NoMa News

Hello Neighbors & Friends ~

Here's hoping you all had a fantastic Halloween weekend! We hope you made it downtown to the Halloween Fun Fest. We know some of you made it to the Fulton Heights Neighborhood to join in their Halloween Festivities.

We have a few updates from around the neighborhood:

Newly Wed:
Please join us in congratulating Jenni and Brian Pfaff who married Halloween evening at their home on Henderson Street! Much Love from NOMA, Brian & Jenni! Jenni will be opening her new yarn shop, Tranqwool, very soon! We can't wait!

Newly Born:

• Please join us in welcoming Hiram Newton Teeter, born to our neighbors Scott and Heather Hopkins Teeter of 11th Street. Welcome Hi!
• And we also welcome Bromly Earnhart born to Keith & Carol Earnhart of Henderson Street. Welcome Bromly!
• We are much delayed in welcoming Brice Schwalm, born to of Thomas & LoriAnn Schwalm of N. Main Street. YAY Brice!

Newly moved away:
We are sad to announce that one of our #1 volunteers, Jason Raymer, has moved away from NOMA. If you got a flyer in your doorway this spring, summer, or fall, chances are very good that Jason delivered it to you. Jason was probably the most diligent in hand delivering our flyers than anyone we've known. Good luck in your future, Jason!

Meeting with Downtown Salisbury Inc.:
We met with DSI last week for a most interesting meeting. While DSI cannot legally use their funds for improvements in NOMA (they are locked by strict boundaries limiting their work to a very specific downtown area), they are willing to express support for NOMA in such areas as the North Main Small Area Improvement Plan and other areas. They gave us some good ideas on how to proceed with our attempts to move this project the forefront with the City.

Election Day:
Salisbury's municipal election day is only 2 days away! Please make your plans to vote on November 3rd. Check with the Rowan County Board of Elections (www.co.rowan.nc.us/government/departments/boardofelections/) if you don't know if you are registered or where to vote. NOMA is in what is known as the North Ward. Our polling place is the City Park Recreation Center on Lake Road.

Next NOMA Meeting:
Our next neighborhood meeting is scheduled for Thursday November 12th at 7:00PM at Sue McHugh's home at 910 N. Main St. Watch your inboxes for an agenda.

See you all soon!

Waterworks Visual Art Center - Big CHILLi - Nov 6th

Hi Friends & Neighbors!

Waterworks Visual Arts Center will host their first BIG CHILLi cook off on Friday, November 6 from 6:30-10:00 p.m. in the F&M Trolley Barn. There will be 15 cooks competing, which means 15 yummy recipes to choose from. The cost is $20 per person and that gets you chili shots, beer, wine or other beverages, side items and dessert, plus 3 tickets to vote on your favorite chili recipe. The recipe with the most votes will be the winner of the BIG CHILLi Award. Waterworks is at:

123 East Liberty Street, Salisbury, NC 28144 (704) 636-1882

And . . .

Don't forget to bring the kids to the Fulton Heights neighborhood this Saturday for the Halloween Parade!

NoMa has a Facebook Page now!

Hello All ~

NoMa has a Facebook page now. If you use Facebook for networking or communication at all, you may want to sign up to be "our friend"!! Check www.facebook.com and search for NoMa with the email address: oldnorthsalisbury@gmail.com.

Thanks!

Fulton Heights Neighborhood Invites NOMA to Halloween Festivities

The Fulton Heights Neighborhood holds an annual Halloween Parade & Trick or Treat Fest and this year the North Main Neighborhood is invited!

On Saturday October 31st, the festivities will kick off at 4:30 PM in the 200 block of Mitchell Avenue. There will be face painting and the annual costume parade and contest. Children in the Fulton Heights Neighborhood have been enjoying this event for years. They get quite involved in their costumes and floats for the parade. There are prizes awarded in 6 costume categores - so come dressed as your best! The HAPS hot dog trailer will also be out serving their famous 'dogs, so no ghoul or ghost will go hungry. After the costume contest and parade, the little ones will scurry out into the 'hood for a night of tricks & treats! It will be SPOOK-TACULAR!!!

It is so nice of the Fulton Heights group to include NOMA this year in their festivities! We hope you can make it! (Take notes! Maybe NOMA can do something similar in years to come!)

How to get there:

Head south on Main St.

Turn left on S. Fulton St.

Turn left on Mitchell Ave.

Have loads of fun, NOMA!

NOMA Attends the HNA Candidate Forum Last Night

The Historic Neighborhood Alliance held their first inaugural HNA Candidates Forum yesterday evening. It was a smash success with over 100 attendees, the largest assembled forum yet on the campaign trail! We had an excellent turn-out from the North Main Neighborhood. It is wonderful to see our neighbors showing this level of support and concern for the direction of our city government and how the new City Council will affect the neighborhoods.

The questions posed to the candidates were indeed tough and thought-provoking. The answers to the questions, or the lack there-of, were most illuminating. Although here & there some missed the point of a question, others did an A+ job of not only answering but demonstrating that they had done their homework. In addition, the candidates had the opportunity to reveal something about themselves - an alternate goal of the event. The entire event was video taped so if anyone needs clarification on any of the responses, the HNA may be able to get transcripts in the near future.

This was a true grassroots movement to get our City Council, incumbents or not, to THINK about the pressing issues their historic districts face EVERY DAY! Salisbury's Historic Neighborhoods are the jewels in her crown. We sincerely hope the candidates understand the issues that are unique to the historic districts ~ A Preservation Plan above and beyond the Land Ordinance, the 2020 Plan, and the Downtown Master Plan ~ Tougher ordinance language and enforcement to address the demolition-by-neglect syndrom ~ and the installation of a Housing Commission with a Rental Property registration and inspection program to protect both landlords and renters, to ensure minimum housing standards, and to address any criminal activity in a more consistent manner.

Be sure to place your informed vote this election! Absentee voting by mail opened October 2nd and continues. Thursday, 10/15/09, voters can come to the One-Stop Early Voting Site at the Rowan County Board of Elections, 130 W. Innes Street, Salisbury, NC to vote early for the upcoming Municipal Election. Hours will be from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m.

Thanks, NOMA, for caring!

City Council Candidates Forum ~ Tuesday Oct. 13th ~ 6:30PM

-->The Historic Neighborhood Alliance is sponsoring a Forum to learn the Candidates’ positions on critical issues which impact our historic neighborhoods.

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Tuesday October 13th

6:30pm - 8pm

Salisbury Station

215 Depot Street

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The Candidates will be asked to provide answers to questions surrounding these 3 exclusive topics:

· Ordinance enforcement/stronger ordinance language for historic districts

· Landlord registration and a Housing Commission

· A Preservation Plan for the City of Salisbury

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Who is the Historic Neighborhood Alliance? The Historic Neighborhood Alliance is a non-profit organization with representatives from each of Salisbury’s Historic Districts that encourages support of continuing revitalization of our neighborhoods; serves as an open channel of communication among our neighborhoods; and identifies issues of common concern ~ working to facilitate the resolution of those issues.

Please visit www.thehna.blogspot.com for more information about the Historic Neighborhood Alliance.

One or more representatives from the North Main Neighborhood (NOMA) attends the monthly meetings of the HNA. NOMA President Sue McHugh, among others, has been very involved in organizing the Candidates Forum. We need the support of the NOMA community to attend this event. The topics profoundly effect our neighborhood.

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Please attend this special opportunity to know where the candidates stand on our issues!

NoMa Fall Celebration a Whopping Success!!!

Hello Friends & Neighbors!

We sure had a wonderful NOMA Fall Celebration yesterday. Thanks so much to all who came out! We had a really pretty day (thanks to the cosmos for holding off the rain until today!) and a great turnout! Once again we had a great outpouring of help from our neighborhood community! Fred Aggers contributed the awesome huge table for the food, Jacqueline Milligan donated the use of the tent to keep our food dry in case it did decide to rain, and she donated all the paper products too! Stelia's restaurant (118 N. Main St ~ www.steliacafelounge.com) donated a fabulous german potato salad, and the Park Avenue neighborhood donated sausages and rolls! WOW ~ even our fellow neighborhoods are in support of NOMA!!

There were lots of children this year - so great to see - so next year we will try to do some kid-friendly activities. Although it will be tough to compete with the wagon-rides Jessica & Marc's girls gave to all the kids! We had folks show from every corner of the neighborhood, from Henderson to the 1600 block of N. Jackson and all points in between. We met new neighbors who have just moved to the community and rejoined with our long-term neighbors. It was the perfect day.

Many, many thanks to Edward & Nancy Clement for the use of the lawn at Scales and Miller. It could not be a more perfect setting for our gathering! And many more thanks to Susan Hurt for opening her lovely home so that we didn't have to rent potties! Awesome!

Thanks again to all our friends and neighbors who came out to celebrate the North Main Neighborhood!

Today's the Day!
The NOMA Fall Celebration! ~

A celebration of the neighborhood, our friendships, and our community.

The NOMA Fall Party:
Sunday October 4th 3:00 - 6:00 PM Corner of E. Miller St. and Scales St. Please bring a covered dish to pass.
NOMA will provide hot dogs, rolls, & condiments, water & iced tea.

See you this afternoon!!

Hello Neighbors & Friends! We are all really looking forward to the NOMA Fall Picnic this weekend! While you're getting ready for the celebration ~

Please consider running in the Historic Salisbury 5K race next weekend, which is being held in conjunction with the Fall October Tour. Here is a link to information about the race on their website: http://www.historicsalisbury.org/OT_5K_2009.htm

Historic Salisbury Foundation really needs our support right now!

Join us on Saturday, October 10, 2009 for a pleasant 5K run or a half mile fun run/walk through Historic Downtown Salisbury and the West Square Historic neighborhood.. As you stride through a mixed flat and hill course, you will be able to witness the town's history and preservation efforts! After the race, enjoy Salisbury's weekend festivities! Join Historic Salisbury Foundation’s Annual OctoberTour of Historic Homes and Bank Street Activities.

Cost:

Pre-registration: $20 includes a T-Shirt and a pair of Wrightsocks guaranteed to First 100 Participants!

Race Day registration: $25

Check-in and Race Day Registration: 7:00-7:45 a.m.

Starting and Registration Location: 507 South Fulton Street

5K Race Start Time: 8:00 am October 10, 2009

Parking: Available at Rowan County Library, 201 West Fisher and First United Church of Christ, 207 West Horah

NOMA Fall Party! This Weekend! Come One ~ Come All!

Hello Neighbors and Friends!

It's the count-down! 4-Days to go til our Fall Celebration! A celebration of the neighborhood, our friendships, and our community.

The NOMA Fall Party:

Sunday October 4th
3:00 - 6:00 PM
Corner of E. Miller St. and Scales St.

Please bring a covered dish to pass.

NOMA will provide hot dogs, rolls, & condiments, water & iced tea.

See You Sunday!!!!

Things to Do Today ~ This Weekend!

Hello Friends & Neighbors! There are loads of fun things to do in Salisbury this weekend! Starting today!

Did you know that today, September 17^th is Constitution Day? There are many celebrations planned all around the nation, including right here in Salisbury at the Rowan Museum, 202 N Main Street Salisbury. The local Elizabeth Maxwell Steele Chapter of the DAR will be at the museum celebrating this event with a reading of the Preamble to the Constitution every hour on the hour. If you are in downtown Salisbury today, take a minute and drop by to listen and celebration the Constitution of our great country.

It’s an “Artsy” weekend in downtown Salisbury with several galleries all within walking distance of one

another open this Friday evening, September 18^th. At the Waterworks Visual Arts Center, 123 E. Liberty St., there is a free public reception 6-8 p.m. with artists Jenn Gardner Selby and Frank Selby for the exhibit "There, Not There."

Just around the corner, a couple of blocks down in the Rail Walk district, at 405-407 N. Lee St., Looking Glass Artist Collective (LGAC) opens a new exhibit of members' work. The gallery's overhead door will open at 5 p.m. so those following the art trail can come in, view the art and meet the artists. LGAC will also be the site of the Blues Showcase, hosted by Rowan Blues and Jazz Society and presented by the Charlotte Music Awards at 8 p.m. In addition, Rail Walk Studios and Gallery, 409–413 N. Lee St., will be open 6-8 p.m. with a reception for "A Mutual Passion," an exhibit by Patt Legg and Sharon Forthofer.

Have a great weekend!

City Council Candidates Forum - North Main Neighborhood is Invited!

Sidewalk Update - Driveway Aprons are Poured!

The driveway aprons were poured on W. Miller Street yesterday.

Announcing Celebrate NOMA Fall Social - Oct 4th

Come One ~ Come All!

NoMa is having their annual Fall Social ~ Celebrate NoMa !!!

When: Sunday October 4th

Time: 3:00 PM ~ 6:00 PM

Where: The grassy lawn at the corner of E. Miller St. & Scales St.

NoMa will provide non-alcoholic beverages and hot dogs.
Please bring a covered dish to pass.

Bring Your Friends ~ Bring Your Neighbors ~ Celebrate!!!

Sidewalk Progress

Hello Friends and Neighbors!

Our new Miller Street Sidewalk project is proceeding nicely. We are very excited to have this wonderful addition to our neighborhood to bring NoMa closer to City Park, the Salisbury Greenway, and to increase the walkability of our neighborhood.

The curbs were poured this week along W. Miller St. The utility pole, which we reported earlier as being moved, is actually still there with some cables yet connected. We knew there were more utilities on that pole than just Duke Power, such as Time Warner, but can not say why it is taking so long to get both the utilities and the pole moved.

The work on the Jackson St./Lake Rd. sidewalk has also begun. City crews began this work on east end of Lake Rd, are rounding the corner, and working their way north on Jackson along the City Park side of the road. We are thrilled to have this happening as we originally did not anticipate this additional work until sometime next year.

NOMA Home & Garden Tour 2010

Hi Friends & Neighbors!

At our last meeting, we discussed our NOMA Home & Garden Tour 2010. We formed an Home Tour 2010 Action Committee made up of the following neighborhood members:

Sean Myers
Cherie Turner
Mike-O Martelli
Daphne Safrit
Josef Medlin
Jenni Woomer
Jessica Koontz

The NOMA Home Tour 2010 Action Committee is having a kick-off meeting tomorrow evening, Wednesday September 9th, at 7:00 PM at 910 N. Main St. They'll be picking the weekend, probably in April or May of next year and discussing which homes will be invited to participate.

If you know of someone who has an interesting home that should be on the tour, please nominate them. We'll be looking to have between 6-8 homes over a two-day Saturday-Sunday tour. The homes should be historic or period to the neighborhood. The homes should be renovated or restored well, not necessarily to period but the more original details the better. Each room should be decorated well - they don't have to be high-end and even eclectic is great. If you know of folks who collect interesting artwork or decor or furnishings - this is exactly what we are looking for. If you know of folks who keep a wonderful garden. Visitors want decorating and placement ideas. Their visit needs to be an "experience". This is what will keep people coming back to the NOMA tours for years to come. And this being our FIRST - it needs to be SMASHING!!

A Home Tour like this can really pull our neighbors together. There is lots of opportunity for fun and participation. The time consuming part is the writeup and advertising solicitation and follow up with papers. The rest of it is really fairly easy – it just takes a lot of coordination and checklists and keeping on schedule. But HEY ~ did we tell you? Downtown Salisbury Inc. (DSI - www.downtownsalisburync.com) has agreed to help us promote our Home Tour. This is awesome news!

We are so excited to be able to do this and to have so much support for the concept from all our NOMA members! Thank you, NOMA!

Our New Sidewalk Update ~ Miller AND Jackson St!

Hello Friends & Neighbors ~

As you may have seen, our new sidewalk at W. Miller St. is on its way! You will notice the "ROAD CLOSED" barricades at Miller & Main; at Miller and Jackson, and also at W. Steele St and N. Church St. The pavement has been cut and each driveway has been smoothed for transition for our neighbors there. Miller Street now T's into Jackson, that large sweeping 90 degree turn is now gone and the island with the pole has been removed.

More good news! Part of this project was to extend more new sidewalk along the City Park side of N. Jackson St. We did not expect this to happen until next year. We got some insight, however, that this could be happening much sooner than expected....perhaps within the next couple of weeks! This is wonderful news. These sidewalk expansions tie our North Main Neighborhood to the Parks in ways we never had before.

We are told that the City will improve other sidewalks in the area if they are working on sidewalks in a particular section of town. We are encouraged to let the City know if there are other sidewalks that need attention.

We are delighted to have these changes happening to NOMA and extend our heartfelt appreciation to the City of Salisbury and the Fit Community Program for investing in our neighborhood. Thank You!

Salisbury Community Appearance Commission Compliments NOMA!

Hello Friends & Neighbors!

At the City of Salisbury's Community Appearance Commission meeting today, one of the commissioners, Mrs. Barbara Lawther, made a special effort to applaud NOMA on our organization, the web blogspot, and our accomplishments! Mrs. Lawther said she had visited these webpages, told the commission that there was a plethora of information to be found here, and made special note of the Spring Home & Garden Tour 2010 we are planning. We were highly complimented on our accomplishments!

Sue McHugh and Sean Meyers, members of our neighborhood who also serve on the Community Appearance Commission, thanked Mrs. Lawther and agreed that NOMA has a lot of positive energy and is gaining traction in the many projects and neighborhood activities NOMA is proposing.

Another member of the Commission, Ms. Greta Connor, asked what the City could do about the appearance of Long Street and our 11th Street. Much discussion centered around our 11th Street area issues, how 11th Street is a corridor to the Country Club and to City Park. A small subcommittee was formed that will take this issue to City Planners. We are considering a petition from the NOMA community to support these measures.

So congratulations NOMA in receiving such glowing compliments at the Community Appearance Commission meeting!

Way to Go, NOMA!

New! Quadrant Captains for NOMA

Good news, friends & neighbors! Quadrant Captains are on the way!

The key person in any Neighborhood Watch group is the Block Captain. This person is an integral component to keeping the block actively involved in crime prevention efforts as well as the important process of information exchange between neighbors.

Because we are still trying to get to know who many of our neighbors and residents are, we have opted to divide the North Main Neighborhood into Quadrants instead of blocks and institute Quadrant Captains. Quadrant captains are the “go-to” person to pull together city and neighborhood resources to address neighborhood issues. The Quadrant Captains gain the respect of their neighbors and make their block a better place for all to live.

The NOMA Quadrants are:

South Q: Lafayette to Miller St. / Railroad St to Jackson St.
MidSouth Q: Miller St. to 12th St. / Railroad and Richard St. to Jackson St.
MidNorth Q: 12th St. to 14th St. / Richard St. to Jackson St.
North Q: 14th St. to 17th St. / N. Lee St. to Jackson St.

We are grateful to the following people who have volunteered to be Quadrant Captains in these areas:

South Q: Josef Medlin
MidSouth Q: Jessica Koontz
MidNorth Q: TBD (we still need a Quadrant Captain in MidNorth)
North Q: Sean Meyers

The Quadrant Captain is the person who facilitates the unity of that section of the neighborhood, distributes information, and coordinates activities. The primary duties of the Quadrant Captain are:

1. Lead by Example
• Take ownership to address issues such as cleaning up litter and others identified below
• Encourage neighbors to take ownership for their blocks
• Hold a Cleanup/Party - or the “Block of the Month” award to celebrate your successes!
• Contact new residents to get them involved and to obtain their support and participation.

2. As Needed (weekly?) Keep an eye out in the neighborhood and report problems. Call, send letters, or emails.
• Litter, high weeds & grass (more than 10 inches high), overflowing garbage cans
• Rats, roaches, and other litter-related health violations
• Abandoned cars
• Unusual traffic patterns or suspicious activity (for example, large numbers of strangers visiting)

3. Develop a Neighborhood Quadrant Communication System to distribute vital information to neighbors pertaining to criminal activity and other concerns that develop in the area. This can be an email system, telephone tree, and/or a one-page flyer that can be quickly distributed.

4. Monthly
Quadrant Captains should take a walk up and down around their quadrant and keep a tally of:

• Vacant Buildings
• Building and Property maintenance issues and fire code violations
• Street maintenance issues (broken curbs, sink holes, dead animals)
• Street lighting issues


5. Quadrant Captains Should Encourage Neighbors to advise them concerning criminal activity. It is the victim's responsibility to contact the police. However, the Quadrant Captain can keep a record of break-ins, vandalism, or any activity that becomes a concern for our neighbors. This information can be provided to NOMA to post on the website or to take up with local support agencies.



Remember: Our recommendation to all citizens who see a crime in progress or notice suspicious activity is to observe and report from a place of safety. We strongly suggest that you not confront an offender unless you are in immediate danger. This applies to you and your neighbors. We do not want anyone to get hurt or injured trying to apprehend an offender or interfering with an incident other than to report the activity to the police. If you or your neighbors witness a crime in progress or observe suspicious behavior, always call 911.

Your Quadrant Captain's contact information will be distributed through our email list, so if you have not let us know your contact information, please email this to themainneighborhood@gmail.com.

Thanks to All!

321 E. Bank St ~ Be a Part of the Restoration!

If you would like to play a vital part in the fabulous restoration of the J. W. Hamill House at 321 E. Bank St., now is your opportunity! The house is being whipped into shape for October Tour. With all of the structural restoration in place, the home now needs volunteers for painting and scraping and cleaning windows. We'll be organizing volunteer crews for weekend painting festivities but if you can pop by midweek that works too!

The house also needs guides for October Tour weekend, Saturday the 10th and Sunday the 11th of October. There are (5) 2.5 hour shifts:

Saturday 10:00AM-12:30PM / 12:30-3:00 / 3:00-5:30
Sunday 1:00PM-3:30PM / 3:30-5:30

If you are interested, get out your favorite grubby duds & paint brush and contact Sue McHugh at 704.577.9965 or smchugh@carolina.rr.com.

Thanks in advance for your help!

Fantastic Neighborhood Meeting Thursday Night

Hello Friends & Neighbors!

We had a very dynamic and energetic meeting this past Thursday night. Thank you to all who came by Sue McHugh's home at 910 N. Main St. to take part.

One of our most important and impassioned decisions was to change the name of our association formally. We've been known as the Old North Salisbury Association, Inc. since 1981. ONSA, as you will often see it referred to, has done amazing work over the years - most critically keeping the zoning here in the North Main St neighborhood residential and thus keeping the encroachment of commercialism at bay. Many neighbors and residents found however that we are calling ourselves the North Main neighborhood - or NOMA for short, the City of Salisbury refers to us as North Main neighborhood and/or NOMA, and the ONSA title did not appear relevant to either North Main or a neighborhood association. The new name was voted in by majority:

North Main Neighborhood Association

We believe the NOMA name is characteristic of the changing demographic here. Where there used to be a vast array of rental properties we now have a cultural influx of home owners who are artists and artisans. NOMA reflects the new direction the neighborhood is taking.

You will see us gradually turning over to this name in our documents and publications. Thanks for all who gave their input. We must never cease to realize the efforts that were accomplished under the Old North Salisbury Association name. We are grateful to our forerunners for their persistence and dedication to this neighborhood.

Here is a brief recap of some of our other topics from Thursday night's gathering:

The NOMA Spring Home & Garden Tour 2010: We have formed an action committee looking at a two-day tour one weekend in April or May for our own Home & Garden Tour. We will be incorporating an 'arts' theme with live music and featured artists in each home. If you would like your home to be on the tour, please let us know. If you know someone whose house should be on the tour, please let us know. More to come on this!

Historic House Plaques: We are adopting the historic house plaque design that Salisbury's Brooklyn South Square neighborhood uses the show the original owner or builder of the house's name and the year it was built. We believe this will increase the awareness of the value and history of the homes here and throughout the neighborhood. These will be AFFORDABLE - not like the fancy bronze plaques you see in some historic neighborhoods - and VISIBLE FROM THE ROAD - also unlike the fancy bronze plaques you see in some historic neighborhoods. If you are interested in getting a plaque for your home, please place an order with us at oldnorthsalisbury@gmail.com. If you do not know your house's history, we can look it up for you.

NOMA Stickers: similar to the oval OBX (Outer Banks) stickers, we will be distributing stickers in the near future.

NOMA T-Shirts: We will have NOMA T-shirts for sale in the very near future. Contact us at oldnorthsalisbury@gmail.com to place an order for one.

NOMA House Flags: We are in the process of designing small flags homeowners can hang from their porches to make a very nice visual impact in the neighborhood here. They will also be for purchase. You are encouraged to place an advance order for these as well. We'll know more about the exact price soon.

A Fall Party!!: Well all work and no play just ain't right, is it? We are planning a Fall Party at a private residence, rather than at City Park like we did last year. Save the Date: October 3rd!

There's more - we'll put it in another post!

Again, we had a wonderful turnout last night. It seems more people are tuning in to the neighborhood. The ideas were flowing and people are getting to know one another! The positive energy is simply amazing!

Our next NOMA meeting is scheduled for Thursday September 24th at 7:00PM - 910 N. Main St. See you then!

Thank you NOMA!

Neighborhood Meeting Tomorrow 7PM

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Hello Neighbors & Friends! The Old North Salisbury Association will be holding a neighborhood meeting tomorrow evening:

When: Thursday August 27th

Time: 7:00 PM

Where: 910 N. Main St.

Agenda:

• Vote: Vote on changing Old North Salisbury to relevant name structure. Residents refer to the area as NoMa (short for North Main in the style of NoLa for New Orleans and NoDa for North Davidson neighborhood in Charlotte). The City refers to us as North Main Neighborhood. Vote.
• Neighborhood Home & Garden Tour 2010: Select homes, date. Start firm planning. See additional organizational notes contributed by Cherie Turner.
• Neighborhood Social: Schedule next social event? October 3^rd? Christmas Party? Dec 13^th?
• Historic Plaque Program: Sue McHugh has had meetings with the other neighborhood associations, Historic Salisbury, and members of the HPC in order to see who is doing what, how to approach, compare designs/criteria, etc. Susan Hurt says we just agree on a design and submit to Appearance Commission. The Brooklyn Square format is most affordable. A sample will be provided.
• Walking Map: To be in conjunction with House Plaques to instill sense of value. Challenge will be printing costs. Could also be used with Home & Garden Tour.
• Miller St. Sidewalk Lighting: Decorative pedestrian level lighting estimated to run $78,000.00 for Miller St. from Main to Jackson alone. Discuss more fundraisers. One idea submitted – an animal/pet care workshop.
• Neighborhood T-Shirts: Fund raising idea?
• Neighborhood Quadrants: South Quadrant: Lafayette to Miller St.; Mid-South Quadrant: Miller to 12^th St.; Mid-North Quadrant: 12^th to 14^th; North Quadrant: 14^th to 17^th. Approx 3 blocks deep by 4 blocks wide each. Quadrant Captains?
• Police Involvement: We need to implement a plan of action to have more police involvement and patrolling in our neighborhood.
• Realtor Brochure: Printing still needed!! Any ideas?
• Membership Card: Contact local businesses that will offer discounts to members. Create list of these merchants for members.
• Welcoming Committee – letters to new people, birth/death, graduations, etc. Check visitor’s center for stuff. Basket?

Your additional ideas are ALWAYS welcome. Our meetings typically last about 2 hours but if you can't stay for the whole thing it's not a problem. Bring your friends! Meet your neighbors! Stay informed!

Possible Fund Raiser - NOMA T-Shirts!

Hello Neighbors & Friends!
Would you purchase a NOMA T-shirt if it they were available, especially if the price was right? This T-shirt design is open to edits, but it's just a starter idea for us to sell T-Shirts and raise some money for the Association to provide for events, newsletters, and those lighting fixtures down Miller St.!

Your thoughts?

Mums for October Tour ~ Extend the Tradition!

The Historic Salisbury Foundation's much celebrated Historic House Tour is nearing, October 10th and 11th. A long standing tradition here is to deck our porches and front-scapes with yellow mums to welcome the many visitor's we expect from neighboring towns. The Historic Salisbury Foundation is pre-selling mums to downtown merchants and neighborhoods. If you order now, you will have your mums in place by the Tour weekend. You can purchase your mums online via the HSF website (www.historicsalisbury.org) or by stopping by the HSF offices at the Historic Train Depot.

While yellow is typically the color for the October Tour, many other colors are available. Help us decorate our neighborhoods for this wonderful and popular weekend! Order your mums now!

More Miller St. Utility Pole Stuff . . .

Duke Power crews were on site today at Miller and Jackson Streets to move the utilities. We couldn't get the guys to pose for a portait, but anyway - the work is on it's way! North Main Small Area Improvement Plan ~ Hurray!!!!

Proposed Changes to W. Miller Street ~ Traffic Calming AND a New Sidewalk!

The Pole on Miller is Moving!

We have good news to report! It's finally begun! The work on our sidewalk project on Miller Street will happen here very soon. Why? Because the process of moving the utility pole from the island in the middle of the Jackson St/Miller St intersection has finally begun. Yesterday we found that the new pole is installed, but right now it is just that - a pole. The utilities that connect to the pole must still be moved. This translates to all the cables, etc. we see hanging from the poles. We additionally saw some paint markings in the road which is further evidence that our project groundbreaking day is near. More on this as the project progresses!

Maggie Blackwell's Advice to NOMA

Hi Neighbors & Friends!

We mentioned, in a long list of other activities, that Maggie Blackwell visited our neighborhood meeting this past July. Maggie is best known for (1) her work her work with the Fulton Heights neighborhood where she was the driving force behind the creation and installation of their Centennial Park, (2) her candidacy for City Council (election day Nov 3rd 2009), and (3) her writing ~ having authored many articles for the Salisbury Post and other publications.

We had not yet shared the many insights she gave us to help us here in the North Main Neighborhood. Here are some of the many items she discussed with us:

• Maggie said the Fulton Heights neighborhood is NOT an official non-profit agency holding 501 (c) (3) status. We were surprised because this has often been recommended to us. She said in obtaining their grants and contributions for the Centennial Park, that the checks were written directly to the City and earmarked for the Park.


• Fulton Heights sends copies, five to be exact, of their newsletter to City Council.


• Now folks, newsletters are perhaps our most expensive endeavor. We had one distributed last year very successfully, however we did not touch the Old North Salisbury coffers to do it. One person paid privately for postage and another did most of the printing and folding. With over 400 households here in the North Main community, postage alone becomes quite costly. The Fulton Heights neighborhood EMAILS most of their newsletter. They can do this because they have gathered quite a list of neighborhood email addresses. This is why we are now encouraging folks to send us their email information on this site. (see right top corner)


• Maggie says the Fulton Heights community uses their extensive email list to communicate to one another. Birth announcements travel this way, news of folks who are ill and may need community help travels this way, news of any undesireables in the neighborhood travels this way. They have created a wonderful way to communicate with one another! This is definitely something we can work on . . . . again the need to develop a list of email contacts here in NOMA.


• Maggie suggested we try to focus on one topic at a time for the neighborhood. . . . to perhaps address one emotional issue and cover it before we move on to something else.


• If illegal drug issues crop up in our neighborhood, as they do in nearly every neighborhood, Maggie suggested we meet regularly with the "head drug guy" at the Salisbury Police Dept. She said to REQUEST patrolling here. She also said asking for and getting NO PARKING signs to go in front of houses that perhaps have a lot of in-&-out traffic as a method to be able to contact police when cars are there. The NO PARKING acts as a deterrent.


• Maggie strongly suggested we get children involved and engage families with children. We've often talked about perhaps a Halloween Party or Christmas holiday event, and Easter Egg Hunt but we've thus far never gotten these off the ground. Maggie says that by engaging children and families with children we get to KNOW more of our neighbors, and know who should be in the neighborhood and who should not.


• Maggie reinforced something we've supported all along - the appearance of the neighborhood. She called out the "Broken Window Theory" where someone sees a broken window and then throws another rock to break yet another . . . the downward spiral begins. Appearance is important. She recommends getting Salisbury Code Enforcement involved, and perhaps even before that, appointing individuals in our neighborhood to keep an eye out for properties that are falling out of code. This could be as simple as overgrown lawns, cars in front lawns, backyard junkers with no tags . . . or could be more complex as in rentals that don't look up to code, empty houses that are being neglected, etc.


• Maggie's neighborhood, and several others here in Salisbury, have a Neighborhood Watch program in place. We had one here - the signs are out - but we do not meet regularly on the topic. Maggie suggested we find some local handymen who may put up security lights for us. We actually can recommend someone if you email us at oldnorthsalisbury@gmail.com, but this person is for hire. If we could find someone to donate the installation, while each individual purchases their own lights, this might be another way to give back to the neighborhood.


• Maggie recommended establishing relationships with the churches in our neighborhood. This may have been done in the past because several past social events were held in church yards and gardens, but we should perhaps get back on track with that.

Lastly - the most valued advice Maggie gave us: She offered to us that each of us is gifted in some way . . . that each of us brings our gift to the community. Our neighborhood is a diverse community of painters, photographers, teachers, doctors, chefs, musicians, shop owners, business people, gardeners, lawyers, accountants, students, tailors, landscapers, and so much more. While one may be a good blog writer, another is a good fund-raiser. While some may enjoy the camaraderie of meetings, another may prefer not to be involved publicly but may enjoy creating neighborhood flags or signs. Another may be the watchful eye on neglect or crime while another may be the event planner. Some can go to SNAG meetings and City Council meetings, while others may just enjoy to spread the work of the neighborhood association by word of mouth to their friends and next-door neighbors. Find these people and let them know we need and appreciate their gifts!

We can't thank Maggie enough for the gift of her time to our association. Thank you, Maggie Blackwell!

PS: Maggie gave us a nice plug talking about her visit with us in her Campaign blog on her website:
http://maggieblackwellforcouncil.com/thecampaign.html