book Club: Broken Country
6pm - 8pm | Southern Peak Taproom & Pizzeria

🎲 Game Night
7pm - 10pm | Bottle Theory

Tuesday, March 3

🌿 Invasive Plant Removal Day
10am - 12pm | Apex Community Park

🧠 Trivia Night
7pm - 8pm | Abbey Road Tavern

🤣 The Backyard Comedy Night
8pm - 10pm | The Backyard Bar

Wednesday, March 4

🏌️‍♀️ Tees & Tea for Women’s History
6pm - 7:30pm | Knights Play Golf Course

🏃 Rudy’s Run Club
6:30pm | Rudy’s Pub & Grill

🏃 The Run Club at Sweetwater
6:30pm | Southern Peak Taproom & Pizzeria

🔤 Music Bingo
7pm - 8pm | Abbey Road Tavern

🔤 Music Bingo
7:30pm | Rudy’s Pub & Grill

Local Business Updates:

🎉 Maynor 30th Anniversary Celebration
Maynor Services Company (Heating, Cooling, Plumbing, Electric) is celebrating 30 years in business. They serve the broader triangle area, but are headquartered right here in Apex. They’re anniversary celebration is tomorrow at their Raleigh location.

🥤 BOGO Drive-Thru Drinks
The celebrate the Grand Re-Opening of Soda Box Apex, they are offering buy one get one dirty sodas on Saturday, Feb 28 from 10am - 6pm.

🍑 Tone What You Own
Neighborhood Barre, a fitness studio offering barre, strength, hybrid + HIIT classes is coming soon to Apex. Learn more here.

🍕 The Limited Edition Tirolese
The finest Speck (smoked prosciutto) straight from Südtirol in North Italy combined with fresh arugula and a drizzle of aged balsamic glaze is here for a limited time at Frasketta!

Reminders from recent newsletters:

🍪 Apex Oven Micro Bakery
A new micro bakery in Apex serving small-batch, handcrafted baked goods is now open! I ordered some cookies from them and tried the cinnamon rolls as well recently and 10/10!! Follow Apex Oven Micro Bakery on Facebook.

🐔 Wingstop
Wingstop will soon be replacing the GNC is Beaver Creek. Exact date TBD.

Civic News:

📄 N. Salem Street Mixed-Use
Application #25CZ24, first submitted on December 1, has been refiled with the Town. It is a petition to rezone approximately 32.3 acres for a new mixed-use development called N. Salem Street Mixed-Use. The proposal aims to transition the property from its current various zonings (Residential Agricultural, Rural Residential, and Planned Commercial) to a Planned Unit Development-Conditional Zoning (PUD-CZ) district.

The development is envisioned as a "walkable community" serving as a gateway to downtown Apex. It is divided into five distinct districts with a focus on higher density near major roads and lower density adjacent to existing neighborhoods.

• Residential Units: A maximum of 450 total units, consisting of:

  • Up to 250 multi-family (apartment) units.

  • Up to 200 townhomes or small-scale multi-family units.

• Non-Residential: Approximately 5.0 acres (15.6% of the site) is proposed for non-residential development, primarily in the MU-1 district.

• Location: The site is situated at the intersection of N. Salem Street and All Wheel Drive, bordered to the north by Crossroads Ford and to the south/west by the Haddon Hall and Haddon Place neighborhoods.

⛪️ Apex Baptist Church Rezoning
The council heard a request from Apex Baptist Church to rezone to allow for a tabletop parking structure and the relocation of the historic Bailey House. Largely due to concerns that this would bypass UDO historic preservation rules, the rezoning request was unanimously denied.

🗓️ Upcoming Town Meetings

Monday, March 9
Planning Board Meeting
4:30pm | Town Hall

Tuesday, March 10
Town Council Meeting
6pm | Town Hall

Wednesday, March 11
Developer Roundtable
Partnering to Build Homes for All in Apex
12:30pm - 2pm | Town Hall

A Look Ahead:

Thursday, March 5
B4 Lunch Series | Apex Senior Center

Thursday, March 5
Thursday Night Movie | The Halle

Friday, March 6
Art Reception: Eggs in Nest | The Halle

Saturday, March 7
Run the Peak | Downtown & Town Hall Campus

Saturday, March 14
Day Market hosted by Makrs Society | Sweetwater Lawn

Saturday, March 14
Apex Holi Festival | Salem Middle School

Thursday, March 19
Women’s History Month: Time for Tea | Senior Center

Friday, March 20
Spring Concert Series | Sweetwater Lawn

Friday, March 20
Shamrock Showdown | Downtown Apex

April 10 & 11
Peak City Pig Fest | Town Hall Campus

In Case You Missed it

🚿 Water System Maintenance
Beginning Feb 27 thru April 6, the Cary/Apex Water Treatment Plant will undergo its annual maintenance. You may experience temporary low water pressure, slight chlorine taste or odor, and/or water discoloration during this time.

⛺️ Triangle Camps, Track-Out, and More
The Triangle Camps, Track-out, and More directory is a biannual publication which offers valuable information to parents about camps, track out programs, enrichment activities, and more for children in the Triangle region. View the Spring/Summer 2026 Triangle Camps Directory here.

🏘️ 444 Homes in Gracewood
Taylor Morrison, a national homebuilder out of Scottsdale, purchased 130 acres along Old US Hwy 1 in New Hill. They paid $446,000 per acre and are apparently still working on closing an additional 102 acres. [Correction: The $59M purchase price was for the initial 130 acres and the additional 102 acres making the price per acre approximately $253,000.] They will build 444 single-family homes starting in the $700,000s up to $1.3M in this 232 acre community.

🎭 Performance and Event Stage
The Wake County Board of Commissioners has approved $23.5M in hospitality tax funds for 12 projects across the county. Relevant to Apex is the $348k designated to construct a stage on the Town Campus to host concerts, performances and to support Town events. It will include roughly 600 seats and capacity for 1,100 on the lawn.

🚧 2026 Road Rehab Project
The road resurfacing and patching project has been awarded. Construction is expected to begin next month. The full packet showing what roads are a part of this project can be seen here.

A Final Note:

Thank you for taking time out of your day today to read this week’s edition of The Peak Weekly.

As always, if you have any ideas of how to make this newsletter better, want to nominate a local business or organization to be featured, or anything else, please respond to this email or email me directly at adam@thepeakweekly.com

See you next Thursday... 😘 

👋 Good Morning, Apex! Today is Thursday, February 19, 2026 and this is the 59th consecutive weekly issue of The Peak Weekly.

There’s so much to update you on today in what might be the best Peak Weekly to date. Clocking in at 5,374 words - it’s at least the longest!

Where do I even start? Oh I know.

Periods!

Menstruation (stick with me…) affects half the population but is often surrounded by stigma and silence. And “period poverty” (unable to afford supplies) affects 20% of females in NC ages 12-44.

North Carolina is one of just 18 states where menstrual products are treated as "luxury" items rather than necessities which means there are no government assistance programs to help.

That’s why Apex resident, Kim Johnson, made it her mission through Her Power Project “to challenge this outdated stigma and advocate for access to necessary menstrual hygiene products for everyone.”

Through educational initiatives, community outreach, and partnerships with local organizations, the non-profit aims to ensure that everyone in Wake County can access the hygiene products they need without shame or fear.

Kim is hoping to make some new connections with other nonprofits, medical organizations, and to just spread awareness in general. Take a moment and visit their website here.

4 additional notes before we jump in:

1. First and foremost, Ramadan Mubarak to all who celebrate! Yesterday, Mayor Gilbert delivered a proclamation from his office recognizing the Holy Month of Ramadan to members of our community. This will also be formally presented during Tuesday’s Town Council Meeting.

2. There’s a new section right below the Miscellaneous updates called “NDA Watch.” Not a permanent section but it will come and go as I find out more.
   

3. There’s a second new section down below the local biz updates, just for this week titled, “Town Council Retreat Summary”. A ton of stuff happened during last week’s 3-day council retreat so it’s a bit more text-heavy than usual, but I did my best to summarize the key points. It’s kind of a lot; but there’s some important, meaty info in there that you probably want to know about.
   

4. And a third new/temporary section below that titled, “What the Hell Are We Voting for?” The 2026 Spring Primaries are happening right now and most people that I’ve talked to have no idea what’s even on the ballot. If that’s you - don’t skip this section :)
   

Miscellaneous Info:

📚️ Little Free Library Update
Last week, we were on the hunt for the missing Little Free Library at Salem & Saunders. It’s been found - relocated over to the Depot. With that said, its future there is uncertain at this time. The Apex Rotary is putting up 8 new Little Free Libraries in honor of JC Knowles, the Town Ambassador and beloved Rotary member. Those should be out within the next month or so.

🥙 Apex Restaurant Week
Starts Monday 2/23 and goes through the following Sunday 3/1. This annual celebration invites residents and visitors to explore Apex’s diverse dining scene through specially priced lunch and dinner menus at participating local restaurants.

💡 Preparing Youth to Lead & Thrive
A week from today (2/26), join the Town of Apex for a workshop where you can learn how to intentionally design programs and opportunities that prepare youth to become confident and effective community leaders, while also giving them the skills and experiences needed for future career success. Rebekah Dixon, Youth Employment Program Manager for Raleigh, will be the speaker. Details and RSVP here.

🛣️ Olive Chapel Road
I’m sure you’ve heard, but this is now open!

🚿 Water System Maintenance
Beginning Feb 27 thru April 6, the Cary/Apex Water Treatment Plant will undergo its annual maintenance. You may experience temporary low water pressure, slight chlorine taste or odor, and/or water discoloration during this time.

🏭️ Data Center Update
The Protect Wake County Coalition will be holding a meeting this Sunday, Feb 22, at the New Hill Community Center. You can follow them here.

⛺️ Triangle Camps, Track-Out, and More
The Triangle Camps, Track-out, and More directory is a biannual publication which offers valuable information to parents about camps, track out programs, enrichment activities, and more for children in the Triangle region. View the Spring/Summer 2026 Triangle Camps Directory here.

🏘️ 444 Homes in Gracewood
Taylor Morrison, a national homebuilder out of Scottsdale, purchased 130 acres along Old US Hwy 1 in New Hill. They paid $446,000 per acre and are apparently still working on closing an additional 102 acres. [Correction: The $59M purchase price was for the initial 130 acres and the additional 102 acres making the price per acre approximately $253,000.] They will build 444 single-family homes starting in the $700,000s up to $1.3M in this 232 acre community.

Source: Taylor Morrison

🎭 Performance and Event Stage
The Wake County Board of Commissioners has approved $23.5M in hospitality tax funds for 12 projects across the county. Relevant to Apex is the $348k designated to construct a stage on the Town Campus to host concerts, performances and to support Town events. It will include roughly 600 seats and capacity for 1,100 on the lawn.

Source: Wake County FY2026 Hospitality Tax Competitive Project Process

NDA Watch:

The Town Manager signed an NDA related to the data center.

That’s all we really know for sure. Well… that and the fact that he really seems to not want us to know about it.

I’ve obtained an NDA signed by the Town Manager which I want to share with you.

To be clear: I don't know for certain who this NDA is with. But the evidence points in a specific direction.

On December 1, 2025, Town Manager Randy Vosburg signed a Nondisclosure Agreement with an unnamed company regarding a "proposed project." The company's identity appears nowhere in the document - it's referred to only as "the Company" throughout.

The NDA covers the company's "expansion plans, operations and businesses" and describes a project significant enough to require confidentiality around "the nature, content, and existence of the parties' commercial relationship or transaction." The language and scale are consistent with the kind of agreements municipalities sign when a major industrial user - like a data center operator - is evaluating a site.

What's Concerning

Several things stand out.

The company's identity was deliberately left out of the document. This isn't an oversight - it's a structural choice. They knew the NDA could be obtained through a public records request and effectively tried to loophole their way into staying anonymous.

But they also knew that tactic only buys time. Their own Section 5, the government disclosure clause, acknowledges that this NDA can't override North Carolina's Public Records Act. So they built in a backup plan: if someone pushes to obtain the name of "the Company," Vosburg is required to notify them first and give them time to seek a court order to try to block it.

And if that fails, there's Section 8 - which requires the Town to return or destroy all materials related to the agreement, including summaries, copies, and excerpts, at "the Company's" request. A private, unknown company can effectively order the Town of Apex to wipe out records of their negotiations.

Note: I obtained 45 other NDAs signed by Vosburg from 2024 through 2025. Not a single one comes close to these lengths to keep the other party's identity hidden. (I'm still waiting on additional NDAs that apparently require more review before the Town will release them.)

The Timing

The NDA is dated December 1, 2025. But the data center developer had already filed its zoning, annexation, and UDO amendment applications about 3 months earlier. Those filings are public. So why would the Town need to sign a secrecy agreement for a project that's already on the public record?

The most likely answer: this NDA isn't with the developer (which is why Vosburg has been so adamant that there’s no NDA “with Natelli”). It's likely with the end user - the company that will actually occupy and operate the facility. Hyperscale tech companies are well known for requiring secrecy from municipalities during site selection. They don't want competing localities or organized opposition to know who they are before a deal is locked in.

That would also explain the NDA's language. "Expansion plans, operations and businesses" sounds like a tenant describing what they'll do inside a facility - not a developer describing the construction of one.

(another, albeit less likely, theory is that this isn’t about the New Hill data center at all; it’s about a potential second data center)

The Bigger Question isn’t Just Who - it’s Why?

Set aside the mystery company for a moment. A reasonable person can understand why a town manager might sign a nondisclosure agreement during early-stage economic development negotiations. That's not unusual.

What is unusual is agreeing to terms like these (whether it’s data center related or not).

Vosburg signed a document that deliberately omits the company's name - not from an oversight, but by design. The structure ensures that a public records request asking for "all NDAs with [Company X]" would return nothing. The only reason this document surfaced at all is because I requested every NDA the Town Manager has signed in the last two years. That's not confidentiality. That's evasion by design.

He also agreed to destroy all confidential materials at the company's request. Our Town Manager agreed in writing to destroy documents at the request of a private company - documents that would ultimately fall under the custody of the Town and North Carolina's public records retention laws.

North Carolina's public records retention laws exist for a reason. This clause may not override them, but the willingness to sign it tells you everything about whose interests were being prioritized at that table.

“The Company” and Vosburg included the anonymity structure, knowing it’s not legally enforceable, betting that no one would know to ask.

They bet wrong.

What's Next

I've filed a public records request with the Town seeking the identity of the company, all related correspondence, and any additional agreements connected to this NDA. Under N.C.G.S. § 132-1.3, agreements like this one to keep public records confidential are void. The Town's obligation to its residents doesn't disappear because a company asked them to sign a piece of paper.

I'll report back when I have a response which, based on how my other requests are going, could be another month or two.

If you want to see the actual NDA document referenced here, you can view it here.

Things to Do This Week in Apex:

Thursday, February 19

🥪 Learning Lunch
w/the African American Heritage Commission
12pm - 1pm | Senior Center

🍷 Wine & Wit
7pm - 9:30pm | Peak of the Vine

Friday, February 20

🕺 Apex Community Dance
7pm - 9pm | The Halle

🎸 Live Music: For the People
8pm | The Backyard Bar

Saturday, February 21

🦅 Bald Eagle Watch
8am | Jordan Lake Dam

🧩 Puzzle Exchange
9am - 10:30am | APD

🧑‍🌾 Apex Farmers Market
9am - 12pm | The Depot

🏃‍♀️ Run Club Apex
Meet at 9am | Foxtail Coffee

🎨 SuperFun Saturday (ages 4-12)
10:30am - 12:30pm | The Halle

📖 Romantasy Book Fair
10:30am - 3:30pm | The Studio

♠️ Spades Tournament
11am - 2pm | Apex Senior Center

☮️ Live Music: That 60’s Group
8pm - 11pm | Peak of the Vine

Sunday, February 22

💪 Bootcamp & Bubbly
10am - 11am | Southern Peak Brewery

🎂 Mike’s Birthday Kickasserole Cook-off
2pm | Peakway Taps

Tuesday, Feb 24

📖 Book Club: You Deserve Each Other
6pm - 8pm | Southern Peak Brewery

🕯️ Apothecary Soiree
7pm - 10pm | Wine & Design

Local Business Updates:

🔘 Hunky Dory - Coming Soon
The “New & Used Vinyl Records + Local Beer” store with locations in Cary, Durham and Raleigh is opening their 4th shop in downtown Apex. If I am understanding their caption correctly (“A Cali sober shop with craft beverages (no booze), vinyl and vintage vibes”) then that means no beer served at this location but perhaps THC-infused non-alcoholic drinks? Working on finding out more, but it’s anticipated to open in April.

🍺 The Local - Coming Soon
The re-opening of, previously Vicious Fishes, The Local hasn’t happened yet. But stay tuned; it’s close.

🙆🏼‍♂️ Stretch Zone - Grand Reopening
An exciting day is planned filled with movement, community and awesome surprises at Stretch Zone this Saturday, Feb 21, from 10am - 1pm. They’ll be unveiling some new and exciting updates along with free demo stretches, raffles, local vendors, snacks & beverages, and a tour of the studio. Get the details here.

🥊 Legends Dutch Kickboxing
This business was nominated to be featured by a reader and I’m excited to share about the place where you can, “Train with purpose, live like a legend.”

• Small 24-hour gym with workout equipment where members can come and go as they wish

• Kickboxing classes for adults and kids are taught throughout the week (schedule on the website). They offer memberships as well as pay-per-class options.

• There are also cardio-kickboxing classes for adults.

A direct quote from the reader who reached out: “My 9- and 11-year olds have been going for a little over a year and have absolutely thrived there. The curriculum there not only teaches Dutch Kickboxing but includes self-defense skills, anti-bullying, confidence-building, and trust.  This a small gym, with space to expand, and I highly recommend it to all ages. I am looking forward to starting classes there as well!”

They are rated a perfect 5.0 stars on Google which might make it worth a few extra minutes drive into New Hill - 4408 Old US 1 Hwy, New Hill, NC 27562 | Visit their website.

🏛️ Town Council Retreat Summary:

Council and staff met for 3 days last week and covered a whole bunch of topics and made a few key decisions. Here’s my best effort to consolidate 18 hours, 23 minutes and 13 seconds into the main points:

Game Plan Apex
The Town of Apex committed to sustainability and environmental leadership in its FY 2022-2023 Strategic Plan (Game Plan Apex), focusing on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, energy efficiency, renewable energy, and limiting its environmental impact. We are currently in year-3 of the 5-year plan. Council discussed ‘refreshing’ the plan by shifting specific initiatives out and moving new ones in.

Departmental Highlights
Directors from across the town's portfolios provided rapid-fire updates on major accomplishments and upcoming challenges.

• Technology & Innovation is building AI-powered chat bots and voice bots, and training staff in generative AI

• Public Works is piloting AI cameras on solid waste vehicles to measure pile sizes, detect carts, and assess street sign conditions. The Council funded a Town-wide Solar Initiative to improve energy efficiency and municipal facilities.

• The Fire Department is pursuing national accreditation, with a peer site visit scheduled for this spring.

• The Police Department has established the largest Police Explorer post in North Carolina to focus on long-term recruitment and workforce diversity. They’ve also created a new Special Events Team to manage safety of the Town’s 50+ annual events.

• Housing Affordability: Apex is gaining regional attention for its commitment to housing, with plans to launch a Community Land Trust and a down payment assistance program.

• Tourism 2.0: A new push is underway to attract "experiential and destination" businesses to Apex.

• Infrastructure: The Pleasant Park elevated water tank is expected to be completed in the next fiscal year, featuring three town logos. A new program was funded to install better signage throughout town to help with economic development and tourism

Scenario Planning: Apex 2055
The Council reviewed five draft scenarios (A through E) for how the town might grow over the next 30 years (no growth, slow growth, compact/urban growth). Council members requested that future workshops highlight the "unintended consequences" of each scenario, such as the specific impacts on traffic congestion and the necessity of regional transit to support higher density.

Facility Space Deficits
A major point of discussion was the town's critical lack of office and operational space for its growing staff. The current police station is roughly 15,000 square feet short of the space needed for a 20-year plan. They discussed a $30M renovation vs. a $50M new building. At Town Hall, a multi-phase renovation is underway to secure the building, including a new centralized reception desk in the lobby to restrict access to upper-floor stairs. Renovation of the historic Tunstall House is scheduled for completion in August 2026. While it could serve as "swing space" during other renovations, there is also interest in using it for the senior center long-term.

Current Initiatives Dashboard
Staff introduced a new digital dashboard to track the progress of Council initiatives from the last three years. The Council focused on "red" items that required more attention, including the adoption of a Tree Preservation Ordinance (scheduled for a future work session) and increasing Elementary School SROs (currently stalled due to funding and school board resistance). The Friendship Pedestrian Bridge and a proposed Parklet on Williams Street have been moved to "deferred" status due to high costs and low feasibility at this time.

Financial Conditions & Forecast
Finance staff provided a snapshot of the town's fiscal health across its four major operating funds. The town ended FY25 with a net income of $7.5 million in the general fund. The "unassigned" fund balance remains at a healthy 33.4 million, which is 25% of the operating budget - providing roughly $4.9 million in discretionary "flex" funds. The Electric fund is considered "less than healthy," with only 61 days of cash on hand, compared to the town's 90-day goal. This fund faces an 11% operating budget increase due to system expansion for the Veridia development. Water & Sewer fund is strong with 311 days of cash on hand. The town's total outstanding debt is $133 million, which equates to approximately $1,500 per resident - a figure considered low compared to peer municipalities.

Capital Project Prioritization Results
Following a survey of Council members, the results for the town’s $942 million capital backlog were revealed.

Top 5 Priorities:

1. Annual Pavement Management.

2. Olive Chapel Road at Apex Barbecue Road improvements.

3. Apex Peakway at Tingen Road intersection.

4. Fire Station 3 renovation and addition.

5. Downtown projects for Commerce and Seaboard streets.

Lowest Priorities: The Tingen Road Tunnel, EV infrastructure development, and the Solar Initiative ranked lowest among Council members.

Yard Waste Program Overhaul
The Council reviewed a massive, data-driven two-year evaluation of the town’s current yard waste operations. The data revealed that while the town collects 1.2 million potential points of waste annually, the current model is highly inefficient: 50% of staff time is spent collecting only 10% of the total waste volume (specifically chips and brush). The Council directed staff to start the process of eliminating grass collection, with a target effective date of July 1, 2026. The Council also directed staff to investigate moving to a containerized (cart-based) system for all other yard waste, which is projected to launch in July 2028.

Transit & Mobility Expansion
The session provided a deep dive into the Apex Transit Prioritization Study, a short-term plan for the next five years. Residents can expect increased frequency on Route 1 and the launch of Sunday service starting as early as April 2026. Two additional fixed routes are also being planned to serve broader areas of Apex. Plans are progressing for a centralized multimodal hub in downtown that would serve local transit, regional bus routes, and potentially future passenger rail. By August 2026, new regional routes are expected, including service to the hospital and hourly connections between Holly Springs, Apex, and Cary.

Commerce Street “Right of Way” Debate
The Council engaged in a spirited debate over Commerce Street (the alleyway project), centered on whether the town should pay property owners to acquire the "right of way" for a street it has been maintaining for decades. Some Council members argued it was "absurd" to pay property owners for land the town is already spending millions to improve. Others cautioned that failing to invest would hurt the economic viability of the "small-town mom-and-pop character" that defines downtown. Ultimately, Council voted to remove the originally planned private parking areas and immediate water line replacement from the scope. And, instead of adding two new parking spots at the corner, the Council voted to transition that area into expanded public hardscape and gathering space.

Capital Improvement Plan
The Council participated in a prioritization exercise to determine which infrastructure and facility projects would move forward in the five-year Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). The most significant outcome was a consensus to likely include a one-penny tax increase. This penny adds roughly $24 million in funding, allowing the town to "finish what it started" on several overdue projects.

After working in teams, the Council reached a consensus on a final list of funded projects: Renovation of Fire Station 3, moving forward with Public Safety Station 7, widening of Apex Peakway (North and Southwest), several new traffic signals, downtown railroad crossing improvements, Beaver Creek Greenway renovations, Hunter Street Park renovations, Kidstown playground renovations, a new town campus stage, an Environmental Education Center, and funding for the Commerce and Seaboard street projects.

Utility Billing
After nearly 18 months of "non-standard" operations due to software transitions and a previous cybersecurity incident, the town is moving back toward its standard billing procedures. Currently, approximately 2,955 active accounts owe the town for more than 90 days, totaling a staggering $6 million in unpaid balances. Staff proposed re-implementing disconnections starting as late as February, 2027. Council strongly disagreed with that long of a delay, expressing a desire to align disconnections with the start of the new fiscal year on July 1, 2026, to force non-payers into paying sooner.

2026 Legislative Priorities
The Council narrowed their state-level "top three" priorities for their lobbyists to focus on in Raleigh:

1. Infrastructure Funding: Seeking state dollars for water, sewer, and transportation needs.

2. Public Safety: Supporting recruitment/retention of officers and community safety initiatives.

3. Affordable Housing: Expanding incentive programs for responsible development.

Community Survey Results
Representatives from Zen City presented results from the latest resident satisfaction survey (405 respondents):

• Quality of Life: 77% of residents rated the overall quality of life in Apex as positive.

• High Marks: Parks and Recreation and Public Safety remain the highest-rated services.

• Concerns: Affordable housing and the "feeling of transparency" in town government were identified as lower-scoring areas.

New Town Policies in Development
Staff is drafting several new internal policies that will return for a formal vote in April:

• *Social Media: Establishing "best practices" to delineate when Council members are speaking officially versus personally.

• Advisory Boards: A new requirement for applicants to certain high-impact boards (like Planning or Board of Adjustment) to be interviewed before appointment.

• Office Hours: Standardizing the amount of town funds and staff support allowed for individual Council member events like town halls and office hours.

*Note: There’s a much bigger story behind this Social Media “best practices” item that came up. This isn’t an issue where a policy document or disclaimer resolves it like they make it seem. It’s a story about running a shadow government, misuse of campaign funds, failure to disclose financial interest information, rampant failure to preserve public records, exposing personal information of residents, data mining tools, coverups, and defamation of local press. That story is coming very soon.

Other Civic News:

🙋 Quick Council Voting Check-in
Current tally of council votes since the new council members were sworn in. These numbers exclude procedural votes like consent agenda, continuances, etc).

You can see the item-by-item vote tally here.

🚧 2026 Road Rehab Project
The road resurfacing and patching project has been awarded. Construction is expected to begin next month. The full packet showing what roads are a part of this project can be seen here.

🗓️ Upcoming Town Meetings

Thursday, Feb 19
State of the Town 2026 (Chamber Event)
Members $50 / Non-Members $75
5pm - 7pm | Apex Senior Center

Thursday, Feb 19
Environmental Advisory Board
6pm | Town Hall

Tuesday, Feb 24
Town Council Meeting
6pm | Town Hall

Wednesday, Feb 25
Parks & Rec Advisory Board
6pm | Town Hall

What the Hell Are We Voting for?

🗳️ Wake County 2026 Primary Election
As of this morning, 19,364 people have participated in early voting in the 2026 Spring Primary Election. That means in the first week of early voting, just 2.3% of eligible voters in Wake County have cast their vote.

There are still 10 more days of early voting and then the official election day on March 3, but statistically it tends to be about half the votes during early voting and half on election day. We’re averaging 2,766 votes per day so that would end with total votes cast at just 11% of eligible voters.

So here’s a quick rundown so that maybe we can balance out the voter demographics a little bit:

What Are Primaries?

In North Carolina, the primary is the "playoff" round. We aren't picking the final winners yet; we are picking which person from each party gets to be on the ballot in November. If you are voting on the Democratic ballot, you are voting for who you want to run against the Republican nominee in November. If you are a Republican, vice versa.

Here is what is actually at stake in Wake County

1. The Big Ticket: U.S. Senate
This is the "main event." With Senator Thom Tillis (R) retiring, this seat is wide open. This vote will appear on both ballots.

• The Democratic side: In a field of 6, this primary features heavy hitters like former Governor Roy Cooper, who is looking to move from Raleigh to D.C.

• The Republican side: A crowded field of 7 including Michael Whatley (former RNC Chair).

• Why it matters: It’s a chance for Democrats to flip a seat. In fact, this single seat could determine which party controls the U.S. Senate next year.

2. The Power Shift: NC General Assembly
Every single seat in the NC House and NC Senate is up for grabs.

• The stakes: Currently, Republicans hold a near-supermajority. These are the people who decide on state taxes, school funding, and reproductive rights. If you care about how NC is run day-to-day, these races have the most direct impact on your daily life.

3. Local "Law & Order": District Attorney
Because no Republican filed for this race, the winner of this Democratic primary in March will effectively become the new District Attorney by default.

• District Attorney: Longtime DA Lorrin Freeman (D) is stepping down. Candidates Sherita Walton, Wiley Nickel, and Melanie Shekita are vying to be the county's top prosecutor.

4. The Judges (The "Bottom of the Ballot")
There are races for the NC Supreme Court (incumbent Anita Earls (D) is up for re-election but doesn’t have a primary opponent but you’ll see her on the ballot in November) and various District Court seats.

• The Reality: Most people skip these because they don't recognize the names, but these judges decide everything from property disputes to criminal appeals.

Ballot Information

When you go to vote, you’ll be handed either a Democratic or Republican ballot (if you’re Unaffiliated, you get to pick one). You might notice that a candidate you like is missing. Here’s why:

• The "No Competition" Rule: If only one person from a party runs for a specific seat, there is no "primary" needed for them. They automatically advance to the November election.

• The Result: If the Democrats have 3 people running for a seat but the Republicans only have 1, that seat will show up on the Democratic ballot (to settle the tie) but not on the Republican one.

The Wake County Board of Commissioners Shake-up

The Board is growing from 7 to 9 members this year. This is where it gets tricky:

• The 2 New "At-Large" Seats: For the first time, everyone in Wake County is voting for two extra seats that represent the whole county, not just a specific neighborhood.
  

  • Republican Ballot: Since only 2 Republicans filed to run for the 2 seats, they don't have anyone to "fight." They get a free pass to the November ballot, so you won't see them on the primary ballot.

  • Democratic Ballot: It’s a "Battle Royale." There are 7 candidates fighting for these 2 spots. You need to pick your top two here.

• District 3 (Most of Apex / Cheryl Stallings): Cheryl is the incumbent. Since no other Democrat ran against her, she skips the March primary "playoff." You'll see her name on the ballot in November.

• District 4 (Parts of Apex / Commissioner Evans): She isn't on the ballot at all this year because her term doesn't end until 2028.

Logistics: How to Vote

• Early Voting: Now through February 28th. You can vote at any early voting site in the county. The John Brown Community Center in Apex is one of those sites.

• Same-Day Registration: If you aren't registered yet, you can actually register and vote at the same time during Early Voting (but not on Election Day)!

• Photo ID: Don't forget yours. You need a valid photo ID (like a driver's license) to cast your ballot.
  

• Pro Tip: You can see your exact personal sample ballot by searching your name on the NC State Board of Elections "Voter Search" tool. You’ll see 2 ballots: one starting with a D and one with an R. Choose the one you’ll be voting on, get familiar with the ballot, spend a little time getting to know each candidate and then go vote!

A Look Ahead:

Thursday, February 26
CommUniversity: Preparing Youth to Lead and Thrive | Senior Center

Saturday, February 28
United Strings of Color: Partnership in Black Music | The Halle

Saturday, February 28
Winter Vintage Fest | The Vintage Nook

Saturday, March 7
Run the Peak | Downtown & Town Hall Campus

Saturday, March 14
Day Market hosted by Makrs Society | Sweetwater Lawn

Saturday, March 14
Apex Holi Festival | Salem Middle School

Thursday, March 19
Women’s History Month: Time for Tea | Senior Center

Friday, March 20
Spring Concert Series | Sweetwater Lawn

Friday, March 20
Shamrock Showdown | Downtown Apex

April 10 & 11
Peak City Pig Fest | Town Hall Campus

In Case You Missed it

🏆️ Think Apex Awards
Do you know a business, individual, non-profit, or youth that has uniquely given back or positively impacted the Apex community in 2025? Help shine a light on those community members by nominating them for a Think Apex Award now through March 13, 2026!

☀️ Summer Program Guides
Summer 2026 Program guides are now available. Mark your calendar - things fill up fast - registration opens for Apex residents on March 16 at 9am. View the program guides here.

🎓️ Apex Peak Academy
This free 14-session, interactive program gives you a behind-the-scenes look into town programs and operations. Applications are now open through February 28.

👗 Free Prom Dresses
The Prom Shoppe at Apex UMC offers prom dresses and accessories for girls who need help affording to attend prom. The event will take place on Friday, February 27 from 3-7pm and Saturday February 28 from 10am-1pm. (Donations still being accepted through Feb 23). Learn more here.

🏃 Run the Peak
The Apex Chamber’s 5th Annual Run the Peak event will be the biggest and best one yet! This is a great opportunity for walkers and runners of all ages. There will also be a Fun Run for kids led by WakeMed and the YMCA. The race will take place at Apex Town Hall on March 7th, with the 5K/10K races beginning at 8am. The Fun Run will begin at 9am. There will also be a health fair with a variety of vendors located around the Town Hall parking lot. Register here.

A Final Note:

Well, that’s it for this week. Can you believe this thing is free?!

Thank you for taking time out of your day today to read this week’s edition of The Peak Weekly.

As always, if you have any ideas of how to make this newsletter better, want to nominate a local business or organization to be featured, or anything else, please respond to this email or email me directly at adam@thepeakweekly.com

See you next Thursday... 😘 

👋 Good Morning, Apex! Today is Thursday, February 12, 2026 and this is the 58th consecutive weekly issue of The Peak Weekly.

Happy Valentine’s Day, Happy Black History Month and Happy Lunar New Year!

Speaking of which… in a historic first for Apex, the Council proclaimed this coming Tuesday as Lunar New Year Day, officially welcoming the Year of the Fire Horse.

Council Member Sue Mu, who introduced the proclamation, emphasized that it is an important step in making the town's diverse population feel they truly belong.

Speakers also highlighted that the holiday is a time for family reunions and cultural reflection, further enriching the social, cultural, and economic fabric of Apex. Members of the community even shared red envelopes with golden chocolate coins, symbols of good luck and best wishes, with those in attendance.

Another significant proclamation recognized 2026 as a century of Black history commemorations, marking 100 years since the inception of Negro History Week by Dr. Carter G. Woodson in 1926.

Mayor Gilbert wore a custom Kente stole from Ghana, explaining how its colors represent the community’s shared heritage of resilience and pride. The Council honored a large group of local pioneers - from historians and activists to educators - who have paved the way and serve as the "fuel, passion, and love" within the Apex community.

📱 Lastly, before we jump into all the great things going on this week, thank you to everyone who shared feedback on the mobile app project. I received a lot of really good ideas for additional features to include like: volunteer opportunities, club links, neighborhood-based features, yard/garage sales, parking maps, more upcoming events, scheduling pickup games, new business opening dates, pet adoptions.

It’s probably still a couple months out from being downloadable from the app store. But if you want to take it for a spin, you can see the work-in-progress here.

And if you have any additional ideas for cool features, you can let me know here.

Miscellaneous Info:

📣 Missing: Little Free Library
The little free library downtown has gone missing! I reached out to the gentleman who created and donated it to see if and when it may return during or after construction. He indicated that it was removed but he had no idea by who or where it went. He said he’s willing to create and donate a new one if needed, but would also love to take this time to freshen up the existing one. If you know where it is, let me know!

👩‍🌾 Support the Farmer’s Market!
Due to winter weather, it’s been several weeks since the Farmer’s Market has been able to take place. Forecast is 60 and sunny this Saturday so get out there and show the vendors some Valentine’s Day love!

😔 Olive Chapel Road Now Open Delayed
Yesterday it was announced that Olive Chapel Road would reopen today at Noon. Unfortunately, as they were finishing up, a waterline was struck that now needs repaired. The new projected opening is Monday.

🗳️ Early Voting Starts Today
Beginning at 8am today, early voting opens up for the 2026 Primary Election. The John M. Brown Community Center is one of the twelve early voting sites in Wake County. You can see all locations, check wait times and get more info here.

🏒 Youth Street Hockey
The Town of Apex, in partnership with the Carolina Hurricanes, is now offering a street hockey programming for children ages 5-13 during the spring. Resident registration is now open (non-residents can sign up starting Feb 23). Register here.

☀️ Summer Program Guides
Summer 2026 Program guides are now available. Mark your calendar - things fill up fast - registration opens for Apex residents on March 16 at 9am. View the program guides here.

🎓️ Apex Peak Academy
This free 14-session, interactive program gives you a behind-the-scenes look into town programs and operations. Applications are now open through February 28.

👗 Free Prom Dresses
The Prom Shoppe at Apex UMC offers prom dresses and accessories for girls who need help affording to attend prom. The event will take place on Friday, February 27 from 3-7pm and Saturday February 28 from 10am-1pm. (Donations still being accepted through Feb 23). Learn more here.

🍝 Peak Charter Spirit Night
Next Wednesday (Feb 18) from 4pm - 8pm, Carrabba’s Grill will donate 10% of proceeds (you must mention it!) to benefit Peak Charter Academy.

🐈️ Your Purr-fect Match
With the Wake County Animal Hospital currently closed for renovations, they are offering a Sweetheart Adoption Special for foster pets who are available for adoption. Through February 15, adoption fees for dogs are $25 and $5 for cats. There are over 80 dogs and cats in foster care looking for loving homes. Go see them here (select location: in foster) - https://pets.wake.gov/adopt

🦉 Who Gives A Hoot?!
I’ll tell you who - these wonderful ladies right here do:

In January 2016, a small group of women gathered in a living room in Apex with a simple idea: meet quarterly for one hour, each give $100, and collectively support local nonprofits. That gathering became 100 Women Who Give a Hoot, with the first official meeting held in March 2016.

Nearly a decade later, what began as a small neighborhood idea has grown into a powerful community movement. Members of the Greater Raleigh chapter alone have supported more than 100 local nonprofits, contributing close to $800,000 in collective donations that stay right here in our community. The model has since inspired additional giving circles across the Triangle (like the 100 Men Who Give A Damn that we’ve highlighted previously), expanding the collective impact to more than $1.3 million in local support.

On April 14, the group will celebrate ten years of community giving with a special anniversary gathering at The Chapel at Dix Park. 👏 

Things to Do This Week in Apex (especially if you’re a gal):

Thursday, February 12

💘 Galentine’s Girls Night
4pm - 6pm | Rose & Lee Co

💡 Black History Month Trivia 
6pm - 8pm | Senior Center

💡 Trivia Night!
7pm - 10pm | Bottle Theory

🔢 Music Bingo
8pm - 10pm | The Backyard Bar

Friday, February 13

👕 Mabopane Marketplace
7am - 12pm | Mabopane Foundation

💘 Galentine’s Day Wine Tasting
4:30pm - 6:30pm | Bottle Theory

💘 Galentine’s Day Jewelry Making
5pm - 6pm | Sweet Talk Cafe

🎸 Live Music: Mysti Mayhem
7pm | Oaklyn Springs Brewery

🎸 Live Music: The Roguez
8pm - 11pm | Peak of the Vine

Saturday, February 14

🧑‍🌾 Apex Farmers Market
9am - 12pm | The Depot

🏃‍♀️ Run Club Apex
Meet at 9am | Foxtail Coffee

👕 Mabopane Marketplace
10am - 1pm | Mabopane Foundation

🎸 Live Music: Keith G ft/Chris Hurley
8pm - 11pm | The Exchange Lounge

🎤 Karaoke Party
9pm - 11:45pm | Rudy’s Pub & Grill

Sunday, February 15

💘 Galentine’s Day with Heather Rogers
1pm - 5pm | Oaklyn Springs Brewery

💘 Galentine’s Favorite Things Party
2pm - 5pm | Peakway Taps

🎷 JazzLive 
3pm | The Halle

Wednesday, February 18

👮 Coffee with a Cop
10am - 12pm | Foxtail Coffee

🧜‍♀️ Free Wednesday Morning Movie
Live Action ‘The Little Mermaid’
10am | The Halle

🔢 Music Bingo
7pm - 8pm | Abbey Road Tavern

🔢 Music Bingo
7:30 - 9:30pm | Rudy’s Pub & Grill

🎤 Karaoke Night
8pm - 10:30pm | The Backyard Bar

Local (Literally) Business Update:

🐠 The Local
As you know, Vicious Fishes closed down pretty suddenly. But it’s back! (Almost and kind of). When it was Vicious, there were a couple of owners. It’s re-opening now as The Local by one of the former owners.

Should be back in business within a week or two. See you there!

Civil News:

🏗️ Apex Development Report

The updated (Jan 31) Development Report has been posted online. Here are some highlights:

• Apex has welcomed 3,133 new residents since July 1, bringing our total population size to 84,915. That’s 12 people per day. If we maintain this rate through the fiscal year, it will be a total of 33% more new residents added than last fiscal year.

• By 2030, the projected population is 102,526

• 21 commercial projects have been completed since July 1 covering 2.2M square feet (equivalent to about 50 acres). Another 2.45M square feet are currently under construction.

• 5,604 residential units are actively under construction

• And 525 residential units within mixed-use developments are under construction.

You can read the full report here.

🏛️ Town Council Annual Retreat

Today is day 2 of the 3-day annual retreat. Full recap next week, but for now here’s a high-level overview of the agenda items:

Day 1 (yesterday):

• Portfolio Updates - Presentations from leadership across three major portfolios: Performance and Strategy, Development and Operations, and Community and Safety.

• Peak Plan 2055 - An update on the Town's 18-month community-driven initiative to guide growth, transportation, and conservation for the next 30 years.

• Budget & Finance - A comprehensive overview of the Town's financial condition and a review of Capital Projects survey results.

Day 2 (today):

• Service Logistics - Detailed discussions on the Yard Waste Program and an update on the Ask Apex Call Center performance.

• Transit & Downtown - Reviewing transit service implementation priorities and the Phase 3 Downtown Master Plan, including Commerce Street.

• Policy & Utilities - Brainstorming for Council policy development and a presentation on the Return to Standard Procedures Plan for utility billing.

• Capital Projects - Two full afternoon sessions dedicated to prioritizing major Town projects.

Day 3 (tomorrow):

• Legislative Agenda - Review and development of the Town’s legislative goals with consultants from Checkmate Government Relations.

• Community Engagement - Analysis of community survey results to guide future decision-making.

• Innovation Brainstorming - A dedicated block for developing new initiatives and a "Hot Topics" lightning round where the Mayor and Council members each have three minutes to present urgent issues.

• Governance Dynamics - The final afternoon focuses on strengthening working relationships through trust, communication, and collaboration exercises.

⛪️ Peak City Church Annexation

On Tuesday, several annexation and rezoning requests passed unanimously. The annexation request for Peak City Church (Public Hearing #3) also passed, but did so with a 4-1 vote.

The dissenting vote was cast by Council Member Shane Reese, who expressed deep concern over the environmental impact of the project's proposed 6-acre spray field on-site wastewater system.

What is a Spray Field?

Spray fields are an on-site wastewater treatment method used when traditional sewer connections are not naturally feasible. Sprinkler-like heads distribute treated wastewater across the surface of a designated area to be absorbed by the soil or plants.

Key Concerns Raised:

• Scale of Use: The facility is designed to serve up to 850 people, creating a significant volume of waste.

• Potential Contamination: Critics at the meeting noted that current systems and regulations may not fully address persistent toxins like PFAS ("forever chemicals"), heavy leads, or heavy metals.

• Public Health Risks: Concerns were raised that nitrates from the affluent could infiltrate local drinking water sources, which is particularly dangerous for infants and pregnant women.

• Topography Challenges: The project engineer explained that a municipal sewer connection is currently difficult because the property sits 20 to 25 feet higher than nearby drainage basins and naturally drains in a different direction (northwest).

🗓️ Upcoming Town Meetings

Thursday, Feb 12
Town Council Annual Retreat Day 2
8am - 5pm | Town Hall

Friday, Feb 13
Town Council Annual Retreat Day 3
8am - 5pm | Town Hall

Monday, Feb 16
Cultural Arts & Advisory Board
6pm | Town Hall

Tuesday, Feb 17
Town Council Work Session
3:30pm - 5pm | Town Hall

A Look Ahead

Thursday, February 19
State of the Town | Senior Center

Thursday, February 19
Learning Lunch | Senior Center
w/the African American Heritage Commission 

Friday, February 20
Apex Community Dance | The Halle

Saturday, February 21
Spades Tournament | Senior Center

Saturday, February 21
Romantasy Book Fair | The Studio

February 23 - March 1
Apex Restaurant Week

Thursday, February, 26
CommUniversity: Preparing Youth to Lead and Thrive | Senior Center

Saturday, February 28
United Strings of Color: Partnership in Black Music | The Halle

Saturday, February 28
Winter Vintage Fest | The Vintage Nook

Saturday, March 7
Run the Peak | Downtown & Town Hall Campus

Saturday, March 14
Day Market hosted by Makrs Society | Sweetwater Lawn

Saturday, March 14
Apex Holi Festival | Salem Middle School

Friday, March 20
Spring Concert Series | Sweetwater Lawn

Friday, March 20
Shamrock Showdown | Downtown Apex

April 10 & 11
Peak City Pig Fest | Town Hall Campus

In Case You Missed it

🏆️ Think Apex Awards
Do you know a business, individual, non-profit, or youth that has uniquely given back or positively impacted the Apex community in 2025? Help shine a light on those community members by nominating them for a Think Apex Award now through March 13, 2026!

🍪 Apex Oven Micro Bakery
A new micro bakery in Apex serving small-batch, handcrafted baked goods, including the 2025 NC State Fair blue ribbon winning chocolate chip cookies, is now open! Weekly menus are posted online with local pickup near downtown Apex. Check it out at Apexoven.com.  

🍗 Wingstop in Beaver Creek
The GNC in Beaver Creek closed down but in its place we are getting a Wingstop! I don’t know dates yet but they’ll be open 11am til Midnight.

🍝 Restaurant Week
Apex Restaurant Week is coming up (Feb 23 - March 1). A list of participating restaurants has been published.

A Final Note:

Thank you for taking time out of your day today to read this week’s edition of The Peak Weekly.

As always, if you have any ideas of how to make this newsletter better, want to nominate a local business or organization to be featured, or anything else, please respond to this email or email me directly at adam@thepeakweekly.com

See you next Thursday... 😘 

👋 Good Morning, Apex! Today is Thursday, February 5, 2026 and this is the 57th consecutive weekly issue of The Peak Weekly.

Happy Black History Month!

Follow @apexjuneteenth for awesome stories about black history in Apex.

Real quick, can you help me build the Apex Community App?

I mentioned it briefly last week but want to see if I can pick your brain a little bit more. The goal is to put everything you could ever want to know or need regarding apex right into your pocket. I plan to have it in the app stores in about a month for you to download.

You can help out in 2 ways:

1. Use the App
It’s not an official “app” yet and it’s obviously a work in progress, but you can actually access it via the web. Here is the link

It will work on your computer but it won’t look great; it’s designed really just to be seen on your phone. You can access it in any browser and you can even save it to your home screen just like an app.

In addition to the current weather, important alerts, and daily events shown right at the top, here are the tools that it currently has. You can access them all from the above link but ill include direct links to the tool below as well.

• Development Map - This is a recreated version of Apex’s development map that is more user-friendly and actually works on mobile. Because maps can be tricky on mobile with all the different little areas to click on, I made the primary view the “List View” but you can toggle over to “Map View”. You can also search and sort by project type. And then click the button to see the full documents if you want to know more.
  

• Development Tracker - This probably needs a better name. Similar to the development map, but different - this tool shows things that are pre-construction site plans (not quite ready for the development map) or annexation and zoning filings. It’ll tell you the status, dates, etc. It’s sorted by most recently updated. And because this pulls from the API, and not the document center, items often appear here before they even appear on the website.
  

• Flock Camera Map - This shows user-generated inputs on the location of the flock cameras. The Town doesn’t share it so this comes from user data from deflock me. There are 3 additional cameras with location unknown.
  

• Vote Tracker - Keeps track of every item voted on during Town Council meetings and tells you who voted yes or no. (begins tracking at the start of the new council in Dec)
  

• How Do I? - This is the page that answers common FAQs. I think I want to turn this into an interactive chat where you type your question and it auto-responds.
  

• Parks & Recreation - Find all of the parks in Apex. Filter by amenity. Want to know which parks have bathrooms? Which ones have pickelball? Quickly find it here.
  

• Restaurant Inspections - Going out to eat? Check the restaurant’s latest inspection and see any violations.
  

• Gas Prices - Pulls in gas prices of the 10 lowest priced gas stations in Apex via the GasBuddy API.
  

• Salem Street Stories - This is the one I am most excited about, but takes the most work. This is built, not just to be a directory of downtown businesses, but to give them access to their profile to share updates, stories about themselves and their staff, and/or even post special deals and offers to help keep us all engaged in supporting the folks that keep downtown thriving through the construction. (If you’re one of those business owners seeing this, let me know and I will get you a login)

So one way you can help, if you’re so inclined, would be to just use these tools and let me know how it goes. Find any glitches? Ideas to make any of the tools better?

2. The Second Way
The other way you can help, is to take this brief survey.

It’s 2 questions. Anonymous. Share any ideas you have for new tools that you would love to have access to. We can build pretty much anything into.

Let me know!

Miscellaneous Info:

🐰 Good Bunny
Pluto the Good Bunny filled in for Silvia the Armadillo to see if we’ll get an early spring. Unfortunately, for those ready for warmer weather, Pluto saw his shadow which means six more weeks of winter.

🎓️ Apex Peak Academy
This free 14-session, interactive program gives you a behind-the-scenes look into town programs and operations. Applications are now open through February 28.

🌳 Salem Street Renovations
As you likely know, this project is now in full swing. Businesses are still open with barricades creating a dedicated walking area on both sides of the street.

🏆️ Think Apex Awards
Do you know a business, individual, non-profit, or youth that has uniquely given back or positively impacted the Apex community in 2025? Help shine a light on those community members by nominating them for a Think Apex Award now through March 13, 2026!

❤️ National Wear Red Day
Every 34 seconds heart disease claims the life of someone in our country, making it the leading cause of death nationwide. This February, Wake County is taking action by launching a month-long campaign for American Heart Month, aimed at raising awareness and empowering residents to take charge of their heart health. The first activity is National Wear Red Day tomorrow, Feb 6.

📣 School Spirit
Lufkin Road Middle School Spirit Night is Monday, Feb 9 from 3pm-9pm. Mention LUFKIN (or use the code online) at Chick-fil-A on Hughes St and 10% will go to the PTA. Then, on Wednesday the 11th, stop by Sweet Frog for the Apex High School Band Spirit Night. Mention them and… I don’t know it doesn’t say but probably something goes to support the band! 5:30-8pm.

Things to Do This Weekend in Apex:

Today, February 5

🎬️ Thursday Night Movie
7pm - 9pm | The Halle

🔡 Music Bingo
8pm | The Backyard Bar

Friday, February 6

🐕️ Pints & Puppies
5pm - 8pm | Southern Peak Brewery

🌕️ Moonlight & Melodies Gala and Silent Auction
6:30pm | The Halle

🎙️ Joe’s Cousin Live
8pm - 11pm | Peak of the Vine

Saturday, February 7

🥞 Scouts BSA Troops 205 & 2051 Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser
8am - 11am | Olive Chapel Baptist Church

🧑‍🌾 Apex Farmers Market
9am - 12pm | The Depot

🕺 Dance with Me Date Night (parent/child experience)
4pm - 5:30pm | Academy for the Performing Arts

🎨 Paint Your Partner Challenge
4:30pm - 6pm | The Halle

🕯️ Candle Making & Paper Wisteria Workshop
1pm | Bear Hands

Sunday, February 8

🍷 Bootcamp & Bubbly
10am - 11am | Southern Peak Brewery

⚱️ Valentine’s Day Pottery Painting
1pm - 2:30pm | Southern Peak Brewery

📜 Breach of Peace Play (rescheduled)
6:30pm | The Depot

Tuesday, February 10

🖋️ Gallentine’s Modern Calligraphy Class
6:30pm - 8pm | Cloer Family Vineyards

🧠 Trivia Night
8pm | Rudy’s Pub

Wednesday, February 11

💘 Valentine’s Day Vendor Market
6pm - 8:30pm | Bottle Theory

Local Business Updates

🍪 Now Open:
Apex Oven Micro Bakery
A new micro bakery in Apex serving small-batch, handcrafted baked goods, including the 2025 NC State Fair blue ribbon winning chocolate chip cookies, is now open! Weekly menus are posted online with local pickup near downtown Apex. Check it out at Apexoven.com.  

💉 Vanguard Utility
Based out of Connecticut, Vanguard Utility is investing $70M at Cash Corporate Center (2100 Production Drive) where they will make generic injectable medicines used in emergency care, painkillers, cancer drugs and other products. The expect to launch their first product from the facility in Q4. They currently have 15 employees but plan to grow to about 100 over the next few years, most of which being highly-skilled positions.

🍗 Wingstop in Beaver Creek
The GNC in Beaver Creek closed down but in its place we are getting a Wingstop! I don’t know dates yet but they’ll be open 11am til Midnight. Hot Honey + Ranch - if you know, you know.

✂️ Ribbon Cutting
They’ve been open for a while now, but the official Chamber Ribbon Cutting for Kim’s Yong-in Martial Arts is today at 1pm.

🐶 Sweetwater Animal Hospital
A land purchase has been made in Sweetwater for a 2,780sqft animal hospital which is currently in pre-construction. Unsure of the name but the land was purchased by the same doc at Hope Crossing Animal Hospital in Pittsboro which has phenomenal reviews.

🐔 Super Bowl Chicken Wings
Apex Wings is offering 10% off on take-out orders on Sunday up until 3:30pm. Shearon Harris + Blue Cheese - if you know, you know.

🍫 Milk Chocolate Heart Box
Valentine’s Day is in 9 days; grab an edible, hand-crafted Heritage Milk Chocolate Heart Box from Kilwins.

Misc. Civil News:

💰️ Budget Public Hearing
During this Tuesday’s Town Council Meeting, the first public hearing for our 2026-27 fiscal year budget will take place.

Quick Commentary on this: The Town of Apex put out a resident survey asking for feedback on the Capital Improvement Projects. They were essentially asking which of the projects were most important to you. The population of Apex, NC right now today is 84,815. A total of 459 people participated in the survey. If you take away the roughly 30% under the age of 18, that’s a 0.8% response rate.

Based on feedback that I’ve read, a lot of people were confused since the Town was running a survey and then one single council member was also running a survey. He said it was just a personal survey. The Town Attorney told me it’s official business and public record (obviously public record since all the data was leaked on the internet anyway). Just a recommendation but if we can look past these other shadow government tools that are actually data-gathering tools for campaigning disguised as surveys and just participate in official Town-sponsored interactions, we might be able to get a little better representation when these big decisions are being made.

🚀 Improving Public Records Software
During the work session last week, Council authorized the reallocation of the election budget savings to repurpose approximately $30,000 for technology enhancements and public records software (with the remaining $28k going back into the general fund).

🔋 EV Charging Stations
The EV Chargers downtown at the Saunders Lot are now online. It has 6 dual-port EV charging station connect to twelve parking spaces.

🏭 Data Center Update
The data center research presentation concluded last week with staff recommending the formal adoption of a data center definition and supplemental standards into the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO). The Town Council plans to hold a joint public hearing to vote on the new data center UDO amendments and the specific New Hill Digital Campus rezoning simultaneously.

Let me just put on my tin foil hat for a second because this feels weird:

• The data center presentation was presented to us, the residents, as a general data center conversation; not about any specific data center proposal. But, it wraps up by talking about the specific data center proposal and stating that they want to vote on the UDO amendment during the same meeting as the specific data center proposal because they are on “parallel tracks.” But like… you guys put them on parallel tracks…
  

• Our Town Manager comes to Apex from Stafford, VA where a very similar process played out and he was able to grandfather in 5 existing data center proposals who didn’t have to follow the UDO amendments. And it all happened right before the annual budgeting too…
  

• Then I find out, you can’t even spell “Randy” without NDA. While in his role as County Administrator for Highlands County Florida, Manager Randy Vosburg’s team passed a resolution explicitly authorizing himself to execute nondisclosure agreements. Then, in his role at Stafford, VA, within 4 months of taking that position, they establish a public facing FOIA policy amendment that reflects granting himself authority to execute NDAs. And now his team is presenting research that is recommending we pass a data center UDO while he has an NDA with an unknown party that they seem to really not want us to know about. It just feels orchestrated when you look at his history with data centers and NDAs.

🗓️ Upcoming Town Meetings

Monday, February 9
Planning Board Meeting
RE: Apex Baptist Church Rezoning
4:30pm | Town Hall

Tuesday, February 10
Town Council Meeting
6pm | Town Hall

Wednesday, February 11
Peak Plan 2055 Task Force Meeting
6-8pm | Electric Utilities Dept.

A Look Ahead

February 11
Galentine’s Girls Night | Rose & Lee Co

February 23 - March 1
Apex Restaurant Week

Thursday, February 12
Black History Month Trivia | Senior Center

Sunday, February 15
JazzLive | The Halle

Thursday, February 19
Learning Lunch w/the African American Heritage Commission | Senior Center

Friday, February 20
Apex Community Dance | The Halle

Saturday, February 21
Spades Tournament | Senior Center

Thursday, February, 26
CommUniversity: Preparing Youth to Lead and Thrive | Senior Center

Saturday, February 28
United Strings of Color: Partnership in Black Music | The Halle

In Case You Missed it

🏃 Run the Peak
The Apex Chamber’s 5th Annual Run the Peak event will be the biggest and best one yet! This is a great opportunity for walkers and runners of all ages. There will also be a Fun Run for kids led by WakeMed and the YMCA. The race will take place at Apex Town Hall on March 7th, with the 5K/10K races beginning at 7:30am. The Fun Run will begin at 9:30am. There will also be a health fair with a variety of vendors located around the Town Hall parking lot. Register here.

🎨 Apex Public Art Guide
The Town published a new "Apex Public Art Guide" that maps and describes publicly accessible sculptures and murals across downtown, greenways, parks, and other community spaces. See it here.

🍝 Restaurant Week
Apex Restaurant Week is less than a month away (Feb 23 - March 1). A list of participating restaurants has been published, though more will likely be added between now and then.

🧿 Marbles Expansion
Wake County has partnered with Marbles Kids Museum in Raleigh on the largest expansion in its history. On the ground floor, an existing courtyard will be enclosed to create Futuropolis, a 2,895-square-foot exhibit focused on career exploration in industries such as construction, transportation and manufacturing, all within a fun and futuristic city. The second floor will add 2,986 square feet, including a rooftop courtyard with a kid-size racetrack for play and hosting events. Read more here.

🍣 Now Open for Lunch & Dinner: Taki Sushi Bar & Grill
Located in Sweetwater, Taki Sushi is now open. They are closed on Tuesdays, but open every other day. And they are now open for lunch too! 11:30-2:30 for lunch, and then 4:30-9. See what’s on the menu here.

A Final Note:

Thank you for taking time out of your day today to read this week’s edition of The Peak Weekly.

As always, if you have any ideas of how to make this newsletter better, want to nominate a local business or organization to be featured, or anything else, please respond to this email or email me directly at adam@wakepublishing.com

See you next Thursday... 😘 

👋 Good Morning, Apex! Today is Thursday, January 29, 2026 and this is the 56th consecutive weekly issue of The Peak Weekly.

Happy half-birthday to me and happy full birthday to Oprah.

I have an exciting announcement to share. I have been working on an Apex App for a while and it’s getting pretty close!

Of course the newsletter every Thursday helps with sharing news and updates; but what about when cool things happen throughout the week that you might want to know about? Or how about an easier way to find things, rather than attempting to navigate the Town’s website?

Introducing: Your Daily Peak

The goal is to build a bunch of really valuable tools all within the app, leading off with any important announcements and the day’s events.

The current tools are:

• Daily event updates

• Town Alerts/Notices

• Salem Street Stories (work in progress to support downtown businesses during construction)

• Flock Camera Map

• Council Vote Tracker

• How Do I…

• Parks & Rec (find parks by name, amenities, etc.)

Other tools that are in the pipeline include:

• Local Deals

• Chatbot

• DOT or Not

• Restaurant Inspection Scores

• and more…

It’ll be available to download from the App Stores probably in about a month. If you want to give it a test drive right now, though, you can see it here.

(It’s built as a mobile app so I recommend looking at it on your phone, although you technically can look at it on your computer too; it just won’t look as cool).

If you have any ideas for some other tools to build inside of the app, please email me with those ideas: adam@wakepublishing.com

(Note: I’m behind on email. If you have emailed me in the past week and I haven’t responded yet, please don’t be offended. I will get back to you - and anyone who emails with ideas for the app - this week!)

Miscellaneous Info:

🎨 Apex Public Art Guide
The Town published a new "Apex Public Art Guide" that maps and describes publicly accessible sculptures and murals across downtown, greenways, parks, and other community spaces. See it here.

🍝 Restaurant Week
Apex Restaurant Week is less than a month away (Feb 23 - March 1). A list of participating restaurants has been published, though more will likely be added between now and then.

🧿 Marbles Expansion
Wake County has partnered with Marbles Kids Museum in Raleigh on the largest expansion in its history. On the ground floor, an existing courtyard will be enclosed to create Futuropolis, a 2,895-square-foot exhibit focused on career exploration in industries such as construction, transportation and manufacturing, all within a fun and futuristic city. The second floor will add 2,986 square feet, including a rooftop courtyard with a kid-size racetrack for play and hosting events. Read more here.

🏃 Run the Peak
The Apex Chamber’s 5th Annual Run the Peak event will be the biggest and best one yet! This is a great opportunity for walkers and runners of all ages. There will also be a Fun Run for kids led by WakeMed and the YMCA. The race will take place at Apex Town Hall on March 7th, with the 5K/10K races beginning at 7:30am. The Fun Run will begin at 9:30am. There will also be a health fair with a variety of vendors located around the Town Hall parking lot. Register here.

❤️ Valentine’s Day Dinner Give-A-Way
You could win a $200 gift card to Serafine Ristorante on February 14th. All you have to do is enter Nancy’s raffle.

Things to Do This Weekend in Apex:

Today, January 29

🤣 Bad Momz of Comedy
8pm - 10pm | The Halle

🧠 Trivia Night!
7pm - 10pm | Bottle Theory

Friday, January 30

👕 Mabopane Marketplace
7am - 12pm | 3913 Hwy 64W

🎸 Live Music w/ Sonic Blues
8pm - 11pm | Peak of the Vine

Saturday, January 31

👕 Mabopane Marketplace
7am - 12pm | 3913 Hwy 64W

🧑‍🌾 Apex Farmers Market
9am - 12pm | The Depot

🎸 Live Music: Mondo Guitaro
6:30pm - 9pm | Southern Peak Brewery

🎸 Live Music: Eric Tubbs
8pm - 10pm | Southern Peak Taproom

🎤 Rudy’s Karaoke
9pm - 11:45pm | Rudy’s Pub

Sunday, February 1

📜 Breach of Peace Play
1pm | The Halle

🥨 Snack Sunday
2pm | Peakway Taps

Local Business Updates

✂️ Ribbon Cutting
They’ve been open for a while now, but the official Chamber Ribbon Cutting for Kim’s Yong-in Martial Arts will be Thursday, Feb 5 at 1pm.

🍣 Now Open for Lunch & Dinner: Taki Sushi Bar & Grill
Located in Sweetwater, Taki Sushi is now open. They are closed on Tuesdays, but open every other day. And they are now open for lunch too! 11:30-2:30 for lunch, and then 4:30-9. See what’s on the menu here.

🍩 Now Open: Peace, Love and Little Donuts 
PLLD is now open at 2826 Teachey Place in Sweetwater. I’m guessing the winter weather put a bit of a damper on their opening weekend so get out there and support them!

🐥 Groovy Duck
Pretend that emoji isn’t a chicken. Groovy Duck Bakery is moving along and will be open for business soon!!

🍕 Southern Peak Taproom & Pizzeria
Have you visited the new Southern Peak location in Sweetwater yet? If not, we did a quite write-up and grabbed a few photos of the hot pizza, cold beer and great ambiance. Check it out here.

Misc. Civil News:

⏩ Tuesday’s Council Meeting
Due to weather, Tuesday’s Council Meeting was conducted over Teams. It was shortened with no public comment. The Consent Agenda was adopted and the rest was continued to the next meeting. View the Consent Agenda items here.

🏭 Today’s Council Work Session
A Town Council Work Session will take place today at 3:30pm in Town Hall.

Originally, this was planned just for Fire Department and Police Department updates with an ending time around 5pm.

But based on discussions in Tuesday’s Council Meeting, carryover discussion from last week’s data center presentation has been added to this work session, so it will likely end an hour or two later.

Here is the full agenda.

🌳 Downtown Salem Streetscape
Construction has begun. Salem St from Saunders to Chatham is reduced to one lane, flowing southbound only during construction. It will remain this way until the project wraps up in October. The intersection of Salem & Chatham will be a four-way red flashing light for about a month; this should be treated as a four-way stop. Project details here.

🗓️ Upcoming Town Meetings

Today, January 29
Town Council Work Session
Apex PD + Apex FD + Data Center
3:30 | Town Hall

A Look Ahead

Thursday, February 5
Thursday Night Movie | The Halle

Saturday, February 7
Paint Your Partner: Date Night Challenge | The Halle

Thursday, February 12
Black History Month Trivia | Senior Center

Thursday, February 19
Learning Lunch w/the African American Heritage Commission

Saturday, February 21
Spades Tournament | Senior Center

Saturday, February 28
United Strings of Color: Partnership in Black Music

In Case You Missed it

🐶 🐈️ Wake County Approves New Animal Center Design
The facility will be designed to increase capacity for dogs and cats by over 50%. Some dog kennels will include outdoor runs to help reduce stress, particularly for animals staying at the shelter for longer periods. The site design also includes fenced outdoor yards for dog exercise and socialization, as well as a dedicated walking path to provide a safe and comfortable environment for volunteers and staff to walk the dogs. Construction is anticipated to begin in spring 2027.

⚖️ Lawyers in Your Library
Each Month, Wake County’s Lawyers in Your Library program provides free 30-minute consultations on legal issues such as landlord/tenant, custody, divorce, etc. You can attend any of them around Wake County each month. View the schedule here.

💰 Non-Profit Partnership Funding
Each year, Apex invests in specific nonprofit programs that help our community thrive; expanding access to services, filling critical gaps, and uplifting neighbors in need. The funding application for FY 2026-27 is now open through Feb 28.

A Final Note:

Thank you for taking time out of your day today to read this week’s edition of The Peak Weekly.

As always, if you have any ideas of how to make this newsletter better, want to nominate a local business or organization to be featured, or anything else, please respond to this email or email me directly at adam@wakepublishing.com

See you next Thursday... 😘 

👋 Good Morning, Apex! Today is Thursday, January 22, 2026 and this is the 55th consecutive weekly issue of The Peak Weekly.

I actually need to discuss three very important and serious topics, all related to statements made in last week’s email. This is a bit long, but it is important. Please take a moment to read, and then we will get into the fun stuff.

I Made A Big Mistake
Last week I was rambling on about businesses to support downtown during the Salem Streetscape Project and I made a big mistake. I said Duck Donuts was coming to downtown 🤦‍♂️ 

Correction: Groovy Duck Bakery is coming to downtown Apex! Sorry :)

The NDA Clarification
In last week’s email, I reported that Town Manager Randy Vosburg had signed an NDA "with the data center developer, Natelli Investments." The Town Attorney disputed this specific phrasing and you likely saw a statement on their Facebook stating, “It is important to note that no member of the Town's staff has signed a nondisclosure agreement (NDA) nor any other form of agreement with the proposed data center developer.”

To be clear: Mayor Gilbert publicly stated that Manager Vosburg has an NDA related to the proposed data center. He stands by that statement and the Town Attorney has not disputed the existence of an NDA - only the counterparty.

My inclusion of "with the data center developer, Natelli Investments" was a logical inference based on the Mayor's statement during a discussion about the Natelli project. I have since withdrawn that specific phrase on the original post, while continuing to investigate who the NDA is actually with - a question the Town has refused to answer.

It could be the end-user or maybe Duke Energy, or some other party involved. I just need to sort that out so that I can complete a full correction. Can you guys do me a favor and email Randy (the guy who has the NDA and the answer to all of our questions) at Randy.Vosburg@apexnc.org and just ask him “who is the other party or parties that you have signed an NDA with in the past year?” I think my emails to him must be going to spam because he never responds to me. But if you all can email him and let me know what he says, I can finish this correction in full and finally put an end to this question that the community has been asking for. Thank you!

The Data Breach
On January 15th, I discovered that a web application created by Mayor Pro Tem Terry Mahaffey - used to collect resident feedback on Town capital projects - had exposed the personal information of some Apex residents who participated in the survey. Names, email addresses, approximate locations, and political opinions on local projects were accessible to anyone with basic technical knowledge through unsecured API endpoints and a public GitHub repository.

I reported this to the Town Attorney and Town Manager immediately. I also notified residents briefly in my newsletter so anyone affected could take appropriate precautions.

What Happened Next
Rather than acknowledge the data breach, Mayor Pro Tem Mahaffey took to Facebook. And he said this:

To be perfectly clear, I have no affiliation with the Wake County Republican Party. I have no affiliation with any political party or organization. I am a resident of Apex who runs a small local newsletter who was reporting on a non-political matter in the interest of the residents in Apex.

What the Town’s Own Records Show
I submitted a public records request for the investigation Mayor Pro Tem Mahaffey cited - the one he claimed proved my reporting was a political stunt.

The Town's response, received January 21, 2026, states:

“No investigation into the political motivations of the requestor or the Wake County Republican Party has been conducted by the Town.”

Let that sink in.

The accusation that has been spreading across social media - that I am a "political actor" executing a "stunt by the Wake GOP" - was never investigated.

My public record request also asked for any invoices, scope of work, engagement letters, investigation parameters, contracts, agreements, proposals, or bids in relation to this alleged $15,000 investigation.

The Town's response:

“The Town of Apex has no responsive records to these components of the request.”

There is no finding. There is no evidence. There is no report concluding anything about my motivations or affiliations.

He made it all up to protect himself at my expense.

If you don’t believe me, file a public record request here. Reference my case PUPR-2026-042 or start your own.

To put it into a little bit more of a perspective… I’ve been called many things this past week as a result of Mayor Pro Tem Mahaffey’s bold face disgusting lie. But, “grifter” was maybe the most surprising.

55 consecutive weekly emails. 100% free. Zero ads. Sure, there’s a “buy me a coffee” link in the footer where very generous people sometimes donate to help offset some costs or to help me and my daughter invest in a little free food pantry. But even with those donations, this newsletter costs me money and significant time every week. But sure, I’m the enemy. Not the guy in the position of power with significant influence who just bold faced lied to put a dangerous, untrue, political target on my head and a full staff of attorneys and government employees who will blindly defend him to secure their own image.

I’m going to keep going though. I’ll be back for issue #56 next week. If you don’t like it, you’re not required to be here.

A Note on the Town Attorney
Some of you may have seen screenshots circulating of the Town Attorney's letter defending the Town's position that this wasn’t a breach. I want to be clear about something: the Town Attorney's job is to protect the Town - not individual officials, not you, not me, and not the truth. The North Carolina State Bar's own ethics guidance states that a town attorney 'owes allegiance to the town’. When she walks into work every day at Town Hall, she has one job: protect the government entity. And she’s pretty good at it. A few slip ups and incorrect legal code references, but she’s trying.

When I responded to her letter with 16 specific questions - including questions about the investigation, the $15,000 alleged expenditure, and whether the Town stood behind Mayor Pro Tem Mahaffey's accusations - she did not answer a single one.

I am not sharing this to attack her. I am sharing it so you understand that the letters being circulated as "proof" of the Town's position are advocacy, not fact-finding. The facts, as confirmed by the Town's own public records response, tell a different story.

A Note on Other Town Officials
Over the course of the past few days, I also reached out individually to each of the other Council Members: Sue Mu, Shane Reese, Arno Zegerman, Ed Gray.

I presented them with my side of the story (the facts) and appealed to all four of them to speak up and help provide some relief to me on the harassment that I’ve been receiving. Each and every one of them ignored me and remained silent while I had a made up, inaccurate, potentially dangerous political target put on my back by their colleague.

Moving on: Thank you for listening. I have also reported these matters to the appropriate state authorities (along with a bunch of other stuff I can explain more about later, or you can just learn about it in the news here in a few days) and will provide updates if and when I receive them.

I’m sorry to those of you who are here just looking for fun things to do this weekend and just want the focus to remain there.

I do too. But just to reiterate, instead of taking responsibility, Mayor Pro Tem Mahaffey made up a story that I am a political actor spreading misinformation with the Wake GOP.

Then, he told people to spread the message.

And the scariest part - they did.

I have to address it. And I’ll have a bit more to address soon too. But then we’ll get back to the fun and positivity that this was always supposed to be.

In the meantime, I will continue to report on Apex the same way I always have - independently, factually, and without allegiance to any party or politician.

Miscellaneous Info:

📜 Breach of Peace
On February 1, kicking off 2026 Black History Month, Mike Wiley’s performance of Breach of Peace will take place at 1pm at the Halle Cultural Arts Center. It is a play performed by Mike Wiley and is based on true accounts of surviving participants of the Freedom Rides as well as many other individuals involved in the early struggle for African-American equality. This event is free to attend but does require registration.

👮 (Today) CommUniversity Community Safety Workshop
Participants will learn how the Town’s Police and Fire Departments work collaboratively to prevent crime, respond to emergencies, and support community safety. The Workshop will take place a week from today at 6pm. Register here.

☮️ Walk for Peace
The Monks Walk for Peace is headed to Apex. According to their live map, they’ll be in Raleigh in ~2 days. So… passing through Apex in the next day or two?! Sounds like the Mayor may have an update for us with more specifics soon.

🍝 Restaurant Week
Apex Restaurant Week is about a month away (Feb 23 - March 1). A list of participating restaurants and menus is coming soon. In the meantime, Apex Restaurants interested in participating can register here.

📈 Utilities Time-of-Use Rate Changes
Next Week’s Town Council Meeting (January 27) will include a public hearing for Electric Utilities Department Time-of-Use (TOU) rate changes. The Town says, “the proposed changes are necessary as the Town works to re-open the Time of Use (TOU) rate program.” Public Hearing Notice

📨 Open Letter to Congressional Candidates
The Protect Wake County Coalition has shared an Open Letter to NC-04 Congressional Candidates and are asking for your signature. Read and sign here.

🗿 Call for Artists
Sculpture artists are invited to participate in the Town of Apex’s 6^th annual outdoor sculpture show known as the Apex Sculpture Walk, scheduled for April 2026 through March 2027. This exhibition offers established and emerging professional artists the opportunity to display their sculptures throughout the heart of beautiful downtown Apex, North Carolina. Apply here.

❄️ Winter Weather
This weekend, we will get somewhere between 0 and 100 miles of snow. Stay informed with Ready Wake Alerts, and report power outages if needed, and check road conditions here.

🐶 🐈️ Wake County Approves New Animal Center Design
Shout out to Cheryl Stallings and the Wake County Board of Commissioners for approving the schematic design for a new Wake County Animal Center. The facility will be designed to increase capacity for dogs and cats by over 50%. Some dog kennels will include outdoor runs to help reduce stress, particularly for animals staying at the shelter for longer periods. The site design also includes fenced outdoor yards for dog exercise and socialization, as well as a dedicated walking path to provide a safe and comfortable environment for volunteers and staff to walk the dogs. Construction is anticipated to begin in spring 2027.

🤣 Bad Momz of Comedy
After selling out two back-to-back shows last year, nationally-touring Bad Momz of Comedy brings us two nights of laughs, camaraderie, and a well-deserved parenting break. January 28 & 29. Get your tickets here.

🤔 Today’s Data Center Presentation: Sound Familiar?

Today at 3:30 PM, Town Council and the Planning Board will hold a joint work session at Town Hall to review 163 pages of staff research on data centers. While framed as "general education," the report follows a notable pattern I’ve been tracking.

The Stafford Connection
To understand the context, we can look at the track record of Town Manager Randy Vosburg, who may be more versed in data centers than you realize. In February 2024, as County Administrator for Stafford County, VA, Mr. Vosburg proposed the county’s first-ever $1 billion budget - a plan heavily supported by projected data center tax revenue. Two days later, he announced his resignation to move to Apex.

In Stafford, a specific regulatory pattern emerged: the county eventually adopted much stricter data center rules (like 750-foot setbacks), but the timing allowed major projects to be "grandfathered" under older, lenient standards because their applications were already in the system.

The Apex Strategy: Research or Recommendation?
Despite being presented as an educational workshop, today’s staff report explicitly recommends that the Town "finalize amendments" to the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) to create formal data center definitions and standards.

Connecting the dots reveals several parallels to Mr. Vosburg’s Stafford framework:

• Normalizing the Hazards: The report acknowledges risks like million-gallon diesel storage and battery "thermal runaway" but frames them as manageable, noting these hazards already exist in Apex due to the local nuclear plant and fuel terminals.
  

• The Revenue vs. Jobs Equation: Staff notes these facilities create very few permanent jobs (roughly 50 per building) but offer a massive tax revenue spike with almost zero added traffic.
  

• The "By-Right" Path: The report suggests creating new UDO standards. While this sounds like a crackdown, it can actually create a "by-right" path. If a developer checks every box on the new list, the Council often loses the legal power to say "no" based on public outcry.

The "Permit Choice" Reality 
The most critical thing to watch for today is the timing. Under North Carolina law (NCGS 160D-108), if a developer files an application before a new rule is passed, they have the legal right to choose which version of the rule applies to them.

Because the New Hill developer filed their applications in September 2025, they are likely legally shielded from any "tough" new rules Apex discusses today. In effect, proposing these new UDO amendments now may appear to be a crackdown, but it likely functions as a green light for the current project to proceed under the old rules while the door is closed behind them.

That’s my guess as to why there isn’t a third party expert presenting today, which would be standard practice; it’s Randy’s team executing his data center playbook.

I am sharing these patterns not to be "hard" on the Town, nor from a for-or-against position, but to ensure we are all looking at the same map as these important decisions are made.

Things to Do This Week in Apex:

Today, January 22

🚨 CommUniversity: Community Safety
6pm - 8pm | Senior Center

🔠 Music Bingo
8pm - 10pm | Backyard Bar

Saturday, January 24

🏍️ Bikes & Coffee
8am - 11am | Fratelli’s Deli

🧑‍🌾 Apex Farmers Market
9am - 12pm | The Depot

✂️ Crafter-noon!
3pm - 5pm | Bottle Theory

🎤 Karaoke
9pm | Rudy’s Pub

Sunday, January 25

🎸 Classical Concert Series
3pm - 4:30pm | The Halle

Local Business Updates

° Degree Wellness
Coming very soon, Degree Wellness, a female-founded wellness and recovery business, offers a premier self-care experience. Located in Sweetwater Town Center at 2700 Stokesdale Ave., it’s the perfect way to keep those New Year’s self-care/self-improvement resolutions.

We spoke to them - get the details here!

🍣 Now Open: Taki Sushi Bar & Grill
Located in Sweetwater, Taki Sushi is now open. They open every day at 4:30pm (except Tuesday when they are closed). See what’s on the menu here.

🍩 Opening Soon: Peace, Love and Little Donuts 
PLLD is set to open on Monday, January 26. They didn’t invent the donut, but they did make it groovy…

🥃 Next Up at Sweetwater
Aqua Vitae and Degree Wellness look like they will likely be the next to open and look very close. Foxtail Coffee and Burney’s Sweets & More are on pace for March.

🛍️ Downtown Will Remain Open
Just a quick reminder… Downtown will become a bit inconvenient during the Salem Streetscape project. But these business just dealt with the parking lot overhaul and now have to deal with this. Both good projects - but can definitely deter us from visiting due to the inconvenience. But we have Groovy Duck Bakery opening soon, one of my favorite shops, North Left Mercantile, new businesses like Lichen or Knot and The Spice & Tea Exchange… and so many more amazing local businesses and we gotta fight through it and keep supporting them!

Misc. Civil News:

💰️ Budget Public Hearing
The first public hearing for the 2026-27 fiscal year budget will be Tuesday, January 27 during the regular Town Council meeting. The annual operating budget outlines how the town collects revenue and spends funds based on the priorities of the Town Council, the community, and staff.

You can also share your thoughts on budget priorities anytime by emailing annual.budget@apexnc.org. Messages sent there are reviewed by budget staff and the full Town Council.

🌳 Downtown Salem Streetscape
I am not sure exactly when this project starts, but it will be soon. Town documentation has been saying January but the latest message now says February.

🗓️ Upcoming Town Meetings

Thursday, January 22
CommUniversity: Community Safety
6pm - 8pm | Apex Senior Center

Thursday, January 22
Town Council + Planning Board Work Session
Discussion: Staff Research on Data Centers
3:30pm - 5pm | Town Hall

Friday, January 23
Special Meeting: Environmental Advisory Board
topic: tree canopy policy recommendations
3pm - 4pm | Mason Street Municipal Building

Monday, January 26
Culture and Arts Advisory Board
6pm | Town Hall

Tuesday, January 27
Town Council Meeting
6pm | Town Hall

Wednesday, January 28
Parks and Rec Advisory
6pm | Town Hall

Thursday, January 29
Town Council Work Session
3:30 - 5pm | Town Hall

A Final Note:

Thank you for taking time out of your day today to read this week’s edition of The Peak Weekly.

As always, if you have any ideas of how to make this newsletter better, want to nominate a local business or organization to be featured, or anything else, please respond to this email or email me directly at adam@wakepublishing.com

See you next Thursday... 😘 

👋 Good Morning, Apex! Today is Thursday, January 15, 2026 and this is the 54th consecutive weekly issue of The Peak Weekly.

Happy Birthday to Martin Luther King Jr who would have been 97 years old today.

He was just 34 years old when he delivered his iconic “I Have a Dream” speech at the March on Washington in 1963.

But, just 9 months prior, Dr. King spoke at a high school gymnasium in Rocky Mount, NC. During that speech, he used the phrase “I have a dream” multiple times - before the famous March on Washington.

He effectively tested the most iconic lines of the 20th century right here in North Carolina.

He was scheduled to be back in NC (in Durham) on April 4, 1968 to help mobilize voters, but postponed the trip to stay in Memphis to support the sanitation workers’ strike, where he was assassinated later that day.

In remembrance and recognition of his life and achievements, the Town of Apex has several weekend events. Those are listed in the Things to Do section down below with a 👑 next to each event. Monday will be the National Day of Service.

Quick PSA: Starting tomorrow, the Wake County Animal Center will temporarily close through March 2nd for building repairs and maintenance (no intake or adoptions).

While it’s necessary to complete these repairs and maintenance, it’s a tough time because the shelter is at max capacity. Many of the animals will be moved to off-site boarding facilities.

But you still have today to go adopt a new furry best friend to save them the trip to a boarding facility!

I also want to say thank you to all of you who have donated to The Peak Weekly via the ‘Buy Me A Coffee’ link in the signature.

I actually skipped the coffees for a few weeks and invested those donations elsewhere…

And now I want to introduce you to The Peak Pantry! Think Little Free Library but for non-perishable foods & necessities.

Full disclosure, this wasn’t my idea. My daughter just graduated early from AFHS and as her final project, she had to come up with something to help the community. We teamed up and purchased a newspaper stand (thanks to your support!) and converted it into a little free food pantry.

Now I just need to know - where can I put this thing?

Any local businesses or individuals know of a good place in Apex we could put our little free food pantry that might be able to help out a neighbor in need?

If you want to watch the 2-minute explainer video (which received a 100% grade), you can watch it here.

Miscellaneous Info:

⚠️ Another Apex Security Breach
If you participated in the online "CIP Map" survey this past week from Council Member Mahaffey, you should be aware that your personal information has been compromised.

The Peak Weekly discovered that the application's backend was not properly secured, leaving every name, email address, approximate home location, specific votes, and all of your comments tied to your PII publicly accessible.

For those 500+ of you who participated, your votes and comments you left about topics like taxes, housing, or development, are tied directly to your name, email, and location. This isn't just a leak of contact information; it's a record of your political opinions linked to where you live. And it’s wide open to anyone with an internet connection, effectively punishing you for your civic participation by turning your private feedback into a public dossier.

I have notified the Town Manager and Town Attorney so that the breach can be fixed as quickly as possible. I will be withholding the full details of the investigation until next week to give them time to secure the breach, but I believe residents have a right to know now that their information has been exposed.

If you have questions or concerns, you are also more than welcome to reach out to me. More details to come. In the meantime, please do not enter your personal information into any more of his unsecured data collecting tools disguised as transparency. The Town already has proper, secure, systems for this.

🔒️ Town Closure on Monday
All Town offices and facilities will be closed on Monday, January 19 for the Martin Luther King Jr Holiday. Trash & recycling will run on a normal schedule.

👮 CommUniversity Community Safety Workshop
Participants will learn how the Town’s Police and Fire Departments work collaboratively to prevent crime, respond to emergencies, and support community safety. The Workshop will take place a week from today at 6pm. Register here.

🧑‍🚒 7.5% Increase in AFD Calls
Apex Fire Department shared some 2025 statistics. They answered 5,309 calls throughout the year. Most of their calls came in on Tuesdays and their busiest month was October. See all of the interesting stats here.

🍝 Restaurant Week
Apex Restaurant Week is about a month away (Feb 23 - March 1). A list of participating restaurants and menus is coming soon. In the meantime, Apex Restaurants interested in participating can register here.

🛣️ Olive Chapel Road
The target reopening date is still set for February 10th. Some consistent good weather might get us there sooner.

🏆️ North Carolina Business Facilities’ 2025 State of the Year
The economic development award from Business Facilities Magazine recognized NC for a business climate that supports sustained statewide investment and growth.

🙅‍♂️ SuperFun Saturday Canceled
Quick note since I mentioned last week in the upcoming events that SuperFun Saturday would be back this weekend. It has since been canceled. Next one will be Feb 7.

Quick Data Center Update

Mayor Gilbert’s Comments
Earlier this week, the Mayor shared his thoughts in a Facebook Live and answered questions from residents. You can watch the replay here. I don’t want to speak for him, but my take from it was that he has been listening to the concerns of residents and shares some the same.

Upcoming Work Session
Next Thursday (1/22), Town Council and the Planning Board will have a joint work session on the 3rd floor of Town Hall at 3:30pm. During this work session (not a public hearing), Town staff will present their recent research on data centers to the Council and the Planning Board. This information is not about a specific site and the agenda does not have the current data center applicant on the agenda.

The Town Manager’s NDA*
We learned that the Town Manager has a signed NDA between himself and the data center developer, Natelli Investments. Is this standard? Often, yes. But what might be a bit more unusual is that the presentation to council and the planning board next Thursday will be lead by town staff, who are lead by the Town Manager, who has had an unknown amount of private and protected conversations with the developer that we can never know anything about.

*Update 1/15/26: The Town Attorney has reached out to dispute this NDA characterization. We are seeking clarification and will report further in our next edition.

My Interview with The Land Use Expert
I sat down with Professor Adam Lovelady at the UNC School of Government, who is considered the state’s leading land use expert. He made it very clear that the data center is a legislative decision, which gives the Council “maximum amount of discretion”. He also confirmed (Apex’s own UDO confirms this too) that bias is not a conflict in these types of decisions. In other words, council members are free to speak about the data center, give their opinions, and answer our questions. All of these past excuses about legal issues talking about it or referencing the recent Holly Springs case that was overturned by a judge - those are quasi-judicial matters. The data center is not. I’m sure that staff has figured all of this out in their research and will share it with council next Thursday. I’ll share my full write-up and interview after.

Moorseville’s Data Center Proposal
Why is it so important to understand that our council members can and should be outspoken on the data center right now? From the Carolina Journal: “In Mooresville (NC), the proposed $30 billion data center project was ultimately withdrawn after officials signaled opposition, underscoring how political resistance can derail even the largest investments.”

Things to Do This Week in Apex:

Today, January 15

🔠 Music Bingo
8pm - 10pm | The Backyard Bar

🍷 Wine’n Wit
7:30pm - 9:30pm | Peak of the Vine

Friday, January 16

🐶 Pints + Puppies: Adoption Option
5pm - 8pm | Southern Peak Brewery

👑 Black Author Exhibit and Creative Contest Presentation
6:30pm | Apex Senior Center

Saturday, January 17

👑 MLK Unity March & Breakfast Reception
8am | First Baptist Church

🧑‍🌾 Apex Farmers Market
9am - 12pm | The Depot

🎁 Regift Round-up!
3pm - 6pm | Bottle Theory

🎤 Kings of the Highway
8pm | The Backyard Bar

Sunday, January 18

👑 MLK Worship Service
11am | Apex First Baptist Church

Monday, January 19

🌳 MLK Jr. Day of Service
1pm - 4pm | Optimist Farm Tree Archive

Wednesday, January 21

🎬️ Wednesday Morning Movie
Zootopia
10am - 12pm | The Halle

Local Business Updates

🍣 Now Open: Taki Sushi Bar & Grill
Located in Sweetwater, Taki Sushi is now open. They open every day at 4:30pm (except Tuesday when they are closed). See what’s on the menu here.

🍩 Opening Soon: Peace, Love and Little Donuts 
PLLD is set to open on Monday, January 26. They didn’t invent the donut, but they did make it groovy…

🥃 Next Up at Sweetwater
Aqua Vitae and Degree Wellness look like they will likely be the next to open and look very close. Foxtail Coffee and Burney’s Sweets & More are on pace for March.

🛍️ Downtown Will Remain Open
Just a quick reminder… Downtown will become a bit inconvenient during the Salem Streetscape project. But these business just dealt with the parking lot overhaul and now have to deal with this. Both good projects - but can definitely deter us from visiting due to the inconvenience. But we have Groovy Duck Bakery opening soon, one of my favorite shops, North Left Mercantile, new businesses like Lichen or Knot and The Spice & Tea Exchange… and so many more amazing local businesses and we gotta fight through it and keep supporting them!

Civil News:

👷🏼 Developer Roundtable Postponed
The Town of Apex Community Development & Neighborhood Connections (CDNC) Housing Division will convene local and regional development partners for a Developer Roundtable, “Partnering to Build Homes for All in Apex”. Originally planned for January 27, this event has been postponed to March 11.

💰️ Town Budget Public Hearing
The first public hearing for the FY 2026-27 budget will be held on Tuesday, January 27th during the next regular Town Council Meeting. You can also share your thoughts by emailing annual.budget@apexnc.org 

🌳 Downtown Salem Streetscape
The downtown project starts this month and will run through October. Downtown will remain open for business throughout construction, but traffic will only flow one way (southbound) from Saunders to Chatham.

🎗 Human Trafficking Prevention Policy
On Tuesday, Mayor Gilbert issued a proclamation declaring January 2026 as "Human Trafficking Prevention Month" in Apex. This ceremonial act carries policy weight, as it directs town resources and attention toward education and partnership with organizations like Shield North Carolina.

🗓️ Upcoming Town Meetings

Thursday, January 15
Environmental Advisory Board
6pm | Town Hall

Friday, January 16
Special Meeting: Environmental Advisory Subcommittee
Discussion: Tree Canopy Policy
3pm-4pm | Mason St. Municipal Building

Thursday, January 22
CommUniversity: Community Safety
6pm - 8pm | Apex Senior Center

Thursday, January 22
Town Council + Planning Board Work Session
Discussion: Staff Research on Data Centers
3:30pm - 5pm | Town Hall

A Look Ahead

January 22 | 6pm - 8pm
🚨 CommUniversity: Community Safety | Senior Center

January 23 | 3pm - 4pm
✂️ Ribbon Cutting for Salon Hue

January 25 | 3pm - 4:30
🎸 Classical Concert Series | The Halle
The Guitar, a Historic Perspective with Duo Romantico

January 28 & 29 | 8pm
🤣 Bad Momz of Comedy | The Halle

In Case You Missed it

🧼 MLK Donation Drive
Drop off donations at Apex Town Hall, John M. Brown Community Center, Halle Cultural Arts Center, Fire Stations 1 & 3, or Public Safety Station 5 now through January 19th. Location addresses and donation items needed are listed here.

⚖️ Lawyers in Your Library
Each Month, Wake County’s Lawyers in Your Library program provides free 30-minute consultations on legal issues such as landlord/tenant, custody, divorce, etc. They’ll be at Middle Creek Community Library in Apex on Nov 14 but you can attend any of them around Wake County each month. View the schedule here.

🏫 Hilltop Needmore Elementary
The Wake County Board of Education has formally approved the enrollment plan for the 2026-27 school year. The headline for Apex families is the opening of Hilltop Needmore Elementary..

🏞️ Park Pilot
The Town will launched a pilot initiative to expand morning operational hours. This pilot will run up to eight months and will include the opening of all park entrance gates during all hours. Park hours will be changed from 6:30am opening to 5:30am opening and park entrance gates will no longer be locked.

👶 Postpartum Kits
Pelvic Health Fund, a nonprofit with the mission of improving access to pelvic health supplies, recently received a very generous donation of postpartum kits. The kit contains 4 instant freezer perineal pads, 2 reusable cold/hot pads, a peri bottle, and 4 mesh absorbent boy shorts. They reached out asking if we could help spread the word. They are free of charge to anyone in need; just apply here.

A Final Note:

Thank you for taking time out of your day today to read this week’s edition of The Peak Weekly.

As always, if you have any ideas of how to make this newsletter better, want to nominate a local business or organization to be featured, or anything else, please respond to this email or email me directly at adam@wakepublishing.com

See you next Thursday... 😘 

👋 Good Morning, Apex! Today is Thursday, January 8, 2026 and this is the 53rd consecutive weekly issue of The Peak Weekly.

I want to start today’s email by saying thank you to the Apex Police Department. Tomorrow (Jan 9) is National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day (LEAD). I’m a day early but just want to say that the women, men, and K9 partners of Apex PD do an awesome job and you are appreciated.

For Apex to be growing as fast as it is, but to still be ranked consistently at the top for safety, that’s no easy task.

Check this out: in 1990, the population of Apex was about 5,000. By 2004, the population was 26,000 (420% increase). During this time, Apex began to modernize and some upscale boutiques started moving into the old historic buildings.

Some locals and regional media began calling downtown Apex Gucci Mayberry as a nod to its ability to keep its Andy Griffith-style charm while also offering high-end shopping.

(That’s a much cooler nickname than my hometown of Carmel, Indiana had when I was growing up: The Golden Ghetto.)

Here’s my point: Our town, Gucci Mayberry, had a population of 26,000 in 2004. Our population right now today - 84,686.

But the last staffing study for the Apex PD was in 2004. This study determined that 5 officers was the minimum number for 24/7 patrol.

And now, 22 years and 58,000 more people later, Apex PD’s staffing requirements are still based on that 2004 population data.

On one hand, Apex PD is still crushing it despite those limitations. On the other hand, that’s a lot of pressure to put on our officers who are operating at half of the FBI’s recommended number of officers to population ratio.

All of this was meant to be presented in a working session in November, but that was canceled for an unknown reason. But it will be back in view during a work session later this month. I say all of that to say: thank you Apex PD, happy National LEAD, and let’s make sure they get the resources and support that they need.

I also say this to say - my reporting on Flock Cameras last week was not a criticism of our police department; it was just bringing something that exists in our town to your attention. That’s what we do! I’m all for proactive policing but I also see that some very clear issues have come up around this software since it was implemented that puts us all at risk, and we should talk about it. But they (council & town manager) won’t because it doesn’t benefit them. So I will.

If you missed it, you can read about it in the newsletter from 2 weeks ago.

Next order of business - you know what you need to make 2026 the best year ever? A new dog or cat!

Through this Monday, Jan 12, the Wake County Animal Center, through its New Year, New Pet initiative, is offering dog adoptions for only $25 and cat adoptions for just $5. There are 98 dogs & 10 cats in the shelter with another 42 dogs and 47 cats in foster care. View the adoption gallery.

Lastly, before we get into a whole bunch of great updates for this week, I want to take a moment to let you know about a couple of the exciting events coming up for MLK weekend:

Friday, Jan 16 - Black Author Exhibit & Creative Contest

6:30pm: Join community members to meet and hear from Black Authors in an open exhibit at the Apex Senior Center (63 Hunter Street). K-12 Creative Contest Winners will also present their contest submissions for attendees.

This evening features:

• Poetry Fox

• Live Painting and Custom Take Images from Tatiana Thomas

• 12 Black Author Presentations

• Awards Ceremony for MLK Contest Winners

• Heavy Hors D ’Oeuvres

Saturday, Jan 17 - MLK Unity March & Breakfast Reception

8am: Gather for the Unity March at Apex First Baptist Church (serving coffee and hot chocolate from the Mocha Room)

9am: March begins and goes down Salem Street toward Town Hall

9:30am: MLK Commemoration Breakfast Reception at the Senior Center (serving a full breakfast from Zweli’s)

Miscellaneous Info:

🧾 Pay Your Property Taxes
Wake County phased out several payment centers, including Apex Town Hall. A full list of places where you can pay your property tax bill in-person are listed here along with a link to pay online.

🧼 MLK Donation Drive
Drop off donations at Apex Town Hall, John M. Brown Community Center, Halle Cultural Arts Center, Fire Stations 1 & 3, or Public Safety Station 5 now through January 19th. Location addresses and donation items needed are listed here.

⚖️ Lawyers in Your Library
Each Month, Wake County’s Lawyers in Your Library program provides free 30-minute consultations on legal issues such as landlord/tenant, custody, divorce, etc. They’ll be at Middle Creek Community Library in Apex on Nov 14 but you can attend any of them around Wake County each month. View the schedule here.

💰 Non-Profit Partnership Funding
Each year, Apex invests in specific nonprofit programs that help our community thrive; expanding access to services, filling critical gaps, and uplifting neighbors in need. The funding application for FY 2026-27 is now open through Feb 28.

⬅️ Dynamic Left Turn
There is a new dynamic left turn traffic signal now at Kelley Rd / Hwy 64 (installed by NCDOT). It can be a little confusing, so here’s a quick tutorial (Instagram video via Mayor).

🗳️ Upcoming Voting + Postal Changes
To vote in the upcoming Wake County Board of Commissioners primary, you must be registered to vote by February 6. Early voting will take place from Feb 12 - Feb 28. Election day is March 3. Note: a new rule just went into effect which clarifies that a “postmark does not necessarily reflect the date the USPS first accepted possession of the mail piece.” In other words, even if you drop off a mail-in ballot ahead of the deadline, it may not get postmarked the same day and could ultimately be deemed not mailed in time. This will mostly affect those in rural areas, but can affect anyone. Full story.

🚘️ Car Stolen From Locked Garage
An Apex resident urges us to be vigilant after her car was stolen from her locked garage in the Smith Farm Community. Video and story via WRAL here.

🚰 Wake County’s One Water Plan
The Wake County One Water Plan is a collaboration between the county’s 12 municipalities designed “to protect the water supply, reduce nutrient pollution, mitigate flooding, and promote equal access to these benefits.” The county anticipates its population will grow by 250,000 people in the next decade and is preparing to add more than 2 million residents by 2070. The plan requires every water utility in the county to expand to meet these future needs. It also addresses the need to develop guidance for data centers. It’s anticipated that the One Water Plan to will go to the Wake County Board of Commissioners in February. The full 105-page draft can be seen here.

🏫 Hilltop Needmore Elementary
The Wake County Board of Education has formally approved the enrollment plan for the 2026-27 school year. The headline for Apex families is the opening of Hilltop Needmore Elementary.

🏘️ Neighborhood Beautification Grant (last chance)
The Town of Apex Neighborhood Beautification Grant is an annual grant application that empowers neighbors to identify innovative beautification projects that could improve their neighborhoods. This grant provides direct funding to help neighborhoods enhance the physical and social aspects of their neighborhood.

Note: You must attend an information session to apply. The last information session is tonight from 6pm - 7pm. Good news is: you can do it in your PJs. It’s a virtual session so you can attend from anywhere. Click here to register.

Things to Do This Week in Apex:

Friday, January 9

👕 Mabopane Marketplace
7am - 12pm | 3913 Hwy 64W

👥 Face to Face: A Group Portraiture Exhibition
6pm - 8pm | Halle Cultural Arts
(runs Jan 9 - Feb 27)

🎤 Jake + Johanna Band
8pm | The Backyard Bar

Saturday, January 10

🧑‍🌾 Apex Farmers Market
9am - 12pm | The Depot

👕 Mabopane Marketplace
10am - 1pm | 3913 Hwy 64W

🎤 Live Music: Maverick Rose
6:30pm - 9pm | Southern Peak Brewery

🗣 Rudy’s Karaoke
9pm | Rudy’s Pub

Sunday, January 11

🍺 Bootcamp & Bubbly
10am - 11am | Southern Peak Brewery

🍶 Black Light Pottery Painting
1pm - 2:30pm | Southern Peak Brewery

🍲 Soup Cook-Off
2pm | Peakway Taps

Monday, January 12

🩸 Apex PD Blood Drive
Benefiting Special Olympics NC
12pm - 5pm | Apex PD

🐔 Zaxby’s Spirit Night
Benefiting Apex HS Bands
2pm - 8pm | Zaxby’s

Tuesday, January 13

🎤 Open Mic Night
6pm - 9pm | Oaklyn Springs Brewery

🤔 Trivia Night
7pm - 8pm | Abbey Road Tavern

Wednesday, January 14

🔠 Music Bingo
7pm - 8pm | Abbey Road Tavern

🔠 Music Bingo
7:30pm - 9:30pm | Rudy’s Pub

Local Business Updates

🍣 Taki Sushi Bar & Grill
To mark the opening of Taki Sushi, they are holding a $25 menu tasting event tonight with seating from 4:30pm - 6:15pm. It’s limited seating and you must stop by or call them to reserve. It might be sold out by now but if you see this and call them quickly, you might still be able to get a spot!

🏋 One Life Fitness Ribbon Cutting
Located at 1441 Beaver Creek Commons Dr, Onelife Fitness is now open. Their Chamber ribbon cutting event is today from 4-5pm.

🍔 Wendy’s is Closed
The Wendy’s at Lake Pine / Hwy 64 is now permanently closed.

🍕 Rosati’s Pizza
They’ve been temporarily closed for a bit now while they deal with some staffing shortages. A source tells me that they are now looking to sell the business with the intention that Rosati’s would re-open in the near future under new ownership.

🌶️ The Old Chili’s
Something is up here. The building is no longer listed for lease. I reached out to the landlord and they wouldn’t spill the beans but I’ll keep trying. If you hear anything, let me know!

🐻 Monroe Boutique Building
It looks like Bear Hands, the literary & mystic boutique, currently located at 305 S. Salem might be moving into the old Monroe Boutique building downtown at 209 N Salem St. No official announcement yet, but they did file a Certificate of Zoning Compliance for that address indicating that they are likely to move there. They do a lot of cool workshops too. If you don’t know them, check them out!

° Degree Wellness
Opening very soon in Sweetwater, Degree Wellness is currently offering discounted founders memberships. They offer red light therapy, infrared sauna, cold plunge, light facial, compression massage, oxygen therapy, cryotherapy, etc. Grab a founders membership here.

Civil News:

🚦 Traffic Signal Projects
The new stoplight with signalized crosswalk at Humie Olive & Richardson Rd is expected to be completed before the end of the month. The rapid flashing beacon will be removed. This project was funded by MI Homes as part of their zoning commitments for Friendship Station. And at Old US 1 / Friendship Rd / Holland Rd, where 2 new signals are being installed, construction has started and is expected to complete this summer. This project is a partnership between Town of Apex and Beazer Homes.

👷🏼 Upcoming Developer Roundtable
The event, officially titled “Partnering to Build Homes for All in Apex,” is not structured as a standard public hearing or a unidirectional presentation of new ordinances. Rather, it is designed as a strategic working session intended to break down the operational and financial silos that often exist between municipal planners, private homebuilders, and non-profit housing advocates. The session will take place from 12:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Apex Senior Center. The insights gathered here will likely inform the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) amendments residents can expect to see proposed this spring.

Upcoming Rezoning Votes
This Tuesday, Jan 13, Town Council will vote on Rezoning Cases #25CZ11 and #25CZ13. They will then vote on proposal #25CZ17 the following Tuesday. Requested zoning of these 3 in order: Low Density Residential, Low Density Residential, Medium Density Residential.

None of these are big major projects. Just your run of the mill re-zoing requests. But just for the sake of illustration, here’s what these 3 small upcoming rezoning requests look like from above, before they are turned into residential areas:

Quick sidebar: It’s easy to pay attention to the big projects like Veridea which will clear-cut about 1,100 acres (equivalent to 10% of the total canopy loss from the entire county over a decade). But the “little ones” like these (which happen all the time) rarely get noticed. And I’m just saying - that’s 13 acres of trees. And they will most likely get passed unanimously and the trees will come down and the homes will go up.

Here’s a quick little timeline you should know about:

• 2018 - Apex participated in a stormwater study that said we need to increase our urban forest to better manage stormwater, reduce heat islands putting pressure on the electric grid, to improve air quality and to improve overall quality of life
  

• 2023 - Wake County released a report showing that Apex was the biggest contributor to tree canopy loss in Wake County from 2010-2020 (we lost 15% of our tree canopy during that time)
  

• 2025 - Despite these reports, the council dissolved Tree-CAP, a dedicated body of appointed citizens as our primary advocate for canopy preservation.

I get we have Plant the Peak and I know that the Planning Board is looking at the UDO about buffer widths and stuff. And I know certain council members campaigned on trees or put little trees in their logo to act like they actually care but then simultaneously take funding by real estate PACs and developers, but watch as they destroy our tree canopy some more with these 3 rezoning requests when they pass 5-0 and then the next ones come up, and the next. And then pretend like the RCA (with so many easy loopholes) or giving away a few free trees is helping this continued massive, rapid tree loss.

🛣️ Olive Chapel Road
The official DriveNC database and town updates indicate a target reopening date of February 10, 2026, at 5:00 PM. Earlier press releases had hoped for a late January 2026 opening, and while that remains possible if weather conditions are perfect, residents should plan for the closure to extend into the second week of February.

🚔️ Public Safety Work Session
On Thursday, January 29, Town Council will hold a work session at 3:30pm. No agenda yet, but the title of it is “Public Safety Only” so my guess is that they will be discussing those items from the November 18 Work Session that was canceled. Those items included things like the feasibility study for Fire Station 1, APD’s Culture of Wellness and staffing, like mentioned in the intro. You can see that agenda packet here.

🗓️ Upcoming Town Meetings

Today, January 8
Neighborhood Beautification Grant Info Session
6pm - 7pm | Virtual

Monday, January 8
Planning Board Meeting
4:30pm | Town Hall

Tuesday, January 13
Regular Town Council Meeting
6pm | Town Hall

Wednesday, January 14
Multimodal Transportation Board
4pm - 6pm | Town Hall

Thursday, January 15
Environmental Advisory Board
6pm | Town Hall

A Look Ahead

January 16 | 6:30pm
📚️ Black Author Exhibit & Creative Contest Presentation | Senior Center

January 17 | 8am
🍳 MLK Unity March & Breakfast Reception | First Baptist Church

January 17 | 10:30am - 12:30pm
🤪 SuperFun Saturday | Halle Cultural Arts

January 18 | 11am
🎼 MLK Worship Service | Apex First Baptist Church

January 19 | All Day (Town offices closed)
👑 National Day of Service 

January 21 | 10am - 12pm (Zootopia)
🎬️ Wednesday Morning Movie | The Halle

January 22 | 6pm - 8pm
🚨 CommUniversity: Community Safety | Senior Center

January 23 | 3pm - 4pm
✂️ Ribbon Cutting for Salon Hue

January 25 | 3pm - 4:30
🎸 Classical Concert Series | The Halle
The Guitar, a Historic Perspective with Duo Romantico

A Final Note:

Thank you for taking time out of your day today to read this week’s edition of The Peak Weekly.

As always, if you have any ideas of how to make this newsletter better, want to nominate a local business or organization to be featured, or anything else, please respond to this email or email me directly at adam@wakepublishing.com

See you next Thursday... 😘