ECA 2-08 by Elizabeth Community

Positively 7th Street by Melanie Sizemore, ECA and Elizabeth Bevan, HENF

John Albert

Jean Galloway

J.T. Petersen

Nancy Albert

Kara Gooding

Todd Rubenson

Russell Crandall

Terry Lett

Melanie Sizemore

Michelle Dagenhart

Linda Nash

Peter Tart

Freda Zeh

Maya Packard

Roxie Towns

Babak Emadi

Ruffin Pearce

newsletter 704 719 1255 noalbert@carolina.rr.com traffic/block captain 704 894 2283 rucrandall@davidson.edu social 704 335 0280 mdagenhart@carolina.rr.com membership 704 333 3127 fredazeh@carolina.rr.com zoning 704 334 1648 babak@urbana-architecture.com

ECA treasurer 704 377 3936 jgalloway@firsttrustinc.com cankerworm/trees 704 604 5660 Kara_gooding@hotmail.com social 704 377 0052 terrylett@bellsouth.net HENF/block captain 704 332 9808 nashfamily1@bellsouth.net social 704 334 2196 mpackard@carolina.rr.com

advertising/Race co-chair 704 340 2529 naturesponds@bellsouth.net secretary 704 386 4401 todd.rubenson@bankofamerica.com ECA president 704 335 0909 msizemore@realindex.com zoning 704 372 4147 petart@carolina.rr.com zoning/beautification 704 342 1000

parks and rec liaison 704 331 4989 rpearce@wcsr.com

J O I N THE E . C . A . B E F O R E THE N E X T I C E AGE

Remember that old TV commercial with the line “Membership has its privileges?” So does becoming a part of the Elizabeth Community Association, your neighborhood advocacy group. Your $20 membership helps with our ongoing efforts to keep the neighborhood safe, beautiful, and vibrant. The E.C.A. has a number of ways for you to get active in your community. Just choose your area of special interest and talent and you’ll find 2

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that with only a small contribution of time, you’ll meet neighbors and make new friends. Each committee is composed of a number of folks who divvy up responsibilities, making it fun and easy to get on board. Fill out the membership form in the back of this newsletter and mail it along with your check to Elizabeth Community Association, PO Box 33696, Charlotte, NC 28233-3696. Or, if you’d prefer, send an email to Freda Zeh,

Membership Coordinator, fredazeh@ carolina. rr.com, and she’ll arrange to pick up your form. Be sure to sign up for any committee in which you have an interest, and someone will contact you. No pressure or obligation. Just like another old TV slogan: “Try it, you’ll like it!” Inset photo: Nancy Albert, ECA newsletter editor.

front and back covers: Mrs. Spoon inside her Hawthorne Lane shop, 1974. Photo: Byron Baldwin

beautification/trees 704 719 1255 jalbert@carolina.rr.com

Subsequent to The Boulevard Company’s presentation for the Roy White site to the community in December 2007, the Elizabeth Community Association (ECA) and Historic Elizabeth Neighborhood Foundation (HENF) asked for assistance from the Charlotte Planning Department. The request was to look at and plan for the whole of 7th Street instead of focusing on one development proposal at a time, as brought before the community in rezoning requests. The Planning Department concurred, recognizing the development pressures the neighborhood was facing. Despite their already enormous workload, the Planning Department was very responsive and engaged a consultant, Glatting Jackson from Atlanta, to conduct a design charrette for Seventh Street. The 7th Street Corridor Charrette is being sponsored by the Charlotte Mecklenburg Planning Department. The 7th Street Corridor Charrette considers the area defined by 7th Street from Firemen’s Place to Hawthorne Lane, and one block to either side: for example, 7th to Greenway and 7th to 8th Street. The area has identified three centers (or nodes) where a focus for retail and higher residential density is expected.

The heart and largest node on the 7th Street Corridor is identified as 7th/ Caswell and Pecan intersection. The other two “nodes” are at 7th and Hawthorne and 7th and Weddington. A charrette is an open process that includes all interested parties and produces a feasible plan. It is expected to be a collaborative process involving all disciplines of planning in a series of short feedback loops. Unlike a small area plan, a charrette is short term and highly focused, and has been used successfully by the Planning Department for other “hot spots” in the Charlotte community. The resulting plan, while nonenforceable, is to serve as the basis for recommendations from the Planning Department to Charlotte City Council. Beginning in April 2008, the Glatting Jackson consultants conducted a series of interviews and meetings with the key identified stakeholders including the ECA, HENF, Boulevard Company, Conformity Corporation, Winter Properties, etc, and city departments such as CDOT, the Planning Department, Economic Development, Parks and Recreation, etc. On April 28, at the first meeting with all the stakeholders and city departments, the consultants reviewed the summary results of the interviews and the key issues identified through the

deadline for fall 08:

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2. Enhance the unique character of the built environment by differentiating forms in nodes and corridors and focusing development to reinforce the nodes.

interviewing process. These key issues are the areas where stakeholders had the greatest differences and thus will be a focus of discussions in ongoing meetings. The identified issues are:

3. Develop node locations that respond to the context of the surrounding neighborhoods.

• Focus of development to reinforce the node at Pecan and Caswell

Following this first full working session, the Elizabeth Community representatives were asked to validate these three principles with members of the Elizabeth Community. During the first two weeks of May, a series of meetings were held with various neighborhood groups to review this first draft of the charrette and to obtain comments to the guidelines and articulations of the guidelines as presented by the consultants. On May 16, the comments from the Elizabeth Community will be presented to the other charrette stakeholders, and the consultants will present the next iteration of the proposals for review.

• Scale, massing, and articulation of building frontage along 7th Street • Retail/residential mix • Maintaining character of corridor • Building heights • Building transition between 7th Street and backing residential uses

Over the next two days, the consultants worked with the various city departments to develop and negotiate agreements on concepts for development guidelines. The consultants then developed conceptual plans to reflect these guidelines. On April 30, the consultants presented this first draft concept for the 7th Street Corridor to the stakeholders and city departments. The framework of the draft concept is three guiding principles. 1. Recognize 7th Street’s role as a neighborhood seam that must support both pedestrian and vehicular uses. 4

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photo by Nancy Albert

• Future of roadway corridor – lanes, public frontages

This is the first step in the process to define the design guidelines for the 7th Street Corridor and, hopefully, the beginning of a new small area plan for Elizabeth. Meetings will continue to be scheduled with the neighborhood at large to review the progress of the charrette and obtain feedback from the neighborhood. Everyone is invited to attend these meetings and provide

input so that collectively the neighborhood can address the long term needs for the community. We will use the website (www. elizabethcommunity.com) to announce meetings and welcome your comments and feedback throughout the process.

Karen Price provided gourmet cupcakes to complement the organic wine & beer provided at cost by Common Market. Elizabeth’s good karma even held the rain back all night! Download dinner recipes at www.elizabethcommunity.com.

Mint Museum needs docents by Allison Taylor

Progressive Dinner table talk by the Progressive Dinner Committee The Mint Museum is looking for docents. By conducting tours “It’s my favorite neighborhood of the museum for students event - the one that will keep and adult groups, The Mint me from ever leaving the Museum’s volunteer educators neighborhood. I cannot do without contribute to the community, this yearly chance to meet more of continue their education and my incredible neighbors.” appreciation of art and meet – a 5th Street neighbor new people. 170 Elizabethans were lively at An enthusiasm for art, a friendly this year’s annual progressive attitude and an ability to dinner. The food was tasty, communicate with groups will described by Peter Tart as “the qualify you to become a docent. best meal choice yet.” Art experience is not necessary. Trainings are conducted on The event sparked spirited Monday morning beginning discussions of art, politics, religion, development and the August 18. question of how Elizabeth’s For an application or more informaprogressive nature can tion, please contact Allison Taylor at embrace “going green.” allison.taylor@mintmuseum.org A Cameron Avenue neighbor or 704-337-2032. concluded, “The only complaint I have is that the evening Church dedicates wasn’t long enough!” new pipe organ in renewed space Starting at the Scott-Tylman by Warren Howell “green” home for cocktails, guests progressed to 18 host houses, then to Nolia, the new southern bistro at Caswell and Pecan for dessert. Nolia’s owner and 5th Street neighbor Pamela Marcotte and its baker

St. John’s Baptist Church at 300 Hawthorne Lane dedicated its new organ on Sunday, May 18 with a recital given by church organist, Maureen Howell. The concert celebrated the people pages

the church’s newly installed pipe organ (Opus 113) from Orgues Létourneau, of SaintHyacinthe Quebec.

used in the installation process. So please take down any and all tree bands in your area now. The city was to remove their bands the second and third weeks in May. However, they have many bands to remove across the city, so if a city tree was banded in your area or near your house, try to remove which includes Playful City USA that band as soon as possible. and the Playmaker Network - a If everyone does a little, no one national network of individual person has to do a lot! advocates for play. Thank you again for all your For more information on how to get hard work. Anyone can see started building a great playground, how wonderfully green our visit www.kaboom.org. tree canopy is this year which helped make Elizabeth the It’s time to remove “Best Neighborhood to Walk tree bands In” by Charlotte Magazine’s by Kara Gooding Best Of the Best awards. Congratulations Elizabeth Please don’t hesitate to contact me Neighborhood! We conquered if you have any questions or concerns the cankerworm this year. Your about trees in Elizabeth. banding efforts, along with the Kara Gooding Trees4Elizabeth@gmail.com spraying program have saved our canopy from what was sure Elizabeth Homes Tour to be a devastating spring for our mature tree canopy. I hope volunteers needed by Maya Packard everyone is getting out and appreciating all the healthy Please mark your calendars for green leaves we have right now. the annual Elizabeth Homes

In addition to the installation of the new organ, the church transformed its sanctuary to create an appealing space for both worship and concert events. Utilizing the services of an acoustician, the room was restored in such a way as to honor its original 1925 feel. The chancel rails were retrofitted to become removable, a mechanical lift was installed, and the choir loft restructured for improvement of both acoustics and function. warren@stjohnsbaptistchurch.org

Have you ever wished your community had a great playground for children to play on but weren’t sure how to make it a reality? If so, national non-profit organization KaBOOM! can show you how. Since 1995, KaBOOM! has used its innovative communitybuild model to bring together business and community interests to construct more than 1,400 new playgrounds, skateparks, sports fields and ice rinks across North America. KaBOOM! also offers a variety of resources, including an online community, regional and national trainings, grants, publications and the KaBOOM! National Campaign for Play, 6

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photos by Nancy Albert

KaBOOM! by Mike Vietti

However, there is one last critical step: now is the time to take down the cankerworm bands. It is important that bands do not stay up longer than needed as they tend to hold moisture against the tree bark and if they stay up too long, can house insects and/or cause the bark to get infected or rot. Also, it’s important to pull out any staples that were

Tour, October 11 and 12. This year, the tour features seven beautiful homes, along with Caldwell Memorial Presbyterian Church and the Charlotte Garden Council’s historic 7th Street building. Area businesses will also get in on the act this year, offering specials and discounts throughout the weekend to ticket holders. We’ll need volunteers to staff the people pages

the homes during the tour. If you can help, please send an email to ddballenger@ carolina.rr.com. This is one of our neighborhood’s largest fundraisers, and we need everyone’s help to make it happen. CPCC’s wildlife habitat by Nancy Albert Hidden away on Sam Rayburn Walk near Memorial Stadium is this small but lovely Wildlife Habitat. CPCC was able to

in creek clean-ups, including work along the Little Sugar Creek Greenway. The aim of these projects is to beautify the county’s waterways and reduce water pollution.

secure from the National Wildlife Federation a Certified National Wildlife Habitat designation for all of its campuses. Grants worth $2000, each allowed each campus to begin development of its own unique wildlife habitat. By definition the habitats must provide four essential elements to wildlife: food, water, cover, and place to raise young.

landscape practices using native plants. These lowmaintenance areas provide an example of wildlife habitats that can be created in anyone’s backyard. Students worked on Phase I of Campus Wildlife Habitat areas by preparing designated areas and planting vegetation to attract wildlife These ongoing projects will create a space on CPCC campuses for students and The college’s long-term goal is staff to enjoy nature. As part to provide ongoing educational of recent Earth Day activities, opportunities in sustainable students were also involved

Toys and games by Cal Watford I don’t know just how old I was, but probably around eight or nine. I got a chemistry set for Christmas. I really had lots of fun with it. I had a large desk in my room, and kept all the equipment set up nice and neat. The first mysterious compound I made was soap. It was only a small test tube full, and I’m not sure how cleansing it was, but it sure did make lots of suds. I wanted my mother to use it in her laundry, but she said she had better try it out on an old scrub cloth. It took some of the dirt out, but probably not as good as her regular soap did.

photos by Nancy Albert

One day I put some sulfur in a small dish and set it on fire. What a stink it made. Mother came and opened all the windows in my room, and told me “please don’t do that again”. I think the book said it was suppose to kill all the germs in the air. I know it really smelled up the place.

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Another one of my favorite toys was an Eerector Sset. It was a large set with all different sizes of metal parts that you could build many things with. It also had an electric motor, used to power things like a Ferris wheel the people pages

One toy I played with as a younger little boy was a bag of wooden blocks of various sizes. They were given to my by Uncle Jim, an old negro man who worked at a lumber yard close to our house. He picked them out of the scrap bin at the wood working shop next to the lumber yard. I would take them down in the woods behind our house and play among the large exposed roots of the trees. The blocks would be different size trucks and cars. Some of the bigger ones would be used to build forts or small buildings. I still think that the best toys are those that make you use your imagination. Baseball was always a popular sport with me and my friends. In the summertime we would go to the park at Elizabeth Grammar School. Usually we would go on Saturday afternoon, because on Saturday morning we would go to the picture show. Saturday would be a double feature day, with two shows for the price of one. The movie cost a dime, and a big box of popcorn was a nickel. If we had enough players we would play ball until we tired of it. Next to the playground was a real ball park. It was 10

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where the Charlotte Hornets practiced and I think played their regular games. One day after we were through playing I went around the tall fence and walked over to watch them practice. I had my ball glove, and a new Pepper Martin autographed bat that I was so proud of. I walked over to the third base side of the field, and stood there watching them warming up, throwing the ball to each other and trying to stop “grounders” hit to them by a batsman. I was little, but wanted to be so big. In a few minutes, the third baseman asked if he could see my bat. I was so pleased the he would want to do that. He asked me if I knew who Pepper Martin was. I said my daddy told me he was a real good ball player that played for a big team up north somewhere. He said, “That’s right”. You take good care of this bat. I told him I would. I stood there watching him and then he took a small flat package out of his hip pocket. Unwrapping it, he asked if I wanted a “chaw “of tobacco. I had no idea what he was talking about but since he put a piece in his mouth, and he was a ball player, I said yes. It wasn’t very nice looking. It was black and sort of stringy. He broke me off a piece and I started chewing it. It was strong and bitter tasting but since he was chewing his,

I tried to keep on chewing mine. In a minute, I swallowed some of the juice. I got so sick. I spit out the rest of it and went off a little ways and spit up. So sick. He came to check on me, and told me never to swallow the juice. I was supposed to spit it out. I was so sick. I never “chawed “tobacco again. I don’t think I told my parents about it. I didn’t want my mother to know I had done such a thing. From time to time, I have thought about that ball player. I don’t know his name, but I wonder if he went on to play in the major league, and did he ever think about a little boy he gave a “chaw” of tobacco to one day long ago. On the far side of our school play ground, (Elizabeth Grammar School) there was a very high dirt bank. I think there were tennis courts on the top of the hill. In the late summer, the grass on the bank would dry or die, and we would take cardboard boxes, open them flat and slide down the grassy hill like sleds on snow. You could really go fast, and it was lots of fun. I wonder if children do that today, or would they even be allowed?

Know anything about all the named apartments in Elizabeth? If you have a story about this, send it to Nancy Albert at noalbert@carolina.rr.com

photos by Nancy Albert, montage by Little Shiva

or building crane. Lots of fun, and kept a young boy busy. I had that Erector Set for many years before giving it to one of my young cousins.

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Fix the problem, fix your cat by Amy Rogers June is Adopt-a-Cat Month, and summer can be the perfect time to add a feline friend to your family. But adoption is not enough to alleviate the ongoing problem of cat overpopulation. In fact, one pair of cats and their offspring can produce 67 cats in two years. In just four years, the number grows to

2,107 and continues to climb astronomically. There’s good news, however. Spaying and neutering greatly reduces overpopulation – and eliminates many undesirable behaviors, too. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Animal Care and Control is offering a FREE spay-neuter clinic for pet cats on June 14. Download an application at cmpd.org; preference is given to lowincome residents.

Spaying and neutering pets is only part of the solution. Stray and feral cats are a big part of the overpopulation problem – and it’s a problem that won’t resolve itself. Humane management solutions are available and make neighborhoods safer for everyone. Every cat we spay and neuter truly helps “Fix the Problem.”

www.friendsofferalfelines.org or call 311 for Char-Meck Animal Care and Control.

E.C.A. membership form 2008 www.elizabethcommunity.com

Amy Rogers is a freelance writer and a seven-year resident of Elizabeth.

Annual membership fee: $20 per household or business, based on calendar year. Please mail this form and your payment to: Elizabeth Community Association PO Box 33696, Charlotte, NC 28233-3696

name(s) of adult(s) in household

For more info, visit www. feralcat.com, www.alleycat.org,

street address

mailing address if different from above

main phone

Elizabeth Garden Council photo by Nancy Albert, catpic by Little Shiva

e-mail address

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name(s( and birthday(s) of children at home

Please use my e-mail for ONLY the following:

m crime watch m social/events m newsletter m do not e-mail Please sign me up for the following committee(s):

m traffic m zoning m website and/or newsletter m crime watch m block captain m beautification/tree banding Social (check all that apply):

m Easter egg hunt m progressive dinner m holiday party m Big E road race m homes tour m any m I’m interested in becoming a board member; please contact me. Special projects (list interests/expertise):

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