May Meeting Cancelled

Sorry Neighbors ~ our normally scheduled May meeting is cancelled. There will be a small gathering at the Koko Java Coffee Shop at 6:30PM TONITE for anyone who would like to discuss/plan a NOMA Pops-at-the-Post outing.

We'll resume meetings next month, as we have lots of items on the agenda.

As always, if you or your neighbors have something you would like to see us address, please let us know. An email to themainneighborhood@gmail.com will get your message to us, or you can reply to this post online. NOMA keeps a running idea list ~ all we need sometimes is 'worker bees' to make it all happen!

Thanks to all for your patience with the meeting schedule. Next month for sure! Or coffee tonite if you can make it!

Art on Easy Street Festival ~ Saturday May 15th ~ NOMA Participates in a BIG WAY!

Saturday, May 15 will be the seventh annual Art on Easy Street Festival, featuring more than 100 art, craft and food vendors and area and regional artists and musicians.

The festival will be held at the parking lot at the corner of Liberty and North Main Streets from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The North Main Neighborhood with our many resident artists, will play a big part in this year's festivities. Mosaic artist Cherie Turner (N. Main St) will be exhibiting, Julie Upp (N. Main St) will have her original watercolor, oils, and photography on display. Liz Currey (N. Jackson St) will be exhibiting her handmade hair bows! And our musicians!!! Jimmy Alston (N. Richard St) will be performing his wonderful jazz at 11:00 AM and Sue McHugh (N. Main St) and Tripp Edwards (N. Jackson St) and friends will be performing music on the main stage at 2PM.

Other musicians participating in Art on Easy Street include Divided by Four, Polka Dots, Sam Havens (Guitar) and Ladies Auxiliary Blues Band out of Greensboro. Timmy Abell will perform with the Amadeus Youth Chorus at 3 p.m. in the Trolley Barn.

Many vendors will be offering items for sale and, in addition, James Taylor will do portraits while other vendors will demonstrate skills such as woodturning and glass blowing.

Festival food will be available, including Italian ice, a hot dogs cart, Gyros, hamburgers, funnel cakes, and even Fudge Puppies!

Family Fun day will be at Waterworks Visual Arts Center as well from 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

More information is available at www.rowanarts.org or by calling 704-638-9887.

Saturday is bound to be beautiful day so come on out, look at the original art, listen to music, eat yummy food...and support the arts in Rowan County! Your NOMA artists will be looking for you!

Community Watch Program Anyone?

Hello Friends & Neighbors!

It seems some time ago our NOMA neighborhood was working on a Community Watch Program, but we hear it fell by the wayside. Last year we tried implementing Quadrant Captains (the normal programs use Block Captains) in an effort to reach out to our closest neighbors, monitor acitivities we think might be questionable, and in general provide better communication with our neighbors. This has also been difficult for us to organize. How do we best communicate with each other to make a better living place for all of us?

NOMA recently received a note from Officer Ann Cooper of the Salisbury Police Force asking if we might like to re-generate some interest in a Neighborhood Watch program. An email sent to our members indicated a positive response.

We are going to invite Officer Cooper to our next meeting. An agenda will be forthcoming.

If you have not attended a NOMA meeting, please know that you are more than welcome! We do not close our doors to our neighbors (many neighborhoods hold Board of Director meetings only) and welcome your input whether it be a project you would like NOMA to undertake or just a concern we can help address. Our idea list is HUGE and many of the projects are FUN (not just work! - like our Fork & Cork event!) so please join in - you will be greeted with open arms.

Additionally, a program such as a neighborhood watch organization takes people to pull it off ~ it can't happen on its own!

You should also be aware that the Salisbury Police Dept. holds a SNAG meeting every first Wednesday of the month at their factility. It is at 10:00AM and offers us an opportunty to be involved with how the police interact and solve issues with and in our NOrth Main Neighborhood.

The next NOMA meeting is scheduled for TUESDAY MAY 25th @ 7:00PM at the KOKO JAVA Coffee Shop ~ corner of N. Main St. and E. Kerr! See you then!

Salisbury to Receive Historic Preservation Grant - Please Attend May 6th ~ 2PM ~ Salisbury Depot

Freinds & Neighbors,

We encourage your attendance at the press conference (see below) to be held on 5/6 at 2pm at the Depot. Salisbury will be the recipient of one of the nine grants announced at this press conference. Please share this with your neighbors!. It would be great to have a nice turnout.

Linda Carlisle To Announce Historic Preservation Grants

What: Announcement of Historic Preservation Grants in nine North Carolina counties

Who: Secretary Linda A. Carlisle, N.C. Department of Cultural Resources; Salisbury Mayor Susan W. Kluttz; Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer Peter Sandbeck

When: Thursday, May 6, 2 p.m.

Where: 215 Depot Street, Salisbury, N.C.

Background:"May is National Preservation Month," said Cultural Resources Secretary Linda A. Carlisle. "This year's theme is 'Old is the New Green,' and historic preservation grants help communities assure that their vital heritage is cared for and shared."

Built in 1908 from a design by Frank P. Milburn, the Salisbury Railroad Passenger Station was a mainline station between Washington, D.C. and Atlanta, GA. At least 44 passenger trains passed through daily in 1911. As the automobile surged, train travel declined and the Salisbury station was ignored. It lay vacant for years, a victim of weather and neglect. In 1976 it was recognized in the National Register of Historic Places. In 1984, Historic Salisbury Foundation, Inc., took on the challenge to resurrect this unique landmark and purchased it from the NC Railroad Company and Norfolk Southern Company.

Arbor Day Celebration in NOMA Today ~ A Smashing Success!

It was like the sun came out just for us today in the North Main Neighborhood of Salisbury NC! It started out to be a rainy, cold morning, but right at 11:30 the sun came beaming out...right in time for the City of Salisbury's Arbor Day Celebration on our very own Miller Street...the new gateway to the City Parks!
Our City Councilman Brian Miller came out to read Mayor Susan Kluttz's Arbor Day proclamation. Urban Forestry Specialist Eric Muecke, N.C. Division of Forest Resources, attended and presented the Tree City USA designation to Salisbury for the 24th consecutive year! He said that not many cities in North Carolina have this distinction! Following the brief service, NOMA residents, volunteers from other parts of the city, and Salisbury Tree Board members joined together to plant ornamental flowering crab apple trees along West Miller Street between City Park and North Main. The public was invited to attend and participate in tree-planting activities.

West Miller Street was selected to allow tree plantings to complement our brand new sidewalks installed during 2009. The sidewalk project was funded through a Fit Community grant of the North Carolina Health & Wellness Trust Fund.
The City's Senior Planner Janet Gapen, who has been an enormous help to us here in NOMA, was also in attendance. In the news release for today's event, Janet stated, “Together, the new sidewalk and street trees will assist in fulfilling a goal of the North Main Neighborhood Association (NOMA). NOMA was instrumental in the city’s receipt of grant funding to construct the Miller Street sidewalks. In the near future, an additional phase of the Fit Community sidewalk project will offer the installation of sidewalks along Lake Drive, completing a 1.5 mile connector between NOMA and the Salisbury Greenway.” She explained that NOMA serves as a volunteer organization that meets monthly and works to complete neighborhood improvement projects, and (here is the best part):
“NOMA is dedicated to building a stronger, safer, and more vital Salisbury community for all.” Thanks, Janet!

City of Salisbury Landscape Division Manager Mark Martin was out there today to direct the crews and assist us in planting the trees. He gave a wonderful talk on proper tree care and planting. Mark explained that there are quite a few wonderful services the Salisbury Landscape Division can provide city residents. If you helped plant a tree today, you not only got to take home your gloves, but you got a free "Trees are Good" t-shirt or mug. Mark is also the Liaison to the Tree Board. If you would like more information the Salisbury Tree Board or the Landscape Division, please contact Mark at 704-638-5255. We may even have Mark speak at a NOMA meeting!

So take a drive down W Miller Street on your way to City Park, or for a pleasant cruise around the neighborhood. You'll see our brand new sidewalk and newly planted trees! Next spring, when these ornamental flowering crab apples are all a-bloom, You will also see what makes this neighborhood one of the very BEST in Salisbury ~ NOMA!

Arbor Day Celebration in the North Main Neighborhood! ~ Friday April 23rd @ 12 noon!

The City of Salisbury Tree Board has selected the North Main Neighborhood for its 2010 Arbor Day Celebration! On Friday April 23rd at 12:00 noon, we welcome all to attend the lunch-time Arbor Day tree planting event in the two blocks of W. Miller Street between N. Main and N. Jackson Streets. The Haps Hot Dog Cart will be there to sell hot-dogs, drinks, and chips. The City will have pre-dug the holes for the flowering crab apple trees and will provide shovels, gloves, etc. for anyone who would like to participate. This is a great event for children so we hope you can come out! The City will receive a TREE CITY award at this event, and there will be guest speakers and other fun stuff! So please come join the fun - plant a tree - revitalize a neighborhood!

Friday April 23rd
11:30 ~ 1:30 PM

W. Miller Street Salisbury NC

See you there!

This Weekend in Salisbury - Cool Stuff!

April 16th - Come out Friday April 16th for Salisbury's Earth Night Out. As usual, the streets of downtown Salisbury will be alive with entertainment, shops open, and fun activities for kids. The festivities start at 5:00 and go til 9:00!

April 17th - The Salisbury Farmer's Market opens for the first time this season on Saturday - the hours are 7:00AM til NOON. The Farmer's Market is open Wednesdays and Saturdays. This early veggies season will offer cool weather crops such as lettuces, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, asparagus, Swiss chard, spinach and other leafy greens. Spring and summer bedding plants including vegetable transplants, herbs and flowers will be available. Baked goods, local meats and handmade crafts will also be featured at this year's market.

The market is located at the corner of South Main and Bank streets in downtown Salisbury. The market can easily be located by two large green shade canopies where local producers will be selling local produce and meat, flowers, baked goods and local handmade crafts.
April 17th & 18th - The first BUY HISTORY! - historic home open house being held in all historic districts around Salisbury. From 1PM to 4PM on Saturday and Sunday, the Historic Neighborhood Alliance and local realtors have teamed up to bring our beautiful historic homes to light. There are 23 homes being shown over all - (2) right here in NOMA. Here is a link to the homes being offered:
http://buyhistory2010.blogspot.com/

Annual Spring Spruce Up Week is Coming! April 19th ~ April 24th

Hi Friends & Neighbors!

You can tell its Spring in beautiful NOMA! The springs blooms are popping out everywhere and the grass is growing! Time to dust off the lawn mower and get out the flower pots!

Spring also means that Salisbury's Annual Spring Spruce Up Week is just around the corner. This year, Spring Clean-Up will be:

April 19 ~ April 23

In our neighborhood, it will coincide with our normal trash pick-up day. The city will pick up old appliances(REFRIGERATOR, FREEZER, STOVE, HOT WATER HEATER, AIR CONDITIONER, WASHER, DRYER),tires (without rims), and any extra bagged trash. Place items at the curb on your regular collection day (for many of us this is Tuesday Morning). If you have items you would like to discard and you are not sure if they fall within the city's guidelines for pick-up, you can call 704.638.5260 and ask if they will pick up special items. The city wants our neighborhood clean as much as we do!

Please note that building materials are typically not part of the pick-up. If you have carpet, padding, sheet-rock, windows, lumber, commodes, sinks, etc., you may wish to contact the city to see how you should best dispose of these.

If you still have leaves to get rid of, the City has a few rounds of leaf-pick-up left this week! If you can get your leaves to the curb, the city will get them picked up for you.

Remember Earth Day is April 20th! Help us take care of our little piece of this earth ~ the North Main Neighborhood!

Salisbury / Rowan Crime Stoppers ~ Yard Sale Fundraiser April 10

The Salisbury / Rowan Crime Stoppers will have a yard sale fundraiser April 10 from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m. in the parking lot behind Wells Fargo (City lot) across from the Farmers Market on Bank St.

The Salisbury-Rowan Farmer's Market is located on the corner of South Main and Bank Street in Salisbury, under the big green tents. It is about 2 blocks south of Salisbury Square near the Meroney Theater in Downtown Salisbury.

Donations welcome—volunteers welcome!

Traffic on W. Henderson Street - Stop Signs Requested

The City Park Neighborhood, which adjoins our North Main Neighborhood at W. Henderson and N. Jackson Streets, have been talking to the City about traffic concerns on W. Henderson, which seems to be becoming a thoroughfare. NOMA President Sue McHugh was invited to attend their last meeting last Thursday where they presented their concerns of speeding traffic on Henderson Street to Councilman Paul Woodson. They also recently met with Dan Mikkelson, Director of Engineering & Development Services for the City, and Ms. Wendy Brindle, Traffic Engineer, to review the newly established priorities. The group agreed that the end goal is to slow traffic that transverses the City Park (and North Main) neighborhood. The number one priority is to install four-way/three-way stop signs at several intersections along West Henderson St. These signs would ultimately divert traffic to other primary streets (Mocksville Ave., Mahaley/Confederate Ave., Club House Dr./11th Ave.) surrounding the neighborhood.

As a result of the meeting, Mr. Mikkelson & Ms. Brindle have requested a face-to-face meeting with all the citizens of the City Park neighborhood. Their goal is to have as many neighborhood citizens attend as possible. We strongly believe that NOMA residents should attend this meeting as well. What happens in City Park neighborhood will assuredly affect NOMA!

The proposed meeting date is:

DATE: Thursday, April 22, 2010

TIME: 7:00 pm until 8:00 pm

PLACE: Conference Room or Activities Room (depends upon number attending) in the Rec Center at City Park

Please make every effort to attend. If you could RSVP with a note to themainneighborhood@gmail.com, we'd appreciate it!

NOMA February Meeting: A Smashing Success! New Ideas!

Hello All -

We had a great February North Main meeting back on the 25th! A BIG THANKS to Koko Java coffee shop for letting us meet there! They extended us a discount on our coffee beverages and stayed an hour later than usual to accommodate us. (They are also serving wine now - a bit of a treat!). We will more than likely meet there again for future NOMA meetings because it was so nice...and they were so great to us!

We had so many ideas hit the table - it was inspired and inspiring.

With so many ideas hitting the table, we ended up narrowing our 2010 goals down to (5):

1) We are going to be organizing a "NOMA Night Out" or a "Fork & Cork" night out where we will house-hop for drinks and appetizers. More to come on this later ~ But mark your calendar for April 10th!

2) We are going to organize a NOMA Train Trip to the State Fair in September. A dedicated train takes us there..and waits to take us home! Details to follow.

3) We have a small subcommittee reviewing our 'dark' corridors (Church Street for example) to see where we might petition the city to install more street lighting for our pedestrians.

4) We have the opportunity to develop the small plot of land we gained at the corner of W. Miller and N. Jackson Street. There is a FABULOUS idea on the table to incorporate a public art project to create a 'Welcome to the NOMA' pocket-park at this site. We are working on proposal details right now. This should be an opportunity for possible grant funding. Donations to the project would be tax-deductible. We are very excited about the potential here to make a nice entryway to our neighborhood from the Parks.

5) We are going to stake out a neighborhood spot for the Pops at the Post.

OK ~ so those were the 5 big ones! We also had a wonderful idea to go "Guerilla Gardening". This is where a bunch of us sneak out at night (or sometime) with plants and "pretty up" a spot that need

s it. Doesn't that sound like fun! shhhh! don't tell!

We will also try to organize a table at the Friday-Nights-Out to advertise North Main and what a great place it is to live. Maybe this will help us fill some of those empty houses. We have already got permission from our neighbor who owns 'Hot Junk' in town. Great!

And last, instead of waiting until later in the year, we are going to schedule our events like our Annual Celebrate NOMA Fall Picnic ~ and additionally a Christmas Party and maybe a 4th of July event - more details to come on this as well.

As always, you are urged to speak up at City Council meetings about any neighborhood issues that you are aware of. We are told time and time again that the squeaky wheel gets the grease.

And the last thing we mentioned was to go online to http://www.historicsalisbury.org/ to sign the Shober Bridge petition. The neighborhoods really must look after one another and that neighborhood is petrified about the pending changes that will so greatly impact their area in a very negative way!

So - you can see it was a very energetic meeting, as they usually are!

The next meeting will be held WEDNESDAY MARCH 24th - 6PM - KOKO JAVA!

See you then!

No January Meeting: Next Meeting Thursday February 25th

Hello Friends and Neighbors...

Well it looks like we took a little winter nap here in NoMa! Lots is happening behind the scenes and we can't wait for you all to hear about it and get involved.

There will not be a January NoMa Meeting. BUT>>> We will have our regularly scheduled 4th Thursday of the month meeting in February! NEW TIME! NEW PLACE!

Next Meeting:

Thursday February 25th

6:oo PM

At: Koko Java, corner N. Main St. and E. Kerr St.

The owners at Koko Java have extended an invitation to NoMa to hold our meetings there. They are even offering us a discount on purchased beverages! We think this is extra special of them and want to extend 0ur most grateful appreciation.

We'll circulate an agenda in the coming weeks, but get this meeting our your calendars. We will want to try to beef up membership this year, so tell your friends and neighbors. We want to try planning some special events ~ all ideas are welcome!

More news to come!!!