87 - Summer 2023

WE'RE HIRING: JOIN TEAM CONCORD!

STORMWATER POLLUTION AWARENESS PROJECT SHRED EVENT

Get Connected:

Get connected with Concord through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram! Simply scan the QR codes below with your smartphone or go to facebook.com/concordnc, twitter.com/concordncgov, and instagram.com/concordncgov concordnc.gov

Visit our City’s website where you’ll find a wealth of information Pay bills online, access government and City departments, and discover what’s going on in Concord

About the cover: Tree planting on Arbor Day

The Concord City Circular is produced quarterly by the City Manager’s Office to provide Concord citizens with information about current activities of the City of Concord It contains items that will help make it easier for you to do business with the City Your comments and questions are welcomed Please send them to: Concord City Circular P O Box 308, Concord, NC 28026 or call 704-920-5210 or e-mail publicaffairs@concordnc .gov . designed by Granite Sky Creative Group

City Council

Jennifer P Hubbard District 6

Terry L Crawford District 5 Mayor Pro Tem

John A Sweat, Jr District 7

JC McKenzie District 4

Betty M Stocks District 3

Brian King District 2

Andy Langford District 1

William “Bill” Dusch

Share Your Thoughts!

YOU MAY HAVE HEARD THAT Concord is the 10th largest and one of the fastest growing cities in North Carolina. As I look at all that we have going on, I need your help to keep Concord moving forward. As you drive down Concord Parkway, you will see that Eli Lilly is moving forward with their new pharmaceutical manufacturing plant. Across the street, the designs for Red Bull, Rauch and Ball Aluminum are moving forward with an early 2024 groundbreaking planned. And thanks to the support of voters, planning and design for the Parks & Rec Bond projects are underway. These projects include 4 new and 5 updated parks - including two new parks in Northwest Concord, the new J.E. “Jim” Ramseur Park and Popular Tent Trailhead Park - along with 8 more miles of greenways.

We have many projects underway and planned and we need your feedback. To do this, you can take part in our in-person community meetings or online surveys about various projects and topics. This includes subjects like park design, small area plans, public art, plans for Downtown Concord, or how to allocate resources for housing and homelessness. We post our current online surveys on our Engagement Hub at publicinput.com/ concord.

In addition, there are other great ways you can get involved. These include through our civic education programs like Concord 101 and the Citizen Public Safety Academy. Concord 101 is an educational experience that gives you the opportunity to tour our facilities and engage in interactive discussions with our department leaders and staff. The Citizen Public Safety Academy gives residents a chance to go behind the scenes and learn about the functions of our Police, Fire, Emergency Management and 911 Communications. In addition, if you are interested in joining one of our city boards or commissions such as Planning & Zoning, Historic Preservation or Art Commission to name a few, you can learn more about those opportunities on our website at concordnc.gov/Boards-Commissions.

I look forward to hearing from you and thank you for sharing your knowledge with us. •

Lloyd Wm Payne, Jr Concord City Manager

We Have A Place for You on Team Concord

GREETINGS, FELLOW CONCORDIANS. MANY OF YOU OWN a business or know someone who does. I imagine over the past several months you have had a conversation with someone about the economy and/or job market. Even though the unemployment rate is low, we still have people in our community who are unemployed, underemployed, or simply looking for a career change. If you or someone you know sits in one of these positions, employment with the City of Concord is a great option for you to consider. We go by Team Concord and are in the customer service business.

You may not know, but the City is made up of 23 departments and divisions comprised of over 1,200 employees. You see some of our team each day, like Police, Fire, Water, Electric, and Solid Waste crews as they interact with you in the community. Others, like Finance, Planning, and Engineering, are more “behind the scenes” providing service to you and our community. All of us work for you each day with the goal of making our city a little better today than it was yesterday. I am tasked by City Council to ultimately oversee this daily work and ensure you are receiving the best from our team.

Our Human Resources Department works hard to ensure our departments have a qualified and diverse applicant pool to fill vacancies. Each week (typically by Wednesday), a posting of open positions is placed on the City’s website at concordnc.gov/careers. I encourage you to take a look at those openings and encourage others to do the same. We strive to offer competitive pay, but know we often times cannot compete with the private sector pay for some positions. I am confident, however, that our benefits package is quite competitive. This information is also listed on the City’s website.

Our goal is to attract and retain the best and brightest employees to continue offering the highest level of services to you and your family. If you want to be part of a creative, high-energy work environment, consider joining Team Concord. •

ADOPT A STREAM

There are over 160 miles of streams within our city Help keep our waterways clean by joining our Adopt-A-Stream or Clean-A-Creek programs . Participants receive:

• Safety Vests

• Gloves

• Trash Bags

• Trash Grabbers

When you join Adopt-A-Stream, after two successful clean ups you also get your name on a sign and maybe even a picture with Drippy!

JOIN THE EFFORT TODAY!

concordnc.gov/streams

Get to Know

Della Robinson, Housing Director

Della Robinson, Housing Director, is one of the newer members of Team Concord’s leadership team. She has over 25 years of experience in housing, including previous employment with the City of Concord as the Housing Manager.

As Housing Director, Della leads efforts to connect residents with housing programs and services that meet their needs. She oversees the city’s affordable rental housing and four public housing sites, as well as the administration of several programs that promote greater self-sufficiency and home ownership opportunities for residents. With a proven track record of expanding housing opportunities for vulnerable and at-risk populations, and a reputation for taking a “community forward approach,” Della is working to strengthen and develop partnerships with community and industry stakeholders, and identify collaborative solutions to expand housing opportunities in Concord.

What brought you back to the City of Concord?

The opportunity to become a Housing Director is a career goal I have had for a very long time. When the opportunity came up to fulfill a lifelong career goal for a city I already knew and loved, I knew it was meant to be.

What is your goal as the City’s Housing Director?

My goal as Concord’s Housing Director is to successfully manage a housing program that meets our clients needs and also expand housing opportunities through increased collaboration with community stakeholders.

What would surprise someone to learn about you?

A few surprising facts about me are that I know how to fish, ride horses, and I had perfect attendance from first through eighth grade!

What are you currently reading?

I've been reading the newest Housing and Urban Development regulations and guidance pertaining to the affordable housing industry. I feel that staying abreast of all the latest housing news will help me take Concord’s housing department to the next level. Outside of work-related reading, the last book I read was ‘Just Mercy’ by Bryan Stevenson.

Della is originally from Charleston, South Carolina. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Urban Studies from the College of Charleston and holds a Public Housing Manager Certification from NAHRO. Della has also completed training in Public Housing and Housing Choice Voucher Management. Prior to joining the City of Concord, she worked with three U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) designated High Performer agencies. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, home projects, and spending time with her family and friends. Della has two daughters and a son, and she is also a proud dog mom. •

Visit Downtown Concord and Support Local

Work is continuing in Downtown Concord on the new Streetscape. Once complete, residents and visitors will enjoy enhanced dining, shopping, and entertainment experiences thanks to new features like wider sidewalks with space for outdoor dining, improved landscaping, and new lighting. But don’t wait for the construction to wrap up before coming downtown to shop, eat, explore, and enjoy a show or live music. Our local businesses remain open throughout construction and they’re ready to serve!

You can find a complete listing of Downtown Concord businesses, shops, restaurants, salons, entertainment venues, and more on our website: concorddowntown.com. We also keep our parking map updated so you never have to wonder where to find free parking during your visit.

Also, be sure to check out the Events & Promotions page on our website. This is your one-stop resource for all of the latest events taking place downtown. Events like open mic nights, food trucks and live music offerings, pop up vendor markets, cooking classes, board game nights, special dinner and drink promotions, and more!

Finally, be sure to follow us on social media where we post weekly updates on the Streetscape construction progress – typically every Thursday evening. We also share these progress updates online at concorddowntown.com/constructionupdates.

GARBAGE & RECYCLING

After using a contract vendor for garbage and recycling collection for many years, in July we made the transition to provide these services “in-house” - meaning it is now City employees and Cityowned trucks collecting your household garbage and recycling. Now all solid waste collection – garbage, recycling, yard, and bulky waste – are collected by City of Concord crews.

We made this change to provide you with better and more reliable service. With the change we also moved to a 4-day collection week, with all collections taking place Monday-Thursday. The four-day schedule means less confusion and a more consistent schedule during holiday weeks.

We are excited with how the transition is going, but let us know how we’re doing! If you receive exceptional service with your solid waste collection, give our team a “High Five” and tell us about it at concordnc.gov/High5.

Also, don’t forget to download the CARTology app to stay in the know about your collection days for garbage, recycling, yard, and bulky waste. Be sure to enable notifications in the app too so that you never miss a collection day! Visit concordnc.gov/whatsmyday to learn more.

RAISING Concord City Circular SUMMER 2023

Did you know that storm drains lead directly to our waterways? Each time it rains, trash and pollutants on our streets are washed into the storm drains and are carried into our local streams, rivers and lakes. Stormwater pollution can significantly degrade our fish and wildlife habitat, our drinking water, and recreational opportunities.

The City of Concord looks for new ways to help raise awareness of the effect stormwater runoff has on water quality. One way is through the connection with art.

The City partnered with J.N. Fries Middle School on a pilot stormwater art contest for students. The pilot project invited students to create artwork illustrating the theme of “only rain down the drain” to help educate the general public on water quality issues caused by stormwater pollution.

Nine students submitted artwork. All of the pieces did a great job communicating how storm drains lead directly to the stream or river. Some students also created pieces that warned against undesirable waste in the storm drain, including litter, pet waste, oil, chemicals, and yard waste.

Students created their artwork through various media and then explained the inspiration for their artwork.

The artwork was judged by a panel consisting of both school and city staff, and prizes were awarded to 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place. First place was awarded to Yashvi Kandyala, second place went to Haashini Balasubramanian, and Sahana Yogarajan received third place honors. All participating students received gift bags with art supplies.

The idea was for the winning artwork to be added to the storm drain in front of the school. By adding art and messaging to the areas around storm drains, we get people’s attention and remind them that our neighborhoods are all connected to our streams, rivers, and lakes.

Following the success of the pilot project, the City is expanding the program and offering it to schools city-wide..

You too can help protect our fresh water sources. If you see signs of illegal dumping or stormwater pollution call 704-920-5555. Remember, only rain down the storm drain!

See more student work on the next page. •

I want to keep the ocean pretty so it needs to be free of trash.

Jake, 7th grader at J .N . Fries

I hope my drawing inspires people to stop littering and polluting our waterways. Sahana, 6th grader at J N Fries

I made this design to represent the world currently vs how we want it to look like. These days everyone is littering and we need to stop it by spreading awareness. Animals are also put at risk and I love animals.

Hudson, 6th grader at J .N . Fries

Runoff from stormwater drains contains litter, chemicals, and other types of debris, which harm our wildlife. If we don’t protect our water, we can’t protect our critters. This art piece was made to raise awareness about the ever-increasing amount of debris in our drains, which is often overshadowed by the bigger picture: climate change. This piece strives to inspire others to help maintain our water cleanliness so future generations can wake up to a world full of life.

Yashvi 7th grader at J N Fries

This page: Student artwork from Concord's first Stormwater Art Competition.

SAVE THE DATE!

CITIZEN PUBLIC SAFETY ACADEMY

We’re proud to be one of North Carolina’s safest cities. In fact, we’re one of just two cities with a population over 100,000 to make the list of the Top 20 Safest Cities in North Carolina, according to SafeWise.

Our dedicated team of public safety professionals work hard every day to create safe spaces for families, businesses, and visitors.

We invite you to sign up for the Citizen Public Safety Academy to better get to know the men and women of our Police, Fire, Emergency Management and 911 Communications departments. They’ll take you behind the scenes for an in-depth look at their work. You’ll learn about our community policing efforts and how our growing city prepares for and responds to disasters and other emergencies.

Applications open in December and classes begin in February 2024. So, mark your calendars and set a reminder as space is limited and the class fills quickly!

Learn more at concordnc.gov/ PublicSafetyAcademy.

JOIN TEAM CONCORD

Whether you have years of experience, or you’re just starting out, Team Concord has a place for you!

THE CITY OF CONCORD IS A GROWING AND DIVERSE CITY. AS THE 10th largest and 6th fastest growing city in the state, and one of North Carolina’s safest cities, we’ve quickly become one of the best places to live, work, and visit.

Our city’s success would not be possible without the dedicated and hardworking individuals on Team Concord. They work each day to deliver vital services and enhance our communities. We are always looking for motivated individuals who want to join our team and make a difference in their community as well.

We have job opportunities available for all degrees and experience levels. While almost any college degree can lead to a job with the city, higher education is not a requirement for many of our available positions. With over a dozen departments and a wide range of roles, you can find your place on Team Concord.

We offer:

• Competitive compensation

• Tuition reimbursement

• Health, Dental, & Vision insurance

• Paid 401K & Retirement

• Employee Wellness Center

• Free onsite fitness centers

• Flexible work schedules & telework

• Pay increases for bi-lingual staff

• Paid vacation, sick leave, parental leave, & holidays

One of North Carolina’s Safest Cities

Best in HR Award

One of Charlotte’s Healthiest Employers

Best-in-Class Employer

When you join Team Concord, you are joining an award-winning team. The City of Concord was named a Best-in-Class Employer by Gallagher for its innovative and proactive approach to creating workplace policies and benefits that inclusively engage and motivate employees. We were also named one of Charlotte’s Healthiest Employers and awarded the prestigious Best in HR award by the Charlotte Business Journal for the second year in a row. Our departments and individual coworkers are also consistently achieving the highest levels of success, earning top awards and advanced certifications in their respective areas of expertise.

If you are ready to take advantage of the benefits and opportunities offered to our employees, there are several ways to apply for a position with Team Concord:

• Go to concordnc.gov/ careers

• Call 704-920-JOBS

• Visit City Hall and use the job kiosk on the 4th Floor

• Scan the QR Code

Our Human Resources (HR) Department works hard to ensure the review process for all applications is fair and equitable. They take time to review each and every application that is received, ensuring accuracy, completion, and qualification for the desired employment opportunity. This is a process that takes time and attention to detail, but is important to ensuring we give all applicants a fair and equitable opportunity.

We’re proud to be one of the region’s top employers. We know the members of Team Concord are our greatest strength and we work hard to continuously update policies and programs to meet their needs.

By caring for our current employees and making equitable strides to bring on new talent, Team Concord is keeping pace with our growing, diverse community, and is a premier location to plant roots and have a flourishing, fulfilling career. •

CITY RECOGNIZED FOR EXCELLENCE IN COMMUNICATIONS

The City earned two Excellence in Communications awards from the North Carolina City & County Communicators (NC3C) Association . We received two First Place awards for our work communicating information on the Parks & Recreation General Obligation Bond that voters approved by a 2:1 ratio last November We earned First Place for the concordbonds .com website and First Place in the multiplatform campaign category for our comprehensive communications work across all methods – print, digital, website, video, media, and in-person

The City was among 25 jurisdictions from across the state to earn recognition for their public communications work

Concern for the Individual • Customer Focus

Fair and Equitable Service

Effective Communication

Quarterly High Performers

The following members of Team Concord were recognized for going above and beyond in providing excellent customer service or for taking actions that best embody one of more of the city’s 9 Principles of Excellent Service The High Performers were selected from among the High Five nominations received from April - June 2023 .

Water Resources

• Professional Service

• Taking Ownership

Timeliness • Teamwork • Great Service Recovery

High Five recognizes coworkers who make a difference.

Each day City of Concord coworkers are focused on providing the services needed to keep our community moving forward We believe that coworkers who are delivering excellent service deserve timely and effective recognition by their team members, managers, and the community We invite you to help us recognize one or more of our coworkers who have provided excellent service

These nine principles help us deliver a high level of quality services.

There are three ways to submit your recognitions:

• Call 704-920-6400 to submit your acknowledgment by phone

• Complete the online form at concordnc.gov/high5

• Complete a paper form found one of the following public facilities: City Hall; Academy Recreation Center; Brown Operations Center; Concord Regional Airport; Fire Stations 3, 7, 8, and 9; Housing Department Office; Police Headquarters; Rider Transit Center

Electric

Aviation

Teal

Whitley

Cody Reece

Crystal Howell

Danny Jacobs

Solid Waste Jimmy Shultz

Fire Laila Pond

CMO Leslie Jenkins

Police Office Michael Quinn

Engineering

Finance

Willie McCain

Chestnut

Mark Cain

Robinson

We believe members of Team Concord who provide excellent service deserve recognition by their team members, managers, and the community Our employees are the city’s most valuable asset and each play a critical role in contributing to the attainment of the city’s goals and mission Thank you, Team Concord! •

Concord Mobile Care

You can report pot holes, street light malfunctions, and many other nonemergency issues to the City using your smartphone .

Visit concordnc.gov to learn about and download the Concord Mobile Care app for your android or iOS device, or access the web-version on any other device, including PC and laptop computers

City of Concord Important Phone Numbers

Call the Customer Care Center for service requests and inquiries about any of the following:

• Electric Outages/Services

• Water/Sewer Emergencies

• Dead Animal Pick-up

• Drinking Water Inquiries

• Garbage/Bulk Pick-up/Recycling

• Utility Bills

• Street/Traffic Light Issues

• Right-of-Way Issues

• Storm Water/Storm Drain/Flooding Problems

• Yard Waste/Leaf Collection

• Building Material Disposal

• Bulk Metal Collection

• Old Tire Collection

• Vacant Lot Cleaning/Mowing

You can also fax our Customer Care team at 704-920-6953

The primary phone numbers for the various City departments are: