Meeting

Report

 
WAYNE WESTON PROVIDES UPDATE ON
LITTLE SUGAR CREEK GREENWAY
by Henry Bostic
 
Charlotte Rotary began the New Year with an update of a one-time pipe dream that is now becoming a reality. Once derided as “Tuttle’s Puddle,” the Little Sugar Creek Greenway in particular and the county’s Greenway Master Plan adopted in 1990 are both well on the road to becoming realities.
 
In the 1970’s City Councilman Jerry Tuttle came back to town after a visit to San Antonio with the idea to convert Little Sugar Creek into something akin to the famed River Walk in the Texas City. Most just snickered at the then farfetched idea and the local paper dubbed the idea “Tuttle’s Puddle.” But Tuttle is having the last laugh.
 
Two club members -- CPCC President Tony Zeiss, leader of the Sugar Creek Greenway Initiative, and Mary Ciminelli, spokesperson for Partners for Parks – along with Mecklenburg County Parks and Recreation Director Wayne Weston outlined progress on the greenways in the two and a half years since they first outlined the master plan for the club. The signature portion of the greenway – between Seventh St. at Central Piedmont Community College and Princeton Avenue at Freedom Park – is taking shape before our very eyes. Most of the buildings along Kings Drive from the old Midtown Mall to Morehead Street have come down. They’ve been replaced by a temporary grassy area – giving a foretaste of what’s to come – and the Mall itself, built over the creek in the 1950s’ exuberance of concrete will soon come down to reveal even more of what was once the state’s most polluted creek. And, they report, the greenways are beginning to catch the imagination of the public, especially adjacent landowners and developers, who can already see the positive effects of the greenways in increased land values. Said Weston, when the project was getting started, the county had to condemn land to get public access. Now property owners are donating public access. Studies have shown that with projects such as these nationwide existing property values escalate from five to 20 percent; new homes, from 10 to 50 percent and commercial property, from 20 to 200 percent. Safety has been the number on concern of property owners, Weston said, but with the help of all the police departments in the county we’ve been about to show that there is no increase in crime as a result of the greenways. In fact, he said, the result has been just the opposite. The Little Sugar Creek Greenway is approximately 15 miles long, stretching from Cordelia Park near uptown to the South Carolina line near Pineville. The goal is some 185 miles of greenway trials utilizing the 22 creeks in the county, all with an eye toward improving the quality of life in the urban area. The citizen-friendly results will include improved water and air quality as well as improved health and wellness of citizens. Said Weston, we want to improve the livability of the community and better serve the citizens of the county. And it seems to be working, said Weston. Citizens are flocking to finished portions of the greenways according to laser counters used by his department. The greenways are also attracting the attention of neighboring counties, especially Gaston and York. In fact, York County in South Carolina has begun work to continue the Little Sugar Creek Greenway into that state. Said Zeiss, “Who knows, the greenway my turn left one day and head all the way to Charleston!”
 
In other business, former President Tom Robertson substituted for President Catherine who’s cruising in the Caribbean.
  
Head Table:
Rex Cockerham, Chuck Lew, Tom Robertson, Tony Zeiss Mary Ciminelli, Mick Goodfellow; Invocation: Mac McCarley
  
Visitors and Guests:
Ken Poe; Health & Happiness: Fred Lowrance; Song: Thomas Moore

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CHARLOTTE ROTARY PROVIDES TSUNAMI RELIEF Peggy Wesp, International Avenue Chair for the Rotary Club of Charlotte, introduced plans for the Club to support recovery relief efforts in South Asian communities that have been hit by the deadly tsunami. One of many agencies and relief options available is a project called “Shelter Box” that was originated by a member of a Rotary Club in Great Britain. A Shelter Box is basically a tent that provides temporary housing and supplies for ten people. Supplies include sleeping bags, water purification tablets, collapsible plastic water carriers, shovel, basic cooking/eating utensils, flashlights, rope, multi-fueled cook stove, and tool kit. The cost per Box is $900.   Resources from the club’s budget will be used to fund the first Box. Club members are asked to contribute $50 in order to fund 15 additional Boxes. Collection envelopes were passed out at the weekly meeting, and about $1300 was collected. There will be another announcement and collection at next week’s meeting. Checks can be made payable to Rotary Club of Charlotte and mailed to the Rotary office, 841 Baxter Street, Suite 118, Charlotte, NC 28202. Funding will be collated at the District level and forwarded to the organization. Two important points: contributions do not qualify for Rotary Foundation recognition of any kind, and billing is not an option on your quarterly invoice (which goes out this week).   To learn more, please visit:  www.shelterboxusa.org.

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