Deputy Director
Ø Master Plan Update: Leon Younger, Master Plan Consultant, is working on the input received from the public workshops, focus groups, key leadership interviews and a citizen household mail survey that went out in November. Findings and Key recommendations will be the result of all the input received.
January 2008: The following portions of the Master Plan will be completed by the end of January
· Greenway Plan
· Nature Preserve plan
· Program Plan
· Update to the City Council on preliminary findings
February 2008: The following portions of the Master Plan will be completed by the end of February
· Sports and Tourism (athletic fields/economic impact study)
· A 2 day work session will be held with staff, the PRC, representatives from the towns, and other agencies (Storm Water, Real Estate Services, etc.). At these sessions, preliminary findings and key recommendations will be presented.
· February 25, 26, 27 – Public workshops will be held to provide the public an overview of all findings and recommendations.
March 2008: To be completed by mid-March
· Green Printing (Land Acquisition) and Capital Improvement Plan
· Meetings with the town boards will be scheduled for presentation of Preliminary findings and key recommendations.
· Leon will submit a major draft of the final plan to Park and Recreation on March 21, 2008
· Staff will review/revise and send back to the consultant on March 29.
April 2008: To be completed in April
· A final draft from PROS will be delivered to Park and Recreation by April 4, 2008
· April 15, 2008 – The final plan will be presented to the Mecklenburg County Board of County Commissioners for approval.
May 2008
· Presentation to Citizens Capital Budget Advisory Board
Capital Planning and Alliance Development Services:
Ø Stream Restoration – Westerly Hills Park: Staff is coordinating with City Storm Water Services on the stream restoration project through Westerly Hills Park. Construction will start the week of December 12 and continue through the spring. City Storm Water has worked with Park and Recreation to redesign the original plans to save many of the existing trees along the stream bank.
Ø Revolution Sports and Learning Academy: Staff is coordinating with the designers on final material and finish selections. The construction drawings should be finalized by the end of the year, with construction starting in the spring.
Ø Pine Valley: A meeting with the Pine Valley neighborhood was held on Monday, November 26 to discuss site characteristics for the location of a playground. Coordination is underway to have the neighborhood select playground equipment and color preferences.
Ø Hwy 521: A pre-construction meeting was held on Wednesday, November 28. Construction of four (4) synthetic turf soccer fields is scheduled to start December 3 and projected to open in the fall of 2008.
Ø Evergreen Nature Preserve Master Plan Workshop: The Evergreen Nature Preserve Master Plan Workshop was held on Wednesday, November 28. Approximately 30 citizens were in attendance and all provided great comments and suggestions on enhancing the nature preserve.
Ø Park Master Plan – Urban Parks: A conference call was conducted with Charlotte Center City Partners, Pro's Consulting and Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation Department to discuss the scope, methodology, theme and process for the Urban Park component of the Comprehensive Parks Master Plan. Leon Younger will provide a revised guideline to complete this
Park Operations and Athletic Services
Ø Foot Locker Race at McAlpine: Last weekend approximately 2200 runners and 1100 spectators participated in the annual Foot Locker 5K at McAlpine Park. Runners from all parts of the southeast region, ranging in ages from 12 to 50 participated.
Ø Park Operations & Athletic Services Division Changes: The Park Operations & Athletic Services Division will be transitioning into a new look in early 2008. A new manager over Park Watch has been hired and will begin employment with Mecklenburg County on December 5. PJ Hamilton joins the Department from the Vanderbilt University Police Department. Centralizing all the Park Watch Coordinators under one unit will allow us to develop a more consistent Park Watch program emphasizing customer service through visibility and interaction with customers. This will also provide a better management structure to coordinate off and on duty requests with Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department.
Another change in early 2008 will be a new athletic section. All 10 of the current athletic coordinators will be centralized into an athletic section as opposed to being tied to a specific district. Athletic services are a county-wide function that will be better served as a centralized unit. The new athletic section will look at streamlining the field reservation process, better field utilization rates and increased programming opportunities.
Ø Santa and Ray Help Light Community Christmas Tree in Freedom Park on December 8:
Get a great start on the holiday season with the third annual Christmas Tree Lighting and toy/clothing drive on Saturday, December 8, 4 – 6 p.m. at Freedom Park, 1900 East Boulevard.
The trees will be lighted around the “band shell” beside the lake at about 6 p.m. Guests are invited to bring and donate an ornament for the trees. This event is sponsored by Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation Department along with the Art Institute of Charlotte.
Before the ceremony, from 4 p.m. - 5:45 p.m., there will be musical entertainment and caroling, Santa’s workshop (crafts), face painting and hayrides around the lake. Santa will make an appearance and greet children along with RAY, the Park and Recreation mascot, whose name means “Recreate All Year.” Limited refreshments will be available. The toy/clothing drive will benefit the Salvation Army’s Center for Women and Children sponsored by the Art Institute of Charlotte. For more information please contact Jackie Hemingway at 704-353-1246.
Administration:
Ø Budget: Division Directors' FY09 budget request presentations to the Department Director will begin next week. Significant matters will include ONA for new facilities, Department Strategic Plan, more program services, and improved security for employees and customer safety and equipment.
Enterprise Services:
Ø Memorial Stadium:
November 30, 2007: West Charlotte High School will play Independence High School in the 4AA Western Regional Football Championship game. The winner advances to the NC 4AA State Championship game. Gates open at 5:30 p.m. and kickoff is 7:30 p.m.
December 1, 2007: Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation presents Central Park District II Fall Season Adult 9-man Flag Football Championships at Memorial Stadium.
The B-Division game between the Quiet Storm and Muszak starts at 11 a.m. and the A- Division game starts at 12 noon between the Carolina All-stars and Carolina Connections. Trophies will be awarded after each game. At halftime a raffle ticket drawing will take place with gift certificate giveaways.
Ø Latta Equestrian Center: Visit Santa in his workshop every Saturday and Sunday afternoon from 1 p.m. until 5 p.m. starting December 1. Santa’s elves will take kids on pony rides to visit with Santa. Photos with Santa will be offered on pony rides with Santa. Hayrides, horse drawn carriage and wagon rides are available to the Christmas Tree Farm to purchase your Frasier fur. For more information, call the Latta Equestrian Center Office at 704-992-1550.
Ø Mecklenburg County Aquatic Center: Staff will host the New South Swimming (NSS) regional swim meet at the Aquatic Center from November 30 – December 2. Four to five hundred 13-18 year old swimmers from North Carolina will compete in timed trials over the three day period. During the swim meet, regular aquatic center pass holders will have access to all YMCA facilities with swimming pools, Ray’s Splash Planet and the First Ward Recreation Center for their aquatic and fitness workouts.
Community and Recreation Center Services:
Ø Young at Heart: The Sugaw Creek Recreation Center “Young at Heart” seniors attended the annual North Carolina Association of Senior Citizen Conference (NCASCC). The conference was held October 31 - November 2 in Brownsville, NC. The seniors enjoyed guest speakers, trips, entertainment, food, games, and activities. Congratulations are in order to the Sugaw Creek “Young at Heart” seniors for winning 4th Place in the scrapbook competition.
Ø Carolina Thanksgiving Parade: The Sugaw Creek Recreation Center Cheerleaders marched in the Annual Carolinas Thanksgiving Parade on November 22. These young ladies between the ages of 3 and 12 chanted cheers and performed a dance routine during the parade. They received a nice ovation from the crowd. The Charlotte Flights Track & Field Club provided their bus for transportation. Several parents walked in the parade and assisted staff with the event.
Ø Cross Country Program: The Sugaw Creek Recreation Center conducted its first Cross Country program for youth. Cynthia Smith Perkins partnered with Mr. Reggie MacAfee and the Cross Country for Youth Program. The program featured a character education component, team building and skill development. Although the enrollment was low, the participants worked diligently and completed the program. These elementary school participants practiced once a week. They competed in (2) Cross Country Meets and ran extremely well against middle school student athletes. Ms. Chanin Scott received a 12th place medal for her outstanding efforts in the 10 and Under Girls Division of the Footlocker South Regional Cross Country Meet held on Saturday, November 24 at McAlpine Park.
Ø “Giving Thanks” Service Project: The Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Beta Nu Lambda Chapter partnered with Albemarle Road Recreation Center to implement the "Giving Thanks" Service Project. The holiday service project blessed seven families with groceries. More than $1,000 of in-kind donations from the Beta Nu Lambda Chapter and angel investors made this program possible.
Ø Holiday Food Drive: The Merry Oaks Recreation Center staff along with the students, teachers and parents participated in their annual holiday food drive. Over 2,000 can goods were collected. As part of the drive, each class participated in a "pretty box" contest. The winning box was used to deliver the food to the families. Park and Recreation staff acted as judges for the contest with the winning class being awarded a pizza party.
Ø Holiday Coat Drive: The Bette Rae Thomas Recreation Center is conducting a Holiday Coat Drive, December 1 - January 1. New or gently used coats dropped off at the center will be distributed to families in need.
Ø Basketball Skills Camp: The Amay James Recreation Center is offering a "Basketball & Beyond" basketball skills camp for boys and girls during the holiday break the week of December 24 - 30. Registration deadline is December 21. This is a great camp for enhancing basketball skills while enjoying fellowship and fun during the holiday break.
Ø Homeless Awareness Walk: On Saturday, November 17, the Therapeutic Recreation Division partnered with Away Home for the provision of activities and events held during the Homeless Awareness Walk. Activities to raise awareness about homelessness were made available to all who attended.
Greenway Planning and Development:
Ø McDowell Creek Greenway: A meeting was held between County and Town of Cornelius staff to discuss the McDowell Creek Greenway timeline and grant coordination for the section between Westmoreland Road and Sam Furr Road in Cornelius. Bid documents have been completed and the permits are in hand. The Town and County will be working out the details of the supplemental grant and interlocal agreements by the middle of next month, and the Robbins Park land exchange should be completed by the end of the year. It is anticipated that bidding will start in January.
Ø Torrence Creek Greenway: A meeting was held between County and Town of Huntersville staff to discuss the Torrence and Lower McDowell Creek Greenway projects; specifically grant issues, acquisition issues, permitting and schedules. 100% construction documents were submitted for review by the consultant. It is expected that the consultant will submit for permits by mid-January. It is anticipated that bidding will start sometime between April and June of 2008. The Town of Huntersville will be requesting a grant deadline extension from the North Carolina Department of Transportation.
Ø Long Creek Greenway: Staff attended the fourth stakeholder meeting held by Charlotte Mecklenburg Utility Department (CMUD) for the proposed Long Creek Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant Expansion. The plant is located north and immediately adjacent to the Whitewater Center. Results of the Environmental Impact Statement, alignment options, direct and secondary impacts, and sustainable design solutions were presented. It was mentioned that Long Creek Greenway is a priority for the area, and the opportunity to connect to the Mount Holly Greenway system on the other side of the Catawba River, which is also part of the future Carolina Thread Trail alignment.
Ø Master Plan Update: Staff met with Land Design, Inc. and Greenways Inc. to review documents for the update to the greenway master plan.
