Merry Oaks Neighborhood Association

MONA Newsletter January 2005

Announcements

Mark Your Calendars Now!
2005 General meeting schedule January 20, June 16, October 20
2006 General meeting schedule February 16
Creek Walk April 16, 9 AM, Briar Creek bridge. Jasper 704-537-9765 or jwparham@bellsouth.net
Central Phase III and Eastland Transit Center meeting Thursday, January 27, 6 - 8 PM, Drop-in, Eastland Commons Area

January 20 General Meeting partial agenda
Learn how the County will pay 75% cost of your landscape or water conservation projects
Police report
Q & A regarding code enforcement with City/County staff
Q & A regarding Merry Oaks Campus Park

Supply drive for Merry Oaks School grades K-2
Please bring to the MONA meeting: Kleenex, paper towels, dry antibacterial lotion, new pencils, wide ruled composition books.
Merry Oaks School needs volunteers to read with and mentor children. Leave a message for Anna Smendziuk at the school 980-343 6422 .

Merry Oaks Neighborhood Association -
Looking Ahead
By MONA Board members Tom Poston and Nancy Pierce Shaver

At the September general meeting, MONA members approved the Board’s plan to increase membership dues to $10/year per household ($5 for those on a fixed income). The MONA is at a crossroads, it’s important to explain why we need to increase revenues and what we hope to achieve in the future.
MONA was formed in the mid-90s to advocate for infrastructure projects that affected this neighborhood significantly:.
· Sidewalks, curb, gutter and storm water improvements, street trees, traffic circle
· New Merry Oaks Elementary School
· Briar Creek Greenway
· Merry Oaks to Plaza-Midwood connectivity project
· Central Avenue Streetscape
· Neighborhood signs
· Merry Oaks Campus Neighborhood Park
· New street lamps
Membership and attendance at meetings was high, resources were developed, and Merry Oaks developed a unique neighborhood identity. Under MONA’s leadership, we received county-wide recognition for our stewardship of Briar Creek’s water quality.
Now we face a new set of challenges. Now that only one big-ticket remains undone (the neighborhood park) focus at general meetings has shifted to police reports, zoning codes, electioneering, and volunteer recruitment. As important as these things are, they don’t command the interest of residents like the big projects did. When things are quiet, attention wanders.
This is evident in the current status of MONA: attendance at meetings is down and financial reserves have dropped. Many residents have not paid dues since the first years of the organization, and we do not send out individual bills. MONA has a low profile compared to other neighborhood associations in the area. We hold a handful of meetings per year, an autumn cookout, and occasional emailings of community events and alerts. Good things all, but as an organization, MONA doesn’t currently have the financial resources to do things which the Board feels will build upon the sense of community that developed while the big projects were commanding everyone’s attention.
We face two realistic options on how to proceed:
1.) Status quo: low activity, interest and neighborhood involvement. This is clearly unsustainable. Eventually the current leadership will burn out, move or place their priorities elsewhere, and without a new generation of leaders MONA will cease to exist.
2.) Learn from the example of successful neighborhood associations such as Plaza-Midwood’s (PMNA) that community building is our most important aspect. PMNA sponsors numerous events throughout the year, helping boost Plaza-Midwood as one of the hottest neighborhoods in the city.
The MONA Board believes that option 2 is the way for us to go and to grow. At our last board meeting, we brainstormed for over an hour to come up with a long list of things we could begin with. Developing new leadership is a major goal. but it’s complex and won’t happen overnight. The rest depend on one thing:
Money.
We need to bring in additional funds so that MONA can do the community-building necessary to transition from an organization which is reactive to external events (the big projects mentioned above) to an organization that is active in creating the neighborhood we all want to live in.
Obviously, it’s going to take time and effort. But in 2005 you’ll see the beginnings of what we hope will be the second great era of the Merry Oaks Neighborhood Association.
In the meantime, please pay your dues. Send $10 (made out to MONA) to:
MONA
PO Box 18131
Charlotte, NC28218-0131

Improvements and Updates

Neighborhood News & UpdatesCentral Streetscape Phase II
The contract for landscaping Phase II (Eastway to Morningside) was awarded to Green Touch Tree and Turf for $58,667. Landscaping (trees and bushes) in the planting strips should begin in early February, after which pedestrian-scale lamps will be installed at the signaled intersections (Eastway, Briar Creek, Eastcrest and Morningside). CDOT is reviewing different types of stripping patterns to highlight the pedestrian crossings at these intersections. One possibility is stamped asphalt such as you see at Woodlawn/Selwyn/Runnymede. This should occur in the spring.

Central Streetscape Phase III and Eastland Transit Center
The City is now planning Phase III, from Sharon Amity to Albemarle Road. There will be a public drop-in session at Eastland Mall late in January to talk with residents about the planned roadway improvements. CATS will also present plans for the Eastland Transit Center that will be at the Eastland Mall property. The City has not had very much citizen participation for public meetings along the Central corridor in the past. To encourage people to attend, we will have a two-hour drop-in session Thursday, Jan. 27 from 6 - 8 PM with maps and planning concepts, in the common area of Eastland Mall, so that people can drop in as it suits their schedule.
Keith Carpenter, City of Charlotte Project Manager 703-336-3650 or kcarpenter@ci.charlotte.nc.us

Briar Creek Greenway
Property issues were holding up construction on the Arnold Drive side, but these have been resolved. Construction has begun on the trail from Arnold Drive (near Harbinger Court) to the creek. The bridge, which will be custom-fabricated to fit, is out for pre-bid and could come back in any time, after which a bid will be put out for installation. The bridge will be about 60 feet long and 10 feet wide between handrails. It will have wooden decking and rusting steel supports. Hopefully it will be installed during March, then asphalt will be laid onto the trail on both sides of the creek. Additional clearing of invasive species and landscape work will be performed by Park and Recreation Department maintenance crews in the spring.

Connectivity project
The City’s connectivity project is complete except for landscaping, which will occur in the spring. You can now walk or bicycle (with low gears) from the end of Masonic Drive to Logie Avenue, then down Logie to a new “choker lane” (single lane road) which takes you to Roland Avenue in Plaza Midwood. With the completion of the Briar Creek Greenway section and bridge, we will be able to walk, run, bicycle, skate, and so on from Arnold Drive to Plaza Midwood without going onto Central Avenue.

Street Lamps
Thanks to Richard and Pam Stenhouse, Nancy Krewson, Cate Martin, Beth Al-Rawi, Phil Forlidas, Heather Crutchfield, Tara Servatius, Nancy Pierce Shaver, Dean Coley, Patty Perkins and Tom Poston for gathering the signatures required for Duke Power to replace the streetlamps on parts of Arnold Drive, all of Farmington, Draper, Graybark, Masonic, Logie, Glenn and Longfellow and Harbinger. This work will take place during January and February. Flynnwood and Merry Oaks Road already have the new lamps, which are low-glare, have less spillover light into yards, windows and sky, but are brighter on the streets and sidewalks. Soon we will have signature maps for the last phase, which includes the rest of Arnold, Cosby, Ferguson and Pickens Court. If you can volunteer to get signatures please contact Nancy, nancypierce@carolina.rr.com or 704 535 7409.

Merry Oaks Campus Park
The County has completed purchase of additional acreage for access to the campus park between 1800 and 1810 Merry Oaks Road. The Park and Recreation Department is currently securing a contract for a design consultant who will complete the plans for the park based on the input given by the community in meetings prior to the new school construction. Early in 2005 there will be another community meeting to review and comment on the plan. After this, the construction contract will go out to bid and, after approval by the Board of County Commissioners, construction will take approximately 9 months, taking it into 2006.
Neil Carroll, Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation Department District II General Manager 704-353-1237 carrorn@co.mecklenburg.nc.us
Environmental stewardship
Urban Cost Share Program—Briar Creek is pilot project
Residents and businesses in the Briar Creek watershed (that’s us!) are the first in Mecklenburg County to be offered financial assistance to implement conservation practices on their property, through the Urban Cost Share Program. The program pays 75% of your cost up to $3000 for items such as rain barrels to capture rainwater for watering and compost bins as well as tree planting, riparian buffers and rain gardens. The money can be for materials and contract labor if necessary. Application deadlines are April 1, July 1 and October 1 2005. Go to www.mecklenburgconservation.com for more information. Click on “here” under urban Cost Share Program on the right hand side of your screen. You don’t have to know exactly what you will do to make an application. You can call Erin Oliverio, Urban Conservationist, at 704 336-2455 and she or another staff member will come out an advise you. She will also be at our January 20 general meeting with information and forms.

Neighbors’ Corner
It’s Our Backyard
Some neighbors may not be aware but the wooded areas between Arnold Dr. and the creek, as well as other wooded areas in our neighborhood, are part of someone’s backyard. We wanted to remind everyone because at least one neighbor found a bathroom sink, beer cans, tires and other debris dumped in their backyard.
If you happen to notice someone dumping garbage in your neighbors yard and you don’t want to confront the offender, talk to your neighbor or leave them a note. Most of the dumped items could be put in their garbage can or called in for a special pickup.
Let’s look out for each other and keep our neighborhood debris free.
Contributed by Carol Herrington

How to make a difference in your community - Park and Recreation
Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation Department Central Park District II Advisory Council is looking for new members. The Council meets monthly to discuss plans, issues and future needs. It is an excellent opportunity for residents to directly impact park and greenway development. If you are interested in serving on the Council, please contact General Manager Neil Carroll at (704) 353-1237 or e-mail to carrorn@co.mecklenburg.nc.us for an application. When you are finished with your newsletter please place it at restaurants, dentists offices and so on to help spread the word about Merry Oaks!
Neighborhood Web Site
Go to www.neighborhoodlink.com/charlotte/merryoaks when you need latest weather, information of Who To Call for City/County services, contact information for City Council, information on the MONA calendar, link your site to ours and much more. For any questions or suggestions for our web site, E-mail Nancy Krewson at nkrewson@earthlink.net and put “MONA” in the subject line.

Merry Oaks E-mail List
To be included on the MONA E-mail list or if your address has changed, please e-mail Nancy Pierce Shaver at nancypierce@carolina.rr.com and request to be put on the list. Also all newcomers please send her your E-mail! This list is for the exclusive use of MONA Board members to communicate with members and will not be given out to anyone else.

Advocacy and Planning

Neighborhood Advocacy And Monitoring
Comments from Jasper Parham, Creek Steward
Recently I removed hundreds of bottles, cans and other junk containers from several locations in the neighborhood. 99% of those containers had water in them — ideal habitat for mosquitoes. Mosquitoes can breed in one teaspoon of water. Litter is not only unsightly, but it’s a potential health hazard. Mosquito habitat range is 300 yards, about the length of 3 football fields.
Our creeks flow sufficiently and fish and minnows devour mosquito eggs and larvae. So the creek is not a mosquito problem. But litter along our streets, sidewalks, creek banks and floodplain provides ideal habitat for mosquitoes.
Also, for those who have observed me raking leaves and litter from the sidewalk and Arnold Drive curbs, I must confess my compost pile has a voracious appetite. Thank you to all who waved or stopped to chat!
Besides feeding the compost, I was giving a Christmas present to the neighborhood, storm water drains, and creek. Leaves are beautiful and wonderful providers of shade and cooler temperatures.
But when leaves above change to leaves below, they can be a liability instead of an asset. They slowly decompose on concrete or asphalt, creating sludgy muck and sometimes stench, and making the sidewalks unsafe. Storm water collects leaves, clogging the drains and creating street flooding. Leaves, muck and litter then enters our creek robbing oxygen from critters living in the water.
Most of us have cool season grasses such as fescue in our lawns. When those lawns are smothered with leaves until mid-winter, they can cease to survive. Even warm season grasses such as zoysia, centipede, and bermuda need air and sunlight during the dormant period. Wooded areas, mulched natural areas and compost piles benefit from accumulated leaves. Streets, sidewalks, creeks and lawns do not.
Come join us on our semi-annual creek walk to pick up litter and monitor the water in Briar Creek. Next walk: April 16, 2005, 9 AM. Contact me at 704 537 9765 or jwparham@bellsouth.net.

Central Avenue Streetcar planning
By Tom Poston, MONA Board member
In mid-November, I attended a public meeting concerning the first phase of conceptual planning for the Center City Streetcar project. It consisted of citizen focus groups that gave input to Charlotte Area Transit System regarding the streetcar.
A streetcar is a 21st century update on the trolley of a century ago. Higher capacity than buses, streetcars are powered by overhead electrical lines and run on fixed tracks within the existing street network. Numerous cities in North America and Europe have already implemented streetcars as part of their urban transit systems.
Charlotte’s streetcar is in the earliest design phases, with construction slated to begin in 2007. The project will be deployed in four phases:
1. Trade St./Elizabeth Ave. line from Presbyterian Hospital to J.C. Smith University.
2. Hawthorne Lane/Central Ave. line from Presbyterian Hospital to Eastland Mall
3. Beatties Ford Rd. line from J.C. Smith University to I-85
4. Center City connector line that will run around and through uptown Charlotte.
While it will be 10-12 years before the Central Avenue line is completed, it’s important for the public to give input now on what they want to see. The focus group for the Hawthorne-to-Eastland section of the streetcar project emphasized several items as important to our neighborhoods:
1. Locating for access to residents of the single family neighborhoods, not just the apartment complexes along Central Avenue.
2. Co-ordination between streetcar planning and Parks & Recreation to assure Briar Creek Greenway connectivity to the streetcar and as a destination along the route, with upgrades to the Central Avenue culvert/bridge across Briar Creek to accommodate the streetcar and greenway.
3. Minimizing disruption to existing streetscaping, bike lanes, and pedestrian refuges.
Conceptual planning will continue throughout 2005. If you are interested in being part of this planning process, watch for an email notice which will be sent out to the Merry Oaks mailing list when the schedule is announced, or you can look at the 2025 CATS System Plan at: http://www.charmeck.org/Departments/CATS/Rapid+Transit+Planning/T.P.+-+2025+System+Plan.htm