The Lake Norman Chamber of Commerce Tuesday night will host a candidate forum at Cornelius Town Hall, 21445 Catawba Ave., from 7 to 9 p.m. Moderated by Jerry Hancock, General Partner of Alexander Hancock Associates and host of WTVI’s Final Edition, a weekly roundtable discussion of current news topics with local reporters, the Cornelius forum will also include candidates in the Charlotte Mecklenburg School Board At-Large race.

The forum is the first of three the chamber will be hosting in Cornelius, Davidson and Huntersville over the next few weeks, prior to elections this fall. Each of the towns has newcomers to the political scene running for town board positions, with contested races for Mayor in Davidson and Huntersville. And candidates in the Charlotte Mecklenburg School Board At-Large race have agreed to attend the Cornelius forum only. Read the full story

The Davidson Committee on Aging, which began life in 2007 as a task force looking at senior issues, is continuing to evolve this fall. The group has a new chair – Mary Anne Hammond – and began work on a new set of goals during a half-day workshop in mid-September. Among those goals: Improving local services for seniors, developing a senior center, and improving mobility for older residents.  Read more on our YOUNG AT HEART page.

The town is considering adapting the old pumping station at the start of the Kincaid Greenway for use as Parks & Rec offices. (David Boraks/DavidsonNews.net)

Davidson officials are studying the feasibility of moving the Parks & Recreation Department offices from Armour Street to a town-owned site off South Street, near the Southeast Greenway. Parks & Recreation manager Kathryn Spatz presented the idea at Tuesday’s Town Board work session, where she also briefed the board on revised Parks & Rec user fees and policies.

Also at the meeting, the board: Read the full story

The Town of Davidson is accepting nominations through Oct. 1 for the G. Jackson Burney Community Service Award. The Award honors the late Mr. Burney and those who improve the Davidson community through unselfish service. The annual award is presented each November at a community event at Town Hall the Wednesday morning before Thanksgiving. Read the full story

The sign in front of Davidson Town Hall has been replaced with a new one that includes the new town logo. (David Boraks/DavidsonNews.net)

The town of Davidson has begun installing new signs and banners around town bearing the new town logo adopted earlier this year.  This week, the empty sign holder in front of Town Hall got its sign back.

The signs on Main Street, South Main Street, and the Exit 30 area, are among a variety of new marketing materials that town officials are rolling out, including parking and town “wayfinding” signs.  Also coming in the next couple of weeks: A new town website for visitors and a town-sponsored calendar site.

The new town logo and signage were developed with the help of consulting firm Arnett Muldrow & Associates of Greenville, S.C., and Davidson-based Bizzell Design Inc.

By CHRISTINA RITCHIE ROGERS
DavidsonNews.net

A nine-month tug-of-war between north Mecklenburg town officials and the Lake Norman Chamber of Commerce appears to be over, with the final approval Monday of a new agreement governing the towns’ involvement in the local tourism promotion agency Visit Lake Norman. But bad blood remains between the two sides, and matters worsened over the weekend when an inflammatory email by chamber chief executive Bill Russell was leaked and then circulated among local officials, citizens and reporters. Read the full story

Davidson’s Town Board on Tuesday will discuss a new parks & recreation fee policy,  a possible move for the parks and recreation offices, and the planned high-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes to help pay for the widening of I-77. The board also will discuss the value and future of the private meetings that individual commissioners have with town staff every Tuesday.

The meeting begins at 6 p.m. at Davidson Town Hall, 216 S. Main St., Davidson. Read the full story

MI-Connection reported growth in all three of its business lines in the 1st quarter of FY12. Graph levels show the number of customers gained in the first three months of the year. Percentages represent the change in the number of new customers in the first quarter compared to the number of new customers a year earlier. (SOURCE: MI-Connection)

By CHRISTINA RITCHIE ROGERS
DavidsonNews.net

MI-Connection added customers in all three of its businesses during the first quarter of the fiscal year – internet, telephone and even cable TV, where the company has been losing customers. Officials attributed the growth to “basic blocking and tackling” on sales and customer service, as well as fewer customer losses.

MI-Connection officials also said at their monthly board meeting Thursday that  negotiations to take over more of the system’s operations from outside operator Bristol Virginia Utilities (BVU) are likely to be completed by early November. The towns of Mooresville and Davidson, which own the system, had previously hoped to take over most functions by July 1. Read the full story