Eca 3-16

ECA Officers

ECA Board Members

Paul Shipley President 704 651 5897 Kenmore Avenue paul.d.shipley@gmail.com

Beth Haenni Past President 704 562 5152 Greenway Avenue beth.haenni@gmail.com

● Vice President position vacant

Kristan Magas Park & Recreation Liaison 704 488 0051 E. 5th Street kdm2201@gmail.com

● Secretary position vacant Ladd Van Devender Treasurer 704 641 0480 Kenmore Avenue ladd.vandevender@gmail.com

John F. McBride Newsletter Editor 704 375 8977 East Eighth Street john.f.mcb@gmail.com

ECA Special Projects Cory Arnwine Business Liaison 404 729 8823 Craftsman Lane carnwine@gmail.com

● Social Chair position vacant Ric Solow Beautification & Trees 704 906 1967 E. 5th Street ric@solowdesigngroup.com

Susan Green Newsletter Editorial Assistant and Proofreader 704 806 0568 East Fifth Street Susangreen8@gmail.com

Kris Solow Art Committee 704 806 4456 E. 5th Street ksolow@carolina.rr.com

● Home Tour position vacant Ken Magas Website 704 877 7151 E. 5th Street ken@kenmagas.com

● Membership position vacant Officer David Padgett CMPD Response Area Coordinator dpadgett@cmpd.org Robert Zabel Elizabeth 8K Road Race Chair 917 873 8028 Pecan Avenue nycrcz@yahoo.com

Claire M. Short Communications 813 326 3223 Greenway Avenue claire.m.short@gmail.com

● Zoning and Real Estate Committee position vacant RECYCLING TIP

Two stores at Midtown have recycling stations: Target has bins as you exit the store for plastic bags, glass, plastic, aluminum, cellphones, MP3 players and ink cartridges.

Best Buy has bins near the parking deck entrance for wires, cables, cords, gift cards, CDs, DVDs, ink and toner cartridges, plastic bags and rechargeable batteries.

—Kris Solow

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ECA calendar SEPTEMBER 10

ECA board nomination deadline If you or anyone you know would like to be nominated for approval by ECA Membership, please contact Paul Shipley, Beth Haenni, or any current ECA board member. The new ECA board for the 2016-17 fiscal year will be approved at the annual meeting Sept. 27. All ECA members are eligible.

SEPTEMBER 15

ECA board meeting 6:30 to 8 p.m., Studio K Gallery 2024 E. Seventh Street All are invited.

SEPTEMBER 27

ECA annual meeting 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

St. John’s Baptist Church 300 Hawthorn Lane OCTOBER 6

ECA board meeting 6:30 to 8 p.m., Studio K Gallery 2024 E. Seventh Street All are invited.

NOVEMBER 3

ECA board meeting 6:30 to 8 p.m., Studio K Gallery 2024 E. Seventh Street All are invited.

DECEMBER 8

ECA board meeting 6:30 to 8 p.m., Studio K Gallery 2024 E. Seventh Street All are invited.

Nancy O. Albert (Oakland Avenue) is a former editor of the ECA newsletter.

John McBride (East Eighth Street) is the newsletter editor.

Cory Arnwine (Ridgeway Avenue) recently moved to Elizabeth from Atlanta, and is the newsletter advertising czar.

Hardin Minor (Clement Avenue) is, well, Hardin Minor.

Byron Baldwin (Lamar Avenue) is a photographer.

Kay Minor (East 8th Street) is a gardener.

Jim Belvin (Clement Avenue) heads the ECA Zoning and Real Estate Committee.

Lolo Pendergrast (East Eighth Street) is a longtime Elizabeth resident.

Alan Goodwin is an urban design planning coordinator for the CharlotteMecklenburg Planning Department.

Susan Green (East 5th Street) is the copyeditor for the ECA newsletter.

Newsletter designer Little Shiva (former Charlottean) thinks grassroots publishing is super fun. Yay team!

Brent Johnson (East 5th Street) is an engineer who blogs at matsciexplained.com.

Kris Solow (East Fifth Street) is the ECA Art Committee Co-Chair.

Patsy Kinsey (Kenmore Avenue) was first elected to Charlotte City Council in 2003.

Adrienne Thompson (East 8th Street) is married to Douglas Shoemaker.

Douglas Shoemaker (East 8th Street) is married to Adrienne Thompson.

Above: Harper Williams, 5, set up a lemonade stand on July 29, selling lemonade, juice boxes, water bottles, brownies, cookies and small candies on the corner of 5th and Ridgeway.

Her mother, Amy Williams, said Harper planned to give the proceeds to a local homeless shelter. Photo by Kris Solow.

On the cover: Fourth of July fireworks explode over uptown following the Knights-Pawtucket baseball game (Knights lost 7-4). Cover photo by John McBride.

Independence Day is a special holiday in Elizabeth, thanks largely to Hardin and Linda Minor, who year after year open up their yard to a special event.

Read Hardin’s account of this celebration on page 8. Photo of Hardin

by John McBride, back cover photo by Kris Solow.

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For more than a year, Faison Development has sought to rezone the property at the corner of East 7th Street and North Caswell Road to allow them to build a four-story, mixed-used development containing apartments over street-level retail and offices.

During their July 18 meeting, Charlotte City Council members voted to approve the rezoning.

This came after more than a year of negotiations, meetings, revisions, more meetings, revisions and more meetings.

At the April 18 public hearing before city council, the Elizabeth Community Association spoke out against the rezoning due to concerns about the number of apartments (123 proposed), size of the building, and our feeling that the project as proposed was not providing enough parking for its users.

At that hearing, Claire Fallon and Patsy Kinsey both voiced concerns about the project, and Jennifer Roberts ended by saying it looked as if there was more work to be done.

View from City Council: Why I voted no

by Patsy Kinsey

Editor’s note: Elizabethan Patsy Kinsey represents District 1 on Charlotte City Council. When Following the public hearing, council voted to approve Faison’s Faison drastically altered their 7th and Caswell rezoning request, development proposal, reducing Kinsey and LaWana Mayfield were the number of apartments the only “no” votes. to no more than 100, broke Our former city manager, the single building into two separate buildings and provided teasing me one day (but probably meaning it), said that increased parking ratios as I didn’t like change. requested by the ECA. Due to these changes, the ECA dropped its opposition, and I spoke at the June 18 follow-up public hearing to inform council members that the ECA had changed its position and would not oppose the rezoning. After some questions and debate, council voted 8-2 for approval, with LaWana Mayfield and Patsy Kinsey voting no. According to the developer, construction is planned to begin in the first quarter of 2017.

I insisted that was not true.

I just don’t like change that in my opinion might not be in the best interest of our citizens.

I suppose that could explain my “no” vote on the proposed project at the corner of Seventh and Caswell. I simply was not convinced that the project was the best it could be for my neighbors here in Elizabeth.

I am more of a big-picture person and have problems when I have to make a decision without reference to the surrounding area, traffic patterns and neighborhood character. None of those areas were addressed to my satisfaction.

While I appreciate that the architect for the project at Seventh and Caswell made a few changes — making it marginally better in my eyes — what they would not do was respect the building height called for in the Elizabeth Area Plan. In my opinion it was and will be when built, too dense.

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photos: John McBride

City council approves Faison’s 7th St. rezoning

by Jim Belvin

Traffic is another issue. I am very disappointed that Charlotte Department of Transportation (CDOT) did not require a traffic study. I believe they should have. CDOT also did not require right in to and right out of the accesses to the project. No consideration was given to what would happen in the alley when the project was completed or exactly where the curb cut would be on Caswell Road.

If this project had been located in a suburban area with little development around it, something that seems as minor as a curb cut would not have mattered. In a busy urban neighborhood like ours it matters a lot — which we will experience in a few years.

What I worry about the most is the changing character of our neighborhood.

we have to be very careful or Seventh Street will look like a red brick canyon and the singlefamily homes behind those tall buildings will indeed be impacted.

The city has started a revision of its very old zoning ordinance.

The planning department has given the study a new name: Unified Development Ordinance.

During the course of the study citizens will have an opportunity to have input. Please do so. You can learn more about the study online by going to charmeck. org and searching for “Unified Development Ordinance” or UDO. Please make your voices and preferences heard.

Yard Yak Fall 2016

by Kay Minor

Honking cars regularly interrupt indoor conversations, drivers Our neighborhood is changing. impatient with the slow cruising The inevitable has arrived.

This is an area I have known rubberneckers directly in all my life. I grew up on Central A tipping point of no return, front of our modest bungalow.

Elizabeth appears poised for a Avenue in my grandparent’s Wide eyed and mouths agape, denser, livelier and, undoubtably, the snail-paced cars scoot big rambling house that stood noisier future. Towering blocks between Clement Avenue and along once they realize that of rentals rising within view of the railroad tracks. I went the magnificently fortressed our front porches on 8th Street, and white, 5,000-square-foot to school with all the kids in confirm the undeniable cascade modern mansion across the Elizabeth. I had friends that of construction moving onto lived on Greenway, two doors street from me is not, in fact, up from where I live now, and on every available nook and cranny a medical services building of Fifth, Seventh, Eighth, Kenmore, in the ‘hood. some kind or other, but simply Cameron, Vail and Hawthorne. a home for sale.

I have lunch once a month with We awaken most mornings to the rat-a-tat-tat of nail gun fire plus Wails of a newborn fill the air. some of them to this day. in equal measure and volume The proud parade of three accordion-filled music blaring I don’t want to see our amble uphill, focused on their from a boom box. The dusty, single family homes destroyed corner home. Another endlessly or negatively impacted by rambunctious building crews congested renovation site sing along, occasionally inspiring and, simultaneously, a dream allowing projects like the one just approved to be built. I think a jaunty jig. coming true.

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Life has always been a noisy affair. Being born is a gasp then a holler. Some folks thrive on constant stimuli, they’re “all ears,” so to speak. Some not so much.

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Listen to whatever floats yer boat. Or not. Balance might be the best we can do in a world that must keep moving, growing, evolving. Earplugs may be essential as well. Ultra soft, and preferably pink.

limbs down, hundreds of homes without power for up to five hours, and untold numbers of twigs, limbs and branches littering streets and yards.

Thunderstorms, microburst damage trees and homes

by Lolo Pendergrast

A meteorologist attributed the damaging winds on Greenway and Kenmore avenues to a mircroburst, an intense downdraft of air that spreads on the ground.

Several powerful thunderstorms and one microburst slashed through Elizabeth in July. Here is the final damage count from the stormy July of 2016: 2 crushed cars, 3 streets made unpassable for 1-3 days, 30 trees and large

T.R. Sundar’s 8-year-old red Mercedes 320 took a direct hit from the tree felled by the microburst that churned through Greenway. His children were astonished at the sight of their pancaked car.“They all like an exhibition about what nature can do,” he said, surveying the

A tree fell across Bay Street close to the intersection of Clement Avenue, on the Lamar side of Bay during the storm July 8. The tree blocked the road for several days.

photo: John McBride

Every Tuesday, weather permitting, George and his ever changing “associates” of two, find a double car space on 8th Street and park an older black SUV, with flatbed trailer in tow.

In short order, they commence to what I call mow, blow and go. Embarking on yet another however unnerving sign of the times. Having been crowned “the no mow gal” on our street, this in particular will create a bee in my bejeweled bonnet.

crushed sedan in front of his home. “I’m an easy-going guy so I said, ‘It happens.’ ”

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by Kris Solow

Sarah Crowder and Bruce Buckley lost the 80-year-old pine tree that smashed Sundar’s car and a second car next door to Sundar. The couple may have to take down a second sister pine because a tree specialist said it was next to fall.

That was the number of calls for service the city of Charlotte received for downed trees or tree limbs in the first two weeks of July. The storms we had during that time were short but scary. They raised normal fears: “Will my tree fall, too?”

Crowder said her husband called before the storm to warn her about it.

Keep in mind that your fear is not a professional opinion. Only a certified arborist (CA) can give you a professional opinion.

photo this page and back cover: Kris Solow

“I thought this is going to be exciting,” she said. “Then whoosh… I was at the back of the house and there was a big ‘whump.’ I think I felt it a little bit.”

We hire professionals to take care of ourselves and our cars, our house, our shrubs and lawn – so why not our trees? Would you repair your car or diagnose your illness if you knew nothing When the rain cleared that about cars or medicine? Of day, she and neighbors saw course not. Would you let your the results: Greenway and house deteriorate or your shrubs Cameron blocked by fallen trees and lawn go un-manicured? and power lines, swaths of the I would hope not. neighborhood covered in tree Trees need you to take care trunks, limbs and pine cones. of them – especially in an urban Their street was shut down for a environment.

They grow, get day until neighbors hauled out older and get ailments too. chain saws to clear away trees.

Just because your tree is leaning does not mean it is VOLUNTEER going to fall. The tree may have elizabethcommunityassociation been crowded and leans toward @gmail.com the light source but has strong, healthy roots. Many trees that “I hate to see all these old are straight-trunked have fallen trees go,” Crowder said. or their trunks were snapped The scenes were repeated on from wind shear.

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Greenway, Kenmore, Cameron, Bay and 5th. Many neighbors were part of the 50,000 homes without power once or twice during the month of July.

This straight trunked tree was taken down because of fear of it falling, even though a certified arborist deemed it was a healthy tree. The tree featured on the back cover of this issue has been leaning for years in Independence Park.

Besides visually inspecting your tree whenever you do yard work, once a year have a CA inspect your trees and make recommendations for treatment.

Your fears will be calmed and you will feel more confident in your decisions regarding your trees. Certified arborists work alone or with a tree service. Most companies will inspect your trees visually for free. If further service is needed, like canopy reduction, fertilization, root stimulation, insect treatments or cankerworm protection, they can quote you a cost.

If you see a city tree that needs attention, call 311 Only a professional CA knows and report it. And set up how healthy your tree is. They’ll an appointment today for a check the trunk and roots for certified arborist to come and rot and give you their best evaluate the health of your trees. recommendation.

You’ll be glad you did!

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Elizabeth July 4 parade: A 20-year labor of love

by Hardin Minor Editor’s note: For the last 20 years, Clement Avenue mainstays Hardin and Linda Minor and their sons Massie and Tucker have enjoyed being hosts for an annual once-around-the-block 4th of July parade and backyard celebration.

Here are Hardin’s thoughts on this year’s event and years past.

It’s pretty cool to read the words of these extraordinary documents that define our country’s phenomenal history as a democracy.

But when these words are read aloud by Elizabeth neighborhood girls and boys from third through seventh grades as part of the annual Elizabeth 4th of July Parade, all in attendance are suddenly witness to the truths that have “When in the course of human guided the progress of who we events…” “ We hold these truths are as a people. to be self evident…” “Four score and seven years ago…” “I have a Adults with tears welling and dream that one day…” “Let the lumps in their throats shift from word go forth that the torch has casual laughing and chatting to been passed…” the silence of admiration for a

moment of innocent honesty, so rare in these strange days.

Our annual parade is a highspirited but casual stroll of all ages in all kinds of costumes, wigs and accessories. Our ragtag procession with the Minor’s 1970 Carolina blue and white convertible Mustang in the lead begins around 10:30 a.m. with a short welcoming speech, a singing of the national anthem and a beleaguered blast on the trumpet. Tricycles and bicycles rev up and we are off from 721 Clement Ave., headed toward 8th Street, then right onto Lamar Avenue, right again on Bay Street before turning left on Clement and into the backyard.

parade photos: Byron Baldwin

In his 1970 Carolina Blue Mustang convertible, master of ceremonies Hardin Minor leads the crowd in singing “The Star-Spangled Banner” before the 2016 Elizabeth 4th of July parade begins.

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Spectators are rare as everyone joins in the fun. After the readings there are prizes for best dressed dog, fanciest tricked out cycles and youngest among us.

Runners-up receive Sacagawea dollars and winners take home $2 bills. (Why? Take a look on the back of Mr. Jefferson’s denomination to find out!)

as a people, we all realize for a moment how lucky we are to be a part of this wonderful neighborhood and this extraordinary country. There is an unspoken rededication of our lives to each other as stewards of our democracy. It is a good thing to rekindle this fire of participation every year. Three cheers for the good old US of A!

We acknowledge our men and women in the armed services then pledge our allegiance to the flags from Hardin’s grandfather’s (WWI) and Linda’s father’s (WWII) military funerals.

If we are lucky, John Cleghorn of Caldwell Presbyterian Church hits a high spiritual prayer. This year we gave a special shout out to Clement Avenue neighbor Lee Willyard as “survivor of the year” Composting in Elizabeth (and his wife Carlson for best may get needed boost survivor supporter!), and “Magic

by Adrienne Thompson Mike” Watkins for his many years of providing hot dogs with all the I grew up in the San Francisco fixin’s plus his famous chili.

Bay area of California. My father Folks bring watermelon, was an environmentalist who cookies, chips and assorted worked for the Environmental snackatizers. Hardin and Linda Protection Agency and my mom set up lemonade and water liked gardening and saving stations. Massie and Tucker (and money, so we composted. friends) often DJ a great variety It was a big part of my of Americana music and the kids childhood as we gardened all delight in the rope swing and year long.

It became a part of the two-story treehouse with a my ethics just like recycling and 1950s sliding board. conserving water.

It’s a family tradition like I continued composting when no other, a fun for all that you I moved to Elizabeth. I had the can count on as part of your yard space and the kitchen Independence Day festivities. waste. The other essential But when the children read ingredient that fell from the large trees nearby made this an the great words that have defined who we are as a country, ideal situation for composting

until a few months ago when several big trees near me had to be removed.

That was the end of my backyard composting.

My compost pile became just a pile of food waste because I no longer had the great quantity of leaf litter I once had. I now had to throw my vegetal waste in the garbage can. I was so unused to this and the smell of rotting food in my house I felt I had to find a new solution for my composting needs.

What’s the big deal you say?

Everyone throws food scraps out? Well, let me back up and explain a little bit about composting. Composting is the art of turning yard and vegetal waste into soil-building, plant-loving organic matter.

Mixing these two ingredients with sun and water in the right proportions allows bacteria and a host of other decomposers to break down these materials.

This new form of organic matter is wonderful for your plants and vegetables as it returns nutrients back to the soil. Composting also keeps this waste out of landfills. It is a part of the natural cycle and its value in making soil is important as it takes nature alone 100 years to build one inch of soil.

You don’t have a garden?

You don’t have time for backyard composting? You don’t have the facility to compost? Well, now I fit into this category too.

What to do?

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Editor’s note: We are pleased to introduce Cory Arnwine as the ECA Newsletter advertising czar. Cory recently moved to Elizabeth from Atlanta and we asked him to tell us Eric Theys of a little about himself. Email him at Crown Town carnwine@gmail.com if you’d like to Compost buy an ad. on one of the bicycles Q. What brings you CTC uses to Charlotte? to pick up A. My company, (Atlantaneighborhood based) Edge Solutions, has composting been growing rapidly since we materials. started in 2008. With a few key accounts I cover in Charlotte, I was in Raleigh recently at My problem is solved. I can management was hinting at a festival where a company was compost without composting! wanting me to move. Having signing people up for compost My hope is that the Crown spent the last 19 years in pick-up services. I was all ready Town Compost concept will Atlanta, with my lease running to sign up, but unfortunately get more people involved in out at the end of the year, they weren’t willing to come to composting. Currently they and being inherently single, Charlotte for my lone pail of don’t pick up in Elizabeth, but the timing felt right to make t compost materials so I did some with more interest in this service he move! research and found Crown Town they may add a Chantilly/ Compost here in Charlotte.

Q. Why did you Elizabeth pick-up route. choose Elizabeth?

Crown Town Compost is a If this sounds like something A. One of my customers small start-up that specializes in that might interest you, go to (who happens to be the editor helping people who don’t have www.crowntowncompost.com of this publication) said he the capacity to compost. They or call Kris Steele at 980lived in the area. Upon trying provide you with a 3.5-gallon 253-7670. bars in the area and staying in pail with lid that fits nicely random Airbnbs in different under the kitchen sink to collect neighborhoods, I knew having your food waste during the week. a community I could walk/ Then you can either drop bike around was ideal. With off your full pail Saturday at the rental market being so the Atherton Market on South competitive, I found a nice Boulevard, or now in select townhouse and jumped on it. neighborhoods, they can pick Q. Where would you live up the waste once a week from if not in Elizabeth? your house by bicycle all for a A. Plaza-Midwood is ideal monthly fee.

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composting photo: Douglas Shoemaker

Introducing ad czar Cory Arnwine

by John McBride

Cory Arnwine

given that the area is also mostly houses. I have a 2-yearold border collie and a house with a fenced-in yard like what I had in Atlanta makes for an easy transition. Lots of friends recommended South End, but I had lived in a similar “young professional” community the last 5-6 years and wanted more community feel/culture.

photo of Cory by Cory / hawk photo: John McBride

Q. What do you do for a living?

A. I’m in IT sales focused on providing core data center solutions that encompass hardware, software and services.

Healthcare seems to be my main focus vertical, but as a sales guy, I’m really after anything. Luckily for me, my company has hired some of the best engineers out there and I feel really confident in our ability to support large customers.

the course as often as I’d like, I like to play tennis and mountain bike. The Whitewater Center is my favorite place so far, but friends have recommended a lot of other trails. I also have this small responsibility of owning a dog and he demands my attention. You can find me regularly at the Mint Museum or Chantilly Park hoping to tire him out!

Q. What’s one thing you want all readers/advertisers/ neighbors to know about you?

A. It’s really hard for me to say no to things. Being new to a city, I am pumped to try new places (good or bad) as it’s all about the experience for me. I’m pretty confident I can find a silver lining in anything too. As a result, I will likely be laughing along the way. Point is, you will always have my ear should you have any sort of recommendation.

Hawk down on 8th Street

by John McBride What appeared to be an immature red-tailed hawk spent about 90 minutes standing on an East 8th Street sidewalk one recent Sunday morning.

The way the bird held its left wing left the impression that it was injured, but otherwise the bird seemed ok. It raised both wings and opened its beak if anyone got too close, but the left wing didn’t fold back into its body when it relaxed.

Neighbors and passers-by gathered at a safe distance and wondered what to do. Nan Bloom of Plaza-Midwood left a message on the Carolina Raptor Center’s answering machine.

The Raptor Center opens at noon on Sundays.

While waiting for the callback, the by-standers studied

Q. What do you do in your spare time?

A. I hear Charlotte has awesome golf courses, but have yet to play. (I’m going to blame my customers!) Since I’m not on THE PEOPLE PAGES

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Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation replaced the Independence Park playground equipment this summer. Work, which also included improvements to drainage and safety surfacing, began in early July and was complete

by August 12.

Nothing but the swing-set frame was left after teardown was complete. Below, yellow caution tape surrounded the playground while work was in progress. Photos

by John McBride.

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the Raptor Center’s web-site and its instructions on how to capture injured raptors. The hope among the crowd was that someone skilled in raptor rescue would come to save the bird.

is historic, few of us were given a handbook by the previous owner at closing to detail that history. I received two keys, a list of phone numbers for the neighbors and a bag of tiny brass screws labelled Shortly after noon the Raptor “For Door Knobs.”

Center returned Bloom’s call.

No, unfortunately, if we want Unfortunately, no one there was to figure out where our home available to help. If the bird was came from and who built it, most injured and needed assistance, of the work falls on us. there was only one thing to do: Thankfully we are not Someone on the scene would completely alone in our quest, need to make the rescue. as many have been down On the phone, the Raptor the path before us. Indeed, Center representative assured Charlotte is blessed with a the bystanders that very few number of resources to aid people were injured capturing anyone motivated for such an raptors. Some among the crowd adventure. Whether you have a were not completely reassured. free weekend or are beginning A pair of thick gloves, a towel on an epic quest, the resources and a box that would hold the in this guide should provide a bird were made ready. great start to finding out more about the history of the place we Then, apparently sensing what was in store, the bird took all call home. flight, and without so much as a Maps: At the top of the list wobble soared noiselessly to a are maps, and for good reason. medium-size Maple tree on the These fun and accessible corner of 8th and Lamar. projections are great for adults and kids alike. If you’ve ever It was last seen sitting on tried to imagine what the the same branch after 8 p.m. neighborhood looked like in that night. The next morning its early days, or wondered how it was gone. people got to and from work, historic maps provide a great Elizabeth home history: point of departure.

A guide to Charlotte historical resources Luckily, Charlotte has two

by Brent Johnson great sources: Historic maps and Sanborn maps.

With a rich tapestry of homes Historic maps were often of different ages, it’s no surprise created at the behest of city so many people flock to the planners or surveyors and Elizabeth neighborhood. depict businesses, streets and Though we all know Elizabeth neighborhoods. Dating back to

1877, they provide an excellent record of how Charlotte evolved over time.

In contrast, Sanborn maps are simple maps of dwellings and structures created for the fire insurance industry. Though the descriptions of the structures are often scant, they are a great way to find out when a structure definitively existed.

As with many of the resources in this guide, both types of maps can be found in the Robert Spangler Carolina Room at the main branch of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library (310 North Tryon St.).

While it’s much better to see the maps in person, they can also be found through the web at http://cmstory.org/content/ robinson-spangler-carolinaroom-maps.

For all the benefit that maps offer in accessibility, they lack in specificity, however. To find specific information on your home, it’s best to follow up with our next great resource, the real estate historical record.

Real estate historical record: If you’re not already

familiar with the Mecklenburg County real estate lookup system (http://meckcama. co.mecklenburg.nc.us/relookup), you’ve been missing out.

Not only is it a great way to find what your neighbors paid for their house, it’s also a great way to find the recent history of your home. While many people are familiar with this online THE PEOPLE PAGES

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resource, few are aware of the much less known historical record.

its inception, Elizabeth has been a community. We can honor this spirit by continuing to interact with the community in which Also online, the historical record provides information on we live. So go ahead, get out and real estate transactions to 1800. talk to your neighbors. I’m sure you won’t be disappointed by This makes it great way to find the effort. a detailed record of who owned your home and when.

Rust Revival: Although accessible from the The beauty of rust

by Kris Solow comfort of your own home, be forewarned it is quite difficult to Editor’s note: On Sept. 2, navigate. Alternatively, the city Ciel Gallery in SouthEnd will directory can be used to find present “Rust Revival,” an exhibit listings of former owners. “celebrating the striking ‘Beauty of City directory: Before the Rust’ featuring photographer Nancy phone book, the city directory O. Albert and assemblage artist existed to help people find Renee Calder.” Kris Solow recently other people. Organized by sat down with Albert, a resident of name, street address or business Elizabeth, for a Q&A on the exhibit, category, these voluminous which runs through Sept. 24. tomes supply a great deal of Q: How did you and Calder information about the people form this collaboration, and places in the city of combining her ceramic/metal Charlotte. What’s more, they pieces with your photography? were issued every year and hence furnish a well-established A: We met about a year ago, and reliable historic record. signing membership papers to join Ceil Gallery, a fine arts U.S. census: Whether categorizing areas for economic collective. We shared some development or simply counting images of each others work and heads, the U.S. census has been we both liked what we saw. That began a conversation about how a bellwether of personal data our work might fit together. since 1790. Available through the “HeritageQuest” resource on One of the opportunities the CM Library website, you can as a Ciel member is to have a almost retrace the steps of the featured show. They encourage examiner as they went house by people to pair up. Almost house down the street knocking immediately we decided we on doors. wanted to show together, that we were a natural fit.

In addition to the above After booking our show date, resources, there are countless others, not the least of which is which was competitive in and your neighbor next door. Since of itself, we began thinking how 14

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our work would go together. I’ve been photographing industrial sites, abandoned buildings and a lot of things that have been bypassed by society. Some of my studies were of textile mills and most recently tobacco barns, documenting things that are disappearing from our visual landscape. Renee actually incorporates “debris” from some of these entities into her work.

While photographing some of these sites along railroad tracks, I began picking up spikes or interesting rusted metal pieces and it became apparent that everything we were working with was rusted! Therefore, the title Rust Revival. “Rust” obviously, and “revival” because we are reviving things that have been discarded and transforming them into something else.

Also as part of our collaboration, we went to Southern Resources Recycling in NoDa where Renee and another Ciel artist Amy Hart picked through buckets of metal pieces to use in their art. I photographed them and various items in the recycling yard including pieces of copper and crushed cans. Some of these images will be in the show.

Q: What do you find most interesting and alluring about rust and old forgotten pieces?

And why should we not just throw them away if they are rusted?

A: I particularly like the beautiful color of rust. Rust is not a single color. It can vary

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photo: Nancy O. Albert

North Carolina tobacco barns.

that we think work very well with Renee’s work. She creates these wonderful tiles with found objects. When the clay is still wet, she presses metal objects into the clay, takes the objects out, fires the tile, and then fits the objects back into And why shouldn’t we throw the impressions, gluing them them away? No! They’re visual into place with heavy adhesive. reminders of our industrial past. This can be tricky because I like metal and machinery and sometimes during the firing, the old buildings. They represent impressions shrink so she has a lot of people. You’ll see an to make careful measurements old cotton mill with looms before firing. rusting away and it’s a reminder that many people spent their But we’ve gone a step further whole lives working there. I than just showing our individual photograph the discarded pieces works. We’re actually doing as they lay. And then I will pick some physical collaboration, them up and give them to Renee integrating my photographs to add to her work, so they are into her ceramics. In one case, revived and transformed into art I scanned some of my images, assemblages. and she converted the scans into a transfer. She then took this Q: What was most challenging transfer, and put it into the clay about integrating your while she was doing the glazing. photography into these pieces The ones I’ve seen are bowls with of art? What was the process of getting the images on ceramic? an ochre glazed center featuring one of my images. The first ones A: First we coordinated what she tried were of an old wooden was going to go into the show. church that I had photographed I have a lot of photographs in Nova Scotia, and of one of the 16

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And lastly, we’re looking at using old wooden boxes that we’ve found and mounting some photographs, including some historic images I took of old textile mills and workers, along with other objects like old shovels and spools from the mill.

A true collaboration!

Q: Do you have another collaboration in the future with another artist?

A: Nothing that is completely definite. Renee and I would like to take this show to other venues. We are in conversation with an art center about moving this show there. We hope to collaborate with Amy Hart. She makes very large metal art: treelike flower forms but also small delicate things. The show that Renee and I are planning would include Amy’s work as well. I’m also in the process of continuing my tobacco barn exploration. I’m looking toward expanding the study begun with a grant from the ASC and seeking funding from various sources.

detail of Renee Calder’s work — photo: Chuck Clemens

when seen in different lights.

I like the contrast, the bright colors and the oranges of rust.

Sometimes plants will grow through these rusted items as they are overtaken. You see this a lot along the old railroad tracks.

Besides the bowls, our other collaborated work will be square frames made from strips of leftover clay from vases and more traditional pottery that she creates. After firing these roughly formed frames, she will wire onto them rusted nails and other pieces of metal and in the center of the frame will be a photograph of mine. With large photos of the same image on the wall, there will be an echo effect.

Work begins on multi-use path at end of 8th

by John McBride

curb photo by Alan Goodman, panoramic by John McBride

Work on the multi-use path that connects East 8th Street and Ranier Avenue with Bascom Street continues. Recently, the city purchased the vacant parcel of land on Bascom Street that will allow the path to be completed all the way through to Bascom Street while staying out of the railroad right of way. Below, a panoramic photo shows the Bascom Street side on the left and the 8th Street side on the right. Left, curbs for the 12-foot-wide path were poured in July. When the work is complete on the path, Duke Power will install the pathway lighting.

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Rose Garden renovation work begins at Independence Park

by Kris Solow Work on the renovation of the Rose Garden in Independence Park has begun.

Workers will prepare the bed, do grading and install irrigation lines before starting the stone work — which will feature a dragon brownstone piece on one of the walls flanking the ramp as you enter the garden from Park Drive. Lastly, landscaping will be installed.

photo: John McBride

If you have questions about the project, call Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation’s Tim Turton at 980-722-2349.

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