CHS Breaks Ground Friday, Construction Site Problems Outlined at Town Board Meeting

As DavidsonNews.net reports, Carolinas Healthcare System (CHS) will conduct an official groundbreaking on Friday at its new mental health facility on the Davidson East property, but as became apparent at this week's Town Board meeting problems began at the construction site weeks ago when site preparation actually started.

During Tuesday's meeting, Davidson Planning Board member, Martha Jenkins, read a prepared statement about her experience as a neighbor of the construction site.  Her statement was not focused on the nature of the facility, but solely on the impact its construction has had on her property.

Her below comments reflecting the impact of a planning decision by the Town on individual citizens and their property came on the same evening the Board voted on the controversial Woodie's Auto facility and the public hearing for a proposed 124 unit retirement community at Exit 30.  Both of those proposals drew valid comments from concerned neighbors. Both will likely be very good additions to the town. At the end of the discussion on Woodie's, Commissioner Wessner strongly recommended that Woodie's reach out to the surrounding residents to do what it can to alleviate their concerns and be a good neighbor. That was good advice.

Ms. Jenkins comments show what can happen when that does not occur.

Begin Mrs. Jenkins comments:

April 9, 2013

Good evening.

My name is Martha Cooke Jenkins.  I have lived at 16824 Davidson Concord Highway in the Davidson ETJ for 21 years.  Before that, I lived in Cornelius or its ETJ.  My husband, Lawson Jenkins grew up ½ mile west of our house so he has lived in the Davidson ETJ his entire life.  We both have been North Mecklenburg residents for over 57 years.

Lawson, Adam, Phillip and I have had an idyllic farming lifestyle on our small 16 acre tract…an older home with acreage and animals. On our western boundary, we have had the best neighbors in the world – a family with children about the same age as ours and the same complement of livestock.  Our eastern boundary was wooded and vacant until 3 months ago.  I was called to the Davidson Town Hall at the end of April 2012 to learn about the development plans for the 34 acre eastern tract.  As I told John Woods that day, “we don’t own the universe – just a small tract” – but I was in shock with the series of events that lead to the plans for a mental hospital on this eastern tract of land.  As both a Davidson ETJ resident and member of the Planning Board, I had been to every charrette and Planning Board meeting to work on plans for Davidson East and its extensive residential and business plans.  I don’t think I missed a single session to plan the neighborhood for the then Jacobus property.

Fast forward from those charrettes to new ownership and a lawsuit; today, the mental hospital construction is in high gear.  Since the property was resold in January 29, 2013, construction began on February 19 and has been going at a furious pace – six days a week from 7am to 6pm.  Trees of all sizes have been cut and removed from the site at an amazing rate and with an enormous amount of noise.  Pipes have been placed in the creek and back property elevation lines have been raised significantly above the original elevation.  Trucks, construction equipment and people have rolled on and off this tract at a rate that has made my head spin and terrified our horses.  On Day One of construction, our two horses ran and raced all that day in our pasture due to the new activities.  On Day Two of construction, we had to move our horses for boarding due to the constant noise of the construction and their fear of the equipment. 

Tonight I am here to ask for consideration on substantial fencing and/or a land berm to separate this business zoning from our rural reserve zoning.  I have made over three requests to CHS to not come on our property.  Week after week, we found more surveying tape on our creeks over the area that CHS had asked for a sewer easement.  Since we have not hired nor requested any surveying to be done on our property and had declined the CHS sewer easement request, this surveying was not done on behalf of the Jenkins.  Then, two weeks ago, we were dealt the most degrading and unhealthy example of trespassing.   Foam and plastic lunch debris was left on the Jenkins property, along with a cigarette butt (and none of us are smokers)-across the silt fence.  But the worst was yet to come.  Nearby were two piles of toilet paper plus human waste…..  I serve on the first responder team at work so I have been taught that human bodily fluids should not be touched for 2 weeks-unless sterilized- due to the time that germs can survive outside the body.  I immediately reported this to the remaining work crew who said their supervisor had already left for the day.  Then, I sent an email to CHS with photos documenting the trespassing and the toilet paper.  One port-a-jon was brought on site – at the highway edge – sometime after March 12 so I only can surmise what the workers used for the first three weeks?  A second port-o-jon was added last week.  I will put on protective gear and remove the toilet paper and human waste when I don’t have to fear the hazards.

Last week, CHS installed temporary construction fencing along our boundary which was a welcome relief.  However, there are no plans by CHS to place permanent fencing.  I want to appeal to the Town to 1) require permanent fencing and/or a berm to ensure the property lines are permanently delineated and all personnel on CHS’s property (today and in the future) will clearly know where the property lines are and 2) that CHS clearly ensures that the Jenkins property does not suffer erosion from water run off from CHS construction.  While the construction is underway, there is time for measures to be put in place to prevent run off issues from the CHS paved parking lot and from their retention pond.  Maybe they have this covered and I will be pleasantly surprised with measures to prevent erosion issues to our property.

I understand that ETJ residents have no voting rights so I am using this opportunity tonight during citizen comment time.  I hope the Town of Davidson will step up and require the adjoining property owner protection to delineate the property lines as the zoning transitions from business to rural.  We are where we are today… and we need to ensure that each property owner has the opportunity to use their property to the fullest without infringing on the adjoining property owner.  Please, please, please – follow through with proper transition from zoning categories and protection of property.