Kimberly Borruso is a new sous chef at The Tea House. More below.

Lake Norman Chamber of Commerce will present a program on “Lake Access: Update from Mecklenburg County” at its next “Focus Friday” meeting Friday, July 24.

Also in this column, a name change for the offices at South Main Square, a new face in the kitchen at The Tea House in Cornelius, specials at Restaurant X, and other business updates. And builder Rodney Graham of John Marshall Custom Homes talks about his recent “green” certification and Davidson’s first “LEED” certified green home.

Also, find out how to get involved in Christmas in Davidson 2009.

LAKE ACCESS

Lake Norman Chamber has been helping to lead an effort to open north Mecklenburg parks on Lake Norman for public swimming. On Friday, July 24, at 8 a.m., the group will devote its Friday Focus program to an update from Mecklenburg County officials. County Parks & Rec chief James Garges and County Commissioner Karen Bentley (who represents District 1, including Davidson), will talk about a recent study and a new recommendation by the parks department.

The meeting is at the Lake Norman Chamber offices, 19900 W. Catawba Ave., Cornelius.

OFFICES GET A NEW NAME

The Executive Offices at South Main Square, next to MasterWorks School of the Arts, have been re-christened as The Business Center at South Main Square.

The offices, at 442 S. Main St., are owned by Urban Organics I LLC. “Small offices in the region are often referred to as keyman, executive or office suites, but we wanted to reflect our desire to create a real center for small business, where creative and successful people come together to work, share ideas, help each other and create a true community,” Kathleen Rose, managing partner of Urban Organics said in a press release.

Under the new name, The Business Center will continue its monthly networking/brainstorming meetings and expand its services to include co-work space for projects, and expanded temporary and virtual office packages, for those who need to get out of the home office or the coffee shop. The offices have WiFi internet access, video conferencing and temporary furnished offices.

As an incentive, they’re also throwing in a free one-year membership to the Lake Norman Chamber of Commerce. The office building also features a permanent gallery space – on hallway walls – for Lake Norman Art League. More information is available at www.southmainsquare.com

NEW CHEF AT TEA HOUSE

The Tea House in Cornelius has added Kimberly Borruso (pictured above) as its new new sous chef.  She is a recent graduate of Johnson & Wales University and has 15 years’ experience in the restaurant and hospitality industry.

The Tea House is at 20517 N. Main St. in Cornelius and is open Monday-Saturday for breakfast (9-11 a.m.)  and lunch (11 a.m. to 3 p.m.), Sundays 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Afternoon Tea by reservation. They also host private events. Details: www.the-teahouse.com

RESTAURANT X SPECIALS

Restaurant X, in South Main Square in Davidson, is offering a three-course early special meal for $19.95 during the run of Davidson Community Players “Barefoot in the Park.”

The play runs through Aug. 2 at Davidson College’s Duke Family Performance Hall. Details in our July 21 “Theater Notes” column.

GRAHAM GOES GREEN

Rodney Graham, owner of John Marshall Custom Homes of Davidson, has been awarded the designation of Certified Green Professional by the National Association of Home Builders.

Mr. Graham says he’s already putting to use the training he received as part of the certification, as he builds a house on Catawba Avenue in Davidson under the guidelines of the “LEED For Homes” program administered by the U.S. Green Building Council.

“Building green is not just about helping the environment or combating global warming,” Mr. Graham says.  “Green building involves creating healthy indoor environments, minimizing water use through planting native, drought-tolerant plants, and developing and selecting building sites that minimize sprawl.”

John Marshall Custom Homes is building what will be the first LEED-certified house in Davidson on a Catawba Avenue site developed by Orlando Land Co. LLC of Davidson.  At 1,630 square feet, the house is compact, yet provides comfortable living spaces, Mr. Graham says.  Features include conditioned crawl and attic spaces, spray foam insulation, efficient HVAC equipment, zero-VOC paints, tankless water heater, and a landscape plan that features native plants and water retention devices that prevent stormwater runoff.  Also, the builder is sending much of the construction waste to recycling facilities.

The LEED house at 233 Catawba Ave. will be open for public tours beginning in August.  Check www.johnmarshallcustomhomes.com for additional information.

HELP XMAS IN DAVIDSON

Christmas in Davidson has been a holiday tradition in Davidson since 1988 and planning is now underway for the 2009 edition of this popular community event.

The Town of Davidson is seeking volunteers to serve on the Christmas in Davidson committee. Merchants and residents from all areas of town – Main Street, South Main, and Exit 30 – are encouraged to help.

The Christmas in Davidson committee provides assistance with many aspects of the event, with committees working on sponsorship, solicitation, merchant and vendor participation, marketing, logistics, entertainment, transportation, and budget. The committee meets monthly prior to the event and also has a post-evaluation meeting after Christmas in Davidson is over.

The first meeting will be held Monday, Aug. 3, at 9 a.m. in the Davidson Town Hall Board Room. If you are interested in attending please contact Margaret Martens at mmartens@ci.davidson.nc.us or 704 658-8730 or Angie Blashaw at ablashaw@ci.davidson.nc.us or 704 940-9645.

NAMES AND FACES

Melissa Merritt-Darden

• Melissa Merritt-Darden, assistant community manager with Jorel Association Management of Davidson, has been named a Certified Manager of Community Associations (CMCA). Administered by the National Board of Certification for Community Association Managers (NBC-CAM), the CMCA program helps ensure that managers have the knowledge, experience, and integrity to provide the best possible service to condominium and homeowner associations. For more information about Jorel Association Management please visit www.JorelMgmt.com.
• Lake Norman Regional Medical Center named Marie Marks, RN, as Director of Women’s Services. She has 22 years experience in the Maternal Child Nursing field and has been assistant director for several years and interim director since March.
• Debra Proulx, RN, has been named Bariatrics Manager at Lake Norman Regional Medical Center. Originally, from South Florida, Ms. Proulx brings 28 years of professional experience. Before taking up her new job this month, she was employed with Southeast Georgia Health System as bariatric coordinator.

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