The Friday Letter | February 20, 2015

The

Love February is Teen Dating Violence (DV) Prevention and Awareness Month! TeenDVMonth is a national effort to raise awareness about abuse in teen and 20something relationships and promote programs that prevent it during the month of February.

This Day in Black History:

Hearts February is American Heart Month and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are encouraging Americans to know their blood pressure, and if it’s high, to make control their goal.

Frederick Augustus Douglass— (abolitionist & orator) dies in Washington, DC JF Pickering— patents his airship invention Sidney Poitier—(actor) born

Mecklenburg County News

In case of a power outage, please print out this printable emergency contact list.

Charlotte Mecklenburg Emergency Management With predictions of cold, wintry weather right around the corner, Mecklenburg County residents are encouraged to practice the following winter safety tips: At Home  Keep alternative heating sources prepared. If you have a fireplace, store a good supply of dry, seasoned wood. Keep fire extinguishers on hand, and make sure your family knows how to use them.

Make sure to turn off alternative heating sources when leaving the home.  Properly vent kerosene heaters and keep any electric generators OUTSIDE and away from any open windows or doors to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning. Also, do not burn charcoal indoors.

Carbon monoxide poisoning can result from charcoal fumes indoors.  Keep fresh batteries on hand to use with flashlights and weather radios.  Always keep at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food in your home.  If your pipes are vulnerable to freezing, i.e., they run through an unheated or unprotected space, consider keeping your faucet at a slow drip when extremely cold temperatures are predicted.

Keep a supply of candles available in the event of a power outage. Make sure to keep candles away from flammable objects, such as curtains, and out of the reach of children.

Find more tips and information here.

Helpful links Charlotte area forecast and weather advisories American Red Cross - Charlotte Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Flood safety tips CATS Rider Alerts Mecklenburg County updates Traffic accidents

Mecklenburg County News A Little ‘Healthy’ Competition Helps Lead to a Healthier Lifestyle Almost 500 employees committed to focusing on nutrition, activity, hydration, well-being and sleep as part of the 30 Day Lifestyle Challenge during September. They tracked their habits daily and used healthy recipes and weekly “get fit tips” along with some healthy competition to create a healthier lifestyle.

Congratulations to the grand prize Inspiration Award winner, Savannah Anderson, Health Department nurse case manager. Savannah showed an extraordinary commitment to the Challenge and went above and beyond by encouraging and motivating her team members and serving as an example by preparing a healthy lunch to bring to work every day.

More information about the County’s employee wellness program offerings is available here.

It’s Not Too Late To Vaccinate: Good Reasons to Get a Flu Shot Flu season is in full swing and by now, chances are you’ve been asked “Have you had your flu shot?” countless times. But there’s good reason for the hype. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), over the past few years, the influenza vaccine has prevented millions of flu cases and tens of thousands of related hospitalizations.

Flu season generally runs from October through April and getting a flu shot -- along with frequent hand -washing, covering your cough and staying home when you’re sick -- is the best defense against getting the flu. If you’re still not convinced, click here for five reasons why you should get vaccinated.

More information on flu prevention is available here.

Aquatics

The Bluegrass Mountain Conference Championships: The Bluegrass Mountain Conference Swimming Championships took place at the Mecklenburg County Aquatic Center February 11 – 14. The championship included the following teams: Carson-Newman College, Catawba College, Converse College, Davis & Elkins College, Fairmont State College, Johns Hopkins University, Lenoir-Rhyne College, Limestone College, Pfeiffer College, Queens University, Savannah College of A&D, West Virginia Wesleyan College, and Wingate University. Three hundred seventy-four (374) college kids participated to win both a conference championship and qualify to compete at the Division II National Championship in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Nature Preserves & Natural Resources

Fireline at Shuffletown Prairie: Staff from the Natural Resources Section recently got together to construct a fireline by hand at Shuffletown Prairie Nature Preserve. A prescribed burn will be conducted by the NC Forest Service at the preserve within the next few months. The purpose of the burn is to mitigate hazardous fuel conditions in the grassy prairie, and to manage several federally endangered species. The fireline doubles as a nature trail for the public and members of the Riverbend Community.

Nature Preserves & Natural Resources Brown-headed Nuthatch Nest Box Project Mecklenburg Audubon Society (NC) went big with Audubon North Carolina’s Bird Friendly Communities nuthatch initiative, purchasing and placing 800 nest boxes for Brown-headed Nuthatches. Two hundred boxes were placed through Mecklenburg County Natural Resources in county owned properties – including parks, green ways, and golf courses. Boxes were also sold directly to the public through events, meetings, nature centers, bird stores and hardware stores. The chapter will be monitoring and reporting on bird activity at the boxes with trained, designated monitors for each box. And, they have enlisted Master Naturalists from across the county to champion and participate in the effort.

- Audubon 2014 Chapter Annual Report From the desk of Jill Palmer I really want to thank Mecklenburg County Natural Resources , Staci Clark and the Master Naturalist program participants who have been our supporters in getting boxes installed on county properties and providing us monitors.

A big thank you to David Blackley at Renfrow's Hardware in Matthews who has been our largest retailer outlet for boxes. And a big thank you to Dr. Mark Stanback of Davidson College for his research and support of our state-wide initiative putting up boxes across the state.

We have surpassed the 800 boxes and are at 1,000 with a nearly empty garage and time to go get more. At least 3 of us in the email will be putting up 10-12 boxes on Saturday in the greater Charlotte area.

It has been a wonderful collaborative project and shows what teamwork can accomplish.

Pushpa Bhaskar has been employed with Mecklenburg County for 5 year. She began her career as a Fiscal Support II with Community Support Services and later promoted to a Fiscal Analyst with the Register of Deeds. Bhaskar joined Park and Recreation Accounting Services in 2013 as a Senior Fiscal Analyst. She currently serves as the Supervisor over Accounts Payable and assist with managing Capital Projects. She completed her MBA with a Finance concentration as of December 2014.

Pushpa is a Park Ambassador for Francis Beatty Park. She loves nature , which includes going for bike rides with her daughters along the biking trail at Francis Beatty. She also enjoys gardening, yoga and meditation.

Pushpa is originally from Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India where she competed as a Chess player at the College State Level Tournaments.

On the surface Pushpa appears to be quite shy but she has a great sense of humor. She loves comedy, especially the Ellen DeGeneres Show.

American Heart Month

Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month

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 Richard . McNeill @MecklenburgCountyNC.gov for publication assistance.

The Friday Letter Volume 3 • Issue 56 • February 20, 2015

CHARMECK ALERTS The CharMeck Alerts Notification System relays accurate and timely emergency notifications. You control how you’re contacted— whether it’s on your cell, work or home phone, via text, email or voice message. You can receive up-to-the-minute notifications about events and emergencies that may affect your home, workplace or other points of interest—anywhere in Mecklenburg County. Sign up here or call CharMeck 311. To receive CDOT-specific alerts, you must sign up for that item in the list.

Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation Senior Leadership Team Jim Garges, Director Michael Kirschman, Deputy Director James Alsop, Enterprise Services Renea Barber, Human Resources Mario Chang, Budget Administration Lee Jones, Capital Planning Terri Stowers, Community and Recreation Center Services Jeff Robinson, Park Operations Chris Matthews, Nature Preserves and Natural Resources