2014 0523 friday letter

The

Spraygrounds and Outdoor Pools Spraygrounds: Cordelia Park, 2100 North Davidson Street Latta Park, 601 East Park Avenue Nevin Park, 6000 Statesville Rd. Veterans Park, 2136 Central Avenue West Charlotte Recreation Center, 2400 Kendall Drive Sprayground Hours are 10am-8pm Hours of Operation Summer 2014 Saturday May 24- Jun 10 (weekends only) plus Memorial day Saturdays 11am-5pm Sundays 1-5pm Monday Memorial Day 126pm Wednesday Jun 11 – Mon Sep 1st (open 7 days a week) (Closed Mon Jun 9 & Tue Jun 10) Mon - Fri 12 p.m. - 6 p.m.

Sat: 11 am - 5 p.m.

Sun: 1 p.m. - 5 p.m.

Admission Fees Spraygrounds are free and outdoor pools are only $1 all summer long.

Park and Rec water play begins this weekend The Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation Department now offers a place for you and your family to escape from the summer heat and cool off in one of the new and exciting spraygrounds. Each sprayground has been constructed with fun water features that you can run through, jump in or just sit down and enjoy. There is no charge, just come and enjoy.

The Double Oaks and Cordelia Outdoor Pools offer summer swim leagues for youth, free swim lessons as well as open swim opportunities. Come on down and enjoy the water.

FREE SWIM LESSONS AT THE OUTDOOR POOLS Registration for swim lessons will be accepted, beginning on Wednesday June 11, at the pool you wish to attend. Registration will be taken every Wednesday beginning at noon for the following week only. Registration for lessons is done week-by-week and must be done in person. No phone reservations will be taken. All reservations are first come, first served and spots are limited.

County announces closings for Memorial Day Holiday This includes all units of the Department of Social Services, the Tax Office, Elections Office, the Register of Deeds Office, and the Land Use and Environmental Services offices.

Mecklenburg County Substance Abuse Center (Detox) is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The Department of Social Services Care Line (704-336-CARE or 704336-2773) operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week to receive reports of suspected abuse or neglect of children, the elderly or disabled adults.

The Health Department will be closed on Monday, May 26.

The Main Library and all library branches will be closed on Monday, May 26.

Aquatics Aquatic Center Eight hundred forty-three (843) of the best swimmers competed in the Charlotte Grand Prix at the Mecklenburg County Aquatic Center on May 15 – May 18. Michael Phelps competed and won his first race since returning to swimming after his brief retirement. Some of the best swimmers in the world competed in the competition including: Alison Schmitt, Cullen Jones, Anthony Ervin, and Josh Schneider. This is one of 5 Grand Prix events held each year in the United States.

County closings All Solid Waste administrative offices will be closed on Monday, May 26. All Solid Waste facilities (Recycling Center and the Foxhole Landfill) will be closed as well, with the exception of Compost Central, which will operate 7 a.m.-4 p.m.

Park and Recreation administrative offices will be closed on Monday, May 26. Recreation Centers and the Marion Diehl Pool will be also be closed.

Special hours for pools include: • Outdoor pools-Noon-6 p.m.

• Ray’s Splash Planet-10 a.m.-6 p.m.

• Mecklenburg County Aquatic Center-8 a.m.-5 p.m.

As a reminder, CharMeck 311 remains open and available to the public on weekends and holidays

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

MeckTeens Summer Day Camp Ages: Boys & Girls 12 Yrs. to 15 Yrs. Hours of Operation: Mon.-Fri.; 7:30am5:30pm Location: West Charlotte Recreation Center Fees: - per person $65.00 (Fees include breakfast, lunch, programs, enrichment activities, and weekly field trips all offered at no additional cost except for special occasions) Description: A traditional day camp for youth in middle/high school (Participants should have completed 6th grade). Travel with us as we participate in games, 4-H enrichment activities, outdoor play and nature activities, fitness, field trips, swimming arts and crafts and guest speakers. No Camp on July 4.

Nature Preserves and Natural Resources Latta Plantation Nature Center Canoe Rentals opening this Weekend at Latta Plantation Nature Preserve Back by popular demand hourly canoe rentals will be available at Latta Plantation Nature Preserve on Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays starting Memorial Day weekend and running through Labor Day weekend. Rental dates and times are subject to change. Canoe rentals are on a first come, first served basis. Payment by Credit/Debit Card only.

Call 704-875-1391 for details.

Nature Preserves and Natural Resources Latta Plantation Nature Center: GO PLAY! Festival On Saturday, May 17th Latta Plantation Nature Center hosted the third annual G.O. PLAY! Get Outdoors and Play Festival at Latta Plantation Nature Preserve. The event promoted a healthy lifestyle including exercise and spending time outdoors as a family.

Around 800 people attended the event and enjoyed outdoor recreation activities and “outdoor play pockets”. Outdoor recreation activities included fishing and family canoeing. Some of the outdoor play pockets, which encouraged imaginative play, included Sand Play, Mud Art, Fort Building, and Insect Hunts. .

Summer Day Camp cont.….

For more information and/or to register please contact Tamika Pollard or Ray Moore at West Charlotte Recreation Center 704-432-6474 or Tamika.Pollard@Mecklenbur gCountyNC.gov and Isaac.Moore@mecklenb urgcountync.gov SPACES ARE LIMITED. A COPY OF A BIRTH CERTIFICATE IS REQUIRED. Registration deadline is June 13th, 2014. Same day registration will not be accepted. Campers must bring their own snacks daily, will need to wear comfortable clothing (shorts, T-shirts, jeans and sneakers only), & bring a change of clothes.

Please feel free to share with any family, friends, or coworkers who have teens ages 12-15 years old that may be interested.

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

Athletics Basketball Men’s B league basketball will be starting their spring season this coming Tuesday May 27th Games will be played at Bette Rae Rec Center starting at 7pm.

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 Basketball Women’s Basketball will be continuing their spring season at Tuckaseegee Rec Center, games are played on Sunday’s starting at 2pm. For More information on adult leagues please visit our website at www.parkandrec.com, or call us at 704-336-7639.

Athletics Volleyball Co-Rec B league volleyball has finished up their spring season and now heading into the playoffs for their league. There was a total of 7 teams that participated in the league this season. Games will be played on Monday night starting June 2nd at Wallace Pruitt Rec Center at 6:30pm.

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

Party in the Park Series

Community and Recreation Center Services Youth Sports:

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:

Youth Baseball and Disc Golf are heading into the Memorial Day Weekend holiday break. Participants, parents and coaches will be receiving a well-deserved week off before the final two weekends of the season. The post-season tournaments will follow the regular season. For more information contact Youth.Sports@MecklenburgCountyNC.govor call (704) 4324963. Upcoming Registration for Youth Soccer and Flag Football will begin July 8. Mark your calendars, space is limited. Summer Sports Camps have a few spots available still at Revolution Park Sports Academy. Call 704-432-4963 to register today!

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

Revolution Park Sports Academy: Wall of Fame Revolution Park Sports Academy Wall of Fame: On Thursday, May 15, 2014 The Revolution Park Sports Academy hosted the inaugural dedication of the Wall of Fame. The Wall of Fame originated from the Mecklenburg County Consolidated Golf Advisory Council’s desire to be involved in a community project. The goal is to commemorate significant athletics and community achievements of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County natives and inform the public about these achievements. Honorees added to the wall during the inaugural ceremony included Dr. Charles L. Sifford, Mr. James Black, Mr. Donald Littlejohn and Mrs. Beverly Cotton Lawston. Plaques which include photos and a brief description of the honoree accomplishments were unveiled and are currently on display. For more information about the 2015 application and induction process please call James Alsop at 704-336-8454.

Community and Recreation Center Services Sugaw Creek Recreation Center: Track and Field The Sugaw Creek Recreation Center Jaguars Track and Field Program wrapped up a successful “Win with Integrity” season at Johnson C. Smith University. The team consisted of 106 participants who had several top finishes. Some of the program highlights included indoor track & field, 1st Annual track & field day, parents versus coaches 4x100 relay, cookout, banquet, talent show and mentoring Program. The mentoring program is designed for Jaguars girls ages 11-14 to develop self-esteem and personal growth. On Friday, May 16, the participants enjoyed quest speakers, makeovers, low organized games, arts & crafts, swimming, gift bags, and team meals. A big thank you to all of the volunteer coaches & parents for making a valuable impact to the track program. Over (40) forty Jaguars will continue by competing in the Run For Your life Summer Track Series, Jim Law and Hershey Track & Field Meet. The Hershey State Meet is scheduled for June 27 in Raleigh, North Carolina. For more information, contact Cynthia.Smith-Perkins@MecklenburgCountyNC.gov or 704-336-7655.

National Program Recognizes Mecklenburg County for its Environmental Accomplishments 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.

Friday, June 13th, 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, Friday, June 13. 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!

Friday, June 13, 2014

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

How Much Do You Know About the Mecklenburg County Budget?

Mecklenburg County Manager Dena R. Diorio will present her FY15 Recommended Budget to the Board of County Commissioners on May 29.

The FY15 budget covers July 1, 2014 – June 30, 2015 and funds many services such as education, the Sheriff's Office, Department of Social Services, Park and Recreation and Charlotte Mecklenburg libraries.

You can join the conversation on the budget by clicking here.

After the Manager’s Recommended Budget is presented, the Board will hold a public hearing on June 11 and vote whether to adopt the budget during its June 17 regular meeting.

Community and Recreation Center Services Fun in the Park Day Forty-five (45) participants from our Recreation Centers at West Charlotte, IvoBaker, Albemarle Road and Sugaw Creek attended “Fun in the Park Day” on Thursday, May 8. Our senior clubs are members of the District VIII Club of the North Carolina Association of Senior Citizen Clubs. The event was hosted by the Erwin Center Senior Club in Gastonia at Gastonia’s new Rankin Lake Park to celebrate spring and a prelude to the summer. Participants enjoyed a cookout with burgers and dogs, local entertainment, health and wellness vendors, walks in the park and bingo by the lake. The seniors experienced a wonderful time of sun, fellowship and of course FUN!

Flooding Brings An Opportunity To Improve Surface Water Quality Just as lemons provide an opportunity for lemonade, continued flooding brings an opportunity to improve surface water quality.

Reducing the surge of water into the creek decreases bank erosion.

Find more information about CharlotteMecklenburg Storm Water Services and its efforts to restore floodplains and improve water qualityhere.

Media Contact: Rebecca Carter at 980-3142820 or Rebecca.Carter@mecklenbur gcountyNC.gov

Summer Fun The outdoor pools and spraygrounds will both open and close on the same schedule, Memorial Day through Labor Day. Spraygrounds The Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation Department now offers a place for you and your family to escape from the summer heat and cool off in one of the new and exciting spraygrounds. Each sprayground has been constructed with fun water features that you can run through, jump in or just sit down and enjoy.

There is no charge, just come and enjoy.

Facilities with Spraygrounds: Cordelia Park, 2100 North Davidson Street Latta Park, 601 East Park Avenue Nevin Park, 6000 Statesville Rd. Veterans Park, 2136 Central Avenue West Charlotte Recreation Center, 2400 Kendall Drive Sprayground Hours are 10am-8pm

Community and Recreation Center Services Sugaw Creek Recreation Center: Cross Country for Youth The Cross Country for Youth Nutrition & Activity Program at Sugaw Creek Recreation Center concluded on Tuesday, May 8. The goal was to promote healthy lifestyles for the prevention of childhood obesity among students 8-12 years old. Participants in the ten (10) week program learned about BMI Testing, safe foods, MyPlate, healthy choices of fruits & vegetables, whole grains, beverages and sugar intakes. They participated in chef & eating demonstrations, walking and Zumba. Each participant was awarded a certificate and a gift bag. Cross Country for Youth Program Registration begins in September. For more information, contact Cynthia.Smith-Perkins@MecklenburgCountyNC.gov or (704)-336-7655.

Community and Recreation Center Services Mallard Creek Recreation Center: Mini Chefs Preschoolers at Mallard Creek Recreation Center had a blast creating and eating tasty food in Mini Chefs. The kids thoroughly enjoyed their lady bug snack, turkey wraps, and coral snake. Parents expressed how happy they were to see the kids eat all of the delicious and most importantly healthy food. This program meets on Thursdays at 10:00a.m. and 11:15a.m. and will resume in September. The program was huge a success with a total of 24 kids. For more information, contact, Chris.Cash@MecklenburgCountyNC.gov or (704) 548-8234.

Summer Fun Outdoor Pools The Double Oaks and Cordelia Outdoor Pools offer summer swim leagues for youth, free swim lessons as well as open swim opportunities. Come on down and enjoy the water.

Hours of Operation Summer 2014 Starting Saturday May 24- Jun 10 (weekends only) plus Memorial day Saturdays 11am-5pm Sundays 1-5pm Monday Memorial Day 12-6pm

Mallard Creek Recreation Center: RAY’s Nature Class The kids enjoyed reading “Snail Mail” while attending Mallard Creek Recreation Center’s RAY’s Nature class. The crafts included an awesome homemade frog and Happy Mother’s Day snail craft. The children looked forward to taking their crafts home and waiting to find out if they would receive any snail mail in their newly made mailbox.

This program meets monthly on a Friday at 10:00a.m. and will resume in September.

For more information, contact, Chris.Cash@MecklenburgCountyNC.gov or (704) 5488234.

Starting Wednesday Jun 11 – Mon Sep 1st (open 7 days a week) (Closed Mon Jun 9 & Tue Jun 10) Mon - Fri 12 p.m. - 6 p.m.

Sat: 11 am - 5 p.m.

Sun: 1 p.m. - 5 p.m.

Admission Fees Outdoor pools are only $1 all summer long.

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.

Community and Recreation Center Services Sugaw Creek Recreation Center: 4H Quest for Speed Program Afterschool participants in the YWCA program have become mini-engineers at Sugaw Creek Recreation Center. Children use math and engineering principals to design and test several different cars that use a variation of propulsions systems using K'NEX building supplies. They scientifically measured and evaluated the car's performance including speed, distance and efficiency, and explored the concepts of thrust, torque, units of measure and conversion of measurements. They will explore modifying their cars to best meet the design objectives and improve performance. For more information, contact Brett.Krizanik@MecklenburgCountyNC.gov or (704)336-7655.

Community and Recreation Center Services Berewick Recreation Center: Dance Academy Spring Dance classes have come to an end after nine weeks of hard work! Dancers have enjoyed learning proper ballet terms & vocabulary, positions with their feet & arms, movements and a short routine. At the season ending class, dancers invited their parents and family into class to see all that they learned! This session we had forty students registered for classes! For more information about dance or other cultural arts programs at Berewick, please contact Kimberly at BerewickRecreationCenter@MecklenburgCountyNC.gov or call 704.432.4934.

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.

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 20 • May 23, 2014

ParkandRec.com Will Soon Have A New Look If you are looking for the latest information on recreation and fitness activities in Mecklenburg County, then www.parkandrec.com is your destination and pretty soon the site will have a brand-new look.

In July, The Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation Department will unveil a website redesign which will make it easier than ever before to navigate through the site to discover all the things Park and Rec has to offer.

Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation Senior Leadership Team

The biggest enhancement to the website will be the way visitors register for Park and Rec events and programs. You will find links for eParks 2.0, which is the department’s new online registration program. Using eParks, patrons will be able to get information about parks, picnic shelters, program, and special event offerings. Patrons will also be able to reserve campsites at McDowell Campground, register for fitness, nature, and special interest classes, reserve a picnic shelter and purchase or renew memberships at fitness and aquatic facilities.

Jim Garges, Director Michael Kirschman, Deputy Director James Alsop, Enterprise Services Renea Barber, Human Resources Mario Chang, Budget Administration Lee Jones, Capital Planning Lola Massad, Community and Recrea-

With over 200 parks, 70 miles of trails, 18 recreation centers and so much more, Park and Recreation truly offers something for everyone. So mark your calendars and get ready to discover all the ways you can recreate all year at www.parkandrec.com.

tion Center Services Jeff Robinson, Park Operations Chris Matthews, Nature Preserves and Natural Resources