The Friday Letter | May 9 , 2014

THE

Music Box Lunch Series in the Park Music Box Lunch Series: These are small informal musical presentations featuring local and regional talent performing, noon – 1:30 pm, on Tuesdays and Fridays, April through September. Upcoming performances: May 9: Shane Tracy May 13: Jes Seda May 16: Sabra Callas May 20: Brad Bailey May 23: Blue Tulip May 27: Matt Stratford May 30: Roy Daye June 3: Tom Billotto June 6: John Alexander June 10: Caution! Blind Driver June 13: John Franklin June 17: Jeff Brown June 20: Dave Haywood June 24: Alan Barrington June 27: Colby Dobbs

Park and Rec to Honor Local Individuals for their Contributions to Golf in Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation will host the inaugural Golf Wall of Fame dedication ceremony on May 15, 2014 at the Dr. Charles L. Sifford Golf Course at Revolution Park, 2661 Barringer Drive in Charlotte.

The event will honor four Charlotte inductees for their contributions to golf and the community.

The event will start with a reception at 5 p.m. followed by a ceremony at 6 p.m. inside the lobby of the adjacent Revolution Park Sports Academy.

Nature Preserves and Natural Resources Rural Hill Brewers and Music Festival: Saturday May 10, Rural Hill will host a celebration of North Carolina Brewing and Real Music with the 2014 North Carolina Brewers and Music Festival. The festival will feature bands such as Greensky Bluegrass, Big Daddy Love, Sol Driven Train, and Jesse Dee. Regional brewers will include Highland, Catawba and Lonerider Brewing among others. Go to www.RuralHill.net for details. Address is 4431 Neck Rd, Huntersville, NC 28078 (704) 875-3113.

Community & Recreation Center Services Albemarle Road Recreation Center Mom’s Time On May 3rd, Albemarle Road Recreation Center hosted a pre-mother’s day celebration .

This special event for Mothers included Zumba, yoga, basketball, corn hole, and pin pong. The staff of Albemarle Road Recreation provided childcare . Through a partnership with Philosopher’s Stone Tavern, the mothers and their kids also received a nutritious lunch. For more information on family programming at Albemarle Road Recreation Center, contact Ivan Jones or Tiffany Peterson at 704-567-1941.

Marion Diehl Senior Games Badminton On May 5th & 6th Marion Diehl Recreation Center hosted Seniors’ singles and doubles match badminton. Active older adults ages 50& older took to the court with the ultimate goal of reigning supreme over their badminton competitors and the right to call themselves “champions”. These games serve as a great way to motivate players to train hard to gain greater success. The games are also an avenue to meeting new people and seeing different venues. The match results are used as part of the process for the placement of those are will be competing on the state level.

Golf, cont.….

The four honorees are: Dr. Charles L. Sifford, PGA Tour player; Mr. James Black, PGA Tour player; Mr. Donald Littlejohn, coach, mentor and two-time winner of the Charlotte City-Am Golf Tournament and Mrs. Beverly Lawston, former Mecklenburg County Park & Recreation Commissioner and former Chairman of the Mecklenburg County Golf Advisory Council.

The Dr. Charles L. Sifford Golf Course was built in the late 1930’s as Charlotte’s first municipal golf course. It was originally known as the Bonnie Brae Golf Course and later the Revolution Park Golf Course. In April 2011, the course was renamed the Dr. Charles L. Sifford Golf Course at Revolution Park. The golf course is currently home to The First Tee of Charlotte.

For more information on golf in Mecklenburg County, click here.

Romare Bearden Fitness Program The 2014 fitness program began on April 21 and provides high quality, full-service fitness programming, scheduling and support at Romare Bearden Park on a weekly, and monthly reoccurring basis. Programs include weekly Yoga, Tai Chi and Boot Camp sessions.

View the schedule.

To register, contact Lori.Saylor@Mecklenburg CountyNC.gov.

Classes are FREE until further notice.

Community and Recreation Center Services Marion Diehl Recreation Center Senior Games Badminton On May 5th & 6th Marion Diehl Recreation Center hosted Seniors’ singles and doubles match badminton. Active older adults ages 50& older took to the court with the ultimate goal of reigning supreme over their badminton competitors and the right to call themselves “champions”. These games serve as a great way to motivate players to train hard to gain greater success. The games are also an avenue to meeting new people and seeing different venues. The match results are used as part of the process for the placement of those are will be competing on the state level.

Party in the Park Series This is a series of weekly performances featuring new and upcoming talent. The series will start May 7, 2014 and run through September. The series will begin at 5:30 p.m. on the following dates: May 7: Peace & Love May 14: Trial by Fire May 21: Who Rescued Who May 28: Lipstick on a Pig June 4: The Extraordinaires June 11: Too Much Sylvia June 18: Flashback, The Party Band June 25: The Volunteers, U.S. Army Field Band

Party in the Park Series This is a series of weekly performances featuring new and upcoming talent. The series will start May 7, 2014 and run through September. The series will begin at 5:30 p.m.

Be a Part of Mecklenburg County's Future Resident Input Sought at Community Meetings

Athletics Men’s Basketball The Men’s 30 and Over basketball wrapped up their winter league on Sunday May 4 th.

There was a total of 10 teams that participated in the league this season. Team No Limit Auto came out on top as the winter champions of the league.

We are holding several community meetings over the next few weeks to gather feedback on the MLCP from community members.Please join us as we work to set community-wide goals and create a unified vision for Mecklenburg County, the City of Charlotte and surrounding towns.

Community Meeting Schedule: • Tuesday, May 6, 11a.m. - 1p.m., Charlotte -Mecklenburg Main Library, 310 North Tryon Street, Charlotte • Wednesday, May 14, 11a.m. – 1p.m., Charlotte-Mecklenburg North Library, 16500 Holly Crest Lane, Huntersville • Friday, May 16, 1p.m. 3p.m., CharlotteMecklenburg South Library, 5801 Rea Road, Charlotte

Women’s Volleyball Women’s Volleyball “A” League will be starting the playoffs for Spring League On Thursday May 8th. There was a total of 7 teams that participated in the league this season.

These games will be played at West Charlotte Rec Center Starting at 6:30pm.

Athletics Grass Volleyball Grass Volleyball kicked off their season on Tuesday May 6th, the games are played at Nevin’s Park. For More information on adult leagues please visit our website at www.parkandrec.com, or call us at 704-336-7639

Work at Park & Rec this summer Looking for a great job that pays $11+/hour with the aquatics division of Park and Recreation? For information about becoming Starguard Certified (First Aid/CPR), lifeguards please contact us at:

Ray's Splash Planet email Jody Corum Marion Diehl email Pat Daly Aquatic Center email Stephanie Whittington

All Mecklenburg County Aquatic Facilities and Pools are compliant with the VIRGINIA GRAEME BAKER ACT

Get Outdoors and Play Festival May 17, 10a - 4p, FREE Nature makes the best playground! Activities will include:

Canoeing, Hunting for bugs, Building sand castles, Making mud art, and much more messy fun!

So dress for the mess and join us as we get outdoors and play at Latta!

Athletics Professional Lacrosse at Memorial Stadium The Charlotte Hounds Professional Lacrosse team will host the Chesapeake Bayhawks on Saturday, May 10 at American Legion Memorial Stadium. Gates open at 2:30pm and game time is 3:30pm. Bring the family out for an afternoon of fun and excitement, while supporting the home team. You can also follow the organization and players on twitter and instagram for live feeds during the game. No other place to be on a beautiful Saturday than Memorial Stadium for Charlotte Hounds Lacrosse. For more information on the Charlotte Hounds at Memorial Stadium, email at GradyColeMemorialStadium@MecklenburgCountyNC.gov

National Program Recognizes Mecklenburg County for its Environmental Accomplishments

2014 Powerade State Games Figure Skating Competition

The registration deadline for this year's Powerade State Games Figure Skating Competition has been extended until...

Friday, May 9th, at 11:59pm!

Remember this event is open to skaters from both North Carolina and South Carolina! Come check out this year's new features including IJS, an on-ice Parade of Athletes and a special award for the club with the most participants! We'll see you at Extreme on May 31st for an exciting day of competition!

CLICK HERE TO SIGN-UP NOW!

Mecklenburg County has been awarded Bronze recognition by the State Electronics Challenge—a national environmental stewardship program—for its accomplishments in responsible end-of- life management of its computer and imaging equipment in 2013.

Mecklenburg achieved these results by using an electronics recycler that has achieved environmental certification through both the R2 and e-Stewards electronic recycling standards.

Nature Preserves and Natural Resources The Division of Nature Preserves and Natural Resources is responsible for the protection and conservation of Mecklenburg County's parks designated as Nature Preserves.

Thursday, June 12th, 2014 Charles T. Myers Golf Course 8:30 am Shotgun Start

Nature Preserves protect the county's biological resources and natural areas, while providing opportunities for environmental education, nature-based programs, and outdoor recreation.

Our staff offer more than 5,000 programs annually, perform natural resource management, maintain more than 30 miles of nature trails, 6,500 acres, 3 nature centers, and a public campground.

The tournament will be hosted at CT Myers, Thursday, June 12. The Shot Gun start will be at 8:30am, with range balls available for practice prior. Please help spread the word on this great event! Let me know if you have any questions and I look forward to seeing you on the course!

2900 Rocky River Road Charlotte, NC 28215 Phone: 704-432-6459 Fax: 704-432-6461

15222 York Road Charlotte, NC 28278 Phone: 704-588-5224 Fax: 704-588-5226

6211 Sample Road Huntersville, NC 28078 Phone: 704-875-1391 Fax: 704-875-1394

Welcome to our new Recreation Specialists The Community and Recreation Center Services Division would like to welcome our newest team members, Abby Fowler and Brendan Cunliffe. We are very excited to have both fine professionals on board as Recreation Specialists, Abby at Southview Recreation Center and Brendan at Naomi Drenan Recreation Center.

Abby has a BS in Recreation Management from Appalachian State University and has been working with the department as an Athletic Assistant and has extensive experience as well from the YMCA in Boulder, CO.

Athletics Picketball Tournament On April 26th we held our First Annual Pickleball tournament at Jeff Adams Tennis Center inside of Renaissance Park. There were a total of 15 teams that participated in this event.

Recreation Specialists cont...

Brendan comes to us with a BS in Business Administration and Sports Management and has also been working in the department as an Athletic Assistant. Brendan has past experience as a Development Logistics Manager for a Baseball program in London, UK. Please join us in welcoming them to the department.

May is International Internal Audit Awareness Month Around the world, May is International Internal Audit Awareness Month (IIAAM), and in North Carolina, Gov. Pat McCrory recently signed a proclamation to declare this to be so in the state, too.

During this observance and throughout the year, audit professionals work to raise awareness of the internal audit profession and its value to businesses and organizations. At its simplest, internal auditing identifies risks that could keep an organization from achieving its goals, and proactively recommends improvements to help managementmanage their risks.

For more information about Mecklenburg County’s Internal Audit Department please contact Joanne Whitmore, Internal Audit director at 704 3362575 or joanne.whitmore@mecklen burgcountync.gov

Farmers Market Managers gain help with new tax law changes via toolkit On April 14th, Mecklenburg Friends of Agriculture hosted a workshop entitled, "Tax Changes for Market Managers and Vendors". Eric Wayne, Sales and Use Tax Director with the NC Department of Revenue, provided an informative presentation on current tax laws and recent tax reinforcements. According to Mr. Wayne, the current tax laws, referenced in many blogs and public forums have been in place for some time. Yet, many farmers market managers are struggling to maneuver the reinforcements.

The Mecklenburg Family and Consumer Sciences program works with area farmers markets to enhance food safety practices, market management and local foods education. To assist managers with navigating new tax requirements, in addition to other enhancement, the program created an Farmers Market Managers Educational Toolkit.

The toolkit includes information on starting a farmers market, market management tools and regulatory guidance. Visit the toolkit homepage at the following link to learn more: http://goo.gl/nsgU8G

NAIA Cross Country Partnership and Bid Mecklenburg County Park & Recreation Department is partnering with the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority/Visit Charlotte to submit a bid for the 2015-2016 NAIA Men’s & Women’s Cross Country National Championships. The bid deadline is June 1, 2014 which is traditionally held on the Saturday prior to Thanksgiving. Sixtyfour (32 men/women) teams or 320 runners per gender and approximately 1500 fans will visit the selected city which could result in 500-550 room reservations. A 5K women’s course and an 8K men’s course with 4-6 finish line chutes and automatic timing equipment is required.

For more information about the event and the bid contact Preston.Buckman@meckle nburgcountync.gov.

No Swimming Advisory Issued For Portion of Nance Cove on Mountain Island Lake After Sewage Discharge The “no swimming” advisory was issued after approximately 5,500 gallons of sewage from an overflowing sanitary sewer manhole discharged into a tributary of Nance Cove on Mountain Island Lake during the afternoon of May 6, 2014. The discharge was stopped by the Charlotte -Mecklenburg Utility Department after being reported.

Water samples will be collected in the cove by Charlotte-Mecklenburg Storm Water Services staff. Sampling will continue until levels of fecal coliform bacteria fall below 200-colonies/100 ml, which is the level determined to be safe for swimming. When bacteria counts reach this level, the no swimming advisory will be lifted.

Berewick Recreation Center bids farewell Tom Lawing, Facility Manager of the Berewick Recreation Center is hanging up his whistle on June 1, due to excess leave, his last work day will be May 14th. Tom has served Park & Recreation for 32 years, working with the Park & Recreation Commission, the City of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County. According to Tom, a memorable experience: “In August 1978, I was assigned to patrol the shores of the lake at McDowell Park to insure that no one was swimming. I was supplied with a chair and a small motorboat to accomplish this task. The motor on the boat had been having some carburation problems. So 1 day I was out patrolling in the boat way up in a cove when the motor died out. I was the only one working in the park at the time and so I had to jump out and pull the boat back to the dock by swimming. Luckily it was a warm day, but unfortunately the motor went to the repair shop and I couldn't patrol in the boat for the rest of that season. According to Tom, a favorite part of the job: “To see the joy and amazement on someone's face after they have experienced something for the first time or learned something new and having that "Aha" moment. In other words when they are in the process of "Re-creating" themselves. This occurs often when working with kids in their first athletic experience and Senior Citizens activities. At Albemarle Road I started a Senior program and formed a Senior Club, "The Senior Rec's" starting from scratch and at its peak had 75 members. We focused on health and wellness activities, educational and social activities relating to seniors.” Farewell good and faithful servant, you will be missed.

Keep Mecklenburg Beautiful Because of a partnership between Keep Mecklenburg Beautiful, Storm Water Services, and Park and Recreation it only took a few hours to make a big difference to the appearance of the Berryhill Nature Preserve.

Volunteers gathered on a recent Saturday morning to clean up the preserve as part of The Great American Cleanup. They removed enough trash, recycling and debris to fill an eight -yard recycling can and 40 yard trash dumpster.

The Great American Cleanup is coordinated locally by Keep Mecklenburg Beautiful. The three-month long event started March 1 and runs through May 31.

Your efforts to improve your community will become a source of pride for everyone. You can register to participate here.

Public Invited to Attend Community Health Assessment Planning Team Meetings As part of the second phase of the Mecklenburg County Community Health Assessment (CHA), the County is facilitating four planning teams to develop an actionable community plan to address the top issues identified through the priority-setting process.

Romare Bearden Park officially kicked off the event season with a successful week full of events. Last Friday, the 4th Annual Hats Off to Parks Fundraiser moved to Romare Bearden Park featuring an incredible performance by the Magnificent Tams. This year, funds raised at the event will help Park and Recreation, Partners for Parks and volunteers throughout the region build a playground at Park Road Park this fall in Memory of the lives lost in the 2012 Newtown, CT tragedy. This playground will be built by over 2,000 volunteers the week of October 27-31st.

These issues are: Chronic Disease Mental Health Access to Care Violence Meetings for each of these issues will take place throughout the summer, and we invite community input into this process The current meeting schedule is as follows: Access to care: Tue 5/13: 8:30 - 11, Billingsley Rd Health Dept., Multipurpose Room Tue 6/10: 8:30 - 11, Billingsley Rd Health Dept., Multipurpose Room

Hats Off to Parks also began the first ever RomareFest at Romare Bearden Park. The beautiful weekend featured a little bit of everything, from food, music and art to children’s activities presented by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Library and Park and Recreation’s Community and Recreation Center Services. Saturday night finished out strong with Blues Legend, John Mayall and the weekend wrapped up with Bluegrass on Sunday for all to enjoy.

On Wednesday, the first Party in the Park of the season brought nearly 500 people to Romare Bearden Park to enjoy a fun night with the locally-known band, Peace & Love. Be sure to join us Wednesday evenings from 5:308:30pm for great, energetic bands and to celebrate our new park. Also, if you’re in the uptown area from noon-1:30pm on Tuesdays and Fridays, don’t forget to bring your lunch for a peaceful break in the day with the Music Box Lunch Series.

Health cont.…

Violence: Thur 7/17, 8:30 - 4:30 Billingsley Rd Health Dept., Multipurpose Room Mental Health: Thur 8/7: 9 - 5, Oak Room at Watkins Center Tue 8/26: 1 - 5, Oak Room at Watkins Center Chronic Disease: Meeting dates to be determined.

The 2013 Community Health Assessment Priority Setting Exercise was held on Oct. 25, 2013 in the Student Union on the campus of The University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

The assessment is required to receive state funding and to maintain an accredited status for the Mecklenburg County Health Department; it is also a valuable resource for health information and planning purposes.

For additional information about the CHA, click here. If you have any further questions, please contact Kerry Burch at Kerry.Burch@mecklenburgc ountync.gov or 704-4324249.

5841 Brookshire Blvd.

Charlotte, NC 28216 (704) 336-8840

Recreate All Year!

Subscribe to the Park and Recreation E-Newsletter to learn of new and exciting way sto continue recreating during the spring and summer months. Subscribe to the Park and Recreation E-Newsletter to stay up to date on activities that may be available to you.

www.parkandrec.com Please submit all news for the Friday Letter to your Division Director for review and routing.

Park Partners may contact The Friday Letter Team at Kier. Harrison @MecklenburgCountyNC.gov for publication assistance.

The Friday Letter Volume 3 • Issue 18• May 9, 2014 Mayor Daniel (Dan) Clodfelter was appointed Mayor of Charlotte on April 7, 2014.

Prior to his appointment as Mayor, he served as a member of the North Carolina State Senate from 1999 to 2014, representing portions of Mecklenburg County. From 1987-1993, he was District One representative on Charlotte City Council, and prior to elected office he served on the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Planning Commission as Chairman.

Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation

Born in Thomasville, N.C., Clodfelter graduated from Thomasville Senior High School, and went on to attend Davidson College, where he was Phi Beta Kappa, and a Rhodes Scholar. He graduated from Davidson in 1972, and received a second Bachelor’s Degree from Oxford University in Oxford, England in 1974. Mayor Clodfelter earned his J. D. degree at Yale Law School in 1977.

Senior Leadership Team

He served as law clerk for Judge James B. McMillan, Jr. of the U. S. Western District Court of North Carolina from 1977 to 1978 after which he entered private practice with the firm of Moore and Van Allen in Charlotte. He has also served as a Trustee of the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation since 1982. Clodfelter is married to Elizabeth K. Bevan and they have two adult children.

Mario Chang, Budget Administration

Jim Garges, Director Michael Kirschman, Deputy Director James Alsop, Enterprise Services Renea Barber, Human Resources Lee Jones, Capital Planning Lola Massad, Community and Recreation Center Services Jeff Robinson, Park Operations Chris Matthews, Nature Preserves and Natural Resources