DISTRACTED DRIVERS CAUSE ACCIDENTS KANNAPOLIS CITY COUNCIL M. Darrell Hinnant Mayor

dhinnant@kannapolisnc.gov

Tom Kincaid Mayor Pro-tem tkincaid@kannapolisnc.gov

Dianne Berry dberry@kannapolisnc.gov

Ryan G. Dayvault

rdayvault@kannapolisnc.gov

Roger Haas roger@racetocharlotte.com

Darrell Jackson

dljackson@kannapolisnc.gov

Doug Wilson

dwilson@kannapolisnc.gov

Calendar of Events SEPTEMBER 10 Kannapolis Cruise-In 1-7 pm, Downtown

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 10% of fatal crashes and 17% of injury crashes in the U.S. are reported as distraction-affected crashes. Recent statistics show 3,331 people were killed in crashes involving distracted drivers, and an estimated additional 387,000 were injured in motor vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers.

24 Run Kannapolis 9:30 am, Duke Dash 5K & Healthfest, Downtown

Distraction-affected crashes means using your phone or other devices to talk, text or watch videos.

24 Youth Painting Class 11 am-2 pm, Village Park

In North Carolina it is not illegal to talk on your cell phone while driving unless you are in a commercial motor vehicle. However, you cannot use your phone to send or read a text message while operating a motor vehicle. If you are ticketed for violating this policy it will result in a $100 fine along with an additional $190 in court costs.

OCTOBER 1 Fire Department 100th Anniversary Parade & Open House 10 am-3 pm, City Hall

Here are a few tips to keep you safe while driving: • Make a habit of thinking about what calls or texts you need to send before you begin your trip. Before you start the car, take a moment to think about what information you might need during the trip. For instance, program your GPS at the outset, rather than fiddling with it during the drive. Make that call to ask your mom a question before you’re on the road. Text your friend that vital piece of gossip, then put away the phone.

• The idea of a designated driver has caught on for drunk driving, and choosing a substitute can be just as useful for distracted driving. Select a friend to be your designated texter while you’re behind the wheel.

24 Kaleidoscope Cultural Arts Festival, 12-5 pm, Downtown

Kannapolis Cruise-In 1-7 pm, Downtown

22 Fall Festival & Movie Night 3 pm (movie begins at 6:30 pm), Village Park 29 Kaleidoscope Cultural Arts Festival, 12-5 pm, Downtown For a complete schedule, visit kannapolisnc.gov.

• Stow your phone somewhere you can’t peek at it. Try putting it in the glove compartment (lock it if you must) or in the back seat.

Water Saving Tips We usually think of summer when we think of a drought, but many times the months of autumn and winter can have little rainfall. Here are a few reminders of ways you can conserve water outside of your home.

KANNAPOLIS FARMERS MARKET Thursdays: 4-7pm Vance St. and Dale Earnhardt Blvd. Accepting WIC vouchers and credit cards

Follow the City on Facebook (facebook.com/cityofkannapolis) and Twitter (twitter.com#Kannapolis) for regular updates and more ideas for fun.

The City of Kannapolis | 401 Laureate Way | Kannapolis, NC 28081 704.920.4300 | www.kannapolisnc.gov

Kannapolis Fire Department Celebrates 100 Years

ou are invited to our 100th Birthday Celebration and Fire Truck Parade on October 1 from 10 am to 3 pm!

What began in 1916 as a group of community volunteers that had only four fire hydrants to protect the city with, has evolved into a department of paid firefighters utilizing a number of engines and ladders. Running 600 feet of hose from manual reels to those first hydrants gave way to pumper trucks and, today, state-of-the art equipment. When Kannapolis incorporated in 1984 and became a city, the three fire departments in existence at that time soon merged, transforming themselves into the City of Kannapolis Fire Department with stations 1, 2 and 3. That was followed by the Winecoff Volunteer Fire Department becoming Station 4 and a new Station 5 opening as the western area of the city experienced growth.

• Silence notifications that tempt you to check your phone.

• Take time to locate your main water shut-off valve and the water meter in your yard. • Use dry cleanup methods to reduce water use. • Use a broom instead of a hose to clean your driveway or sidewalk. • Set your lawn mower blades one notch higher. Longer grass means less evaporation. • Put a layer of mulch around trees and plants. Chunks of bark, peat moss or gravel slow down evaporation.

SEPTEMBER 2016

Now join us as we celebrate these past 100 years of fire-fighting service to Kannapolis! The party will be held on the horseshoe lawn between the new Kannapolis City Hall and the North Carolina Research Campus, 401 Laureate Way. t’s 100th anniversary The Fire Departmen a display of the city’s celebration includes uipment. eq ng hti fig vintage fire

The celebration begins with the fire truck parade comprised of antique and modern fire apparatus, at 10 am. At 10:30, Quiet Time TouchA-Truck will be held; there will be no lights or sirens. Celebration event activities get started at 11:00, with a 100th birthday ceremony at 12 noon. Come vote for your favorite fire truck – fire truck awards are presented at 2:30. This special event is also our Annual Open House and we will kick off Fire Prevention Month with lots of festivities. Throughout the day we will have exciting activities with food, games, inflatables, mascots, music and more!

Tiny House Nearing Completion The City of Kannapolis is helping construct a tiny house with Habitat for Humanity. This is the second tiny house project the two groups have collaborated on. The City is using federal HOME funds to aid in purchasing the land and construction costs for the house.

Downtown Master Plan Approved

In addition, the overall aesthetic appeal of the area will be dramatically improved with lots of green space, water features, bicycle lanes and added space for outdoor dining at area restaurants. Early estimates show that the City expects private investment of $374 million over the next two decades. Preliminary numbers have already been realized with the selection of Lansing Melbourne Group (LMG) for the development of a mixed-use district known as the Demonstration Project. It will include multi-story residential, retail and parking development between Main Street and West Avenue. The company plans to invest more than $60 million of its own money into the project. The City will invest $113 million in infrastructure improvements and public facilities for the 20-year plan, but expects to receive about $2.3 million annually in tax revenues once the redevelopment is complete. “We are taking bold, visionary action for the economic health of our city for decades to come,” Kannapolis Mayor Darrell Hinnant states.

Ready, Get Set, Run Couch to 5K Begins The Couch to 5K program is an eight-week training program for those who would like to transform their lifestyle and complete a 5K! You will also learn about nutrition, good running form and how to choose good running shoes. Training is held each Tuesday and Thursday, September 20 through November 10. Registration and fees ($25) are due by September 14. For more information, contact Laura Evans at 704-920-4346 or levans@kannapolisnc.gov. See you at the finish line!

Only Three Run Kannapolis Events Remaining in 2016 The Run Kannapolis series is part of the City’s Discover a Healthy Life initiative. This year there are eight 5K walks/runs in the city. The City and Carolinas Healthcare System, along with various non-profits in Kannapolis, have teamed up to encourage people of all ages and all abilities to walk/run in these events.

City Council has unanimously approved the Kannapolis Downtown Master Plan, and the process to transform the area into a cultural and community hub has begun. Spanning 50 acres, the complete redesign of the area formerly known as Cannon Village, which the City purchased last year, will see direct development over the next two decades. Highlights include a sports and entertainment complex, which will hopefully become home to the Kannapolis Intimidators; a performing arts center; boutique hotel; multi-story office complex; condominiums and apartments; and a mix of retail spaces. At the same time, the plan preserves some of the most historic buildings, such as the GEM Theatre.

Physical Declines Begin Sooner

Located at 606 East C Street, the 488square-foot house has a permanent foundation and will have one resident. The house is expected to be completed in October.

Garbage Cart Safety Help us keep our streets uncluttered and prevent damage to your garbage/recycling carts. Please place your carts out at the curb no later than 7 am on your regular collection day and remove them before 11 pm that same day. If your carts are not out by 7 am, we may miss collecting your cart and we cannot return to collect your garbage/recycling until your next regular collection day.

Physical declines begin sooner in life than typically detected, often when people are still in their 50s, according to a Duke Health study that focused on U.S. adults enrolled in the MURDOCK Study. The finding suggests that efforts to maintain basic strength and endurance should begin before age 50, when it’s still possible to preserve the skills that keep people mobile and independent later in life. “Typically, functional tests are conducted on people in their 70s and 80s, and by then you’ve missed 40 years of opportunities to remedy problems,” says Miriam C. Morey, Ph.D., senior fellow in the Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development at Duke University School of Medicine. All 775 participants performed the same tasks to demonstrate strength, endurance or balance: rising from a chair repeatedly for 30 seconds; standing on one leg for a minute; and walking for six minutes. Men generally performed better than women, and younger people outperformed older, but the age at which declines in physical ability began to appear – 50s – was consistent. Both men and women in that mid-life decade began to slip in their ability to stand on one leg and rise from a chair. Further differences in aerobic endurance and gait speed were observed beginning with participants in their 60s and 70s. The study provides physical ability benchmarks that could be easily performed and measured in clinical exams, providing a way to detect problems earlier.

Runners/walkers are encouraged to participate in any of the races, but series awards will be provided to only those who finish five or more events at a special recognition reception after the last event, on January 17, 2017. The remaining 5K events are: • September 24 - Duke Dash & 3rd Annual Healthfest (Duke University’s MURDOCK Study) • November 12 - Nutrithon 5K (Kannapolis Rotary Club) • December 17 - Frostbite 5K (Cannon Memorial YMCA – Kannapolis Branch) For more information on Run Kannapolis and to register for these events, visit www.runkannapolis.com.

“People often misinterpret ‘aging’ to mean ‘aged’, and that issues of functional independence aren’t important until later in life,” says lead author, Katherine S. Hall, Ph.D., assistant professor of medicine at Duke. “This bias can exist among researchers and healthcare providers, too. The good news is, with proper attention and effort, the ability to function independently can often be preserved with regular exercise.”

Each year, more than 2,400 pedestrians and 960 bicyclists are hit by cars on North Carolina’s streets. Watch for Me NC is a comprehensive program run by the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) in partnership with local communities, aimed at reducing the number of pedestrians and bicyclists hit and injured in crashes with vehicles.

The Watch for Me NC program involves two key elements: 1) safety and educational messages directed toward drivers, pedestrians and bicyclists, and 2) enforcement efforts by area police to crack down on some of the violations of traffic safety laws. The Kannapolis Police Department is one of only three police departments in our region selected to participate in the program. In the near future you will see Kannapolis police officers at pedestrian crossings, enforcing laws and conducting educational programs to help drivers and pedestrians understand how to stay safe.