Madison Park

September Madison Park Homeowners Meeting 9/13/04

Nov 12, 2004

SEPTEMBER 13, 2004
MADISON PARK NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION
MINUTES
http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/charlotte/madisonpk

{The meeting followed the 30 minute Social Time which began at 7:00 PM. Soft drinks were served.}

The meeting was called to order by Ted Peters President at 7:35. There were 25 attendees and two police offers present.

Ted welcomed the officers back since they were not present at our single issue August meeting.

Officer Monroe started the meeting with crime activity reports from the South Division.

Fairbanks Road had a black male break in the back door of a residence. Police were called and the suspect escaped without stealing any property.

There was one case of embezzlement at a school. The school handled that problem.

School on Farmbrook had vandalism with windows broken.

A Londonderry Rd resident was at a party and discovered his wallet was missing. Not being sure where the loss occurred, the resident filed the complaint with the South Division.

There was a hit and run on Tyvola. Member Susie Chan who resides at the corner of Seacroft Road and Tyvola had a vehicle drive through her front yard demolishing trees and shrubs.

Member noted that there had been a recent problem with cars driving through yards. Martin Doss noted that this had also happened on a corner lot recently on Seacroft. Officer thought this was most likely teens. However not much can be done without the vehicle?’s description or tag number.

Officer Monroe stated that speed enforcement has begun on Tyvola Road from Smith Language Academy to Wedgewood Drive. This was at the request of the HOA. Officers will be monitoring and checking speed at random in the area.

Officer Monroe mentioned that the ?“no parking on front lawns?” ordinance is being enforced in our community. Officers try to respond within 24 hours of any direct complaints. Violators can be ticketed. But, if the residents are home and it is a first time complaint, they will be asked to move their vehicles. If they refuse, they will be ticketed. The ordinance can use towing as a means of enforcement, but only after (3) citations in a year. Most violators stop the violations after a visit by an officer.
Back yard lawn parking is not covered by the ordinance. Enforcement of corner lots is listed in the city information regarding the ordinance. But, Officer Monroe stated they have not been enforcing this specifically. Residents must park on approved parking pads such as gravel, stone, concrete or black top. Grass, dirt, or wood chips are not acceptable parking surfaces. [Subsequent investigation by HOA Secretary, Martin Doss did lead to a reversal of the ?“no corner lot enforcement?” statement made by Officer Monroe.]

Officer Monroe was asked about businesses being operated out of a residence. He replied that these issues need to go to zoning for enforcement.

Another attendee wanted to know about commercial vehicles parking in neighborhoods. There are code violations that cover this problem. Only certain size commercial vehicles (a limit of one per residence) parked in a driveway is permitted. Complaints can be made directly to the city at 704-336-7600.

Officer Hairston then gave his reports. He reported on July incidents stating that the August report was not yet available as of his last workday before the meeting.

327 Cooper Fraud Case Swindle for some work not done; check cashed.
5814 Wedgewood Drive harassing phone call
5629 Wedgewood Drive Larceny
900 Seneca Place Larceny misdemeanor
4915 Horton Ct. Misc. Criminal Gun
1330 E. Woodlawn Road Death by natural causes, 94 year old male
4715 Gilmore Communicating Threats against a person
4842 Gilmore Assault on a female
4712 Murrayhill Road Child Sexual Assault 18 year old on a 16 year old
4414 Murrayhill Road Larceny (yard items)
1043 Keystone Ct. Missing Person
1812 Montford Damage to property
723 Montford Larceny Checks stolen form mailbox

Member Doug Hale on Milford who has a home that backs up to woods and the Auto Bell carwash on South Blvd reported that his converted storage building /rec room was burglarized. [Another neighbor attending the meeting and residing in close proximity to Doug was also victimized with nothing taken.] Finger Prints from the inside were lifted by the police. Items taken were VCR, TV, CD Players, and Speakers. Doug stated the officer responded rapidly. Doug has installed motion lights and a backyard light. Officer Hairston said the environment being dark and the woods were inviting to criminals.

Officer Hairston noted that serial numbers of valuables should be recorded. The officer will bring sheets for recording these numbers in a convenient format to the next meeting. [The website already has the information if you would like to make your own list under the Police links. See website link at the top of the minutes.]

Mothers Billiards on South Blvd is now closed for good. Officer Monroe said this should help both Montclair and Madison Park.

Martin Doss noted that Graffiti is pretty much extinct now and thanked the officers for their direct involvement and great job on this problem.

Officer Hairston told Doug Hale that he should be extra careful as he replaces the stolen merchandise since thieves often return knowing items have been replaced.

Ted Peters then reminded the officers to please attend our picnic. The officers were thanked for attending our meeting.

Ted Peters then said he must give recognition to Marty Doss for diligently working on neighborhood issues. He credited him with getting Tyvola Road cleaned up from cars on lawns to the recycling business that was operating at one property. He also gave him credit for working on enhancements to ?“a website which sings?” and updating information on the site, particularly the Community Calendar.

Vivian Moose who had a problem with a neighbor at 842 Woodlawn also thanked Marty for helping her get some results with that property that ended up getting several citations written and the property cleaned up to some extent. The enforcement proceedings were covered by local television stations. The property apparently had over 100 complaints in the past with little or no compliance.

Debra Campbell stated that both she and Marty Doss had been making several contacts and had gotten the name of the Madison Park Neighborhood Association out to city leaders. Noting that Marty Doss had had direct contact with the Mayor, Susan Burgess and Walter Abernathy over recent codes issues in our area.

The attendees gave a round of applause as Martin was thanked.

Another attendee then stated that the Woodlawn property is still operating a mechanics business on the property which is a code violation. The city is aware of this problem.

An attendee wanted to know if we could not get properties foreclosed on and the answer is we can only go through codes and the police for violations. It was suggested with regard to rental properties that we contact the actual owners. Others stated they had tried this particular tactic without any results in the past. Codes can do an eviction on rental properties but this must go through normal system channels.

A resident then mentioned that he carries his cell phone and reports violations every time he sees them in our neighborhoods to the city at (704) 336-7600.

Doug Hale then mentioned that a burned out home at 5010 Milford is scheduled for a court hearing on the 14th of September. The home will most likely be demolished. It was reported that a son of the owner showed up intoxicated and was communicating threats to neighbors recently and the police were called. The son is thought to be living in his car in the rear of the home.

Ted Peters mentioned that residents must continue to call the customer service number to report problems at (704) 336-7600 and to stay ?“pleasantly persistent?” with the city until action happens. He gave the Keystone Court home that was code enforced last year as a prime example of getting results (beneficial not only to the neighborhood but also to the family renting the home). The rental home had a new roof put on and flashing repaired after the HOA got involved with the codes dept. [Residents are welcome to send any problems directly to Martin Doss at Martydoss@aol.com if they do not wish to make the report directly to the city. He will then forward the complaint on behalf of the HOA and ensure compliance on the issue.]

Attendee then wanted to know about the Murray Hill Sidewalk. Ted Peters, President, stated this was not an agenda item for this meeting and would have to wait until the general business Open Session section of the meeting.

Ted Peters then directed the meeting to an Initiative for the Montford Proposed Additional Road Humps. Two motions were made. The first dealt with the issue of the HOA endorsing the proposed additions. The second motion entertained by the general membership concerned allocating escrowed funds earmarked solely for traffic related improvements to installing brick top patterns to 4 proposed additional speed humps and resurfacing the 3 existing humps to match the proposed additional humps.

Neighbors adjacent to the proposed humps need to be in favor of the project. The petition drive is complete. The motions were voted on and passed unanimously to endorse this project and to add a brick top pattern to all speed humps along Montford Drive. The executive board of the HOA was directed to draw up an endorsement letter and include with it an offer to negotiate the amount that the HOA was willing to expend from its escrowed funds for the installation of the brick top pattern. [See discussion below.]

Judy Bratton wanted to know the cost of the brick top pattern. Martin Doss noted that the two installed on Wedgewood Drive totaled $750.00.

It was then noted that the traffic division had failed to space the original speed humps at ?“effective intervals?” resulting in the need for more humps. This was after the speed limit was lowered on Montford. Scott Martin from 715 Montford spearheaded the ?“speeding is still a problem?” alert and coordination work with the city on this project. Ted Peters completed the petition drive.

Judy Bratton along with Doug Hale suggested that HOA should bargain the price down since the traffic division miscalculated the effectiveness of its initial work. Debra Campbell noted that the brick top pattern was liked by the association noting the reinforcement effect that the pattern has on the definition of ?“gateways?” into our neighborhood.

The initial motion was then amended to include that if the city fails to match ?½ of the cost of brick top installation that the motion should come back to the board/association for a follow-up vote. In this way, the exact cost can be known and communicated to the general membership.

A member then related the history of the origin of the escrowed funds. It was put up by the developer of the luxury apartments near Park Rd. and Seneca Place. Its purpose was for traffic issues that might come from the development. There are about 10,000 dollars in escrow that can only be used for traffic issues by our association.

Ted Peters then mentioned the Seneca Place Commons Development (located across Park Road from the intersection of Park and Seneca). Conditional Zoning was approved. The construction seems to be waiting for the owners go ahead. Ted is going to call the numbers on the leasing sign on the property to find out the current status of the project.

Member wanted to know about a lot on Woodlawn at Scaleybark. Town homes are going in most likely R12 or R14.

Ted explained that when there is not a change in use of a property the HOA is not notified. Only when there is a change of use is a change-in-zoning notice sent to the HOA.

Another member asked about the demolition of the ?“old?” school at Pinewood Elementary. Plans have changed to use the old school as swing space for at least the next 3-5 years.

Alan Beaver with Parks and Recreation attended tonight?’s meeting. Ted Peters thanked Alan because Parks and Recreation is providing us with a large blowup slide and snow cone machine for our picnic. The picnic will be from 3-5pm on Sunday, 9/26 with set up starting at 2 pm. The association will be providing drinks, ham as a main entree, plates, cups and ice. Neighbors are asked to bring side dishes, dips, salads, vegetables or desserts for the picnic. We will also need tables since the Korean Congregation will be using the church?’s resources within our normal meeting space during the picnic.

Ted Peters created flyers for the event. He asked that those in attendance pass out flyers to at least 10 neighbors. All members are encouraged to attend and Please Bring a neighbor or two and a chair or two. This event is always a lot of fun and a great way to meet you neighbors. Diane Gunter will be working on the picnic. Sept. 26th, 3-5pm. Mark your calendars.

Alan Beaver from Parks and Recreation said that Queens University is back in session. He had not received any reports from them recently on the Queens Sports Complex at Marion Diehl. Candy Bridges who attends our meetings from Parks and Recreation was escorting a Parks and Recreation sponsored ?“open to all citizens?” trip to Alaska. Alan is the General Manager of the South Area of Parks and Recreation. His office is located in the confines of Park Road Park.

Alan stated that the county Commissioners have agreed to a bond campaign in November. Items on bond will be construction of a recreation center at Revolution Park and $25 Million for Greenway development (Primarily the Little Sugar Creek). Alan stated he can educate about the bonds but cannot campaign on their behalf.

Member wanted to know if the construction behind Park Road shopping center is part of the Greenway. The answer was no. Rich Horton Vice President of Madison Park HOA stated this was to alleviate flooding in a nearby neighborhood.

Debra Campbell then wanted to know if the Bike Trails behind the Waste Water Treatment center on Tyvola have had any work on them. Alan stated this is currently city property. Alan stated that there was some talk of paving some trails for bikes. Alan noted that the bike project neither depends on nor coincides with the Queen?’s University Sports Complex Project or the Little Sugar Creek Greenway Project. Nothing has been finalized.

It was noted that Queens University has delayed the ground breaking on the Queens University Sports Complex to later in the fall (possibly November).

A new resident of Madison Park and a first time attendee wanted to know what we were talking about. It was explained that the University would be building handicapped accessible sports fields on the property at the Marion Diehl Center. Debra Campbell stated the University was accommodating many requested design changes emanating from the neighborhood.

Lamar Gunter had spoken with the Assistant VP of Queens and he did not know when ground breaking would take place. Lamar did note that some work had taken place, noting that a small bulldozer had cleared a path (possibly trails for timber harvesting). Ground breaking has been said to be contingent upon the level of funds raised by the University.

Judy Bratton wanted to know the Hierarchy for Parks and Recreation. It was noted that the Director Wayne Westin reports to the County manager directly.

Ted Peters then discussed the initiative for our HOA to make a $75.00 Red Cross donation to Hurricane victims. Martin Doss noted that he felt the money should be designated to NC victims. Our Association will be challenging other HOAs in our City to match our donation. This will be done by direct challenge by Martin Doss emailing the other HOAs through the neighborhoodlink.com website. {On 9/15/04 WSOC TV tapped a segment on our Challenge to other Neighborhood/Homeowner Associations This aired on the 5 PM edition of the news on the 15th. The check was delivered to the Red Cross on 9/16/04 by Martin Doss}.

Ted Peters requested Martin Doss give the treasurer?’s report. Dee McCandlish was not present and had provided her report earlier to Martin Doss. There is $767.49 in our account with all bills paid through August 2004.

Ted Peters mentioned the Yellow Ribbon Campaign. Materials are available to show support for our troops.


Ted also mentioned that anyone wanting info on the Shut-In Awareness program to see him after the meeting. {Details on website if interested in program or have a need}

The meeting was opened for new business. Judy Bratton said she had made phone calls, sent emails, attended city council sessions with the other petitioners holding the opinion not favorable to the installation of sidewalks on Murray Hill and spoke with the transportation dept. Judy reported that the transportation dept. has acknowledged that the evaluation for sidewalk projects is reactive and not really addressing the needs for these projects. City Manager along with transportation dept. now intends to look at the process of sidewalk construction. The sidewalk project on Murray Hill and a few others in the city are now on hold until 2005 when City Council will take up the issue.

Debra Campbell mentioned that Martin Doss and she would be attending a follow-up meeting with City Manager Pam Syfert regarding issues that Associations in East Charlotte have had regarding their neighborhoods. Martin was put in contact with the group by Council Person Susan Burgess after experiencing problems with the city and the customer service dept when working on specific issues. The meeting is 10/6/04. This meeting will provide direct response to a number of complaints that the East Side Associations have been dealing with. Many are the same complaints we have made to the city recently on various issues.

We had three new members in attendance.

Wendy Strickland 325 Seneca Place
Rick Bolen Londonderry Road
Vivian Moose Woodlawn Road

The meeting was adjourned.