Matthews Messenger | December 2019

DECEMBER — 2019

Volume 1 — Issue 5

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In this issue...

Enjoy great music and hors d’oeuvres at our Cool Vibes concert series

Keep These Messages

On Your Mind

Engage and Connect: Join us for our Hometown Holiday Tree Lighting Celebration & Downtown Matthews Holiday Stroll this Saturday, December 7th!

Grab your free yard waste bags at various locations around town Help spread holiday cheer with Matthews Gives Back for the Holidays Newly elected Board of Commissioners will be sworn in soon

MATTHEWSNC.GOV

@TOWNOFMATTHEWS

@MATTHEWSNC

TOWN OF MATTHEWS

@TOWNOFMATTHEWS

Matthews Messenger | DECEMBER 2019

MANAGER’S MESSAGE As a community, we welcome the holiday

our annual toy drive that takes place in

season and are actively giving back to

partnership with the Matthews HELP Center.

our Town this month. We are thankful for

You won’t want to miss this opportunity to

the great things happening in the Town of

make a family’s holiday extra special this

Matthews.

season. Learn how to get involved on page 4.

Among these offerings is a brand new event - the Cool Vibes concerts series

The newly elected Board of Commissioners

happening this Winter at the Fullwood

will be sworn in on Monday, December 9

Theater. Sidecar Social Club is playing on

at Town Hall at 7:00 pm. More information

Friday, January 10 and Blues Beatles on

about the ceremony is on page 5, and our

Friday, March 13. To read more about the

newest Board members will be introduced

concert series, please read more below.

in a future issue of the Matthews Messenger.

Together with Mecklenburg County, we are

There’s a full calendar on page 6 of

providing free yard waste bags with a limit

Matthews’ robust events and Board of

of 10 bags per resident. More information,

Commissioners

along with a full list of pick-up locations, is

stay involved and engaged in all that

available on page 3.

Matthews has to offer. We hope you have

meetings

so

you

can

a wonderful holiday season with friends If you’re still looking for a way to make a

and family.

difference this holiday season, consider Matthews Gives Back for the Holidays,

Hazen Blodgett HAZEN BLODGETT MATTHEWS TOWN MANAGER HBLODGETT@MATTHEWSNC.GOV

BECKY HAWKE ASSISTANT TOWN MANAGER BHAWKE@MATTHEWSNC.GOV

Cool Vibes Concert series launches in 2020 Fullwood Theatre is THE place to be this winter!

Join us for our first-ever Cool Vibes concert series in Matthews. The night begins at 5:30 pm for social hour with heavy hors d’oeuvres (included with ticket price; while supplies last), and beer and wine for sale.

Friday, January 10 - Sidecar Social Club Friday, March 13 - Blues Beatles Tickets are $15 in advance, or $18 at the door the day of the event and can be purchased at the link below. The Cool Vibes concerts are for ages 21 and up only.

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Matthews Messenger | DECEMBER 2019

FREE LAWN AND LEAF BAGS AVAILABLE Together with Mecklenburg County, we are providing free yard waste bags. It is recommended that residents consider using paper bags rather than plastic for leaves, grass clippings and other yard waste because they are compostable and better for the environment.

The bags are available at the following locations: Matthews Public Works 1600 Tank Town Road 8:30 am to 3:30 pm Monday - Friday Matthews Town Hall 232 Matthews Station Street 8:00 am to 5:00 pm Monday - Friday Matthews Community Center

Bags are also available for pick up at

100 E. McDowell Street

Mecklenburg County’s Full-Service Centers

9:00 am - 8:00 pm Monday - Friday

(Foxhole, Hickory Grove Recycling Center,

9:00 am - 2:00 pm Saturday

etc.). There is a limit of 10 bags per person.

1:00 pm - 6:00 pm Sunday

MATTHEWS FAST FACTS 10

15

100

288

The number of yard

The price of advance

The number of

The number of children

waste bags each

tickets for Cool Vibes

Matthews HELP Center

in need who received

resident can pick up

Concert series at the

volunteers at Elf Day

gifts last year

for free

Fullwood Theater

this year

(Page 4).

(Page 3).

(Page 2).

(Page 4).

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Matthews Messenger | DECEMBER 2019

MATTHEWS GIVES BACK FOR THE HOLIDAYS Matthews is fortunate to have a community with a strong giving spirit. During this busy time of year, many residents take the time to give back to those in need. If you’re still looking for a way to make a difference this holiday season, consider Matthews Gives Back for the Holidays - our annual toy drive with the Matthews HELP Center.

“We’re helping our clients with life essentials like food and rent, and if we can also give them the gift of Christmas - it’s one less burden on them,” said Sandra Conway, Matthews HELP Center Executive Director. She and Matthews Police Department Sergeant Michelle Archer, along with other volunteers and community partners, work together on Matthews Gives Back for the Holidays.

Items are collected and put on display in a temporary ‘store.’ Parents, who are pre-screened by the HELP Center, are given vouchers to shop in the store and and select gifts for their children.

Over 100 Matthews HELP Center volunteers come together on what they call “Elf Day” to set up the shopping experience. “We sort the toys and decorate so when they walk in, it feels like a real shopping experience. It doesn’t feel like a handout,” said Conway.

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“In this store, we have everything. Parents come in and they have control over what they give their kids,” said Sergeant Archer. “It’s heartwarming to see the way the Matthews community gives back year after year.”

Sergeant Archer came up with the idea for the Town to partner with the HELP Center a few years ago. In 2018, gifts were provided to 288 children. This year, Matthews Gives Back is expected to exceed that number and provide gifts for even more families in need.

Now through December 13, new, unwrapped gifts are being collected at the following locations: Matthews HELP Center, Matthews United Methodist Church, Matthews Town Hall, Matthews Community Center, and the Matthews Police Department. Gift ideas include toys, books, games, clothes, and electronics for children newborn up to 18 years old.

To apply to receive Christmas gifts, please contact the Matthews HELP Center by December 7th at 704-847-8383.

Matthews Messenger | DECEMBER 2019

NEW BOARD MEMBERS SWORN IN ON DECEMBER 9 The newly elected Board of Commissioners will be sworn-in on Monday, December 9 at Town Hall at 7:00 pm. Mayor-elect John Higdon, Commissioners Dave Bland, Barbara Dement, Renee Garner, Jeff Miller, John Urban and Reverend Larry Whitley will take the oath of office that evening.

Next month, we’ll take an in-depth look at the members of Matthews Board of Commissioners.

Thank you for your service to Matthews!

As the new Board of Commissioners takes office in December, we’d like to take a moment to recognize members of the Board of Commissioners whose terms are ending. We appreciate the time, dedication, and work completed by Mayor Paul Bailey and Commissioners Kress Query and Chris Melton to help make Matthews the great town it is today.

Mayor Paul Bailey

Mayor Bailey has served the Matthews community in various leadership positions since 1986, including nine terms on the Matthews Board of Commissioners and one term on the Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) Board of Education before being elected Mayor of Matthews in 2017. He was also Chairman of the Matthews Transportation Board and represented the region on the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Park and Recreation Committee. Mayor Bailey recently reflected on his service to the Town of Matthews. Among his many accomplishments, he is most proud of the ongoing development of the Town’s services and departments.

“The departments have kept pace with the demands of our population and we have been blessed to have excellent staff who make such a positive impact upon our community. Without our professional staff, there is so much we would not have been able to accomplish,” said Mayor Bailey. Through his over 33 years of service, Mayor Bailey also worked to establish the Town Hall and Library building and the development of Matthews Station Street. The work to build the Sportsplex in Matthews was another proud achievement during his time as Commissioner, as well as the consistent acquisition of park space and subsequent development of those parks.

Commissioner Kress Query Commissioner Query is a lifelong resident of Matthews, with a long history of service to the Town of Matthews, having served as Mayor from 1969-1974, and then as Commissioner from 1993-2015 and 2017-19, including four years as Mayor Pro-Tem. Kress was appointed to the Mayor’s Task Force

on Education as well as the CMS Bond Oversight Committee.

He is the past President and Charter Member of the Matthews Historical Foundation.

Commissioner Query has made tremendous contributions to the Town, including helping create the original zoning for Matthews and a process for future controlled growth. In 1994, Commissioner Query led the efforts to guarantee all citizens in Matthews had access to Water and Sewer.

Commissioner Query also played an important role in establishing the Town Hall and Library building that opened in 2001, and led the initiative to save the Matthews School Building to save the Matthews School Building by declaring it a Historical Property and turning it into the Community Center. While serving as President of the Matthews Volunteer Fire Department, Commissioner Query together with Town officials worked to transition the organization to a Town Department.

Commissioner Chris Melton Commissioner Melton is a native Charlottean finishing up his third consecutive term on the Matthews Board of Commissioners. Chris volunteers his time in the Matthews community, including the Matthews HELP Center and the Greater Matthews Habitat for Humanity. During his three terms on the Board, Commissioner Melton worked on the continued, incremental revitalization of downtown Matthews by creating and nurturing the environment to allow a diverse group of businesses to succeed; helped to adopt the Employee Pay and Classification Study to keep employee pay competitive with the market, as well as completion of the recent Pavement Preservation Study, laying the groundwork for the Town to base street maintenance, preservation, and repair projects on specific metrics.

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Matthews Messenger | DECEMBER 2019

December Events Calendar Any questions? Contact us!

Sugar Plum party at 4:15PM Matthews Community Center

cREWS FAMILY FUN NIGHT AT 6PM

The Nutcracker ballet at 3pm Matthews Community Center Sugar Plum party at 4:15PM Matthews Community Center The Nutcracker ballet at 3pm Matthews Community Center

Crews Rec Center

Board of Commissioners Meeting Town Hall

Car Seat Checking station, 8-11:30AM

Date Night Drop Off from 5-9 PM Crews Rec Center

Matthews Police Dept.

Car Seat Checking station, 8-11:30AM Matthews Police Dept.

Holiday Downtown Stroll from 3-7 pm Downtown Matthews Hometown Holiday Tree Lighting Celebration AT 3PM Town Green Park

Menorah Lighting at 5:30 PM Matthews Community Center

Have any questions about the community? Contact us!

TOWN HALL

232 Matthews Station St. | Matthews, NC 28105 PHONE

(704) 847- 4411 E-MAIL

matthews@matthewsnc.gov WEB

www.matthewsnc.gov

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