Save Davidson "splits the rock"...Beaty Street Luminous Project dies

"You never know which strike will split the rock...but you have to keep striking."

The above quote is a version of the Stonecutters Credo sent to aShortChronicle by Jamie Ramsden, one of the leaders in the Save Davidson movement.  That was back on August 19th.  By that time the activist group had been pounding the rock for months with blow after blow.

Today, the Beaty Street RFP rock split.

Was it the protests, the packed Town Hall meetings, the countless emails, the lemonade stands, the signs, the car magnets, the magnet mobile, the t-shirts, the records requests, the videos, the growing number of Facebook likes, the relentless fact checkers, the SHINE events, the information sessions, the Save Davidson Run for the Green participants, the constant drip of conflicting information, or the Save Davidson funded appraisal?

We may never know why, but today the Town of Davidson posted this...

A great example of citizen activism and perseverance came to fruition today.  An unbelievable amount of dedication and work went into putting a stop to a crazy idea that never should have been allowed to get this far.  Everyone involved needs to take pride in what has been accomplished, take a day or two to breath it all in.  Then, continue to work to make sure it does not happen again.

On November 7th, make sure that happens by getting out to vote.

Save Davidson to present results of independent Beaty Street land appraisal on Thursday

Save Davidson is taking it up a notch in their challenging of Davidson Town Hall's handling of the Beaty Street RFP.  The activist group has commissioned their own professional appraisal of the Beaty Street Property to see if the initial one done by the town passes the smell test.

Thursday night the group will reveal the results at the Homewood Suites in the Circles@30 area.  Here is what the announcement had to say.

As a sign the Town of Davidson knows its original appraisal conducted as part of the RFP process may be flawed, it is currently having it re-done.  As part of the Town initiated appraisal citizens have been encouraging the Town to hold off to ensure it includes the sale of the property for the "Potts Street Project" at the intersection of Potts and 115.  The Potts Street parcel is about the same size as the Beaty Street land and is rumored to be undeter contract for considerably more per acre than Beaty.

While the Potts Street project is also controversial and there are also citizen efforts underway to stop it from going forward, if that sale was to go through it would provide an excellent comp for any sale of the town owned Beaty St.

Regardless, the Beaty Street land is about to get multiple new looks at it from a valuation perspective.

Save Davidson to host S.H.I.N.E. event August 3rd

DAVIDSON, NC – “Save Davidson,” a citizen group fighting the development of the Beaty Street Property is hosting an event from 7 to 9 p.m. on Thursday, August 3, at D9 Brewing Company, 11138 Treynorth Drive, Cornelius. The event is open to the public.

S.H.I.N.E. (Sharing Helpful Information Now with Everyone) will include an update from “Save Davidson,” including next steps to save the Beaty Street Property. The Davidson Board of Commissioners voted on July 11 to enter contract negotiations with a private developer despite large public outcry against the development. More than 250 people participated in a protest before the meeting and 30 people spoke against the development during the public comment period.

“The S.H.I.N.E. event is a response to the tremendous citizen interest in how business is conducted in Davidson,” says Denise Beall, one of the organizers of “Save Davidson.” “The proposed development of the Beaty Street Park Property has really struck a nerve across Davidson. We hope to continue to inform, educate and involve citizens and this event is designed to do that.”

Along those lines, “Save Davidson” encourages all citizens to remain engaged considering that the contract negotiation is the first step in a long process and at each stage there is an opportunity to cancel the project. “The August 8 board meeting is another important one for citizens to attend,” says Beall.

In addition to a brief update at the S.H.I.N.E. event, “Save Davidson” will share how they plan to be involved in the upcoming elections. They also will provide an opportunity for participants to share ideas and learn how to become involved.

“We want people to have the chance to learn more and also have some fun,” added Beall. “Citizen input is critical and this is a chance for people to meet their neighbors and continue to build community.”

“Save Davidson” started as a Facebook page (now with 1,450+ members) and has coalesced into a group of citizens who is working to shine light on what they view as a disregard of a contract, betrayal of public trust, flawed process, lack of transparency, failure to include and acknowledge citizen input on publicly owned land along with increased traffic, loss of tree canopy and open space, and adverse effects to water and air quality.

“Save Davidson” is holding “What’s Next” sessions (watch the Save Davidson Facebook page for announcements on dates/times.) The group is planning a Nature Walk on the Beaty Street Park Property at 9:30 a.m. on August 19. Diane Podolsky, a naturalist and artist, will lead the walk. For those interested in sketching, bring a sketchbook and pencils.

Find more information at www.savedavidson.org. Follow Save Davidson on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Stay tuned for locations of the magnet mobile around town where you can make a donation for Save Davidson magnets, t-shirts and yard signs. Receive updates via e-mail; write savedavidson@gmail.com to add your name to the list.

Save Davidson's level of organization peaking as election season begins

The Save Davidson activist group is getting more organized by the day it seems.

Originally started as a Facebook group focused solely on the Beaty Street RFP, the Facebook group quickly expanded and now boasts over 1100 members.  That's a tremendous representation and reach for a town the size of Davidson.  In addition to hosting several nature walks on the town owned Beaty Street property, conducting flyer handouts, and coordinating information sessions at homes around town, the organization has just expanded its web presence as well by launching SaveDavidson.org .

As a show of the dedication and research capacity this group is capable of harnessing, a 100 page dossier on the history of the Beaty property and the RFP process was posted to the new website.  Check it out here.

When a group gets this organized and this active, it is a game changer when it comes to local politics.  Look at WidenI77.org for a comparison.  While that group hasn't stopped the I77 HOT lanes project - yet - it has had a tremendous impact on our local elections over every election cycle since 2013.  It's very arguable the anti-toll group's efforts and the other groups it spawned cost the governorship of a sitting incumbent at the state level.  That is in addition to the impact the movement has had on the makeup of the Town Boards in Huntersville and Cornelius.

With "Save Davidson", it looks like a similar phenomenon is in the works in our local college town.

A big part of the reason for the saying "you can't fight Town Hall" is that Town Hall (or government in general) has a whole staff whose job it is to promote the "official" point of view.  It is hard for part time activists to compete against that.  When average citizens get organized and leverage the time and talents of many, it changes that dynamic.  The balance of power between activists and the local government shifts.

Election season starts Friday with the opening of the filing period for candidates.  The Save Davidson group is peaking at the right moment to truly have an impact on the outcome.  The key will be which candidates does it get behind and which ones it opposes.