TUESDAY
DINING SCENE: One restaurant opens, another closes. 1B
July 13, 2010 127th year No. 194
BIG IMPROVEMENTS: Dropout rate shrinks in Davidson County. 3A
www.hpe.com High Point, N.C.
UP IN SMOKE: UNC linebacker lands in hot water. 1D
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BACK TO SCHOOL
Decision on park grant due Friday
WHO’S NEWS
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Heather Beatty joined High Point University as the assistant director of judicial affairs in the Office of Student Life. Beatty will be responsible for upholding the HPU Conduct and Honor Codes, as well as overseeing the studentrun court system on campus.
BY DARRICK IGNASIAK ENTERPRISE STAFF WRITER
TRINITY – Trinity officials expect to find out Friday whether the city will be a recipient of a grant from the N.C. Parks and Recreation Fund. Adam Stumb, the city’s planning and zoning administrator, said the city’s first application for a grant of $500,000 was denied in May. City officials, however, are hopeful they will be a recipient in the second allocation of funds. “We are still optimistic,” Stumb said. “We hope we get it this year. If not, when we get comments back from them, we will take another look at our application and see if there is anything we can do better on and if there are any ways to improve.” Last year, the Trinity City Council directed staff to prepare an application for the grant. The application included a parks and recreation master plan, a parks and recreation capital improvement plan, a Center City site park plan and project budget for the plan. The council recently set aside $450,000 toward the park in its 2010-11 fiscal-year budget. According to Stumb, there is quite a bit of interest in Trinity for a park. “From the surveys we did, there was a lot of interest in having a park here at the property,” he said. “There was a lot of interest in not recreational fields, but recreational opportunities – walking trails, kind of passive recreation.” The park is proposed to be located on the site of Trinity City Hall’s property, which is nestled on about 30 acres off N.C. 62. The park would include a playground, walking trails and picnic shelters. Stumb previously said the city’s chances to receive the grant are good because Trinity has never sought a grant through the N.C. Parks and Recreation Fund. “You get the most points for your first application,” he said. “That doesn’t guarantee you, but you get a higher priority than say Archdale or Greensboro.” dignasiak@hpe.com | 888-3657
INSIDE
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SONNY HEDGECOCK | HPE
Monday was early registration for incoming freshmen at High Point University. Logan McGuire of Maryland (left) gets a free bottle of water from Lauren Cunningham at the kiosk on the main lawn. More than 200 new students are expected to enroll for fall courses.
FORESTDALE REZONING
HIGH POINT – A new rule regarding overdraft protection on debit cards may provide more transparency to bank operations, but it will require some effort on a consumer’s end, local bankers say. Effective July 1 for new customers and Aug. 15 for existing customers, banks must have consent to provide overdraft protection on a debit card or ATM transaction regardless of whether a customer has used overdraft plans in the past. If consent isn’t given, the card will be denied
OBITUARIES
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Planners side with residents to return single-family status BY JORDAN HOWSE ENTERPRISE STAFF WRITER
JAMESTOWN – Residents of a Jamestown neighborhood made their appeal of a 2009 rezoning, and the town planners were listening. The residents of the Forestdale neighborhood and their supporters filled the meeting room of the Planning and Zoning Board Monday night to save their neighborhood, which was rezoned to commercial use in 2009. After listening to residents, the board voted to recommend the Town Council return the neighborhood to its singlefamily residential status. “We have to support the town as it is in order to keep a community this precious,” said board member Eddie Oakley. “Anyone put in the position of state or local government have to put aside their personal opinions and represent the will of the people,” said Forest-
dale supporter Chris Mattern. Residents of the Forestdale neighborhood say they did not realize until recently that the
‘We have to support the town as it is in order to keep a community this precious.’ Eddie Oakley Jamestown Planning and Zoning Board city had rezoned parts of the neighborhood from single-family to commercial and mixed-use zoning, including multifamily residential. The city rezoned the portions of the neighborhood in July 2009 along with changes to the zoning district map and ordinance updates. Kerry Miller, who serves on
the Planning and Zoning Board, said rezoning of the area was a three-year process and that it was rezoned because the area was recommended as a place to consider for future growth and development in the next 20 to 30 years. But Forestdale residents say they were caught off guard by the rezoning because of the way the city notifies residents of pending ordinance updates and changes to zoning district maps. “In the future we will definitely make sure that all residents are informed,” said alternate board member Jennifer Pruitt. “We’ve gotten up the first step,” said Mary Dalton, a Forestdale resident. Residents and their supporters say they will attend a July 20 public hearing with the Town Council, which will have final say on the issue. editor@hpe.com | 888-3537
Banks prepare customers for new overdraft rules BY PAM HAYNES ENTERPRISE STAFF WRITER
STAYING FIT: Guilford school officials look at grant. 2A
once the account limit has been reached. “If customers want to keep their banking the way it is, they can’t not do anything,” said Treva Burchette, vice president of retail banking at High Point Bank and Trust. “We need them to respond. That’s what makes this one a little bit different.” The Federal Reserve implemented the rule after protests about soaring overdraft fees emerged in recent years, according to the Associated Press. Overdraft protection is usually linked to an overdraft fee for each item purchased after the account’s
limit has been exceeded. But the new rule will extend more transparency to customers, who usually have to qualify to be enrolled in overdraft plans, and let them know exactly what they’re getting when it comes to overdraft protection, said Peter Seitz, a vice president and compliance officer for First Bank. “Until five or six years ago, when debit cards became popular, banks focused these programs on checks,” Seitz said. “Ten years ago, if you wrote a check for more than what you had in the bank, it was up to the bank to de-
cide if they would pay it or not. It was really based on how much you knew your banker. Now, we’re telling people up front how much leeway they have. That’s the spirit this is coming from.” Luckily, making the decision about overdraft protection isn’t difficult. Institutions like High Point Bank have been preparing for the change for months, sending out informational pieces in the mail and electronic newsletters to alert their customers, Burchette said. “The good news is that anyone can change their mind at any time,” she
YOUR COMMUNITY. YOUR NEWSPAPER.
said, noting that customers could call the bank or, in the case of most banks, look for a form in the mail to fill out and return. And if there is any effect to be seen, that probably will take place in August when existing customers find their overdraft plans no longer work if they haven’t filled out the form, Seitz said. “People who don’t send in the form and have in the past relied on this coverage are going to be surprised when they buy something at the mall and get declined,” he said. phaynes@hpe.com | 888-3617
William Bailey, 66 Brandon Bogdon Sr., 30 Gladys Horney, 110 Bobby Kiger, 75 Gerald Lloyd, 84 William Spencer, 64 Helen Ledbetter, 88 Obituaries, 2B
WEATHER
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Spotty storms High 88, Low 73 6D
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