More Parking, No Parking & A Tree Archive

👋 Good morning, Apex! Today is Thursday, August 14, 2025 and this is the 32nd weekly issue of The Peak Weekly.

Before I tell you about all of the recent happenings and upcoming things to do in Apex, I want to real quick tell you about something really cool in the works; something I am not personally involved with, but do share a passion for.

I am sharing this information on behalf of a coalition of local environmental advocates, including members of Trees for the Triangle, Leaf & Limb, and the Town of Apex. Together, they are working to establish an 🌳 Apex Tree Archive, a living educational space that will serve as a legacy for our community.

Their aim is to build on the proven successes of the Cary Tree Archive and Pittboro's more recent Tree Museum. Both of these projects have shown how trees can be preserved and celebrated while educating and inspiring the community. Apex has the opportunity to create its own version of these living landmarks, tailored to our town’s character and values.

To make this vision a reality, they are seeking a partnership with a generous individual, organization, or institution in Apex willing to dedicate a portion of their land for the Tree Archive’s use in perpetuity.

The land owner would retain ownership and associated responsibilities, while the space would be preserved and managed as a public environmental resource for generations to come.

The Apex Tree Archive will:

• Preserve biodiversity by featuring a wide variety of tree species, including rare and native varieties

• Educate and inspire by offering volunteer opportunities for residents and community groups, as well as school programs that connect our youth to the importance of trees in our ecosystem

• Build community pride by creating a space where residents can gather, learn, and celebrate the natural heritage of Apex

• Support climate resilience by increasing our canopy cover, improving air quality, and contributing to stormwater management

If you are an individual, organization, or institution that may have land available for the future Apex Tree Archive’s use, please email Dean Krupa, [email protected]

Thank you for listening, Happy National Creamsicle Day, and lets get into it…

Miscellaneous:

🚔️ The Gold Standard in Public Safety
The Apex Police Department has once again received advanced accreditation through the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA). This recognition has been achieved by only about 16% of law enforcement agencies in North Carolina.

🐕️ Hunter Street Dog Park Closure
The large dog park section at Hunter Street Park will be closed for renovations from August 18 -  22. The small dog side will remain open and usable during this time. The Apex Nature Park dog park will also be available during this project.

👧🏻 Apex Youth Council
Applications for Apex Youth Council are open until August 17th. Middle and high school students in Apex are welcome to apply. AYC members get the opportunity to enhance the community through leadership and service while gaining experience in event planning and developing organizational, social and professional skills. Apply here.

🏛️ The REINS Act Becomes Law
A new law in North Carolina, the REINS Act, makes it much harder to pass costly regulations, particularly those that protect the environment. Supporters of the law say it holds officials accountable and protects businesses from burdensome rules. Opponents, including environmental groups, worry the law will protect polluters and lead to higher costs for consumers.

🎰 Sports Betting Revenue Hits Record Low
July 2025 saw North Carolina’s lowest sports betting revenue since the start of legal betting in March 2024.
 

Things to Do This Week in Apex:

Today, August 14

🍲 Potluck Luncheon (55yrs+)
12pm - 1:15pm | Senior Center

Friday, August 15

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

🎷 Jazzin’ at Sweetwater
5:30pm - 8:30pm | Sweetwater Lawn

Saturday, August 16

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

🚘️ Cars and Coffee: Corvette Theme
8am - 11am | Sweetwater

✏️ Pencils & Pints: Back to School Bash
3pm - 10pm | Oaklyn Springs Brewery

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

📽️ Rhythm & Reels: Minecraft Movie
Dusk | Nature Park Amphitheatre

Tuesday, August 19

🍃 Invasives Removal
10am - 12pm | Apex Community Park

❓️Trivia Night
8pm - 9:30pm | Rudy’s

Wednesday, August 20

🌺 Morning Movie: Moana 2 
10am | The Halle

👩 Moms’ Meet Up
10am - 12pm | Hope Community Church

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

Things to Do Nearby

Friday, August 15
Wildlife Trivia Night
6:30pm - 8:30pm | Black Dog Bottle Shop

Saturday, August 16
Jordan Lake Public Cleanup
8:30am - 11:30am | Ebenezer Recreation Area

Saturday, August 16
Casino Night Boys & Girls Club Fundraiser
6pm | The Skyroom

Sunday, August 17
Kids Fest
12pm - 5pm | Fortnight Brewing

Local Business Updates

Apex residents and father/daughter duo, Mark and Jen, recently opened The Skyroom, a modern wedding and event venue in Moncure (about 30 minutes from Apex near Pittsboro). It’s an incredibly beautiful venue that is great for weddings, corporate events, anniversaries, birthday parties, quinceañeras, bar and bat mitzvahs… you name it!

→ Check it out here

This Saturday, the 16th, they will be hosting a fundraiser, “Club Royale” Casino Night, for the Boys and Girls Club. It’s a great opportunity to see the venue in person while supporting a great cause. See the event info here.

Peace, Love and Little Donuts is opening soon in Sweetwater. It is “a fun, hippie-inspired donut shop focused on serving fresh, made-to-order cake donuts with wildly creative toppings—everything from maple bacon to Fruity Pebbles.”

Want to know when they are opening?

We interviewed the owners and have all the details! → Find out here

Civil News:

🛤️ Tingen Road Crossing
A motion to select the tunnel alternative (Alternative 4) for the Tingen Road bicycle and pedestrian crossing and to proceed with functional design was passed by a vote of four to one.

🅿️ Saunders Parking Lot
Phase one is set to open by Monday of next week, adding 175 new parking spaces downtown. Phase two, the gravel section, is expected to be finished by mid-September. A public-facing part of the Salem Streetscape project will begin shortly after the Saunders Lot project concludes.

🛣️ Peakway Bridge Extension
Construction is about 70% complete on the storm drainage piece, and the project is running well in terms of schedule and budget.

🚰 Elevated Water Tank
Construction has started on a 1.5 million-gallon elevated water tank at Pleasant Park, with a projected completion date in September 2026.

 🏚️ Tunstall House
Site work is set to begin on September 2nd, with work on the house itself starting in October. The Apex Senior Center parking lot will be closed for the duration of the project. The handicapped parking spaces in front of the Senior Center, the Go Apex bus stop, and the covered drop-off will not be impacted. 

🕳️ Olive Chapel Road Sinkhole
A significant rain event on August 6th caused a sinkhole on Olive Chapel Road. The road is a NCDOT roadway, and the town is working with them to find a solution, which may include a temporary fix or moving up the full project timeline.

🏫 Miss Annie’s Parking Lot
Mayor Gilbert proposed an amendment to allow Miss Annie to continue to allow overflow parking across from Apex Friendship High School, as she has been doing for many years to help out the school and quite a few students. On Tuesday, the Council unanimously (and, in my opinion, quite aggressively) rejected the proposal, recommending instead that she pay the Town for a rezoning application.

 ✉️ Utility Billing Recalculations
If you requested a recalculation of your bill and are still waiting to hear back (I’ve been waiting for 81 days now), I did some quick math. Based on when requests opened up, and the 11% completed as of August 8, at this pace you should get your results sometime in the next 1.7 years.

🗓️ Important Upcoming Dates

Today, August 14
Learning Lunch: National Dog Day
12pm - 1pm | Hunter Street Park

Monday, August 18
Public Art Committee
6pm | Town Hall

Tuesday, August 19
Town Council Work Session
3:30pm | Town Hall

Tuesday, August 19
Board of Adjustment
6pm | Town Hall

Wednesday, August 20
Economic Development
4pm - 5:30pm | Town Hall

A Look Ahead:

August 21, 2025
CommUniversity: Asset Mapping
6pm - 8pm | Senior Center

August 23, 2025
Old Wake Rivalry: Centennial Celebration
7:30pm | WakeMed Soccer Park

August 23, 2025
Rhythm & Reels: Blue Cactus
7pm | Nature Park Amphitheatre

August 23, 2025
Moth Night at Crowder Park
8pm - 10pm | Crowder Park

August 28, 2025
On The Steps Concert Series
7:30pm | The Halle

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 [email protected]

See you next Thursday... 😘