Code Enforcement and Property Demolition at 108 W. Steele Street

At our November NOMA meeting, we discussed the blight to the neighborhood represented by the property at 108 W. Steele Street that was damaged in a fire in August 2013 yet left standing until now. We have had several differing reports as to the progress of its demolition.

Neighbors attended a Historic Preservation Commission public forum on July 10, 2014 to be able to provide input on a request to the Commission from Code Enforcement to demolish the (3) buildings on the 108 W. Steele Street parcel.  After much discussion and much to our dismay, the HPC stayed the demolition for 65 days.

We've been calling Code Enforcement and getting conflicting information about the proposed demolition.  We've been told several times that a Request for Bids had been posted for (12) city properties, and that 108 W. Steele was on this list.  Yet when we asked again when that might be, we were told that 108 W. Steele had to be inspected in order to properly identify components of the demolition.  When we asked again, we were told that ONLY the house structure was to come down.  Knowing the former gas station on the property is an enormous safety issue, with no flooring or roofing in place, we were surprised and disappointed.

At Council Meeting on Tuesday, Nov 18th, a NOMA representative besought City Council to address our abandoned house issues along the Main Street corridor, and requested that they additionally work to remove street weeds along the main drag.  We expressed our gratitude that Historic Salisbury Foundation is focusing stabilization efforts on some of our 'loose gems', but that certainly this private foundation cannot be expected to correct the entire situation.  Our North Main Street corridor is the last remaining residential corridor into the City, and is the city's chance to make a first impression to visitors to the NC Transportation Museum to the north, and the coming Rowan Central School Office at our south boundary. 

Council members assured us that the property at 108 W. Steele Street was to be demolished in 3-weeks, yet again said that only the house structure was to come down. To follow through, NOMA resident Sue McHugh contacted Chris Branham/City of Salisbury Code Enforcement on this demolition, and was told the house would be gone in three weeks, and further clarified the status: Code Enforcement has (9) houses on the demolition list. An asbestos study had to be done for each. Luckily our 108 W Steele does not have an asbestos issue. The demolition projects have gone out for bid and bids were due December 1st. We learned that, while it may additional time after bid closings to finalize demolition plans, 108 W Steele Street is first on the list to come down. The demolition will include the former gas station that faces N. Main Street, the house that faces W. Steele Street, but will NOT include the small free-standing residential garage.Utilities have been removed from the site, and demolition should begin soon.  Central Piedmont Builders is the contractor for the job, the same contractor doing the restoration and up fit to the Bernhardt Hardware Building in the 100 block of North Main Street.  To date, demolition on 108 W. Steele Street has not begun.

While we regret losing properties to Demolition by Neglect such as this abandoned property on W. Steele Street, we felt this property was a safety and criminal hazard to the neighborhood.  The investment required to (#1) purchase the property, and (#2) reconstruct and stabilize the property, unfortunately far outweighed the total property worth.  

Neighbors were diligent in calling both the Salisbury Police Department and Salisbury Code Enforcement with concerns about the property.  We indeed have learned through this process that the squeaky wheel does, in fact, get the grease!







NOMA ~ The North Main Neighborhood
northmainneighborhood@gmail.com

Next SNAG Meeting ~ Wednesday June 6 @ 9:30 AM

The next monthly meeting (1^st Wed. of every month  - except July) of the Salisbury Neighborhood Action Group (SNAG) will be on Wednesday, June 6, 2012 beginning at 9:30 a.m. in the conference room at the Salisbury Police Department on Lee Street, corner of Lee & Liberty Streets. The meeting, which is open to all Salisbury residents, will be led by Chief Rory Collins.

The meeting consists of two parts: 

1) Officers from each of the Salisbury Police Department teams report on the previous month’s activities, and 

2) A representative City of Salisbury Code Enforcement answers questions and addresses concerns.

Encourage each and all of your friends and neighbors to plan attend so that we can properly express our concern about nuisance or criminal activity in NOMA.  Yes, the SNAG meetings are scheduled at a tough time for the working public, but if you can make it and let your voice be heard, it is well worth it toward improving the quality of life in the North Main Neighborhood.

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!

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