This is part 2 of our 2008 year in review feature. Return to part 1, CLICK HERE>

Go on to part 3, CLICK HERE>

Public Safety

BB&T robbery suspect is caught on camera, Feb. 21.

The high point – make that low point – for police news last year has to be the Feb. 21 armed robbery at the BB&T bank branch on Main Street. Security cameras captured images of a man in camouflage jacket and sunglasses taking money from a bank teller. He escaped on foot. Afterward, news and police helicopters circled overhead. Police later said the man may have also robbed a Mooresville bank branch the same day. A man was later charged with the Mooresville robbery.

Under Chief Jeanne Miller, our town’s police department has been trying to modernize and meet best practices in its field. In September, the town announced that Davidson Police Dept had earned national certification from the Committee on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies.

Police gained some media coverage in June when they increased foot patrols, in part to conserve fuel for their patrol cars.

The Davidson Volunteer Fire Department, meanwhile, continued to maintain its mostly-volunteer status, though town officials expect the day will come when volunteers will be phased out. For now, the town employs part-time firefighters to cover day shifts when local volunteers aren’t available.

Jeff Almond has been elected Davidson fire chief. (David Boraks photo)

The Town Board gave the go ahead for planning for a second fire station to serve River Run, Summer’s Walk and other new developments east of town. The start of planning was a necessity to keep insurance rates at current levels for residents in that part of town and the town’s zoning area.

Meanwhile, the fire department elected Jeff Almond, a Mooresville resident and veteran local volunteer, as its new chief in November. In an interview, he told DavidsonNews.net that firefighting is “in my blood.”

In June, the town announced it was taking steps to control the crowds at the annual July 4 fireworks festival at McEver Fields, on South Street. Wristbands were required, free for residents living (and paying taxes) within the town limits and $5 for non-residents. In the end, a rainy night made the tactics unnecessary as crowds were thin.

Animal control also was on residents’ minds. After firing the previous animal control officer in 2007, the town studied various options for service. One was a new animal shelter proposed in Cornelius. In July, the town announced it would contract with Mecklenburg County for animal control.

Meanwhile, Cornelius’s town board decided to help out with a joint public-private animal shelter project, working with local animal advocates. In December, Cornelius broke ground for the new shelter.

Town of Davidson

Mayor John Woods (right) talks to fellow board members during a December meeting. (David Boraks photo)

After a longer and more public series of discussions than the town has seen in many years, the Town Board in July approved an $8.7 million budget for the fiscal 2008-9 budget year, which began July 1. The budget included a property tax increase of 2 cents per $100 of assessed property value on property – about $50 for a $250,000 home, $100 for a $500,000 home.

The board also increased the motor vehicle privilege tax to $20, from $5. The budget kept most departments’ spending flat, though it did include money for badly needed road repairs and a couple of new town staff positions – a finance director and a new public works supervisor. It also committed the town to build a second fire station, somewhere east of the town limits.

During much of the year’s budget planning, Town Manager Leamon Brice and board members had batted around the idea of a bond issue – which would be the town’s first – to pay for road repairs, sidewalks, a fire station and other public projects. In August, Mr. Brice shifted gears and asked the board to table the idea, saying the town didn’t currently have the expertise or financial capacity to handle a bond issue. But given the town’s long list of road and maintenance projects, or its wish list of parks and other amenities, the idea is likely to be revived in the future.

Even as the Town Board watches year-to-year spending, it is taking a long look at long-range needs. With the town’s population growing fast, more staff will be needed to handle everything from police and fire to public works and recreation. In October, a staffing consultant told commissioners the town may need to add as many as 18 full-time and 8 part-time employees in the next five years. (Town Hall currently counts 46 full-timers and 15 part-time and seasonal employees.)

CABLE SYSTEM’S FIRST YEAR

In December, the MI-Connection cable television system celebrated its first birthday, after it was purchased in late 2007 by Davidson and Mooresville. The system – one of town government’s most promising and at the same time controversial ventures – is in the midst of a major upgrade to add capacity, improve performance and expand services. The work on wires and equipment will allow a bigger channel lineup, faster internet speeds and local telephone service through cable lines.

In the spring, the cable system announced it was adding 37 channels, even before it completed the upgrade. A year’s end, MI-Connection’s board signed contracts with BVU, the third-party company that manages the system, and Level 3 Communications, a telephone service provider, that would allow MI-Connection to begin selling telephone service. The service, to be branded True Voice, will be available in 2009 in areas where MI-Connection has completed upgrades. It is to be available by spring to all customers in the system, which stretches from southern Iredell to Cornelius.

Selling phone service, along with internet and cable TV, is a critical part of the strategy of the town-owned company. Selling more than one service to each household would increase profits per customer. It also would allow MI-Connection to compete against other companies that are beginning to offer similar bundles of phone, internet and TV in the MI-Connection territory. Time Warner already competes against MI-Connection in some neighborhoods and AT&T announced plans in late November to begin selling its U-verse video service in some areas. (See our Nov. 25 report, “Cable and telephone companies going head to head.”)

Davidson Commissioner Evan Webster, who chairs the MI-Connection board, told DavidsonNews.net in November the system was ready for competition: “We have a business plan and we’re going to stick to it. The business plan comprehended competition from Time Warner and AT&T. We’re not surprised and we’re not unprepared.”

Last summer, the two towns authorized borrowing an additional $12.5 million to complete the upgrade. They needed the money because the system they bought in December 2007 had more customers than the towns initially were told, resulting in a higher-than-anticipated purchase price. Officials also said part of the increase was needed because the system was in worse physical condition than the towns had been told previously, and needed more work.

Financially, the system remained moderately healthy. In September, officials reported being ahead of budget and said the system generated an operating profit for its first fiscal year, which ended June 30. Although the system is spending heavily on the upgrade, it was generating more than enough revenue to cover operating expenses, according to system officials.

During the first three months of the 2009 fiscal year (July through September 2008), the system was behind budget on operating earnings, though still showing an operating profit. That means apart from the debt, the system was generating more revenue than expenses. That’s according to the income statement from July/August/September 08. Meanwhile, MI-Connection owed $70 million in debt this fall, according to its balance sheet. But customer growth has been relatively flat, and has not approached the 6 percent annual growth rate that was assumed in the towns’ original business plan.

(Read all our coverage of the cable sytem at http://davidsonnews.net/category/cable-tv/)

Economy and business

The recession and stock market slump emerged as major challenges in 2008. Town budget planning began early in the year with discussions of how to catch up on maintenance, street repairs and sidewalks, and other wish list items. When it passed in June, most non-essential spending was gone, as officials held the budget relatively steady and the wish list remained just that. And by year’s end, the town manager was asking department heads to identify potential budget cuts, amid concerns that tax and fee revenue might fall short of projections this year.

The pessimistic economic climate prompted classical music public radio station WDAV in October to halt its fall fund-raising campaign. Ben Roe, the station’s new general manager, said, “We cannot be oblivious to what’s happening in the world – and especially in our region. There’s a bit of a crisis in our community right now.” The campaign resumed in mid- November, after the election.

The stock market decline wreaked havoc with investment accounts, including the endowment at Davidson College. There, President Tom Ross ordered a freeze in hiring of non-essential positions and asked division heads to cut 2.5 percent from spending.

The college already had been in the midst of cutting costs through what President Ros called a “Year of Sustainability.” Reducing the use of bottled water saved $10,000 in three months, and employees and students were asked to turn off lights and computers at night, eliminate printing, and conserve water. “Sustainability isn’t just good for the planet; it’s good for the bottom line,” President Ross wrote in an email about the economic crisis to the college faculty in November.

At year’s end, the college was waiting for the bad news about its endowment – just how much value it lost in 2008, and how much it will have to slash spending. In his November note, President Ross wrote: “The volatility in the stock market is taking its toll on our endowment; after several years of impressive growth to just over $500 million at the end of June 2008, we anticipate the endowment will be down at year-end.”

One of the most visible economic shocks during the year was the sharp rise in gas prices, followed by an equally sharp decline. (See Transportation, above) The increases led some businesses to add “fuel surcharges” to their fees and some institutions, governments and families had to adjust budgets.

Sign of the times.

The economic slowdown hit especially hard at an area that has long been a bright spot in the Charlotte region: real estate. “For Sale” signs line Davidson streets, and local real estate agents complain of slow, if any sales. Homes that do sell are well below asking prices. Hundreds of Davidson homes – and many others around the region – sit vacant as owners who have already moved pray for sales. In some cases, builders who bet on a strong market have resorted to auctions to unload properties.

The economic crisis threw the bond market into a slump, as well, and that’s having an effect on public construction projects. For cities, towns and counties, the municipal bond market all but dried up, and when bond issues were possible, pricing was higher than expected. In Davidson, the bond market affects one major project: the proposed Davidson IB Middle School renovation and community center. School officials told DavidsonNews.net last week they’ll make a decision in late January whether to proceed on their original schedule, or delay the project. The project had been scheduled to start at the end of this school year. Both school bonds and a county parks bond are part of the project financing.

Meanwhile, as the economy weakened, it had the biggest effect on those living closest to the edge. Dozens of eager job seekers showed up at job fair at the Ada Jenkins Center in January, hoping for a shot at jobs created by the opening of new businesses in the Exit 30 area. Some new businesses opened their doors, but many storefronts remained vacant at year’s end. And some big projects – that could provide dozens of jobs – are on hold, such as the Sheraton Davidson hotel and convention center.

Calls for food donations and other assistance seemed more frequent this holiday season. Davidson’s Loaves and Fishes Pantry, at the Ada Jenkins Center, reported in October that it was serving 30 percent more people than usual.

Arts & Letters

Director Roxana Silbert (standing left) explains script changes in "Little Eagles" to actors Lauren Walsh Singerman, David Sibley, and Jon Foster.

The lively arts scene in Davidson continued to flourish in 2008. In January, the Royal Shakespeare Co. returned to Davidson College for another residency. This time around, the company helped develop and presented a new play by Rona Munro, titled “Little Eagles.” In November, it was announced that the play with Davidson roots would be part of the company’s 2011 season at its home in England.

Another theater residency this summer brought to town a playwriting workshop called New River Dramatists. The non-profit organization of actors and playwrights, based in the North Carolina mountains, spent a week working on plays and then presented a reading of a new play called “Masterpiece,” about an art forger in Nazi-era Europe.

Memorable theatrical productions remained a staple of the local entertainment scene. We were intrigued by “Little Eagles,” and liked the informal format chosen to present “Masterpiece.” But one of the year’s crowd favorites had to be the Davidson College musical adaption last February of Moliere’s “Scapin.” Directed by Scott Ripley, who is no longer teaching at Davidson, the show employed improvisation and the Italian commedia dell’arte form. It changed from show to show, and brought lots of laughs.

Meanwhile, Davidson Community Players built on its long tradition of presenting some of the best community theater around, and celebrated a milestone in 2008. In November, the company moved into its new Armour Street Theater, in a renovated church at Watson and Armour streets with a production of Studs Terkel’s “Working.” The theatre is a joint effort of the Town of Davidson, which bought the building, and the group, which renovated it and is paying rent.

This year, the term “public art” came into wider use here as the Town Board appointed a Davidson Public Art Commission. The commission engaged residents in thinking about what public art can be by soliciting ideas from small groups around town and displaying them publicly. The commission also began examining a proposal for the first town-sponsored piece of public art, a proposed metal sculpture by artist Andrew Dunnill to be installed in front of the post office.

Even as that public effort continued, private businesses were getting into the public art game, too. At South Main Square on South Main Street, a privately commissioned metal angel sculpture was installed in October. And across South Main, Wooden Stone gallery is in the midst of constructing a stone bench, with original stone carvings by a local artist. Those outdoor artworks join another prominent bit of public art – Davidson College’s sculpture garden, in the plaza between Chambers Hall and Little Library. 

Two local arts centers that have been sharing one roof in Cornelius announced a merger. Creative Art Exchange and Children’s Arts Project, both housed in the Cornelius Arts Center in the Oak Street Mill, decided to combine forces. They named Davidson’s Kim Beard as interim director, and at year’s end were working on the merger and a possible name change. Meanwhile, the local visual arts scene expanded, with new galleries on Main Street (So Alive) and South Main (Lake Norman Art League Gallery at South Main Square). Those galleries joined a long list of other venues, including Davidson College’s Belk Visual Arts Center, Wooden Stone, and Merrill-Jennings Gallery, not to mention Town Hall and Summit Coffee, which offered occasional exhibits.

Davidsonians also had their hands in the film and TV world in 2008. Local filmmaker Scott Galloway showed a new documentary called “Children of All Ages,” at the Charlotte Film Festival in September. It’s a sort of “three-ring documentary” about the circus. And a Hollywood producer took an interest in the Davidson Bikini Team – Nancy Gardner, Ann Haley, Cynthia Lewis and Lina Soares – and their 2006 book “Bikini Is a State of Mind.” Producer Rob Thomas came to town to film a pilot based on the book for a potential future TV series.

This is part 2 of our 2008 year in review. Go on to Part 3, with a look at the year in politics, schools and people, including those who left us this year. CLICK HERE>