Help wanted

The Elizabeth Community Association needs a secretary. The pay is lousy and the hours are bad. But you get to hang out with some really cool people who care deeply about their favorite neighborhood.

Reading benches

As promised, here's some pictures from the new reading garden at Independence Park. I still can't get over how the benches are not bolted down. How long until they walk away? Wouldn't it be nice if they stayed there forever, unmolested and useful? Also, did you see the beautiful mallard who has been swimming in Lake Arheleger?

Sex offender update

That's Kevin Clark Shikany on the left and Charles Edward Hinton on the right, a pair of sex offenders who live in our area. Shikany lives at 2029 E. 7th Street and Hinton at 1023 Central Ave. You can search for known sex offenders within a mile of your home here.

Independence improvement

If you haven't seen the amazing improvements to Independence park near 7th and Hawthorne, you need to go take a look. New shrubs, trees, flowers, benches, mulch -- it doesn't look like the old Indy. It's called a Reading Garden, sponsored by Troy-Bilt, and it's supposed to be an "oasis of calm and beauty, where people can sit back with a good book and take in the outdoors." Charlotte was one of nine cities to get a Reading Garden. I've got to get a picture soon. I'm afraid it won't last. The benches look especially susceptible. Wouldn't it be nice if we could all keep an eye on the Reading Garden and make it last?

Signs could be better

Get in your car, and proceed toward Commonwealth Avenue from The Plaza. Turn right at the stop sign, toward Pecan. A few yards after you do you’ll see a speed limit sign: 30 mph. Now between The Plaza and Pecan on Commonwealth is about one-tenth of a mile. You certainly can reach 30 mph on that stretch, but why would you?
Now turn left from Commonwealth onto Pecan, toward our fair neighborhood. You’ll go almost three-tenths of a mile before you see the first speed limit sign: 25 mph sign.
I am glad Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police are targeting speeders on this street. People drive way too fast on Pecan -- you know who you are. But I do think another sign is in order for the people coming off Commonwealth who might think the speed limit is 30, as it is on Commonwealth, or 35, which I believe is the city-wide speed limit (unless otherwise posted). I assume police aren’t stopping folks doing 30 mph. I assume they have enough business nabbing the leadfoots. But the proper speed limits here could be better displayed.
And no, I haven't been stopped.

Map of the future

Don't you just love these stylized mass transit maps? As if the Government Center, CPCC, Pecan Avenue and Briar Creek were on a straight line. I guess since they don't know exactly where things are going on the Silver Line everything is just an approximation anyway. If you've been down South Boulevard lately, you've seen the reality of the Blue Line construction. We're next.

Common sense for master keys

This question was in the latest Elizabeth Crime Notification email (the work of Brad Miller). It was asked by an Elizabethan at a recent ECA board meeting:

I heard there is a master key available on the Internet for The Club. Is this true?
Officer Laura Nelson (the Elizabeth community police liaison): I have spoken with several officers in the district about a master key for The Club. We all agreed that if it’s possible to purchase a master key for a car, it’s probably possible to buy a master key for The Club.

Ok, it makes no sense to buy The Club if there is a readily-available master key that makes it useless. But how many of the clowns stealing cars are smart enough to get the key -- let alone use it? The jerks stealing our cars aren't shopping for master keys on the Internet. They're helping themselves to the low-hanging fruit we're leaving for them. If they want to get around The Club, they'll cut the steering wheel and remove it that way. The Club won't stop the serious thief. But if two cars are otherwise similar and one has The Club and the other doesn't -- which car gets taken?