DAVIDSON, N.C. – Are you interested in getting involved in shaping Davidson’s future? The Town of Davidson is now accepting applications for 2018 appointments to its advisory boards. Consider serving on the following: Design Review Board, Planning Board, Livability Board, and the Davidson Public Art Commission. New members will serve a three-year term from January 2019 to December 2021, with a possibility of a second term.
A nominating committee will review all applications and nominate citizens for each available position. The Davidson Board of Commissioners will vote on nominees, and appointees will be seated on their respective boards in January 2019.
Information on advisory boards is available at www.townofdavidson.org/advisoryboards and the application is at www.townofdavidson.org/advisoryboardapplication. Applications are also available at town hall. All applications are due by September 28.
For more information, please contact Town Clerk Betsy Shores at bshores@townofdavidson.org or 704-940-9610.
Tuesday, August 7, 2018
Monday, August 6, 2018
Avoiding a Bond "Bait and Switch" on Davidson Public Facilities
These bonds, if passed in November, will be used to improve facilities for Public Safety at the existing Town Hall and to build a new Davidson Town Hall. The plan for a new Town Hall being discussed since soon after the new board was seated is to enter into an agreement with CMS to refurbish the Davidson IB Middle School on South Street to serve as the new Town Hall and offices for CMS. This is different than the plan the previous board was discussing which was to build a brand new Town Hall in front of the existing Town Hall on Main Street.
Interestingly, both plans come out to about the same amount of money.
In preparation for this Tuesday's vote and to gather some public input on the subject, Davidson is using its "Open Town Hall" survey tool to get citizen responses. To date over 80 responses have been submitted with results evenly split between the IB School plan and "Other" with several people voting for the Main Street plan. The "Other" category is broadly variations on doing something smaller at the IB site or doing nothing at all. A major concern was noted by several respondents regarding spending so much money on a building the Town does not own. It should be noted that while this survey is not scientific, it has garnered the most responses of any survey done on this platform for Davidson. It should also be noted that a similar survey done on the Save Davidson Facebook group showed overwhelming opposition to spending this much money on a new Town Hall.
Again, while these types of surveys are not scientific, these results do indicate that if a bond referendum is put on the ballot for $16 million, it will likely be a divisive vote for the Town in November.
What bothers aShortChronicle as much or more than the dollar amount or the possibility of a spirited Bond referendum campaign is the possibility that even if these bonds are approved they might not be used for what voters think. That possibility stems from the way these bonds have been designated.
The recent discussion has been all about the IB Middle School remodeling for the new Town Hall. Yet, the bond order wording being discussed just says "public facilities". While that difference may seem insignificant, it is not. The way bonds work drives this wording.
Bonds can only be spent on what they have been designated to be used as worded on the ballot. The Town could have submitted a bond order specifying these would only be used for the South Street IB Middle School version of a new Town Hall. That's the version the Board has been discussing these past months. By wording the bond order using the more generic "public facilities" description, in theory this money could be used for anything falling under that much broader category - including the new Town Hall idea on Main Street.
Voters have to ask themselves this question.
"What happens if I support these bonds for the South Street project, but then something falls through? Will that money be used for something else like the Town Hall on Main Street?"
While aShortChronicle truly does not believe the current Board would intentionally do this, the wording on the bond order is concerning because it allows for the possibility. aShortChronicle sat through a bond presentation years ago where the Town's outside bond legal counsel specifically advised using such generic language to the previous Board so this type of thing could be done. It provides flexibility, but flexibility is not always a good thing. Since bonds have a shelf life of several years, if they aren't used immediately by the current Board for whatever reason, a future Board could change direction.
Avoiding both a divisive November vote and the possibility of a "bait and switch" could have been done. The bond amount should have been divided into two pieces - one for Public Safety and one for a new Town Hall. It should have been worded that way instead of the generic "Public Facilities" to cover both. The Town also should have done more to significantly cut costs on the projects to get the number down to something more reasonable.
Unfortunately, those steps weren't taken, and here we are.
The Board does have the opportunity to lower the bond amount on Tuesday. It says so on the meeting agenda item. That could cover both problems. Instead of a $16 million bond, they could go with something like half that - enough to do the public safety work and more modest updates to the IB School for Town Staff, but not enough to switch plans and do the Main Street Town Hall.
Voters will have to wait until Tuesday to find out if the Board takes that opportunity.
Saturday, August 4, 2018
Davidson to Host Gran Fondo Bike Race Sunday - Lorimer Rd Closure (press release)
STREET CLOSURE: Please be aware that Lorimer Road will be closed from the CVS parking lot to Concord Road from Saturday, August 4 at 6:00 p.m. until Sunday, August 5 at 6:00 p.m. The race and after party will take place during the day on Sunday, August 5. All bike riders are asked to park in the public lots along Jackson Street. Downtown parking for Sunday church services may be impacted by this event.
30 mile – https://ridewithgps.com/routes/27685579?privacy_code=vYPwfwtdg3C8J1wC
50 mile – https://ridewithgps.com/routes/27386297?privacy_code=rhEhl8L3jKsmPqOH
75 mile – https://ridewithgps.com/routes/27386413?privacy_code=IN6rbWAHXjZ2XBl4
New Davidson Board meeting schedule starts in August.
Starting at 7pm rather than the normal 6pm ensures the Davidson Board will be meeting late into the evening on Tuesday. The late start for the Board Meeting is most likely due to the National Night Out which is scheduled on the same evening and Commissioners need to attend both.
Long-time watchers of Davidson Town Hall may be thrown off by the "1st Tuesday" meeting time. This is a part of the new meeting schedule passed by the Board back in May as part of the May 8th its consent agenda.
From that meeting agenda item it says:
• Starting in August, we will transition to the following monthly schedule:
o Meet on the first Tuesday of the month at 6:00 p.m. for a work session with an agenda
o Meet on the second Tuesday of the month at 6:00 p.m. for a work session with an agenda
o Meet on the fourth Tuesday of the month at 6:00 p.m. for a regular meeting with an agenda
• Coffee chats: We will cancel the May 21 coffee chat. The board of commissioners will consider hosting coffee chats at Davidson Town Hall quarterly starting in September (two at 9:00 a.m. and one at 6:00 p.m.). We will use Open Town Hall to seek citizen input.
For citizens, it appears the biggest impact to this change surrounds when public comments will occur.
Public comment on issues will be on the 4th Tuesday meeting which is the "Regular" meeting. What this means in practical terms is that if citizens want to make a public comment on an issue, they have to go to the 4th Tuesday meeting to speak on things that may be voted on that night or the next two Work Session meetings since there will now be 3 meetings per month with potential for votes rather than just 2.
Long-time watchers of Davidson Town Hall may be thrown off by the "1st Tuesday" meeting time. This is a part of the new meeting schedule passed by the Board back in May as part of the May 8th its consent agenda.
From that meeting agenda item it says:
• Starting in August, we will transition to the following monthly schedule:
o Meet on the first Tuesday of the month at 6:00 p.m. for a work session with an agenda
o Meet on the second Tuesday of the month at 6:00 p.m. for a work session with an agenda
o Meet on the fourth Tuesday of the month at 6:00 p.m. for a regular meeting with an agenda
• Coffee chats: We will cancel the May 21 coffee chat. The board of commissioners will consider hosting coffee chats at Davidson Town Hall quarterly starting in September (two at 9:00 a.m. and one at 6:00 p.m.). We will use Open Town Hall to seek citizen input.
For citizens, it appears the biggest impact to this change surrounds when public comments will occur.
Public comment on issues will be on the 4th Tuesday meeting which is the "Regular" meeting. What this means in practical terms is that if citizens want to make a public comment on an issue, they have to go to the 4th Tuesday meeting to speak on things that may be voted on that night or the next two Work Session meetings since there will now be 3 meetings per month with potential for votes rather than just 2.
Town of Davidson’s Beaty Street Task Force Seeks Citizen Input (press release)
DAVIDSON, N.C. – The Town of Davidson’s Beaty Street Conceptual Plan Task Force, made up of 14 Davidson citizens, is currently working to develop an overall project timeline to make the park on the 19 acres of town-owned land along Beaty Street a reality. The citizen-led task force was appointed by the Davidson Board of Commissioners in late May and charged with soliciting input from Davidson citizens to identify park and recreation needs along with ancillary public amenities in keeping with the natural, park-like setting of the property.
Early in the year, the Davidson Board of Commissioners voted to preserve nearly 20 acres along Beaty Street for a park. The property is bordered on its west side by Beaty Street (across from the Ingersoll Rand area). On its east side, it is bordered by the railroad that runs behind homes along Main Street.
The property is home to hardwoods and is primarily made up of tree canopy.
A major part of the group’s efforts will be to solicit input from Davidson citizens on what they would like to see included in the park. To gain initial input, the task force is surveying citizens now through August 13 about how they would like to be informed and involved in the project along with the type of amenities they would like to see that are in keeping with the natural setting of the property. Please take the survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/parkatbeatysurvey1
Citizens can find the survey link and other information at www.townofdavidson.org/parkatbeaty.
As part of the planning process, the task force is evaluating both the natural constraints and opportunities presented by the property. Among the work under way:
-Assessment of the dam on the property in terms of safety, cost of repairs, and other factors pertinent to park planning. (The dam is overseen by the State; the Army Corps of Engineers regulates wetlands and jurisdictional streams.)
-Assessment of natural resources on the property. Mecklenburg County has just completed a summer plant inventory and will discuss findings at an upcoming task force meeting. Two other plant inventories are planned for the fall and the spring.
-Research of existing parks to gather ideas and share with the public.
-Evaluation of the legal elements of the Beaty Street park land, assessment of the suitability of lands adjacent to or near the park for possible expansion of park’s footprint, and evaluation of strategies for permanently conserving the park.
-Development of public input strategies. In addition to surveys, other public input opportunities are in the works. Among them: A hike series on the property (begins in August), an idea wall in the Town Hall Rotunda, a Pinterest page, a Back-to-School event, and public input forums. When public input dates and opportunities are finalized, the task force will share them through the Town of Davidson and other outlets.
Task force members: Ellyn Baeszler, Denise Beall, John Burke, Dave Cable, Leah Chester-Davis, Heidi Dietrich, Gary Fagan, Peter Grisewood, Janet Makee, Bill Maloney, Karen Manfredi, Jason Parker, Gabriel Schoen, and Alice Sudduth. Kathryn Spatz, Davidson Parks and Recreation Director, is the staff member working with the group. Chris Matthews, Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation, and Gary Fankhouser, ViZ Design, also are providing professional support to the group.
For more information, updates and survey links: www.townofdavidson.org/parkatbeaty.
Early in the year, the Davidson Board of Commissioners voted to preserve nearly 20 acres along Beaty Street for a park. The property is bordered on its west side by Beaty Street (across from the Ingersoll Rand area). On its east side, it is bordered by the railroad that runs behind homes along Main Street.
The property is home to hardwoods and is primarily made up of tree canopy.
A major part of the group’s efforts will be to solicit input from Davidson citizens on what they would like to see included in the park. To gain initial input, the task force is surveying citizens now through August 13 about how they would like to be informed and involved in the project along with the type of amenities they would like to see that are in keeping with the natural setting of the property. Please take the survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/parkatbeatysurvey1
Citizens can find the survey link and other information at www.townofdavidson.org/parkatbeaty.
As part of the planning process, the task force is evaluating both the natural constraints and opportunities presented by the property. Among the work under way:
-Assessment of the dam on the property in terms of safety, cost of repairs, and other factors pertinent to park planning. (The dam is overseen by the State; the Army Corps of Engineers regulates wetlands and jurisdictional streams.)
-Assessment of natural resources on the property. Mecklenburg County has just completed a summer plant inventory and will discuss findings at an upcoming task force meeting. Two other plant inventories are planned for the fall and the spring.
-Research of existing parks to gather ideas and share with the public.
-Evaluation of the legal elements of the Beaty Street park land, assessment of the suitability of lands adjacent to or near the park for possible expansion of park’s footprint, and evaluation of strategies for permanently conserving the park.
-Development of public input strategies. In addition to surveys, other public input opportunities are in the works. Among them: A hike series on the property (begins in August), an idea wall in the Town Hall Rotunda, a Pinterest page, a Back-to-School event, and public input forums. When public input dates and opportunities are finalized, the task force will share them through the Town of Davidson and other outlets.
Task force members: Ellyn Baeszler, Denise Beall, John Burke, Dave Cable, Leah Chester-Davis, Heidi Dietrich, Gary Fagan, Peter Grisewood, Janet Makee, Bill Maloney, Karen Manfredi, Jason Parker, Gabriel Schoen, and Alice Sudduth. Kathryn Spatz, Davidson Parks and Recreation Director, is the staff member working with the group. Chris Matthews, Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation, and Gary Fankhouser, ViZ Design, also are providing professional support to the group.
For more information, updates and survey links: www.townofdavidson.org/parkatbeaty.
National Night Out: Tuesday, August 7 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. (press release)
DAVIDSON, N.C. – Please join the Davidson Police Department on Tuesday, August 7 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at Roosevelt Wilson Park (420 Griffith Street) to celebrate National Night Out. The event is free and open to the public. On-street parking will be available.
National Night Out is an annual crime prevention and community-building event, sponsored by the Davidson Police Department to promote involvement in crime prevention activities, police-resident partnerships, and neighborhood cohesiveness.
We will serve hot dogs and hamburgers, courtesy of Brickhouse Tavern. We encourage Davidson residents and employees to attend and bring a side dish or dessert to share.
We will have tents with tables and chairs so that attendees are comfortable and have plenty of seating. We will also have a dunking booth, face painting, a free raffle for prizes, and other activities for children. The Davidson Police Department will distribute information and items from the Watch for Me NC initiative to educate citizens about pedestrian safety
“We value our partnership with everyone in Davidson who works with us to keep our town the safe place that it is to work, live, and raise a family,” said Davidson Police Chief Penny Dunn. “This year we hope people from all parts of Davidson will join us to celebrate our wonderful community and meet our officers, including several new ones.”
A variety of groups will be present to educate our citizens: North Mecklenburg Crime Stoppers, Mecklenburg County’s District Attorney’s office, MEDIC, Mental Health Association, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department Communications, Safe Alliance, Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office, Davidson Fire Department (with a fire truck), and CharMeck Alerts.
In addition to Brickhouse Tavern, we appreciate the generosity of Harris Teeter, Homewood Suites, Mandolino’s, Flat Iron, The Village Store, Main Street Books, and many others.
National Night Out is an annual crime prevention and community-building event, sponsored by the Davidson Police Department to promote involvement in crime prevention activities, police-resident partnerships, and neighborhood cohesiveness.
We will serve hot dogs and hamburgers, courtesy of Brickhouse Tavern. We encourage Davidson residents and employees to attend and bring a side dish or dessert to share.
We will have tents with tables and chairs so that attendees are comfortable and have plenty of seating. We will also have a dunking booth, face painting, a free raffle for prizes, and other activities for children. The Davidson Police Department will distribute information and items from the Watch for Me NC initiative to educate citizens about pedestrian safety
“We value our partnership with everyone in Davidson who works with us to keep our town the safe place that it is to work, live, and raise a family,” said Davidson Police Chief Penny Dunn. “This year we hope people from all parts of Davidson will join us to celebrate our wonderful community and meet our officers, including several new ones.”
A variety of groups will be present to educate our citizens: North Mecklenburg Crime Stoppers, Mecklenburg County’s District Attorney’s office, MEDIC, Mental Health Association, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department Communications, Safe Alliance, Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office, Davidson Fire Department (with a fire truck), and CharMeck Alerts.
In addition to Brickhouse Tavern, we appreciate the generosity of Harris Teeter, Homewood Suites, Mandolino’s, Flat Iron, The Village Store, Main Street Books, and many others.
Wednesday, August 1, 2018
Red Line "options" show plan as much or more about land use than moving people
The CATS mass transit sales pitch rolled into Davidson Town Hall on Tuesday evening to discuss the options proposed for the North Corridor of the 2030 Transit Plan. However, to see that this project has little to do with moving people and more to do with land planning and high density development, one just has to look at the CATS website for the project.
The four options for the project are posted below.
Option 1: Commuter Rail on Norfolk Southern's O Line. This option is the "original" - the one that was used to convince North Mecklenburg into voting for tax increases to build rail to the area. If it is built it will run through the North Meck towns. In Davidson in particular it would change the town's character. The inevitable gentrification it would cause would eliminate much of the racial and economic diversity in town.
Option 2: Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) utilizing the I77 HOT lanes when that project opens in coming months. This option will cost the least, could be implemented the soonest, and provide by far the fastest service to Uptown Charlotte. (Note: Even though efforts continue to make major changes to the HOT contract, it is looking more and more likely there will be at least one HOT lane that could be used to support BRT service.
Option 3: Light rail to Charlotte. Many people love the idea of Light Rail Transit (LRT) to Charlotte. However, this option will be the most expensive and take by far the longest to ride. The question you have to ask yourself is "Do I care more about riding on a train than getting to/from work much, much faster on a bus?"
Option 4: BRT on NC21. This option will be significantly more expensive than the BRT in Option 2 because it will need to acquire right of way for dedicated BRT lane along NC21. It will have a similar trip time as commuter rail.
So, what do Options 1, 3, and 4 have in common over Option 2 other than being slower, more expensive, and longer to implement? They all support higher density development. In fact if there is a perceived drawback to Option 2 from the New Urbanist planner perspective (that's the perspective that drives all planning in the area), it is that Option 2 doesn't support high density development known as Transit Oriented Development (TOD) as well.
So as this discussion unfolds people need to keep this in mind, if development proposals in Davidson like the Linden, Potts Street, and Davidson Depot bother you, then you should only consider supporting a mass transit option like BRT on I77 under Option 2. Supporting anything else means you also support more small town character destroying high density development because that's what those options are designed to do.
The four options for the project are posted below.
Option 1: Commuter Rail on Norfolk Southern's O Line. This option is the "original" - the one that was used to convince North Mecklenburg into voting for tax increases to build rail to the area. If it is built it will run through the North Meck towns. In Davidson in particular it would change the town's character. The inevitable gentrification it would cause would eliminate much of the racial and economic diversity in town.
Option 2: Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) utilizing the I77 HOT lanes when that project opens in coming months. This option will cost the least, could be implemented the soonest, and provide by far the fastest service to Uptown Charlotte. (Note: Even though efforts continue to make major changes to the HOT contract, it is looking more and more likely there will be at least one HOT lane that could be used to support BRT service.
Option 3: Light rail to Charlotte. Many people love the idea of Light Rail Transit (LRT) to Charlotte. However, this option will be the most expensive and take by far the longest to ride. The question you have to ask yourself is "Do I care more about riding on a train than getting to/from work much, much faster on a bus?"
Option 4: BRT on NC21. This option will be significantly more expensive than the BRT in Option 2 because it will need to acquire right of way for dedicated BRT lane along NC21. It will have a similar trip time as commuter rail.
So, what do Options 1, 3, and 4 have in common over Option 2 other than being slower, more expensive, and longer to implement? They all support higher density development. In fact if there is a perceived drawback to Option 2 from the New Urbanist planner perspective (that's the perspective that drives all planning in the area), it is that Option 2 doesn't support high density development known as Transit Oriented Development (TOD) as well.
So as this discussion unfolds people need to keep this in mind, if development proposals in Davidson like the Linden, Potts Street, and Davidson Depot bother you, then you should only consider supporting a mass transit option like BRT on I77 under Option 2. Supporting anything else means you also support more small town character destroying high density development because that's what those options are designed to do.
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