January 2009 Update on Park Matters

COMMUNITY AND RECREATION CENTER SERVICES

 First Night: After a twelve year hiatus First Night is once again alive and well in uptown Charlotte. MCPRD was a member of the steering committee with Center City Partners to make this wonderful family event a reality. Our role was to provide the children's activities which included a duel giant slide, a bounce house and the wheel of fortune where “everyone's a winner”. Glow in the dark sticks and RAY stress balls were among the prizes. The children's events ended with RAY leading the First Night People’s Parade as the Grand Marshall. With over 25,000 people at First Night this promises to be another annual event for our Department.

 Women in Sports: First Ward Recreation Center hosted “We Girls Can Do Anything” on January 2. The program was designed to celebrate women in the sports industry while stressing the importance of education, networking, positive self esteem and hard work among young girls. Women from the Carolina Panthers, ESPN, CMS, YMCA and Park and Recreation spoke to a crowd of 50 girls. The girls received giveaways from the above organizations.

 Boys Club: Merry Oaks School Recreation Center Boys Club attended the Davidson Wildcats basketball game on January 3 courtesy of the Davidson Athletic Department. The 10 boys experienced their first live college basketball game.
 Buy, Sell, Trade and Trunk Treasures: East Haven Neighborhood Association is partnering with Albemarle Road Recreation Center for the first annual Buy, Sell, Trade and Trunk Treasures taking place this Saturday 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Individuals and groups are welcome to rent a space to set up and sell items. Breakfast, Lunch and Bake Sale will also be part of the event to feed the hungry treasure and bargain hunters.
 Bojangles Basketball Tournament: Merry Oaks youth basketball teams (15 children and 2 coaches) attended the annual Bojangles Basketball Tournament at Marvin Ridge High School on December 29. Tickets were received through the Summer Hoops Foundation. The players were amazed at the level of excitement at the games.
 Meck Teens Team Bring in the New Year: On Friday, January 2, a group of Meck Teens from the Leafcrest Apartments spent an exciting day of skating, bowling and laser tag. It was a great opportunity for them to bring in the New Year on a positive note and to share stories about their Christmas holiday. Throughout the day the teens expressed ways that they would like to help their peers who are less fortunate. It was a great experience for all who attended.

 Meck Teens Bake-off: Meck Teens Youth at Risk were featured in a Charlotte Observer article for their recent “Teen Bake-off”. This intergenerational program focused on the art of baking as a community service project. The teens were taught how to bake cookies and then took them to a Christmas Party at Southview Recreation Center where the cookies were decorated. This program was a way for teens to impact their community in a positive way and demonstrate their way of giving back during the holiday season.

 January Fitness Center Promotion: Park and Recreation is offering a January promotion on fitness center memberships at the following fitness centers: Bette Rae Thomas, First Ward, Mallard Creek, Ray's Splash Planet, Southview, Tuckaseegee and West Charlotte. The Promotion offers 1 free month on a 6 month membership and 3 free months on an annual adult, senior or family membership. Patrons, friends and family are encouraged to take advantage of this great offer as it provides an affordable option for our citizens to improve their health, get into shape and keep those New Year's resolutions.
 Keeping Kids in Motion Update: A meeting was held on Monday, January 5 with representatives from Red Moon Marketing, Presbyterian Hospital and Park and Recreation to begin securing programming for the Keeping Kids in Motion, a four week program scheduled for the spring of 2009. Physical activity and healthy lifestyles will be the overarching themes of this program and should provide great exposure for many of the programs offered through Park and Recreation. Stay tuned for information on how you can get involved.
 NEW Beginner Running Group: The County employee fitness program is offering a beginner running group which started Monday, January 5. This group is open to all employees who are members of the Hal Marshall Fitness Center. The group leaves Hal Marshall at 6 a.m. on Mondays and runs in the uptown area. They are generally finished 6:45 a.m.

 Zumba: Zumba classes for county employee fitness center members will be held each Thursday at 12:30 and 6:00 p.m. at the Hal Marshal Fitness Center. Zumba is a 45 minute Latin-inspired dance fitness class that works almost every muscle in the body. Be adventurous and try this fun workout.



ENTERPRISE SERVICES

 Historic St. Mary’s Chapel: Staff met with Al Queen, a former resident of the Thompson Children’s Home on January 7 and discussed the possibility of conducting “living history” sessions of life at the home and the history of St. Mary’s Chapel. The Thompson Children’s Home was located on approximately 110 acres in the uptown area that included the existing Chapel. Mr. Queen has agreed to provide information on his stay at the Thompson Home to the after school students of Rama Road Elementary School on January 23 at the Chapel from 9:30 – 11:30 a.m. Staff is pursuing plans to conduct future public sessions that will include other information about the Home and the Chapel with a question and answer period.
 Revolution Park Golf Course: Staff met with Clyde Johnston, Professional Golf Course Architect and former President of the American Society of Golf Course Architects on January 7 to finalize plans to start Phase I renovation of the Revolution Park Golf Course. An erosion control permit has been approved and Mecklenburg County Flood Mitigation Department has reviewed and approved the proposed changes. Site prep work is projected to start as soon as possible. Staff is finalizing discussions with City Storm Water Services concerning an irrigation source for the golf course. The First Tee of Charlotte has started renovation of the existing clubhouse and plans to start site work on the practice facilities by January 31, 2009.


GREENWAY PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT

 Wayfinding Signage: Installation of the new signage package began this week on Mallard and Clark’s Creek Greenway. A press event was held on Thursday as the Greenway Maintenance Team was working on the installation at the Kirk Farm Fields entrance.

 Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) Grant Applications: Staff submitted applications for two CMAQ grants totaling $500,000 ($250K per project). The first is a pedestrian connection from Lower McAlpine Creek Greenway to the Ballantyne Corporate Park. The second is a pedestrian connection from Mallard Creek Greenway to a CATS park and ride lot on Mallard Creek Road. Matching funds would be applied from 2008 bonds, which included both of these projects.

 Irwin Creek Greenway at Revolution Golf Course: Greenway, Enterprise Services, and Maintenance and Operations staff met to discuss the use of maintenance vehicles on parts of the planned greenway through renovated Revolution Golf Course. Part of the greenway is being designed to follow the existing golf course maintenance path and will continue to be used by maintenance staff after the trail is open to the public. Appropriate signage will be posted warning greenway users of periodic maintenance traffic.

 McDowell Creek Greenway: Cornelius: Mecklenburg County citizens love their greenways so much that they often walk on them before construction is finished. In order to protect the public and the incomplete greenway surface, the Greenway Maintenance and Operations Team installed signs at McDowell Creek Greenway indicating that the Greenway is under construction and not yet open to the public.

 Little Sugar Creek Greenway: Midtown Section: T.K. Browne became active on site at Little Sugar Creek, Midtown/Metropolitan section. This section will most likely be the first urban section of Little Sugar Creek Greenway to be completed. Grading and stream restoration were completed under a previous contract with United Construction.

 Greenway Stakeholder Meetings and Public Workshops: Staff is working to identify stakeholders for Briar and McAlpine Creek Greenway and stream restoration projects, and to schedule the first public workshop for each project. Stakeholders will include a PRC member, GAC member, local residents, adjoining business owners, and other key individuals. The first stakeholder meeting for Briar Creek Greenway will be on Monday January 12, 2009 at 6:00 PM at the Mint Museum, and the first public workshop will be on Monday February 2, 2009 at 6:45 PM. The stakeholder meeting and public workshop for McAlpine Creek Greenway will be in late January or early February.

NATURE PRESERVES AND NATURAL RESOURCES

 Wildlife Sightings: A Common Raven was sighted and photographed during the Southern Lake Norman Christmas Bird Count on December 21. This never before documented species has now been added to the official Mecklenburg County bird list and is the 300th bird species to be documented in Mecklenburg County. Another rare wildlife sighting occurred at McDowell Nature Preserve in December, when two bobcats were photographed together.

 Historic Latta Plantation Civil War Winter Quarters and Homefront: Learn about how families survived while soldiers were away at war, the impact of the home guard on local communities and how soldiers spent their time during brutal winters encamped with the armies. Demonstrations of weaving, cooking, and more are free with regular admission. Don’t miss this event on Saturday 10-4 p.m. and Sunday 1-4 p.m. ($6 for adults, $5 for seniors 62+ and students, ages 5 and under are free).

 Professional Development: Staci Clark, Environmental Educator at Reedy Creek Nature Center, is now a certified Environmental Educator by the State of North Carolina. In order to achieve this goal Staci completed 200 hours of professional development. She is also a Certified Interpretative Guide. Both certifications, held by many of our educators, help to ensure county staff are providing high quality public programming.

 Hike for Habitats: This event was held last Saturday at Ribbon Walk Nature Preserve and was featured on News 14. Participants who attended enjoyed a staff led walk through the preserve. Regular visitors say it is great to see more events like this being held in the preserves.

 K-8 Science Conference: Next week Reedy Creek Nature Center staff will present at the 4th annual K-8 Science Conference sponsored by Southwest Education Alliance held at UNC Charlotte. This annual event focuses on improving science education and provides outreach resources to teachers. 170 teachers are registered for this event.

 Carolina Raptor Center Reducing Hours: Carolina Raptor Center is a private non-profit organization located within Latta Plantation Nature Preserve and has announced that it is reducing its public hours. It will be closed on Mondays through mid-March.


PARK OPERATIONS AND ATHLETIC SERVICES

 Youth Indoor Football League: Athletic Services has teamed up with the Carolina Speed professional arena football program to offer Charlotte's first youth indoor football league involving children ages 9-12. All games will be played at the Bojangles Coliseum (formerly Cricket Arena) on Independence Boulevard on Saturdays beginning in April. Eight teams will compete in the league, which is endorsed by the Speed and the American Indoor Football Association. Park and Recreation's youth football coordinator Derichard McCoy will lead the program and registration is currently being accepted.

 Volunteer Services: Volunteer Services had a lot to be thankful for in 2008. Over one hundred coaches volunteered at our centers this past fall. CMS high schools have volunteered at the parks over 130 times since September and over 60 times in 2008 various companies and organizations have had groups volunteer in a park.

CAPITAL PLANNING

 Sycamore Commons Project at Ray's Splash Planet: Planning staff met Friday, January 9 with design consultants and CMS staff to review progress on plans for this new mixed use residential/office complex adjacent to Ray's Splash Planet. This is a public private partnership venture primarily with CMS who is the land owner for this parcel.

 Evergreen Nature Preserve Master Plan: Planning and Natural Resources staff met on Tuesday, January 6 to finalize design elements for this property's site master plan. Two community workshops have been conducted previously and input has been received. A final site master plan will be presented at a joint meeting of the Stewardship and East Park District Advisory Councils in late February to be followed by a presentation to the Park and Recreation Commission and ultimately to the BOCC for approval.

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Bank of America Overview of 2008 Housing and Economic Recovery Act

Below is a high-level overview of the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 that will provide you with some context on what to expect as a result of the new legislation.
Increased Down payment requirements:
Minimum contribution will increase from 3.0% to 3.5% of the appraised value. Seller funded Down Payment Assistant Programs (“DAPs”) or funds from any other interested party to the transaction will be prohibited on all loans where final credit approval has not been established by September 30, 2008.
Risk Based Premiums:
Up Front and Monthly Mortgage Insurance Premiums implemented on July 14, 2008 will change on October 1, 2008.
Condominiums:
Guidelines for project approval will be relaxed, likely by year end.
Reverse Mortgages (HECM):
Changes to loan limits and origination fees.
HOPE for Homeowners:
Program designed to assist eligible at risk borrowers through refinancing into a new FHA insured loan. Program guidelines yet to be defined by HUD.

Park and Recreation Update

Ø Volunteers in the Park: For Fiscal Year 2008, Mecklenburg Park and Recreation received community support from more than 14,500 volunteers. They contributed 114,188 hours of help for our department. The value of their donation of time was more than $2.1 million.
The department is now looking for volunteers to help with the Hearts and Hands playground construction. This is a fully accessible playground in Nevin Park where children of all abilities will be able to play side by side.

COMMUNITY AND RECREATION CENTER SERVICES

Ø Neighborhood Crime Prevention Plan: First Ward Recreation Center will host a Community Meeting focusing on crime prevention as part of National Night Out on Tuesday, August 5. Representatives from the different various neighborhood associations and citizens in the community will meet with community police officers to discuss ways to cut crime in the area. They will begin working on an overall Neighborhood Crime Prevention Plan. We are excited about uniting the community against rising crime in the area.

Ø 2008 National Night Out: Arbor Glen Outreach Center will host the 2008 National Night Out for the West Boulevard Corridor on Tuesday, Aug 5 from 6:00-9:00pm. The event will be free to the community with food, music, prizes, and a dance contest. Event is designed to raise community awareness and as a demonstration against crime and drugs. Southview, Amay James and Arbor Glen Outreach Center staff will team up with the Stratford Richardson YMCA, Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department, City Dive, Vision Charlotte, and community leaders of 17 neighborhoods along the West Boulevard Corridor to make this a great community event.

Ø International Clown Week: On Monday, August 4, Tuckaseegee Recreation Center will celebrate International Clown Week with a day that honors clowning! Carolina Clowns will perform and teach us tricks of the trade. The YWCA Summer Camp will provide face painting, while the MADE Summer Camp will perform some clown routines! Rubber chickens, snow cones, RAY, and free lunch for those under 18 will also help make this event special!

Ø Constitution Day- Puerto Rico: Marion Diehl Recreation Center partnered with the Puerto Rican Cultural Society of Charlotte and the Latin American Coalition to celebrate "Constitution Day of Puerto Rico" on Saturday, July 26. The event was a great drew more than 300 patrons. They enjoyed traditional songs, food, music, art and dances of Puerto Rico.

Ø Mecklenburg 4-H Teens Attend NC 4-H Congress: Nine Mecklenburg County 4-H teens attended the annual NC 4-H Congress the week of July 21-25. These teens participate in 4-H through recreation center programs, YWCA programs and community clubs. This leadership and citizenship conference was held on the campus of NC State University. Throughout the week, the teens participated in workshops covering topics such as careers, electric, healthy choices, and government involvement. The Mecklenburg delegation was a part of more than 800 teen 4-H’ers from across North Carolina.

Ø 4-H’ers Ready for Summer Camp: Mecklenburg County 4-H is taking a delegation of 40 campers, ages 8-13, to a week-long residential summer camp at Millstone 4-H Center in Ellerbe, NC. They will depart Sunday, August 3 and return on Friday, August 8. While at camp, the youth will enjoy swimming, canoeing, archery, riflery, horseback riding, crafts and many other traditional camp experiences.

Ø 4-H Volunteer Workshop: Calling anyone interested in volunteering with a 4-H club throughout 2009! Mecklenburg County 4-H is offering an Introduction to 4-H Clubs workshop on Monday, August 4th from 6:30 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. for anyone interested in volunteering. The workshop will be held at the 4-H Office (1418 Armory Drive). Participants will learn the basics of 4-H, including how to start and manage a 4-H club.

Ø Annual Eastside Back to School Festival: Partnership team consisting of Weed & Seed (East side), MeckCares and Mecklenburg County Park & Recreation Department completed plans to provide the 1st Annual Eastside Back to School Festival, scheduled for August 2 from 11am – 3pm at Eastland Mall. This is the first Eastside Back to School Festival hosted by above partners. Moe than 20 service agencies will be on hand to provide students and families in east Charlotte information and resources to help prepare them for academic success during the school year. Entertainment and educational sessions will be provided during the event for children and adults. Prizes will be given to participants who complete the Passport to Academic Success!


NATURE PRESERVES AND NATURAL RESOURCES

Ø Academic Research: Both the herbarium and zoological collections housed in the newly named "Dr. James F. Matthews Center for Biodiversity Studies" in Reedy Creek Nature Preserve are being used by researchers involved in 4 different research projects this month. These partners are from: the University of South Carolina - Columbia, UNC-Chapel Hill, Belmont Abbey College, and the Schiele Museum of Natural History.


ENTERPRISE SERVICES

Ø Track & Field: Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation and the Charlotte Flights Track and Field Club sponsored twenty-two local youth who participated in the 2008 Junior Olympics in Omaha, Nebraska from July 22-27. Khayla Dawson placed first and brought home a gold medal in the shot put with a heave of 28’8”. The 4 X 100 meter relay team consisting of Calvin Haines, Jalen Porter, Aaron Tindall and Jacquece placed third and brought home bronze medals. Chanin Scott placed fifth in the 800 meter run. “Well done!” to all of local athletes who advanced from regional and state events to participate.


Ø Memorial Stadium: Staff met with City Council Member James Mitchell, Charlotte Department of Transportation, City Special Events staff, Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department and the Athletic Director and staff of North Carolina Central University to start the strategic planning process for the NC Central vs. NC A & T football game. The game is scheduled for October 4 at Memorial Stadium. Discussions focused on the estimated attendance, marketing, traffic plan and facility logistics.

CAPITAL PLANNING AND ALLIANCE DEVELOPMENT

Ø Romare Bearden Park: Planning staff conducted the final stakeholder design meeting for the Park. The stakeholder group, made up of representatives from the surrounding neighborhood, adjacent business owners and the City, has provided meaningful feedback and direction as the design has progressed. The department will now begin preparing construction documents with an anticipated late spring 2009 construction start. (See artist’s conception of park, next page.)



Ø Pearle Street Park: The Urban Land Institute conducted a design charette for the Charlotte Regional Realtor Association. The one day design exercise looked at the possibilities and opportunities for the site directly adjacent to the park. As the area around the park redevelops, Park Planning staff is working with the City and adjoining property owners to plan a much needed face lift to the Park.

Ø Berewick Park/Rec. Center Plans Review: The review period for the 50% Berewick construction documents concluded this week. Staff compiled a lot of good comments and will be discussing them with the consultant next week. Project bidding is expected this Fall, 2008.

Ø Greenprinting: Planning staff attended Green Printing Training with County GIS. The Trust for Public Land developed this program for Park & Recreation as part of the recently completed 2008 Parks Master Plan. Planning staff will be able to use this powerful model for objective, detailed site analysis and needs assessment in regards to all future land acquisitions.

Ø Nevin Accessible Playground Organization Day: Plans are currently being finalized for this special event set for Thursday, August 7 from 11am - 6pm. This important event will allow individual committees to meet with representatives from Leathers & Associates to check on progress and map out a strategy for the final stages of the project. The day will be spent reviewing the site, the final design, meeting with individual committees, and clarifying schedules, plans, responsibilities and other details for construction. There will be multiple meetings throughout the day, such as: a site review, stakeout review, individual committees update reviews, construction captains informational, and an overall summary meeting.


GREENWAY PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT

Ø Little Sugar Creek Greenway - Belmont Ave. to Alexander St. Park: The contractor has paved a portion of the greenway trail from Belmont Ave. to the top of bank of Belmont Branch. Shoring system design plans are still under review by CSX's engineering consultant, and should be approved soon. Contractor has also cleared and graded on the Alexander Street Park side of the railroad. Once shoring system is installed, the contractor will spend the next month installing the pedestrian underpass structure, and installing the bridge across Belmont Branch.
Ø Little Sugar Creek Greenway - Baxter St to Morehead St: Precast walls are now being installed for the central large fountain.
Ø Little Sugar Creek Greenway - Charlottetowne Ave to Pearle St Bridge (Metropolitan): Next week, this section of greenway will be advertised for bids.
Ø Clark's Creek - Tributary #2: Staff from Greenways and Natural Resources met with City of Charlotte Storm Water services this week regarding a stream restoration planned along a tributary of Clark's Creek that runs through the northern half of the Huck's Road Nature Preserve property, which is also a future greenway corridor.

South Beach Cold Cuts

Choosing the Best Cold Cuts
Presliced deli lunch meats provide protein and make for handy on-the-go eating. But before you stop at the deli counter, check out this shopping guide to learn which meats are South Beach Diet-recommended and which ingredients you should avoid:
Choose lean meats that are low in saturated fat. Fresh turkey breast, boiled ham, and chicken breast are all great choices. Lean roast beef is also fine.
Avoid processed meats with fillers. Fillers are carbohydrate additives that are used to hold the meat together and reduce production costs. Look for modified food starch, wheat starch, and corn starch in the ingredient list, and avoid products made with these fillers unless they appear near the end of the ingredient list. If this is the case, the amount of starch is minuscule.
Steer clear of meats with added sugar like honey-baked ham or honey-roasted turkey. If you'd like to add more flavor to your deli meat, try spreading a little mustard or mayonnaise on it.

South Beach Shrimp Salad

Shrimp Salad With Herb-Dill Dressing
Herbs are a must when it comes to cooking full-flavored, delicious meals — and fresh dill is no exception. It's often used for creating summery main-dish salads and seasoning seafood and lean meats. Here is a delicious recipe flavored with dill for your recipe box.
Shrimp Salad With Herb-Dill Dressing (Phase 1)
Serves 2
Ingredients Shrimp 1/2 cup dry white wine1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds1⁄8 teaspoon red-pepper flakes1 bay leaf1/2 lemon, sliced3/4 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
Herb-Dill Dressing 1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil1 1/2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar1 tablespoon water1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill1/2 teaspoon finely chopped garlic1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard1/4 medium onion, sliced1/2 large head romaine lettuce2 ripe tomatoes, cut into wedges3 fresh mushrooms, slicedFresh dill sprigs (optional)
Instructions To make the shrimp: Combine the wine, mustard seeds, pepper flakes, bay leaf, and lemon in a large saucepan. Add water to fill the pan two-thirds full. Bring to a boil over high heat. Add the shrimp, and cook for 3-4 minutes or until the shrimp have turned pink and are no longer translucent in the center. Drain and cool. Discard the bay leaf.
To make the herb-dill dressing: In a screw-top jar, mix the olive oil, red-wine vinegar, water, basil, dill, garlic, mustard, and onion. Shake well.
Place the shrimp in a large bowl and add the dressing. Toss well, cover, and refrigerate until well-chilled.
Serve the shrimp mixture on romaine lettuce leaves and surround with the tomato wedges and mushroom slices. Garnish with dill sprigs, if using.
Nutritional Information 382 calories14 g total fat (2 g sat)260 mg cholesterol16 g carbohydrate38 g protein4 g fiber310 mg sodium

Parks Update

COMMUNITY AND RECREATION CENTER SERVICES

Ø Constitution Day - Puerto Rico: The Marion Diehl Recreation Center is partnering with the Puerto Rican Cultural Society of Charlotte and the Latin American Coalition to celebrate "Constitution Day of Puerto Rico". The event will take place on Saturday, July 26, 2008 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Come and enjoy traditional songs, food, music and dances from Puerto Rico. Featured Artist: Orquesta Mayor, Pleneros - Remembranza, DJ "El Nene" and Artist Lillian White.

PARK OPERATIONS AND ATHLETIC SERVICES

Ø Blythe Landing Dock Improvements: On Monday night the Lake Norman Marine Commission voted to approve the permit application to replace the boat docks at Blythe Landing. The new docks will have slips on both sides. The next step in the permit process is for the application to go to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for approval. FERC is expected to review the plans and return the application in 45-90 days.

Ø National Softball Association (NSA) Tournament, July 21-23: The NSA World Series "B" tournament for Girls' Fastpitch Softball will be held Monday, July 21 through Wednesday, July 23 at Hornet's Nest and Nevin softball complexes. Athletic Services has worked very closely with Park District and Park Services staff in planning for a great event this year!

Ø Free Football Clinic: Park and Recreation and the Carolina Panthers have teamed up to offer a free one-day football clinic for boys and girls ages 7-14 on Wednesday, July 30, 2008 from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. at Tuckaseegee Park. Derichard McCoy, recently promoted to the position of Recreation Coordinator/Supervisor over the county's youth football initiative, will be leading the county's involvement in this event.

Ø National Recreation and Park Association Conference Scholarships: Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation is honored to have three employees receive scholarships to attend the 2008 National Recreation and Park Association Congress and Exposition in Baltimore, MD. October 14-18. Park and Recreation Manager Andra Eaves was awarded a diversity scholarship, Athletic Coordinator Atuya Cornwell won the Southern Region young professional fellowship and Jason Tryon had the winning essay and was awarded the Department scholarship.

Ø Free Dog Parks: Effective July 1, all dog parks were opened up free of charge. On Thursday an interview was held with PS&I at Ray’s Fetching Meadow (McAlpine Park) that will be placed on the website. Greg Jackson and a park patron were interviewed. Among the 7 or 8 park patrons using the dog park all but one were previous pooch pass holders. All admitted they were opposed to the dog parks being free, however agreed that it is working just fine. Several even commented that they had made a couple new friends (both canine and human) from new dog park visitors.


CAPITAL PLANNING AND ALLIANCE DEVELOPMENT

Ø Friendship Sportsplex Community Meeting: The July 17 community meeting at Friendship Missionary Baptist Church (FMBC) was well attended great input and positive feedback was received. 35 community members were present with great comments and suggestions. This project is an exciting partnership between the FMBC and Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation. Wirth & Associates, Inc. is the consulting firm being contracted to design phase I. The principal for the project will be Gary Wirth.

Ø First Ward Park: Staff attended a First Ward Park planning meeting with city officials.

Ø Independence Boulevard Corridor Charette: Staff participated in the Independence Boulevard Corridor master planning charette with the City to provide input relative to parks, greenways and open space needs

Ø Mint Hill Town Board: A presentation on future park plans was made before the Mint Hill Town Board.

Ø Planning Charette: Staff participated in a planning charette with Charlotte Housing Authority (CHA), CPCC and CMS regarding CHA’s plans to redevelop Boulevard Homes as a Hope VI project.


GREENWAY PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT

Ø Independence Boulevard Land Use Study: Planning staff met with the City's consultants to provide input into a plan to redevelop the area surrounding Independence Boulevard. The existing and future greenway and park amenities that staff identified within the study area will be incorporated into the land use plan.

Ø Elmwood Cemetery Pedestrian Connection: Staff met with CDOT representatives to discuss opportunities to increase pedestrian connectivity around Elmwood Cemetery. This effort could improve access to Ray's Splash Planet, existing Irwin Creek Greenway, and future Irwin Creek Greenway north of I-277.

Ø Little Sugar Creek Greenway - CSX Underpass: A flagman has finally been assigned to the construction site of the CSX underpass. The contractor will be coordinating schedules, and will be spending the next two weeks clearing and testing under the tracks. The contractor's design solution for the embankment stabilization has been submitted to DMJM Harris (CSX's engineering consultant) for review. Work on the soil nail wall and retaining wall cannot begin until these plans are approved by DMJM Harris, which should be in the next week or two.

Ø Little Sugar Creek Greenway - 10th to 7th Connector: Staff met with representatives from CDOT to discuss the 10th to 7th overland connector. CDOT through their consultant, HNTB, is conducting a feasibility study, structural and traffic analysis on the 7th Street Bridge over 277. The results of the study will determine the appropriate design options for the bridge. Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation’s consultant has also drawn a design solution to the McDowell Street, 10th Street and 11th Street intersections. Staff will take this to their next coordination meeting with CDOT to get conceptual approval and commitments from CDOT.

Ø Little Sugar Creek Greenway - 7th to Elizabeth: A ground breaking ceremony was held this week for the CPCC Culinary Arts Facility. CPCC president Tony Zeiss, donned in a chef's hat, directed the mixing of pancake batter and talked of the importance of this new state-of-the-art facility and its relationship to the greenway. Everyone had chef hats and confetti flew. A delicious breakfast was provided, of course. Construction has already begun on the site. Building construction will begin soon to be ready for Fall 2009 classes.