ECA 2-11 by Elizabeth Community

Amanda Loftus Elizabeth 8k race 704 608 9089 aemloftus@yahoo.com

Peter Tart zoning/real estate 704 372 4147 petart@carolina.rr.com

Russell Crandall traffic, trees 704 344 0897 rucrandall@davidson.edu

Kristan Magas Parks & Rec liaison 704 347 4763 kdm2201@gmail.com

Amy Williams social 704 491 8240 awill@catocorp.com

Beth Haenni vice president, social 704 332 7992 beth.haenni@gmail.com

Ruffin Pearce zoning/real estate/legal 704 331 4989 rpearce@wcsr.com

Jenny Holman secretary 704 313 8079 jennyholman@mac.com

Susan Plott treasurer 704 575 2259 splott@carolina.rr.com

Dana Inge crime dudette 704 968 3234 kayak1010@hotmail.com

Monte Ritchey president 704 334 6964 mritchey@conformitycorp.com

Terry Lett business liaison/block captain 704 377 0052 terryp.lett@gmail.com

Melanie Sizemore zoning/real estate 704 335 0909 msizemore@realindex.com

J O I N THE E C A No one can give you any answers. There aren’t any. You have to discover for yourself – you must learn to navigate the mystery. – Bill Hicks

An invitation to the ECA community It’s been over a year since the last one, but another ECA Social is on the horizon. When: June 17 from 5:30 – 7.30 p.m. Where: Studio K Gallery 2024 East Seventh Street Come meet your neighbors and check out this great space. Food and beverages will be served.

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✤ The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift. –Albert Einstein

cover and banner photos by Nancy O. Albert, photo p3 by Craig Miller

Nancy Albert newsletter 704 779 0932 noalbert@carolina.rr.com

Third Elizabeth Recycles Many thanks to volunteers who helped out with the event Day another success including Kris Solow, Mike by Craig Miller Plunkett, Maggie Macomber, The third annual Elizabeth Elaine Scott, Craig Miller and Recycles Day, held on April 30 Zach Current. All volunteers in Independence Park, was once and those who brought items again a great success. Many of received a free rain gauge and you showed up with everything a $5 Fuel Pizza gift certificate. from old paint and TVs to If you would like to help out bottles caps and hangers. with next year’s event or have Even though the City recently ideas about how to improve expanded the list of items they the event, please contact Craig collect in our rollout carts, Miller at 704 351 5472. there are still many things they don’t collect at curbside. This event made it easier for Elizabeth residents to get rid of unused stuff without throwing it in the trash. Everything brought will either be reused or recycled. Four pickup truck loads of items were collected, including: 670 lbs of paint, 75 lbs of miscellaneous household hazardous waste, 10 lbs of CDs and CD cases, 10 lbs of bottle caps, 15 fluorescent light bulbs, 11 eyeglasses, 8 cell phones, 23 ink cartridges, 3 caddies of hangers, 5 blankets, various arts and crafts items, and a truckload of electronic equipment (TVs, computers, DVD players, etc.).

deadline fall 2011:

August 15th editorial content:

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size: 3.205” x 3.715” (641 x 743 pixels) Observations on solid waste and recycling pick-ups by Nancy Albert and Patsy Kinsey

The solid waste and recycling pick-up day for the Elizabeth neighborhood is Tuesday. Garbage in the gray bins is picked up every week and recyclables in the green bins are picked up every other week. Many items will be reused such Our next recyclable pick-up day, depending when you as the cell phones, blankets, receive this newsletter, is June arts and crafts, hangers and eyeglasses while the remainder 5 or two weeks after that. You were delivered to various places can usually tell when it is time to push the green bin to the such as Home Depot, Best curb by looking to see how Buy and the County recycling full it is. Of course if you have center to be properly recycled.

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a large family or lots of little ones you may fill it up weekly, in which case you may purchase another bin from Solid Waste Services (SWS). To access information about that or anything else you want to know about SWS go to charmeck. org; departments; solid waste services – city; residential services; recycling collection. Another suggestion is if you live on one of our very narrow streets – Kenmore, Greenway, 9th, etc. – and you park on the street, please park as close to the curb as possible and try to stagger car parking. Often the garbage trucks have to back up for a whole block and find another route to houses missed due to the street being blocked by parked cars. If you hear a horn blowing early in the morning it may be the garbage truck hoping someone will come and move their car so they can get through. We are provided very good service by SWS and they will appreciate our help in these ways.

affecting the neighborhood. The Historic Elizabeth Neighborhood Foundation (HENF) was created in 1984 as a 501-C3 and the HENF mission included “to supervise, aid, encourage and advise in the restoration, reconditioning, renovation, construction, maintenance and operation of buildings, structures, parks, plazas and places of historical and architectural interest in areas throughout Elizabeth and to study and promote the landscaping, beautification and planning of such areas.”

One of the HENF’s major efforts was to raise funds for the ECA to develop the Elizabeth Small Area Plan. The HENF funds were used to hire architectural and planning experts to develop, in conjunction with the ECA and residents of the neighborhood, a plan to direct the future development and preservation of the neighborhood. After considerable work and effort from members of the neighborhood, the Elizabeth Small Area Plan was developed ECA. HENF. SAP. AP. and the ECA petitioned City MUDD. TOD. PED. What’s it all about, Alfie? Council to approve this Plan. It was adopted by Charlotte by Melanie Sizemore City Council in 1985 as the In the early 1980’s, the Elizabeth Small Are Plan. Elizabeth Community As a result of the 1985 SAP, Association (ECA) undertook an effort to create a Small Area the ECA undertook a number of actions to shape Elizabeth Plan (SAP) for the Elizabeth Neighborhood, concerned that as we know it today. The ECA the voice of the neighborhood petitioned City Council to downzone certain properties was not being embodied in to protect the fabric of the the City’s planning decisions 4

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neighborhood by providing transitions from Business or Retail zoned property to Single family zoned properties. ECA and HENF Board members were instrumental in resisting NCDOT’s efforts to widen 7th Street into a 4 lane thoroughfare and fought to instead establish the reversible lane on 7th Street. The HENF became the legally recognized organization to work with the state DOT with the implications of the transformation of Independence Blvd into an expressway. This included the treatment of the sound barriers and condemnation of neighborhood properties to minimize impact to the neighborhood. Over the years, the HENF and ECA have continued to promote and protect the neighborhood so that residents, old and new, can enjoy the benefits of living in Elizabeth. The City Planning office no longer recognizes the 1985 Small Area Plan so in December of 2007, members of the HENF and ECA met to develop a plan for updating the SAP for Elizabeth. The HENF was selected to lead this effort on behalf of the neighborhood and started discussions with the Planning office to update the SAP. It took approximately eighteen months to get the ball rolling with the Planning Department to update the SAP. Fast forward to today - the Elizabeth neighborhood and

the Planning office are two years into developing the new Area Plan (“AP”) for the Elizabeth neighborhood. The Area Plan defines the vision and land use policies for the Elizabeth Neighborhood and will be used by the Planning Department, City Council and other agencies to guide future growth and development in the Elizabeth neighborhood.

photo by Nancy O. Albert

Charlotte’s growth has meant that neighborhoods like Elizabeth which are close to Center City Charlotte are feeling the effects of growth and the lexicon of zoning in Elizabeth is changing to accommodate this growth. The 1985 Elizabeth SAP predominately addresses residential and business district zoning classifications. The Area Plan that is currently under development includes Urban Residential Districts (UR), Mixed Use Development Districts (MUDD), Transit Oriented Development Districts (TOD) and Pedestrian Overlay Districts (PED).

has developed a schedule to submit the new Area Plan to the City Council for approval over the coming months and interested residents can get Through the Area Plan process, the HENF and ECA are working more information on the to accommodate the growth of process and plan by going Charlotte while maintaining the to http://charmeck.org/city/ unique character of Elizabeth. charlotte/planning/Pages/ Home.aspx and clicking on the Members of the HENF, ECA “Elizabeth Area Plan” link listed and residents of Elizabeth are on the right side of this page. continuing to meet with the The responsibility for the future Planning office to finalize the of Elizabeth lies with all of us new Elizabeth Area Plan. The and we all need to get involved next meeting is June 15th and assist in the future of our and anyone can attend the neighborhood. meeting. The Planning Office

Save the dates: October 1st-2nd by Diana Watson Does it seem early to be talking about fall and the 2011 Elizabeth Home Tour? Mark your calendars for the first weekend in October and plan to celebrate the beauty of our neighborhood. The tour this year features eight homes and gardens, plus the new Mecklenburg County Master Display Garden and Mercy Hospital will open their doors to visitors. The homes this year will showcase the diversity of our neighborhood with a vintage 1913 bungalow to a newly built Craftsman, a two bedroom cottage to homes that have been expanded with growing families, historical renovations to homes of modern design, and three creative gardens. The committee wishes to thank those who are graciously sharing their homes and gardens this fall: Jeremy Carter 2220 Vail Ave Beth Harden and Geoff McLaughlin 2416 Kenmore Ave Paula Lechner 2120 Kenmore Ave Michel and Ladd VanDevender 2421 E 5th Kim and Harris Lineberger 2125 Greenway the people pages

MaryHahn and Chris Fetter 1928 E. 9th St Kirsti Nelson 616 Pecan Ave John Denti 651 Louise Ave Home Tour is a great opportunity for newcomers to meet neighbors. For longtime residents, it’s a chance to renew acquaintances and make new friends. Diana Watson (dianawatson3 @gmail.com) is tour chair. Stephanie McKee (smckee @theconegroup.com) is chair of volunteers to staff the tour homes. Nicki Bartlett (nicolebendikbartlett@gmail. com) is sponsorship chair. If you have an interest in staffing a tour home or contacting area businesses for a sponsorship, please contact Diana, Stephanie, or Nicki. See you on the Elizabeth Home Tour - October 1st and 2nd! Older homes CAN have low energy bills by John Eberdt When the first historic Elizabeth community houses were built in the 1900’s, being “energy efficient” meant blowing out an oil lamp before you went to bed. Now it means so much more – lower energy bills, a more comfortable home, cleaner air, and greener living. 6

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Older and historic homes are rich is character, but often poor in energy efficiency, and their homeowners may believe there’s little they can do to improve them, while maintaining the charm of old architecture. In my experience, the energy performance of older building can actually be a substantial opportunity. I regularly see homeowners achieve savings of 20 to 30% on energy bills through simple, cost-effective improvements. Changes in building concepts

It’s not surprising that building codes in Charlotte have changed substantially since homes were built in the 1900’s. What may be surprising is how much basic concepts have changed. Homes built before the 1920’s were designed to allow free airflow in and out of the home – both for the comfort of the homeowner and for the purpose of reducing moisture buildup. Installing a modern HVAC system in a home such as this, which hasn’t had remedial work on sealing and insulation, is quite a bit like throwing your money away in the wind. Air which you’ve paid to heat or cool will simply leak out of the home faster than your HVAC system can produce it. Moisture issues

Old homes are infamous for having moisture issues, one of the leading causes of structural

issues and air quality concerns for homeowners. In just the last 10 years, technology has proven that sealing crawlspaces and updating (or installing) vapour barriers is the best way to tackle moisture concerns and also improve energy performance for the whole home. Poor Insulation

Poor insulation is the most common complaint I hear from homeowners, and rightly so. Older homes were typically built with insulation materials that are far less effective than today’s fibre glass batting or high-tech spray foam materials. Installing insulation, especially in floors and attics, has a dramatic effect on both your energy bills and your comfort, without any changes to the architecture of your lovely home.

Energy audits

The first step for any homeowner to achieve better energy efficiency is to simply have an energy audit performed. Using sophisticated tools like computer modeling, infrared cameras and blower door tests, you and your contractor can have a clear picture of where improvements need to be made to make the most effective improvements on your home. Older homes have quirky architectural details such as gables and dormers, which create character but have unexpected effects on air and moisture flow, so be sure to work with a contractor who is experienced in improvements on historic homes. There’s no need be stuck with

high energy bills just because you live in an older home. To get results and update your home without losing its character, take some time to understand your home as a complete system. The small upfront investment of time and money will pay itself back in no time. Progressive Dinner update by Beth Haenni Yassou! 150 Elizabethans greeted each other Greek style on April 30 for the “umpteenth” annual progressive dinner. No togas were spotted. Guests and hosts dined on moussaka, spanikopita, Greek salad, and baklava. Special thanks to Elaine Scott and Jerry Tylman for hosting appetizers and to Jessica and Monte Ritchey for hosting desserts. We thank the ECA and the social committee for sponsoring this event.

photos by Nancy O. Albert

Park adoption by Kristan Magas The Elizabeth Community has officially adopted Independence Park! We will be helping the Parks and Rec staff with Saturday trash pick-up and a monthly maintenance project for an annual term. All neighbors are encouraged to sign up and contribute. I am coordinating the park volunteer efforts through volunteerspot.com. I hope that everyone received an email the people pages

invitation to register, if not please email me (kmd2201@ gmail.com) and I will email the registration link to you. Note that you cannot sign up directly on the website, you must be invited and register using the link provided.

didn’t even try to hide their dismay. The cracked and failing plaster walls and ceilings and blackened trim that whispered character to us screamed TEAR ME DOWN to most.

photo courtesy Bonnie Emadi

many more projects, mostly of the invisible and unsatisfying nature, like repointing the brick foundation. Always in the back of my mind was our never painted lovely Craftsman woodwork, darkened by years We poured our energy and money into restoring our house. of varnish and dirt. My friends looked at the blackened wood Thank you to all those who have We replaced the roof and HVAC, fixed the plumbing and and said “Paint that wood. already signed up and those electrical system, and refinished It’ll brighten ip your house!” that soon will. It was my deepest wish to do the gorgeous golden maple A friend of Elizabeth floors. In eight weeks our house the opposite, to have the trim by Bonnie Emadi went from being a teardown to restored, although I really didn’t think it possible. Years passed. a mostly livable space. When my husband Babak and I bought our house, my friends Through the years we’ve done Much later, when we could

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finally afford to do fun, visible cosmetic work, we consulted Elizabeth Bevan and Dan Clodfelter, our trusted neighbors and knowers of all things related to restoration. “Who do you suggest we hire for painting?” we asked. Without hesitation, Elizabeth said “Kathy’s Custom Painting! She’s worked for us for over 20 years. She’s trustworthy and her work is the highest quality!” As is turned out, not only did Kathy paint Elizabeth’s house, but she had removed years of grime and paint from the nowbeautiful mahogany trim that graces that lovely home. Kathy has been working at our home ever since, often for months at a time. She’s fixed plenty of plaster cracks and swathed our walls in lovely, happy colors that delight us and our guests. Unlike some of the other workers we’ve hired, Kathy has treated our house with love, care and respect. And the best thing is that because she’s such a nice, kind and thoughtful person, we’ve become great friends.

through. It’s the most satisfying work we’ve had done in our home, and I still get up early every day to see it in the early morning light. Word about Kathy has spread… her white pickup truck has become such a fixture in the neighborhood some folks think she lives here. And she’d love to, as a matter of fact. My garden by Frances L. D’Amato My garden may be smaller than most, but it provides continual pleasure. Long ago I realized that planting perennials has the benefit of giving a garden stability.

In early spring the bulbs awake and provide evidence that winter will come to an end. This year, even in Charlotte, that couldn’t come soon enough. The long cold nights did turn into lovely spring flowers. Mine began with the crocuses. First just whispers of green leaves, then bursts of white and purple flowers to delight the eyes. Next came the soft yellows and whites of But Kathy’s latest and most daffodils and narcissus growing challenging feat was refinishing tall and assuring me that spring all our gorgeous wood trim. was really here. Soon the azaleas I had tried every dangerous came into their own: pink, red, solvent know to man, and was purple and finally my deciduous successful in removing only my yellow one burst into being. own skin. Kathy persevered and found the perfect combination The red and pink roses, of products and sweat-equity followed them bringing color that left the original color of that I believe will last till fall. wood intact and allowed all the I had the opportunity to help beautiful wood grain to shine one of our neighbors, Elizabeth the people pages

Geppert, who is a master gardener and rose expert at The McGill Rose Garden. She and a group of volunteers were pruning the roses in the garden in early February and I learned not to fear cutting the bushes back to about 4 inches from the ground. What I thought was severe pruning turned into just what my roses needed.

irises that are so tall and have many buds on one long stem. Then the shorter Japanese purple Irises offer only one flower per stem and stand in front of the taller ones.

If you’d like to begin a garden, just begin with a small area. Plan to have flowers come to life from early spring till late fall. Cut many flowers and place them around your house to bring the joy inside. I like keeping a garden book with the dates I planted each item, the first flowering, and when it’s time to separate and give some away. Gardening is a hobby that will last your whole life. You may devote as much or as little time to your garden as you like, just remember that the more you put into a garden the more pleasure it will give you.

photo shamelessly pilfered off the internet

My pink peonies have given me flowers for the first time this year. I bought them at the Wing Haven fall sale a few years ago and the leaves have been I now have orange coreopsis gathering strength. This year that seeds itself and seems to I was rewarded for waiting by become more numerous each three beautiful full flowers that spring. Rick Solow, another are in a vase on my fireplace neighbor and landscape as I write this. The gladiolas architect, told me that there provide a long stem filled are many species of this prolific with blooms that open from plant that will grow through he the bottom. I like to cut these summer. Their color is yellow, when about half of the buds are so I’m looking for some to fill in open. I then can enjoy the rest spaces with more color. opening up from a vase on my dinning room table. The iris and gladiola bulbs provide stately color for this I recently added a variegated period of late spring. I have Jacob’s Ladder to my bed of bearded purple, gold and white coleus, some given to me by

Mrs. Clawson, my brother-inlaw’s Mom who lived in the mountains and now watches down from above. I learned a good bit about plants and herbs from her. She’d be proud of my small herb garden sporting, basil, chives, parsley, mint, catnip, and tarragon.

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Elizabeth 8K a great success by Amanda Loftus Elizabeth residents should be proud to have hosted the Elizabeth 8K Presented by Presbyterian Orthopaedic Hospital and Hawthorne’s Pizza and to be a part of its success! The 25th annual event took place on Saturday, April 9 with perfect spring weather and a turnout of more than 700 participants. More than $9,000 was raised and will be used to benefit the Elizabeth Community Association as well as Presbyterian Hemby Children’s Hospital. Danielle Crockford repeated as the overall women’s winner in 31:18, and John Compton took the men’s title with a winning time of 26:02. Participants in the 8K race and 3K fun run/walk ranged in ages from five to 74 years old. As usual the event had a festive spirit, and post-race live music, refreshments, massage, chiropractic services, and even an Elvis impersonator enhanced the atmosphere. A special group of people deserve a big thank you from the community for their months of dedication and planning. Caroline Anderson, Cheryl Brown, Michelle Dagenhart, Loré Hunsicker, Jen Hurd, Linda Nash, Tom Patch, Britt Pursley, Kelsey Radke and Mark Thigpen all played a tremendous role in bringing

the race together. We also want to recognize Ken Magas for lending his creative genius to the race logo, brochures, t-shirts and signs. In addition to the planning committee, a team of more than 60 volunteers were on hand on race day to ensure a fantastic experience for the runners and walkers, and we are very grateful for their contribution. Finally, the event would not be possible without the support of our area businesses. We encourage you to in turn lend your support to these businesses to show your gratitude for how they have benefitted our neighborhood. Our 2011 partners include: Presbyterian Orthopaedic Hospital, Hawthorne’s Pizza, Kickstand, Loco Lime, Crisp, Ken Magas Designs, Wells Fargo, Harris Teeter, Carolina Sports Clinic, C-Prime, Great Harvest Bread Company, Huffman Law, Iron Butterfly Pilates, The Law Office of Annemarie Pantazis, Nothing But Noodles, T.R. Lawing, TruMassage Bodywork, Carpe Diem, Common Market, T1 Tapas, Smoothie King, DoubleTree Guest Suites at SouthPark, Race Management Systems, Charlotte Running Company, and Carolina Snapshot Photography. Planning for the 2012 race is already under way, and your help is always welcome. If you want to be a part of the planning committee, volunteer

on race day, or lend your business support as a sponsor, please contact Amanda Loftus ataemloftus@yahoo.com. Yard Yak by Kay Minor My neighbor ”Missy” just got a new porch swing, a lovely faux-rattan two seater. Around cocktail hour most days, she perches with her new beau and sways gently back and forth. Shades provide privacy for canoodling. Growing up, my family did not have a porch swing. We did have a Johnny-jumpup attached to the top of a doorway, but only the youngest was allowed to use it. I remember a cloth hammock (with fringe) on a stand in the yard, but over time it rotted away. It may just be my street( 8th) but there are quite a few old metal gliders on front porches. At my house, a swing would have to stretch horizontal in order to read, and in short order, nap. Unless you have vertigo, porch swinging makes most people sleepy. You don’t even need a porch for a swing these days. Most home improvement stores have affordable outdoor swings and hammocks, some even come with protection from sun and rain. Children love to snuggle together on a swing of any kind. It’s a simple comfort anyone, of any age, can enjoy. the people pages

Why is there a railcar behind a fence on Pecan? Today the fence was open so I walked in and asked a worker there. It’s an office! The owner of the building in front of it had it installed there because his father had been a railroad engineer. Although I’m still not sure how the train car got there, at least part of the mystery is solved. Arts flourishing in Elizabeth by Nancy O. Albert Long known as a restaurant destination, the Elizabeth neighborhood is now becoming a Mecca for art galleries as well. Two vibrant venues featuring original contemporary art have recently opened. In late March, Kellie Scott, owner, and Heather Andreas, manager, moved the Red Sky Gallery from their former location on East Boulevard in Dilworth, to 1523 Elizabeth Ave. Their new home is light, airy and all on one floor, with plenty of wall space; a perfect showcase for the paintings, sculpture and fine crafts that fill the gallery. They are pleased to be surrounded by restaurants and so close to uptown. Artist Kate Vasseur and her husband Peter, who operates Vasseur Home Design with his partner Craig Jackson, did 12

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extensive interior renovation and turned a bleak and shabby space (once part of a 7-Eleven store, off-and-on vacant for years) into a gallery of unique art work with a suite of offices on the second floor. The transformation is remarkable and if you visit, be sure to take a look at the album of before and after photos. They will be joining at least two other small galleries in the area. The 360 Gallery of Fine Art, described as “an intimate space made for art, art lovers and artists” is inside the big white house at 360 North Caswell Rd. And the Art Preserve frame shop and gallery owned by artist Jan Kinslowe, recently located in NoDa, now occupies a tiny brick building on the Chantilly side of the railroad tracks on Pecan Avenue. As has been the case in many other urban areas, the past few years have been difficult for art galleries in Charlotte. The NoDa area experienced the loss of Center of the Earth Gallery and Joie Lassiter, one of the city’s most prominent gallery owners, recently ceased all of her Charlotte operations. It is hoped that the worst of the economic downturn has passed and that these two new venues herald the start something great in and for our neighborhood. Here’s to the arts flourishing in Elizabeth!

photo by Nancy O. Albert

Railcar mystery solved by John Albert

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