So Much Happening!

The Old North Salisbury Association, the North Main Neighborhood Association, met last night to discuss new projects going forward. We have been very successful in our effort towards getting the new sidewalk and crosswalk at W. Miller St and all who worked towards this should be very proud of your achievements! Here are some of the exciting new topics we covered last night:

1. A possible fund raising effort to put decorative, pedestrian level lighting along the new sidewalk project. We are in the process of obtaining cost estimates from the City to help us determine what is needed and how to go about it.



2. We discussed officially changing the Association name, currently the Old North Salisbury Association, to North Main or NoMa because it is more relative and meaningful. We are checking to see if Old North Salisbury was legally incorporated and what a name change would mean in that regard. We've asked for serious thought and a final vote at the next meeting.



3. Putting together a "Welcome Packet" for new neighbors



4. Dividing the neighborhood into Quadrants with Quad-Captains in order to better communicate with folks throughout the neighborhood.



5. We discussed getting more involved with the Police Department and getting them more involved in our neighborhood. We need to send representatives to the SNAG meetings (see earlier posting) and CALL-CALL-CALL 911 when anything even APPEARS to be amiss in the neighborhood. The squeaky wheel will get the grease!



6. We unanimously voted to include the west side of N. Jackson St. in the neighborhood. Our boundaries before this included the east side of N. Jackson but not the west. That portion of neighborhood currently is not supported by a neighborhood group or association.



7. We are looking at hosting a NoMa Home/Garden Tour in Spring 2010! How exciting - stay tuned for more!



8. We agreed to meet monthly on the 4th Thursday of the month, except for November & December when meetings will be scheduled as needed. A Christmas Party may take the place of a November/December meeting.

In addition to the above, we were very pleased and proud to have Maggie Blackwell join us as a guest. Maggie was president of the highly successful Fulton Heights Neighborhood Association and shared some of her insights and successes with us. We could not be more grateful to Maggie for sharing her time and wisdom with us. Maggie is running for City Council this fall. Not only did we get to meet and speak with this wonderful intelligent woman who shared with us her neighborhoods strengths but we got to know our candidate better as well! Thanks, Maggie!


We perhaps had our biggest turn-out in recent years at last night's meeting. So Cool! For anyone who thinks these meetings are stodgy and stuffy - they are not! We conduct the meetings in a casual atmosphere (last night we were scrunched in Sue McHugh's living room on Main St.) and everyone is welcome ~ all ideas are welcome ~ and the energy is positively electrifying! Thanks to everyone in attendance from all the corners of our neighborhood!
The next meeting will be on August 27th. We'll post the details here as that date approaches.
THANK YOU NOMA!

The Salisbury Bicycle Plan!!! Tues July 28th 6PM

Hi there Friends & Neighbors!

You may recall that there was a lot of activity surrounding a pending comprehensive Bicycle Plan for the City of Salisbury several or more months ago. It looks like the Plan is resurfacing!

You can have input and share an evaluation of the Draft Comprehensive Bicycle Plan at a presentation and open discussion on Tuesday July 28th at 6PM at City Hall Chambers - 217 South Main Street.

We've overheard neighbors asking why, when Salisbury repaves or resurfaces a road, doesn't at least that segment get its Bicycle Path installed? This is the type of info we can share with the City's Planning Board. Your observations and ideas can only make the plan better. You can get a sneak preview of the proposed plan in advance here:
http://www.salisburync.gov/planningboard/pbfrontpage.html

Call or email your comments or questions to:
Preston Mitchell
Community Planning Services
704.638.5244
pmitc@salisburync.gov

This will be really exciting to see the Bicycle Path getting some attention and becoming a reality instead of just the dream! Please share your thoughts!!

The Salisbury Bicycle Plan!!!

Hello Friends & Neighbors ~


If you've been following our neighborhood blog here (http://www.oldnorthsalisbury.blogspot.com/) you are aware that the Miller Stsidewalk project was to be awarded at City Council yesterday. Well - at yesterday's City Council meeting the sidewalkconstruction project was awarded to a company called Carolina Siteworks. AT LAST!!! According to the bid documents, the work is to begin August 10th, however we are told that the contractor can start sooner if they wish. It was interesting to note that the bids came in from several contractors and ranged from roughly $67,000 (Carolina Siteworks = low bid) to roughly $109,000! One of our neighbors, familiar with the contracting world, has already assured us that Carolina Siteworks does great work and that we will be happy!


The City Council members did not discuss the crosswalk at N. Main & Miller Street. Janet Gapen, Senior City Planner, says that the contractor will do the sidewalks and handicap ramps at the intersections, but the City will do the crosswalk.


The Miller St. sidewalk is just a piece of the project to connect the NoMa neighborhood to the Salisbury Greenway. The project is being phased - (1) the Miller St. sidewalk, (2) a new sidewalk along City Park on the west side of N. Jackson St., (3) expected sometime in 2010- a new sidewalk along the north side of Lake Road along City Park toConfederate - will ultimately connect to Hurley Park pathways and further existing sidewalks that take us to the Greenway. We asked if the N. Jackson St. sidewalk would be done in conjunction with the Miller St. sidewalk. It's possible, however the Miller St. work is contracted and the Jackson St. work will be done by the City. We should plug getting the work done as near to simultaneously as possible so as not to disrupt the neighborhood unnecessarily.


About the pedestrian level lighting we wanted so badly... it's not going to happen...yet. The contract calls for the conduit to be put in place for the lighting that MAY come in the future. We asked Janet Gapen and Craig Powers, City Engineer, if the neighborhood were to come up with the funds to get the lighting, what then? We asked if there was a 'catalog' for lighting we could choose from to get cost estimates. Dan Michelson (sp?), Chief Engineer, overheard this discussion and said that if we got the big streetlights we are used to seeing, that they would be free and the City would maintain them. If we chose decorative pedestrian level lighting, the costs - depending on design - are significantly higher and that the City would not pay for this but they WOULD maintain them and pay the electric bill. We should talk about this as a group - it would make a great fund raiser and something that could set a precedent here for the neighborhood.


Lastly, Sue McHugh, Old North Salisbury Neighborhood Association President, spoke on behalf of the neighborhood at the open forum at the end of the Council session and thanked Council for approving this, saying how excited and grateful we were to have the long-awaited project at last begin, how much it would mean to us to have sidewalk access to our parks, places for families to walk, and how we very much hoped that this was the first step toward the balance of the work that was outlined in the North Main Small Area Improvement Plan. She says, "Hey - to walk on water - first you gotta get outa the boat!!"


So . . . look for construction to finally begin on W. Miller St. Thanks so much to all of the neighbors who have taken part in the development of the N. Main Plan, to those who have shown so much patience in waiting for this project to come to fruition, and to those who did NOT show patience and kept bringing this to the forefront so that we could be the squeaky wheel!

You Are Invited! A Midsummer Night's Dream Folk Art Celebration - July 25th

Hi Friends & Neighbors!

We've received a wonderful invitation to participate in the Midsummer Night's Dream Folk Art Celebration at the Green Goat Gallery this Saturday, July 25th from 6pm to 8pm!

The celebration will be featuring artists:

Bruce Chandler

Lisa &Tim Kluttz

Brad Smith

and WHIMZIGGY STYLE

There will be music provided by The Polka Dots Three

The Green Goat Gallery and Blue Ewe Yoga Studio are owned by our neighbors Anne and Andrew Waters of Steele St. It's awesome that they've included the North Main neighborhood and the Old North Salisbury Association in thier list of invitees! You will love the fun stuff Anne has at the gallery!

For more info:

Green Goat Gallery

516 South Salisbury Avenue (North Main turns into S. Salisbury Ave at the Spencer Town Line)

Spencer NC 28159

704.639.0606

See you there!

Hurray! Miller St. Sidewalk and Crosswalk Project Finally Surfacing!!

We've been hearing the promises regarding the improvements along N. Main St. and Miller St. for months now and many of our neighbors have expressed frustration at the snail's pace with which the project has moved along. (Truthfully the snail probably moved faster!) It has just been announced that, finally, Salisbury City Council is expected to award the contract this Tuesday July 21st for installation of the new pedestrian crosswalk across N. Main St. at Miller St. and the new sidewalk along the south side of W. Miller St. from N. Main St. to Jackson St. Hurray!!!

The project is connected to the N.C. Health and Wellness Trust Fund's Fit Community Grant, which was awarded to the city last year. Connected with the sidewalk and crosswalk is a new walking program being rolled out by the City's Parks & Recreation Department - Striders for Life. The project ties into the many physical improvements planned for the N. Main Street area in the City's Small Area Improvement Plan and will additionally encourage healthier lifestyles for our residents here. Residents young and old will be able to get to City Park and Hurley Park via the sidewalks where currently they must walk in the streets to get to the parks.

The construction will reduce the width of West Miller Street from 34 to 26 feet with the addition of a 5-foot-wide sidewalk and a 3-foot planting strip. We are very excited to see this project finally reach reality!

Council meets at 4 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall, 217 S. Main St. where the project will be awarded. It would be wonderful if many of our NoMa residents could be there to witness the award and perhaps offer a round of applause!

New City Curfew: 16 and Under in by 11:00PM

The City of Salisbury announced that Salisbury City Council has adopted an ordinance to protect juveniles, under the age of sixteen, from victimization and exposure to criminal activity. The ordinance amends Chapter 20: POLICE, of the Salisbury City Code, and adds a new section to the chapter entitled Article 4. The adoption came early during the Tuesday, June 16 council meeting and establishes a curfew for youth fifteen years and younger. Beginning July 1, 2009, it will be unlawful for juveniles under the age of sixteen to be in public places, without a parent or appointed guardian, between the hours of: 11 pm and 6 am, Sunday – Thursday, and from midnight-6 am on Friday and Saturday nights. The Youth Protection Ordinance is intended to reinforce the role of the parent in raising and guiding children and to encourage parents to be responsible for the whereabouts of their children.

The curfew ordinance provides exceptions for youth who are traveling to and from school, and religious and civic-sponsored events. In addition, youth traveling to places of employment or responding to emergencies are excluded. The ordinance was not adopted to inhibit positive youth activity or activity that is being supervised properly. The Salisbury Police say that "the Youth Protection and Curfew Ordinance places the responsibility of juvenile action with the parent or guardian. Parents are expected to have concern and knowledge for their children's whereabouts and the safety of their children should be as important to the parents as it
is to us.”

Before taking action, Salisbury Police Officers will approach the apparent offender and obtain the youth's age and reason for being in the public place or establishment during restricted hours. Should the officer believe that an offense has occurred, a juvenile contact report or complaint will be filed, and the juvenile will be removed from the area and taken into custody. Juvenile violators will be subject to referral by complaint to the Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. The youth's parent or guardian will be contacted immediately and required to meet with the officer. The police officer may release the youth violator into the hands of a parent or guardian only. Parents or guardians refusing to take custody of their children will be in violation of the City of Salisbury code and subject to an additional fine.

The owner, operator, or any employee of a public or private establishment that allows juveniles to remain on the premises during restricted hours will be in direct violation of the Youth Protection and Curfew Ordinance. Police Cheif Mark Wilhelm informs that “to defend their establishment from violation and potential fines, establishments should request that youth dismiss from the property prior to the onset of curfew restricted hours. If youth refuse to leave the premises, proprietors should take steps to protect themselves from violation of the City of Salisbury Code. Establishments may contact the Salisbury Police Department at 704-638-5333 and request that youth be removed from their property.” Adult violators and parents or guardians of youth violators may be found guilty of a misdemeanor and subject to a fine of up to $100 at the discretion of a District Court Judge.

The Youth Protection and Curfew Ordinance describes public or private places such as streets, sidewalks, highways, alleys, rights of ways, public vehicular areas and parking lots, transportation facilities, theaters, restaurants, shops, and bowling alleys. Schools and school grounds, places of business and amusement, playgrounds, and parks are also included. Any similar areas open to the public are covered under the newly adopted code as well as common areas open to or accessible to the public. The definition of public places is inclusive of, but not limited to those areas outlined in the ordinance.

For a copy of the adopted Youth Protection and Curfew Ordinance, citizens may visit the Salisbury Police Department at 130 E. Liberty Street and request a printed copy at the front counter. In addition, an online, printable version of the ordinance is available by visiting the City of Salisbury website at www.salisburync.gov and clicking on the link entitled Youth Protection and Curfew Ordinance, under the heading of Highlights. For more information regarding the City of Salisbury, visit http://www.salisburync.gov/. For more information regarding the Salisbury Police Department, please call 704-638-5333 or visit the department online at www.salisburyncpd.org .

Community Appearance Commission & Landscape of the Month Award

The City of Salisbury's Community Appearance Commission awards a Landscape of the Month Award to one residential and one commercial site each month of the year. The Community Appearance Commission is the team responsible for the Sculpture Sculpture Show, "Discover What's Outside". As we published earlier, the Old North Salisbury Association and the North Main Street Neighborhood were very proud to have one of our neighbors awarded for May 2009.

We're sure you've walked or driven by places whose yards look really great. If you would like to submit a nomination for Landscape of the Month . . .

Send it to:
City of Salisbury
C/O Diana Moghrabi
PO Box 479
Salisbury, NC 28145dmogh@salisburync.gov

SNAG Cookout - Tuesday July 14th - 5:30PM

Do You Know About the SNAG Meetings - Every 1st Wednesday

Most of us who live here will agree that the North Main Neighborhood, N. Main Street from Lafayette to 17th St and Railroad St to N. Jackson St, is a pretty great place to live with friendly neighbors, great homes, and a safe place to walk and live. From time to time, as with any downtown neighborhood, we experience an activity that is less than desirable. Our neighbors on 14th St. have reported how they recently involved the Salisbury Police Department to help with neighboring nefarious activities there and complimented the Police on their response and their willingness to help.

For those of us who would like more Police attention in other parts of the neighborhood, there is a resource. The Salisbury Police Department encourages citizen/police interaction in order to build trust and partnerships. They have a monthly meeting, which is referred to as SNAG or Salisbury Neighborhood Action Group with citizen participation. This meeting has been on going since 1991 and meets the first Wednesday of each month, 10:30 am at the Salisbury Housing Authority on South Boundary St. behind the main Post Office (on Innes St). We encourage all our neighbors and residents to attend these meetings to discuss concerns, problems and solutions. We feel that this meeting is very important in fostering positive relationships and partnerships and may help reduce unwanted activities and visitors.

For more information, you can always call the Police Non-Emergency number: 704.638.5333. Yes - 10:30 AM is a tough hour to make for those with the typical 8-5 workday, but our attendance there could increase police patrolling here and thereby improve the quality of the neighborhood in general.

The Police Department business phone lines are staffed around the clock. We encourage you to call the business line for non-emergency type requests and we encourage you to call 911 for all emergencies.

The Salisbury Police Department ensured us that "the squeaky wheel gets the grease" so if we have issues we should be SURE to call and/or attend the SNAG meetings whenever possible.

Historic Wood Window Repair Workshop ~ Sat July 11th at the Farmer's Market

Historic Wood Window Repair Workshop
Downtown Salisbury Farmers Market
Saturday, July 11th 8:30-10:30 am

Historic wooden windows, while often targeted for replacement, are one of the most significant elements in a historic home.

Comments like "my windows are painted shut" and "these old windows let cold air in the house", lead many to consider replacement windows.

These replacements not only use non-renewable petroleum based products for the production, many have a poor track record of extended use, some failing with less than 10 years in service. Unlike wooden windows, many replacement windows have few interchangeable parts which ultimately require yet another generation of replacement and even more materials in the landfill. Most historic windows are made of old growth heart pine, an extremely durable material that with proper care can last for hundreds of years.

This workshop will show simple techniques for rehabbing original windows for practical operation and energy efficiency. Some skills that will be illustrated include: glass and glazing replacement, sash cord and weight repair, wood reconditioning and replacement, weather stripping and installation of low profile storm windows, and other useful tips for keeping the "eyes" of your historic home working properly for years to come.

Handouts and brochures for resources and supplies will be on hand for your use. The workshop is FREE!!! If you can't make it for the entire workshop, don't worry. Even if you come for a piece of it, you will be sure to come away with some valuable information!