N Main & 11th Street Intersection Improvements ~ Coming Soon!!

A small pilot project has been taking off behind the scenes. Earlier in the year, Sue McHugh, Sean Meyers, Tim & Laurie Klaus, Andrew Waters, and Jenni & Brian Pfaff, met with city staff, Historic Salisbury Foundation director Brian Davis, and representatives from the Community Appearance Commission to kick off a small NOMA Main Street beautification project. Here’s where we stand: 

Lynn Raker, Senior Planner with the City of Salisbury, has been working with other city staff and DOT to get streetscape prep work completed so we can “beautify” our 11th St intersection. Lynn has preliminary approval for 2 raised corner planters on commercial properties south of 11th St. We’re looking into the possibility of taking down the empty building across from the market at 11th street, the old A.T.I.C structure. The quote for the A.T.I.C. demolition is $10,000 including finish grade, seed and straw, and Lynn is working with DOT on replacement of collapsed storm drain at curb line. She has not yet talked with property owner, Mr. Helderman, about his desire to proceed with the demo, but that’s next. Long story short, improvements at this intersection are step-by-step, abut we’re moving forward and Lynn will keep us posted on progress. 

A proposed part of this project was to perhaps paint a house along the N. Main Street corridor. If there are owner-occupied properties on N. Main in need of repair/paint, where owner qualifies as low-moderate income and is willing to sign lien, the Community Development Corp (CDC) has funds to make the repairs. It’s a bid process, so volunteer labor would not be needed unless we just want to participate as community building event. Do you know any likely candidates? 2-3 of these could make a big difference to our Main Street corridor. We were originally looking at only 1-story houses, but we’re now told that a 2-story house is no problem. The CDC can bid out the work as specified, so if painting is to be done by volunteers, that would not be in the bid. 

We’ll need to gather up volunteers to focus on the streetscape work at 11th Street. We don’t have a date yet, but we’ll post as soon as we know!

https://nomanorthmain.nextdoor.com 

themainneighborhood@gmail.com

NOMA Project Dates: March 9th and April 27th!!!

Hello North Main Neighbors & Friends! 

Representatives from the NOMA (The North Main Neighborhood) and the City of Salisbury's Community Appearance Commission met Monday February 18th to discuss possible improvements to the appearance of the North Main Street corridor.  The City has been receiving complaints as to Main Street's appearance, and as North Main Street is the last remaining residential corridor into the City of Salisbury, some attention is kindly being given to help us upgrade this section of our neighborhood.

Proposed were the following improvements:

• A possible improvement to the lot where the old gas station stood at the southeast corner of E. 11th Street and N. Main Street.
• Possible planters at the 4-corners at the intersection of 11th Street and N. Main Street.
• Painting of one home (this home will need to be in reasonable condition, owner-occupied, and a one-story dwelling)

We also discussed cleaning up our "urban forest" at the corner of Railroad Street and E. Steele Street. While not along the N. Main Street corridor, this wooded area is problematic for the neighborhood and its owners, the Historic Salisbury Foundation, have kindly agreed to help clean this area up, clearing the brush away to give us a cleaner and more visible green space.

The success of these projects hinges on our ability to rally volunteers for these projects.  Will each of you please start talking about this to your neighbors and friends?

The clean-up of the Railroad St/Steele St woods is scheduled for Saturday March 9th. Volunteers need only SHOW UP between 9 am and 12 noon, with gloves, sturdy shoes or boots, and if they would like to bring any loppers or other landscape tools, this would be appreciated.  The City and the HSF will provide other heavy-duty brush removal equipment.

We additionally discussed the potential to add some street~scaping to the old Duke Power building in our small commercial section on the bend roughly between 12th and 14th streets.

The plant and/or paint day is tentatively scheduled for April 27th....but please stay tuned for confirmation and more details.

Thank you in advance for helping to support these improvements to our neighborhood!

Community Appearance Representative to Meet with NOMA Representatives!

At the City's September Community Appearance Commission meeting, held the first Wednesday of each month at 4PM in City Council Chambers, letters from two Salisbury citizens were read to commissioners that offered complaints about how the North Main section of the city, the main residential corridor and entry to Salisbury,  has been ignored by the City and is in need of attention.  We tend to agree!  We were pleased and proud to benefit from new sidewalks on W. Miller and N. Jackson Streets as a part of the Fit Community Grant, and we were especially grateful when the City used use that same block to plant flowering crab apple trees as part of the Arbor Day celebration two years ago....but since then the interest seems to have fallen by the wayside.

Due to this communication the City recently received about our neighborhood, Barbara Perry, Chairperson of the Community Appearance Commission, will soon be interested in talking to a small group of representatives from NOMA for our input.  Ms. Perry was unaware but reminded that an entire North Main Small Area Improvement Plan had been approved by City Council in July of 2007 that indeed was a product of the voice of the community.  Many of you may have participated in that plan through a series of meetings that were held at the City Park Recreation Center through 2006 and 2007.  The North Main Plan, that included pocket parks, crosswalks, landscaping, and street parking, has never been implemented, even incrementally, due to reported lack of funds.

If you are interested in being a representative of NOMA when Ms Perry approaches us, please contact NOMA at themainneighborhood@gmail.com, or call Sue McHugh at 704.577.9965. If you are interested in obtaining a copy of the North Main Small Area Improvement Plan, please contact Diana Moghrabi at dmogh@salisburync.gov.

NOMA Not Selected for BlockWork 2012

We were deeply disappointed not to have the North Main Neigbhorhood (NOMA) selected for this year's BlockWork program offered by the City of Salisbury and United Way.

NOMA submitted the 1200 block of N. Church Street and the 900 block of N. Jackson Street.  Knowing that both blocks meet the requirements of a mix of owner occupied and rental homes, in an area that was safe for a number of crews to work in the area, we thought these blocks represented the type of work that was done on Make a Difference Day in the 200-300 blocks of S. Shaver Street in 2011. Neither block was located in the North Main Historic District, and therefore would not be limited by Historic Preservation guidelines.

The BlockWork Committee received 12 applications for the BlockWork program, and chose the 1000 Block of South Fulton Street, saying it was a feasible mix of rental and owner-occupied homes, has a good deal of commercial presence, and has a strong support system from the neighborhood. We believe this is the main reason this block was selected...that and it's visibility along the Fulton Street corridor, which is in a National Historic District but not in the local Fulton Heights historic district.  The committee will come up with a unifying theme, and will do a walk of the S. Fulton block to see what the project might include and what materials might need to be required.

BlockWork is scheduled for Saturday October 27th, which coincides with United Way's Make a Difference Day. The City of Salisbury was awarded a national honor for the BlockWork program in 2011.

We hope to see many volunteers out on Fulton Street on BlockWork Saturday.  We'll submit again next year and keep our fingers crossed that it will be NOMA's turn!!

Neighborhood Leaders Alliance meeting ~ Thursday, Sept 27th ~ 4PM

The City of Salisbury's Community Appearance Commission invites NOMA residents to the next Neighborhood Leaders Alliance meeting on Thursday, September 27th, at 4PM in City Hall Council Chambers at 217 South Main Street.

Among other items, the Neighborhood Leaders Alliance will discuss the upcoming BlockWork project, the work plan for the new Housing Advocacy Commission, and the proposed task force to address nuisance animals.  If you are interested in serving on the task force, you mail fill out an online application byt going to the Boards and Commissions tab at www.salisburync.gov.

We hope to see a big turn-out of NOMA neighbors at this meeting!

See you then!

Spring Spruce-Up Week!! April 11-15, 2011

CITY OF SALISBURY COMMUNITY APPEARANCE COMMISSION & PUBLIC SERVICE DEPARTMENT

SPRING SPRUCE-UP WEEK & APPLIANCE AND TIRE COLLECTION APRIL 11–15, 2011

The City of Salisbury will pick up your old appliances, tires without rims and extra bagged trash the week of April 11–15, 2011.

Place the items at the curb on your regular collection day before 7 a.m. In most of NOMA this is Tuesday mornings. NO BUILDING MATERIALS (carpet, padding, sheetrock, windows, lumber, commodes, sinks, etc.) WILL BE COLLECTED This collection is for RESIDENTS living inside the city limits of Salisbury only (no businesses). If you have questions, please call Public Services at 704-638-5260.

Let's make NOMA beautiful!!!