Durham County will celebrate National County Government Week (NCGW) May 3-9, 2009. Throughout the week, the County will participate in activities ranging from a canned food drive to collect items to stock the shelves of Durham's Urban Ministries; to a flower-planting project to beautify County grounds; to employees working on a local Habitat for Humanity project to build an environmentally-friendly home; to an employee appreciation day.

Sponsored by the National Association of Counties, NCGW was first observed in 1991 to raise public awareness and understanding about the roles and responsibilities of counties throughout the nation. The theme of this year's celebration is "Greening Our Future."

NCGW is a great opportunity for the public to take a closer look at what Durham County Government is doing behind the scenes to provide residents with excellent services they deserve and expect. Durham County public events during NCGW include:

• Tuesday, May 5, 10a.m., Groundbreaking Ceremony for the new Durham County Health and Human Services Complex, across the street from the current Durham County Public Health Department, 414 E. Main Street. Parking will be available adjacent to the site. For more information, contact Deborah Craig-Ray, assistant county manager for Durham County, at 919-560-0000.
  
• Wednesday, May 6, 3p.m. to 6p.m., Soil and Water Conservation Sale, at the Cooperative Extension Building parking lot, 721 Foster Street. For more information, contact Lisa Marochak, administrative assistant for the Durham County Soil and Water Conservation District, at 919-560-0558.
  
• Friday, May 8, 10a.m. to noon, Vegetable Gardening 101. Learn about vegetable garden basics, soils, and building raised beds. For more information, contact Michelle Wallace, consumer horticulture agent for the Durham County North Carolina Cooperative Extension Office, at 919-560-0525.
  
• Saturday, May 9, 7:30a.m. to 11a.m., Community Clean Up at Heather Glenn Community. For more information, contact Brian Haynesworth, waste reduction specialist for Durham County Government, at 919-560-0433.

The majority of Durham County's NCGW events, in addition to those listed above will place special emphasis on the County's "green government" efforts in combination with a focus on volunteerism. On Thursday, May 7 and Friday, May 8, Durham County employees will volunteer their time to build a home with Habitat of Humanity of Durham. The County has partnered with the well-known organization to build a home that meets system vision requirements for energy efficiency, comfort and durability. The home also features Energy Star low emission windows, carpet, carpet padding, and floor covering holding green label standards, and rain barrels.

For more information about Durham County's recognition of NCGW, contact Dawn D. Dudley, public information specialist for Durham County Government, at 919-560-0008, or via email at ddudley@durhamcountync.gov.