What's New for NOMA - April 2015

Hello Friends & Neighbors!  Have we got NOMA NEWS for you!  Where should we start?!

The Salisbury Sculpture Show

If you've been driving around Salisbury, you might have noticed the new sculptures around town!  These are part of the annual Salisbury Sculpture Show!  The show changes every March when the new round of art is installed.  The 2015 show includes 19 works of art, including installations at all four colleges:  Catawba College, Rowan-Cabarrus Community College, Hood Theological Seminary, and Livingstone College.

We learned, through our NOMA representative on the Salisbury Public Art Committee, that if neighborhood residents could pool resources to be able to pay for the installation, NOMA can be on the 2016 Salisbury Sculpture Show map with an beautiful sculpture of our own.

One of the recommended initiatives in the North Main Small Area Improvement Plan (approved by City Council July 2007), was to use public art to create a sense of arrival or sense of place at the NOMA neighborhood gateways.  We think the Salisbury Sculpture Show would be just the ticket to begin this initiative!  The neighborhood would have to raise roughly $1500 to be able to participate.

New Proposed Ordinance for Neglected Housing

Homes and buildings that are being allowed to deteriorate is called Demolition by Neglect, and it is a problem in many more places than just Salisbury. Currently, the only alternative for a neglected home in Salisbury is demolition, which may not always be the best choice!

At City Council Retreat this past February, members of the Salisbury Code Enforcement Division and the new Housing Advocacy Commission presented a plan for a new ordinance that will help us resolve this to a degree. 

If you support this ordinance, that would allow the City to repair and stabilize homes, please speak to your City Council on the 3rd Tuesday of each month at City Council Meeting / 4:00PM ~ or write a letter or email to City Council saying you support the implementation of the Stabilizing Neglected Housing ordinance.




New Salisbury Rowan Central School Office

The groundbreaking for the much discussed and long-awaited Central School Office was April 19th!  If you've been traveling the North Main Corridor, you might have noticed the demolition of the old Schulenburger Surveying Company building at 516 N Main, and unfortunately the home that we unsuccessfully  tried to have preserved and moved to one of our empty lots.  These demolitions cleared the way for the new school office!  This will be an important addition to our neighborhood gateway at the south end!  Hurrah!

Free Little Library™

NOMA is exploring the potential to install Free Little Libraries throughout the neighborhood!

What is a Little Free Library™? It’s a “take a book, return a book” gathering place where neighbors share their favorite literature and stories. In its most basic form, a Little Free Library is a box full of books where anyone may stop by and pick up a book (or two) and bring back another book to share.

There is a great resource for these programs at  http://littlefreelibrary.org/.  Before installing, we must be mindful of City of Salisbury line-of-sight restrictions....in other words we can't block the view of drivers...and along N. Main Street, we must be mindful of DOT sight-line restrictions.  But Catherine Garner/City of Salisbury looked into this for us so we can plan accordingly.  The Little Free Library website offers both completed library boxes and/or plans to construct one, but we bet we know talented craftspeople who could build these for us!

Historic House Plaques

The first round of Historic House Plaques are in!  You might see some installed already if you're out and about in the neighborhood!

If you are interested in obtaining one, please email themainneighborhood@gmail.com for an order form.




Historic Salisbury Foundation Homes on North Main

Historic Salisbury Foundation reports that the work on 1428 N Main is winding down, and that work crews will be moving soon to 1600 N Main Street.  Historic Salisbury Foundation is working to stabilize these homes so that we can avoid more 'holes' in the character of our neighborhood.  If you would like to volunteer to work on these houses, contact HSF at (704) 636-0103  or drop by 1428 N Main weekdays and see what can be done to help!  You can always donated to HSF's revolving fund that allows this important work to continue:  http://www.gofundme.com/heq7tg
 
Old North Salisbury Association

The next Old North Salisbury Association, the neighborhood association for NOMA, is May .  Contact ONSA president Glen Upp at
themainneighborhood@gmail.com for more info.  The association is sponsoring a YARD SALE on May 9th.  Email the association for information on how to be involved!

And speaking of Upcoming Meetings:

The next SNAG (Salisbury Neighborhood Action Group) is scheduled for Wednesday May 6th.   The Salisbury Police Department hosts a monthly SNAG meeting where you'll hear updates concerning drug investigations, criminal investigations, and code enforcement issues on the first Wednesday of each month. You also have the opportunity to voice your concerns regarding specific activities in your neighborhood!  The monthly SNAG meetings are open to the public! You are welcome and encouraged to attend! We love seeing our NOMA neighbors at these meetings!   Join SNAG at:

Salisbury Police Department
130 E Liberty Street
Salisbury NC 28144

And the next Salisbury City Council meeting with Open Public Forum is Tuesday May 19th at 4:00PM at City Hall (217 S Main Street). This is another great opportunity to keep abreast of happenings in the City and to be able to voice your thoughts to City Council members and City Manager!






 

See you around the neighborhood!