Matthews Messenger - September 2022

AUGUST SEPTEMBER 20222022

Volume Volume44——Issue Issue89

illustration of potential improvements along trade street

In this issue...

2 3 4

Main Line Market, Beats 'n Bites and Musica Matthews coming soon!

MATTHEWSNC.GOV

@TOWNOFMATTHEWS

@MATTHEWSNC

TOWN OF MATTHEWS

Welcome new employees!

Learn about the upcoming bond referendum

www.matthewsnc.gov

@TOWNOFMATTHEWS

Matthews Messenger | SEPTEMBER 2022

MANAGER’S MESSAGE As you may know, during the November 2022 election, residents of Matthews will have the opportunity to vote on a proposed Transportation bond and a Parks and Recreation bond. In this month’s newsletter, we continue our series on the bond referendum by taking a closer look at some of the projects that the bonds would fund. See pages 4-5 for more details.

I encourage you to mark your calendars and plan to attend one of our upcoming information sessions. This is a great opportunity to learn more about the two bonds and have your questions answered. See page 4 for the details.

Manager. Melia’s experience and skillset make her an excellent fit for this role and we are looking forward to her joining us later this month. Read more about Melia on page 3.

In more employeerelated news, KD Williams has been named Interim Chief of Police for the police department.

KD has an impressive background in law enforcement and we are thrilled to welcome him to Matthews. Read more on page 3.

Check out the calendar on page 6 for Town events and Board of Commissioners meetings so you can stay involved and engaged in all that We are excited to welcome Matthews has to offer.

Melia Gordon to Matthews as our new Assistant Town

Becky Hawke BECKY HAWKE MATTHEWS TOWN MANAGER BHAWKE@MATTHEWSNC.GOV

Upcoming Special Events M ain Line Market

Beats ‘n Bites Friday, September 30 5- 9:00pm Stumptown Park

Musica Matthews Saturday, October 15 5 - 9:00pm Stumptown Park

Our quarterly popup market continues in September with 30+ vendors selling handmade goods, a food truck, music, and craft beer from Carolina Beer Temple.

Join us for the last Beats ‘n Bites of the season featuring live music from Rattle and Hum (U2 tribute) and a great lineup of food trucks.

A celebration of Hispanic Heritage month, including music, dance, art and food vendors.

Saturday, September 24 12 - 6:00 pm West Charles Street

2

Matthews Messenger | SEPTEMBER 2022

melia gordon named assistant town manager The Town of Matthews welcomes Melia Gordon as the new Assistant Town Manager later this month. Melia has extensive public service experience particularly in the areas of human resources, finance, budget, and strategic planning.

Prior to coming to Matthews, Melia served as the Cultural and Diversity Manager for the City of Charlotte. In that role, Melia led the development and implementation of strategies to foster an organizational culture welcoming to all. Melia has worked for the City of Charlotte since 2007 in various roles including Airport Budget and Financial Services Manager, Strategy and Budget Analyst and Human Resources Manager. Melia began her career with the University of North Carolina at Charlotte working as a Program Coordinator and Human Resources Administrator.

Melia earned a B.S. in Finance and Management from the University of South Carolina and a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. In her spare time, Melia enjoys spending time with family and friends, reading, traveling/experiencing different cultures, and maintaining an active and healthy lifestyle.P

Matthews Welcomes interim police chief kd williams Kenneth "KD" Williams has been named Interim Chief of Police for the Matthews Police Department.

KD has 28 years of law enforcement experience with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department. During his time with CMPD, he held various positions including Commander of Internal Affairs and Commander of the Special Investigations Bureau. He retired from CMPD as Deputy Chief of the Administrative Services Group. Most recently, KD was Vice President of Enterprise Accounts for G4S Secure Solutions, one of the largest security companies in the United States.

KD began as Interim Chief earlier this month.

He is expected to remain in the position until the search for a permanent replacement is completed at a later date.

3

Matthews Messenger | SEPTEMBER 2022

0 berbe2gins o t c O voting

Early

8 mbedr e v y a o N ction ele

Matthews’ residents have voiced their desire for improved connectivity and walkability, more parking in the downtown area, more park space and park amenities, and additional greenways/trails throughout Town.

On Election Day, November 8, 2022, the people of Matthews will vote on whether to authorize the Town to finance up to $21 million for Transportation and $14 million for Parks and Recreation.

Town leaders believe that general obligation bond financing will accomplish the goal of advancing these important projects at the lowest possible cost.

Below are the proposed projects for the two bonds. These projects have been identified as priorities based on citizen feedback, long term planning and the Town’s strategic goals.

Transportation Bond Potential projects funded through the Transportation Bond include: • Creating a more walkable and accessible downtown area with wider sidewalks along Trade Street that enhance safety, walkability, and accessibility for residents and visitors • Adding 100+ new parking spaces downtown

Illustration of potential improvements along Trade Street.

• Extension of Greylock Ridge Road to improve connectivity • Improving the intersection of E. Charles Street and Crestdale Road • Filling sidewalks gaps throughout town • Pedestrian safety improvements along E. John Street from Greylock Ridge to I-485 Outer Ramp in coordination with the NCDOT interchange project

4

Matthews Messenger | SEPTEMBER 2022

Parks and Recreation Bond

Potential projects funded through the Parks and Recreation Bond could include: • Completion of Purser-Hulsey Park, a 93-acre community park that will feature an all-abilities playground, nature trails, picnic shelters, pond/pier, amphitheater, splash park, clubhouse and more (Illustration above) • Completion of the Matthews Downtown Loop, a multi-use path that loops the entire downtown core with multiple connections for pedestrians and bicyclists • Numerous improvements to parks in Matthews including new playground equipment and adding restrooms

Upcoming Information Sessions Monday, October 3 6 - 8:00 pm Matthews Town Hall

Monday, October 10 2- 4:00 pm Matthews Town Hall (also via Zoom)

Saturday, October 22 9 - 11:00 am Matthews Town Hall

For more information on the bonds, including priority projects, please visit: www.matthewsnc.gov/bonds.

Email questions or comments to matthews@matthewsnc.gov.

5

Matthews Messenger | SEPTEMBER 2022

September 2022 Events Calendar Any questions? Contact us!

7:00 PM Matthews alive board of adjustment Meeting

Matthews alive

Matthews alive

7PM Board of Commissioners Meeting

6PM special Board of Commissioners Meeting

7pm environmental advisory cmte mtg

7pm appearance/ tree committee meeting

7PM Board of Commissioners Meeting

6:30 PM Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resource Advisory Com. mtg

7PM Matthews committee on education meeting

5PM date night drop-off

7pm transportation advisory committee meeting

5:30 PM Cultural diversity cmte meeting

7pm planning board meeting

Matthews alive

12-6PM main line market

7:00 PM 6:00 PM board of Crews Family adjustment 5-9PM Fun Night Meeting Beats ‘n Bites

8am car seat checking station

For additional details, please visit: www.matthewsnc.gov/calendar.ASPX Town of Matthews Board of Commissioners

Have any questions about the community? Contact us!

Mayor John Higdon mayorhigdon@matthewsnc.gov

Commissioner mark tofano mtofano@matthewsnc.gov

TOWN HALL

Mayor Pro Tem Ken McCool kmccool@matthewsnc.gov

Commissioner John Urban jurban@matthewsnc.gov

PHONE

Commissioner Renee garner rgarner@matthewsnc.gov

Commissioner Larry Whitley lwhitley@matthewsnc.gov

E-MAIL

Commissioner gina hoover ghoover@matthewsnc.gov

6

232 Matthews Station St. | Matthews, NC 28105 (704) 847- 4411 matthews@matthewsnc.gov WEB

www.matthewsnc.gov