NATIONAL NIGHT OUT
TUESDAY, AUGUST 5
7:00 – 9:00 PM
NORTH MAIN ROTARY PARK
The National Night Out celebration has been a part of our community for several years now and is, not only an event dedicated to crime and drug prevention, but also an opportunity to share good food and companionship with our neighbors. National Night Out was first introduced in this country in 1984 and last year was celebrated by 35.4 million people and included all 50 states, U.S. territories, Canadian territories and military bases worldwide. Representatives from our local police and fire departments and other city officials will be joining us. Just bring a dish to share and lawn chairs. The NMCA will provide cups, drinks, ice, utensils and desserts.
Message from the President NMCA
I hope everyone is enjoying their summer even though it has been quite hot and dry. Please remember to leave some water out for your pets and for the birds if you have a bird bath.
National Night Out is scheduled for August 5th, and we hope to see many of you at the North Main Rotary Park for some good food and talk. It is a great time to meet many new neighbors and many of our City officials come as well.
Many of the large oak trees in our area are nearing the end of their lives. With September right around the corner, please think about replacing trees that you may have had to take down. We are slowly losing our canopy which is why many of us moved to this area in the first place. Late September is a great time to plant so please put this on your schedule.
Have a safe rest of summer and remember to use sunscreen and to wear those life jackets at the lake.
Update for North Main Rotary Park
The park continues to mature, and the native plants that were planted last year are doing well in spite of the drought. The new plants put in about a month ago are suffering a bit, and we will lose some of the large container plants. If you use the park, please stay off of the creek banks and use the access point next to the playground. Some areas may look like weeds, but they banks are full of native species plants that need time to take hold. On these hot days, the park is a wonderful place to spend some time so please enjoy it!
We will have a workday in the fall after it cools off, and the details will be sent in September.
Community Development Update
The East Montclair Stormwater Project is well underway. Bob Bainbridge, Nell Stewart, and Jo Anne Connor attended the kick-off meeting at the City. The schedule called for the start of work in early June, but the crews were already working to put in the new pipes on Bennett Street in late May. The new pipes are now in as far as McDonald Street. The pipes will go only about halfway from there to Main Street, but curb and gutters will go all the way. This project has long been needed to prevent water flowing into yards on the downhill side of the street and to correct the variability in street width.
The Elements, the new condominiums on Mohawk Drive, held a grand opening on Saturday June 7. The event attracted a good crowd for a talk on wildlife friendly gardening and a butterfly release. The first four units are all distinct in floor plans and finishes, so it is not your standard “cookie-cutter” development.
The traffic-calming island was installed at E. Hillcrest Drive and McDonald Street in March, and landscaping went in in June. The island is definitely reducing traffic speeds in the area. Nearby a new house was framed up and under roof in only a week!
Members of CEEDA, the Earle Street Association, met with the NMCA Board in June, and Bob Bainbridge attended their meeting the next evening. They had been invited to meet with the City Economic Development staff and Steve Timmons, who is serving as developer of the property across from Canal Insurance on the vacant land bounded by Church Street, Wade Hampton, Column Street, and Stone Avenue/Laurens Road. The issue of the closing of the “paper street” through the property came up again, but at the CEEDA meeting it became clear that the abandonment was proceeding. Both the City and the Developer asked the CEEDA representatives what they would like to see on the property. It was decided to form a committee to get input from members about what types of businesses or residential development would be desirable from the neighborhood viewpoint. The North Main Community Association is doing the same thing. See the special request for assistance elsewhere in the newsletter.
SPECIAL REQUEST FOR NEIGHBORHOOD INPUT
Near the North Main Area there are several large pieces of vacant land that could be developed in the near future, including the Timmons property across from Canal Insurance and the Collins property on North Main near Stone Avenue. The City of Greenville has indicated that they would like to hear from the neighborhoods about what they we like to see be built on the properties. Some uses we have already taken a position on, like the day labor businesses on Stone Avenue that brought vagrants into the area, sometimes all night. And everyone seems to have some ideas for a type of service or shop that is not available nearby. Bob Bainbridge will work to put the list together in two steps.
1. Please e-mail or mail to Bob a list of types of businesses or residences that you think would be useful or desirable on these nearby properties, and a list of uses that you think would be undesirable. The lists do not have to be long; two or three items would be fine. You are welcome to add reasons why certain uses would be desirable or undesirable.
2. Bob will take everybody’s input and put together a Master List of desirable and undesirable uses. We will them e-mail that list out to the members (with mailings to those who do not have e-mail. Members can then vote on whether they agree with the items on the lists. It is likely that some uses may show up on both the positive and negative lists, and the “vote” can help us put together a final list to share with CEEDA, the City, and developers.
Send your list to Bob at bainbrr@Clemson.edu or at 36 E. Hillcrest Drive, 29609 by August 10, 2008.
Community Safety
Make sure that you are not a victim of a crime by being lax in safety areas. We are having quite a few cars in the City entered by burglars because something perceived to be of value is left visible inside the car. Some of these cars have been locked, but others have been left unlocked. One should always lock their car, including when it is in their own driveway. And never leave anything visible inside that a thief could think has value (one was entered when there was an empty DVD box on the backseat). It is also wise to lock your car when driving to avoid having someone enter the car at a stop sign or a traffic light. Lock it when entering it, even before you start the engine.
In addition, we need to be concerned about any unusual activity going on in our neighborhood. We recently had one citizen notice something unusual going on at a neighbor’s house and reported it. Police were able to find an illegal activity and make an arrest because of the neighbor’s vigilance. (If, for some reason, you hesitate to call the Police, call me.) The activity was one that we definitely do not want in our community! If you call the Police, and there is no crime being committed, no one will suffer; but if there is criminal activity, and you don’t report it, you or one of your neighbors could suffer. Let’s watch out for each other and keep our neighborhood as safe as possible.
Nell Stewart
Chairman
Public Safety Committee
On-line Newsletter and Email Addresses
In April of this year we recommenced our online newsletter which had been sent out only sporadically over the past couple of years. This newsletter is not meant to replace the hard copy edition which you are now reading but to send out information in a speedy manner as it comes available. If you do not have internet and email access, a print-out of the newsletter will be mailed to you. Let us know if this is the case and we will do our best to see you receive all information. Ever since we re-started the e-newsletter, we have had mailings bounce back as undeliverable and we know that we have errors in several email addresses. If you are a member and have not received an online newsletter, please let us know so we can correct our information. This is also true of anyone who has changed email addresses recently. Please contact Jean Martin @ 232-2782.
