Campus wildlife

Not sure what was in the trash can at CPCC this morning, but this possum was guarding it well.

New orthopaedic hospital in Elizabeth

Well, a replacement actually. Presbyterian Healthcare announced today it's going to ask the state to let it replace the existing orthopaedic hospital with an $84 million new one at the corner of 5th and Caswell. Presbyterian says the new facility will "have 64 acute care beds, 16 transitional care beds for skilled nursing care, 12 dedicated observation beds in a Universal Care Center, and 10 operating rooms." Subject to approval from the N.C. Division of Health Service Regulation, of course.

Let's band together

The ECA writes:

Mark your calendars for tree banding materials!

When - Nov. 5, 9 a.m to 12 p.m.
Where - 2338 Greenway Ave.
Why? - Those pesky canker worms will start their ascent soon. Time to get the bands on!
More info - For $1 per foot, you will receive tanglefoot, spatula and gloves, batting and tar paper. We will also have staple guns you can borrow.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Britta Crandall at brittacrandall at yahoo.com

ALSO, if you haven't already done so, help the ECA earn $3,000 to help fund tree banding materials (if we get the grant, we can charge even less!). A quick signature stating that you'll spend at least a little time this fall banding trees will earn money for us. Sign-up sheets are posted at:

Hawthorne's Pizza
2338 Greenway
2319 Kenmore
2400 E. 5th street
1955 E. 8th St

Help clean up the park

Kristan Magas writes:

The park adoption program is in need of help!

Please consider signing up to volunteer at Independence Park on an upcoming Saturday. We need one or two people for each Saturday to do trash sweeps and then 5-10 people to help on Saturday, Oct. 8 (and every second Saturday of each month), from 9-12 to work with the parks and rec staff on a beautification project in the park. The trash sweeps are on your own and should not take more than an hour for each side of the park. It is a good way for kids to get involved and can be counted as community service for those in middle and high school. These sweeps are really a big help to parks and rec because they don't have the manpower to focus on the little stuff anymore.

This is a year-round project. Sign up for dates that suit you best.

Thank you!

Band together

The ECA writes:

The city has offered the ECA up to $3,000 for tree banding this fall, and we need your help! The grant will help the ECA subsidize tree banding materials, making it cheaper for everyone to keep those pesky canker worms at bay. We need a lot of signatures, essentially saying you'll give at least one hour to band trees. This is something we all do anyway, so you don't need to commit to anything extra.

Please stop by one of these front porches to sign your name by October 14:

2338 Greenway Ave -- Crandall residence
2319 Kenmore Ave -- Poole residence
2400 E. 5th St -- Packard residence
1955 E. 8th St -- Holman residence

If you have questions, please email Britta Crandall at: brittacrandall at-sign yahoo.com

Remembrance

The ECA writes:

On Sunday September 11th there will be a ceremony/remembrance presented by the Firefighter Steven Coakley Foundation at the old Fire Station now the Palmer Building on 7th Street. The first bell will ring at 8:30 which is when the first plane struck the World Trade Center. Also there will be an unveiling of a piece of steel from Ground Zero that is a very small piece of an enormous pile of debris and a powerful reminder to “NEVER FORGET”.

On site until the morning of September 13th are two rows of flags that symbolize the Twin Towers with photos that commemorate the life of every person that died that day.

Help the homeless

Now you can help the homeless without having to leave the neighborhood, thanks to Caldwell House at Caldwell Memorial Presbyterian Church.

Elizabeth potluck dinner and annual meeting

• Monday, Sept. 19.
• 6:30-8:00 p.m.
• St. John's Baptist (corner of Hawthorne & 5th), Broach Hall (enter from rear of church).
• Bring a covered dish, appetizer or dessert.
• The Elizabeth Community Association will provide pasta and drinks.
• Bring $20 to renew your annual membership.

Retail report

Coming soon to Midtown: Chipotle Mexican Grill, the Vitamin Shoppe and Mattress Firm. Meanwhile, in Plaza-Midwood, Harris-Teeter will tear down and rebuild its store at the corner of Central and The Plaza.

Clean up our park

Kristan Magas writes:

As many of you know, we, the Elizabeth Community, have adopted Independence Park to help the city with maintenance due to severe budget cuts. You may not know that Hawthorne's Pizza is co-adopting with us! We each are doing a weekly trash sweep of the park and working together on a monthly maintenance project. Please consider signing up for this great opportunity to show how important our beautiful park is to us. We really need support from you all as we have struggled to get enough volunteers up to this point. Go to this link on our brand new website to sign up and for details:
www.elizabethcommunity.com/volunteer/park-clean-up-program

Great new ECA site

If you haven't yet, check out the snazzy new Elizabeth Community Association website. Very nice.

Our own farmers market

Hope you had a chance to stop by the inaugural Elizabeth Avenue Farmers Market Saturday. There was fresh fish, eggs, honey and bread as well as fruits and veggies in the parking lot next to 1900 Mexican Grill (not, as the wonderful new ECA website says, in front of Customshop). Traffic was light when I got there around 9 a.m., but the vendors were hopeful. The baguette from Chef Charles Catering was sublime. The market is scheduled to be there on Saturdays, 8 a.m. to noon.

Pre-show

Just before the fireworks July 4, the setting sun put on its own brilliant show. Late afternoon rain kept thousands of people from the Independence Park area for the fireworks -- I've never seen a lighter attendance. I thought it was one of the best shows I've seen, with several new boom-booms.

In memory of Eileen

If you've ever paused for a cool drink of water at the corner of East Bay and Clement, or held the button for your dog to drink from the lower tray, consider making a donation to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Charlotte, Chantilly Montessori School Outdoor Learning Initiative or to the 
Levine Dickson Hospice House in memory of Eileen Montgomery.

ECA social

The ECA writes:

Mark your calendars!
Come out and meet your neighbors old and new at this ECA Social
Where: Studio K Gallery, 2024 E. 7th St. (next to the Friendly Mart).
When: Friday, June 17 from 5:30-7:30 p.m.
Food and beverages will be served.

Wascally wabbits

Daybreak seems to be the best time to catch a glimpse of the family of rabbits we have in upper Independence Park. The rabbits are another good reason to keep your dog on a leash in the park.

Clean up the park

Kristan Magas writes:

Elizabeth has officially adopted Independence Park. Severe budget cuts have limited Parks and Recreation staff and the maintenance of our park, so we would like to help them with two ongoing projects:
1. Walk through the park each Saturday afternoon to pick up trash.
2. Help with maintenance or landscaping projects on the second Saturday of each month. 
The park staff is very happy to have as much help as possible. Picking up the small pieces of trash in the park allows the staff to attend to heavier maintenance issues. This is a large undertaking for our neighborhood but we can do it with help from all. This could be a great community service project for groups or kids!

To volunteer, email Kristan: kdm2201 @ gmail.com.

Art breaks out on Elizabeth Avenue

Suddenly, in the vast, cavernous space of upper Elizabeth Avenue there is art outdoors -- thanks to Red Sky Gallery. The new location at 1523 Elizabeth Ave. opened March 25. There is another Red Sky Gallery downtown in the EpiCenter. Welcome Red Sky. I hope your presence helps reinvigorate the area. 

Get your motor running

Progressive Dinner gets its Greek on

The Progressive Dinner Committee writes:

We are so excited in anticipation of Elizabeth's favored neighborhood event: the Annual Progressive Dinner!

On Saturday, April 30, we will celebrate in Greek style!

This is a great opportunity to meet your new neighbors and spend time with your dear friends.  Join us for fabulous food, fun, and laughter!

Please RSVP by April 20th to elizabethdinner AT yahoo.com. Include your name, guest's name, address, and phone number.

We will send more details closer to the event, including times & locations.  Thanks in advance to Elaine Scott and Jerry Tylman for hosting appetizers and to Jessica and Monte Ritchey for hosting desserts.

We are seeking a few more host houses to seat 8-12 people for the dinner portion.  Please consider hosting this year -- it is so easy!  Your guests bring all the food, and you just provide beverages and bread.

Looking forward to seeing you there!  Yassou!

Chip and Lauren Jetton, Chairs
Lydia Arnold
Beth Haenni
Cheryl Smith
Diana Watson
Amy Williams

Put your home on the tour

Diana Watson writes:

Home Tour 2011 will once again share our neighborhood beauty with the greater Charlotte community next October (exact weekend depends on forthcoming Panthers schedule).   The home tour is one of the largest fundraisers for the Elizabeth Community Association and also a great way to visit with all your neighbors. We currently have four solid commitments on homes and three thinking. If you would like us to consider your home or garden for the tour or if you have any recommendations, I would love to hear from you. 

There are other ways to participate as well; we always need volunteers to staff the houses/gardens and always welcome any sponsorships. We have a great mix of homes now on Greenway, Vail, 5th and 9th; we could use some homes or gardens on the east side of 7th.

Diana Watson
Home Committee Chair
diana.watson3 AT gmail.com

A Forum on the Future of Our Children

From the Elizabeth Communities of Faith:

Charlotte and North Carolina face unprecedented and inevitably painful decisions in the coming months that will shape the future for millions of children. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board must cut education funding 5% to 15%, or about $100 million. The budget reductions will return the CMS budget to 2001-2003 levels. Children at every level of education will be affected, including those in vitally important pre-kindergarten programs.

What trade-offs are involved in these high-impact choices?

What factors should the school board consider in making these difficult decisions?

How can parents and students have their voices heard at the local and state levels?

These and other questions will be discussed at a community event on Sunday, April 3, at 7 p.m. at Caldwell Memorial Presbyterian Church. The event will have two parts. An information forum, featuring:

·      N.C. Sen. Dan Clodfelter (D), an Elizabeth resident and veteran state legislator
·      Bill Anderson, Ed. D, Executive Director, Meck Ed
·      Liz Clasen-Kelly, Director of Strategy and Planning, The Larry King Center, Council for Children’s Rights
·      Barbara Cantisano, Executive Director, Charlotte Bilingual Preschool.

Those interested are invited to remain after the forum to discuss options for advocacy.

An Elizabeth Communities of Faith Forum
Caldwell Memorial Presbyterian Church
1609 East 5th Street in the Sanctuary

Happy late Christmas