The Dickens Band

The Dickens Band, a party band based in Greensboro, will be in downtown Davidson this Sunday, June 15, 2014, to perform their repertoire of classics and modern hits at the next Concert on the Green. The event runs 6 to 8pm at the Village Green, Main Street and Concord Road. Read the full story

After months of discussions and revisions, there was little left to say Tuesday night when Davidson commissioners gave final approval to 2014-15 town budget and fee schedule. The plan keeps taxes where they are, increases storm water fees and trims some trash pickup fees, for multifamily housing.

The board also adopted a one-time discount to encourage developers to make affordable housing payments they owe. And commissioners approved a budget amendment that clears the way for a new public art project next to Town Hall. Read the full story

–

Davidson’s Town Board paused at the start of its meeting Tuesday night, June 10, 2014, to offer a well-deserved pat on the back to the state champion girls soccer teams from W.A. Hough High School (4A) and Community School of Davidson (1A). Both teams won their titles in state finals on May 31 in Raleigh.

The several dozen players from both teams lined up in front of the board, introduced themselves and – for recent graduates – told where they’ll be going to college next year. More than a few mentioned that they’ll be playing soccer at colleges around the state and around the Southeast. Read the full story

ESPN columnist Rick Reilly worked behind the counter at Summit Coffee on Tuesday, in a fundraiser for Nothing But Nets, which fights malaria in Africa. (Jon Cox/DavidsonNews.net)

By JONATHAN COX
DavidsonNews.net

The baristas at Summit Coffee on had a celebrity in their midst Tuesday to help making all those lattes and cappuccinos: ESPN and Sports Illustrated columnist Rick Reilly. Reilly, who was inducted into the National Sportswriter Hall of Fame Monday evening in Salisbury, was in Davidson for the day to help raise money for the United Nations Foundation’s Nothing But Nets program, which pays for mosquito nets to help fight malaria in Africa. Read the full story

Davidson commissioners approved two resolutions by 5-0 votes Tuesday night on issues that are before the North Carolina state legislature: urging lawmakers to keep funding for mental health medications and expressing support for Common Core education standards. Read the full story

Board members of PiES posed with their Council of Governments award. From left, Laurie Walker, Kathleen Rose, Town Manager Leamon Brice. (David Boraks/DavidsonNews.net)

Davidson commissioners on Tuesday joined in honoring the Project for Innovation, Energy and Sustainability (PiES) for earning this year’s “Growing the Economy” award in the Centralina Council of Governments’ 9th Annual Region of Excellence Awards.

Huntersville also won an award for its SOULS program for seniors. The awards celebrate local government initiatives and honor outstanding achievements in several categories. Awards went to:

Read the full story

Design consultant Jeffrey Smith of Bulla Smith Design Engineering points out the location of a swimming beach that Mecklenburg County plans at Ramsey Creek Park in Cornelius. He spoke at Monday’s Lake Norman Marine Commission meeting. (David Boraks/DavidsonNews.net)

By DAVID BORAKS
CorneliusNews.net

MOORESVILLE – Lake Norman Marine Commissioners on Monday unanimously endorsed to Mecklenburg County’s plans to construct a public swimming beach at Ramsey Creek Park. County officials at the meeting said the project still needs state and federal approval, but that it’s on track for summer 2016 opening – if not sooner.

Marine commissioners, who represent the counties around the lake, voted 5-0 in support of the plan, with two minor conditions: They asked the county to place “no wake” or other safety buoys at the edges of the swimming area. And they want the county to develop a “recreational safety plan.” Project officials at the meeting said both conditions would be part of the final plan.

Mecklenburg County officials and consultants presented the plan, which calls for a half-acre beach to be constructed as soon as this winter on a grassy part of the park that sticks into the lake.

The county is spending $425,700 to design and build the new beach, using bond funding that voters approved back in 2008. A recession soon after that stalled bond-funded county projects for several years, but the county revived the project in 2013, to cheers from local officials and business leaders who have been lobbying for public swimming for several years.

Map shown to Lake Norman Marine Commissioners Monday night shows the location of the proposed beach at Ramsey Creek Park. Click to enlarge.

At Monday’s meeting, officials gave a few more details about the plan. The 1/2 acre sand beach would curve around the point, and be surrounded by 10 inch timber pilings, with 4-inch plastic lines between them, to rope off the area. The beach and grassy area next to it would be fenced, to control access. Sidewalks would be extended to the beach, and a grassy road would allow access for emergency vehicles.

Design consultant Jeffrey Smith of Bulla Smith Engineering told commissioners designers had considered putting the beach in a nearby cove, but decided against that for environmental and topographic reasons.

“This has the least amount of disturbance to the environment,” Smith said. It also has the shallowest slope into the water, he added.

Smith said the beach would be manned by 4 or 5 lifeguards at a time during the daylight hours during the swimming season.

The park’s neighbors along Nantz Road have expressed concern about traffic, and someone asked Smith for an estimate of how many people might use the park. “That’s nebulous,” he said, adding that it’s hard to project the capacity of the swimming area or how many people might use it. Joe Kluttz of Duke Energy chimed in that he thought the size of the beach and limited parking would regulate usage.

Ramsey Creek would become only the second public park with swimming on the lake, joining Lake Norman State Park in Troutman. Mecklenburg County once allowed swimming, but banned it several decades ago afta drownings in the 1970s prompted a county swimming ban.

Karen Weston-Chien, the county’s project manager, said the county is close to submitting key applications to Duke Energy and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which control the lake, as well as to state environmental officials. Once those are filed, possibly in the coming weeks, it could take several months for approval.

Then, the county would seek a contractor to do the work, which Weston-Chien said wouldn’t take long. “It’s not a huge construction project. It’s relatively simple,” she said.

The county has said the beach should be open by the 2016 swimming season. On Monday, Chien suggested it could be ready sooner. But on Tuesday she told CorneliusNews.net that the county isn’t changing its 2016 projection.

The permitting, contracting and other tasks still remaining are major hurdles, she said. “We’ve got a lot of hoops to jump through and with decreased personnel at many of these agencies, it’s going to be a challenge.

Meanwhile, Mecklenburg County will hold a public meeting before it starts work on the project. That Public Information Session will be held on Sept. 18, 2014, at 6pm in the Cornelius Town Hall.

RELATED COVERAGE

Jan. 6, 2014, CorneliusNews.net, “Ramsey Creek beach could be ready for swimming in 2016.”

Davidson College Presbyterian Church hosts Game Night on June 28, a family-friendly evening of play in the Congregation House. At Davidson United Methodist Church, a couple of staff changes and summer interns are announced. And we list vacation bible schools at Gethsemane Baptist Church, Ramah Presbyterian Church and Bethel Presbyterian Church, among others.  Davidson’s F3 (Fitness, Fellowship and Faith) workout group puts in a “service workout” this Thursday at the St. Alban’s Community Garden. Also, Community in Christ Lutheran Church has openings in its preschool for the fall. Read the full story