The Mint Hill Times

Discover Mint Hill set for April 21

LS — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:16:43 +0000

By Joyce Lavene
The fifth annual Discover Mint Hill committee is getting ready for the big event. It will be held on Saturday, April 21 from 9 am to 3 pm. The rain date is Sunday, April 22, 1 to 5 pm.
2012 Coordinator Dixie Helms and event planners discussed matters from what the new t-shirts will look like to placement of the participating groups at the January meeting held at the Mint Hill Historic Society.
The Discover Mint Hill event is designed to make area residents aware of the diverse cultural and civic groups of the community as well as to encourage and foster inter-organizational support among the various groups.
The double-decker bus will again play a large part in this year’s event. It will take visitors on a historic tour of the town. Guides will be onboard to point out places of interest. The cost is $3 per person. There is also the Discover Mint Hill Treasure Hunt.
Current participants as of the January meeting include Mint Hill Arts, Mint Hill Chamber of Commerce, Mint Hill Fire Department, Idlewild Fire Department, Mint Hill Historical Society, Mint Hill Herb Guild, Mint Hill Kiwanis Club, Mint Hill Lions Club, Mint Hill Police Department, Mint Hill Branch Library, Mint Hill Rotary Club, Mint Hill Women’s Club, Mint Hill VFW Post, Mint Hill Marine Corps League, Mint Hill Marine Corps Disaster Relief and N.C. Armed Forces Museum & Archives of the Carolinas.
The event will take place at “Discovery Square” at Matthews-Mint Hill Road and Bain School Road and at the Carl J. McEwen Historic Village on Matthews-Mint Hill Road.
Contact the Mint Hill Historical Society for additional information at 704-573-0726.

2012 volunteer orientation

LS — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:14:23 +0000

The Mint Hill Historical Society and Carl J. McEwen Historic Village will hold a volunteer orientation on February 25 from 9:30 am to noon. The meeting will be held in the administration building. Working at the Village is fun and free. Village activities give volunteers a chance to meet people of all ages in many different forums. Register by phone, 704-573-0726 or by e-mail, info@minthillhistory.com.

Biggers elected to serve as MUMPO chairman

LS — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:12:15 +0000

Ted H. Biggers, Jr. was elected to serve as Mecklenburg-Union Metropolitan Planning Organization (MUMPO) chairman for the third consecutive year on January 18. Mayor Linda Paxton was elected as the vice-chairperson. MUMPO’s coordinates transportation policy for 14 local governmental jurisdictions within the Mecklenburg-Union County Area. The MPO is charged with the responsibility of preparing and adopting the long range transportation plan, the Transportation Improvement Program and the Unified Planning Work Program.

Private family-care homes come to MH

LS — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:08:30 +0000

What’s being hailedas a revolutionary family care community dedicated to dementia care is holding a ribbon cutting event on Thursday, February 23, from 11 am to 2 pm. There will be guided tours of the new facility, food and entertainment.
Unlimited Possibilities Family Care Homes is introducing The Village at Mint Hill, a collection of private family-care homes located at 14009 Thompson Road.
The Village at Mint Hill will have a medical director affiliated with CMC, therapeutic activities and 6,000 square foot homes each with four private rooms.
The same company operates Unlimited Possibilities Family Home care in Charlotte at 5003 Tewkesbury Road. Photo Courtesy of Unlimited Possibilities

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Meeting Wrap up: Park tower waiting for more information

LS — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:06:28 +0000

By Joyce Lavene
The long-term location of the public safety radio tower that was recently sold to the City of Charlotte was discussed at the January 26 meeting.
The tower continues to be in operation at the Mint Hill Park on Fairview since the sale. The original plan was for Charlotte to take down the tower and move it into the northern part of Mecklenburg County where it was needed. That site was deemed to be unsuitable for that purpose so the tower stayed in place. Since that time, the FBI and other law enforcement agencies have requested access to the tower. The reason for this request is to have the tower for interagency use during emergencies.
Because of that, Charlotte is asking for the tower to remain where it is. The City of Charlotte will hold the town harmless for any and all actions involving the tower. They will also cover all expenses relating to the tower. Mint Hill will not be responsible for use and operation of the tower. Charlotte will give one year written notice if they decide to disassemble the tower and take it down. Charlotte could also credit the town’s user fees currently charged for access to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg radio system.
Council made no decision on the matter. They are waiting for other information relating to an idea being discussed for a dog park around the tower area. They are also looking for an expert to say what can be done under the tower.

In other matters
• Two cost analyses will be done regarding the town using the Bain School auditorium as a facility. The building would have to be renovated but there are concerns about asbestos and lead in the old structure. Town Manager Brian Welch requested permission to have Walker Engineering conduct an analysis. Council approved not to exceed $6,000. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools will build a new school on the site and the newest part of Bain will be kept intact. The older parts of the school will be demolished, unless the town decides to use the auditorium. The structural analysis will help decide the general condition of the building.
• A resolution to oppose the consolidation of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County governments was passed by council. They join the Town of Matthews in opposing this solution to saving money.

Super Bowl by the Numbers

LS — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:04:53 +0000

• 35% of people who attend the game write it off as a corporate expense.
• 5% of Americans will watch the game alone.
• 8 million pounds of guacamole is consumed on Super Bowl Sunday.
• 14,500 tons of chips are eaten along with that guacamole.
• The NFL will use 72 footballs for the Super Bowl game
• One out of every 12 people watching the game only does so to see the commercials.
• In 1967, a 30-second television commercial cost $42,000. In 2011, it cost $3 million.
• The winners get $88,000 per man; the losers get $44,000 per man.
• The average ticket price on NFL Ticket Exchange is about $4,197.
• No sitting president has ever attended a Super Bowl, although Ronald Reagan tossed the coin via satellite from the Oval Office for the 1985 during Super Bowl.
• Jake Delhomme threw the longest touchdown pass in Super Bowl history (85 yards to Muhsin Muhammad) in 2003.

Real bets offered by bookmakers
• The color of Madonna’s hair (she’s the half time entertainment
• Whether Kelly Clarkson will show her bare belly (she sings the national anthem
• The number of times Peyton Manning will be shown on T
• Will Al Michaels say the word “miracle” any time in the first quarte
• Will either announcer say “Tebow” in the first quarter
• How many aircraft during the anthem flyover.

Williams achieves Eagle Scout

LS — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:02:55 +0000

Donald Williams, son of Nichole and Troy Williams, received his rank of Eagle Scout with Troop 144 at Blair Road United Methodist Church in Mint Hil.
His project was a stone path for the church between the parking lot and the pavilion.
He is a senior at Independence High School and has been with Troop 144 since he began in scouting in 2001.

Gov. Perdue won’t seek re-election

LS — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 18:30:56 +0000

Please see the following statement from Governor Bev Perdue:

Like the rest of the nation, North Carolina has been facing difficult economic times — demanding many difficult decisions. I have had to make painful budget cuts in important areas of government. But I believe I have approached this challenge in a way that is consistent with my values and the values that have made our state a wonderful place to live and raise a family. I have spent my tenure in office – and, in fact, my adult lifetime – fighting for things that I care deeply about. And as anyone who knows me will tell you, I do not back down from tough fights.

But I understand this: We live in highly partisan times, where some people seem more worried about scoring political points than working together to address the real challenges our state faces. And it is clear to me that my race for re-election will only further politicize the fight to adequately fund our schools. A re-election campaign in this already divisive environment will make it more difficult to find any bipartisan solutions.
The thing I care about most right now is making sure that our schools and schoolchildren do not continue to be the victims of shortsighted legislative actions and severe budget cuts inflicted by a legislative majority with the wrong priorities. Therefore, I am announcing today that I have decided not to seek re-election. I hope this decision will open the door to an honest and bipartisan effort to help our schools.

To those of you who have supported me throughout my years of public service, I will always be grateful for the confidence you have placed in me. In my remaining months in office, I look forward to continuing to fight for the priorities we share, by putting North Carolinians back to work and investing in our children’s future. To my children and grandchildren, and especially to my husband Bob, thank you for always being there for me – especially as I’ve weighed this difficult decision.

Judges rule on redistricting

LS — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 18:01:09 +0000

A three-judge panel ruled last week that the May 8 primary stands as scheduled despite a law suit challenging new legislative and congressional voting districts.
Challengers of the new districts created last year were hoping the primary could be moved to July 9 so that they could further debate the new districts that support Republicans in court. This decision probably means that the new districts will be used in November’s elections.
Campaign filing is due to begin on February 13 at noon. Sen. Bob Rucho of Mecklenburg County said this is a good thing. “All the confusion is gone,” he said.
Lawyers could still appeal the redistricting to the state supreme court but there has been no announcement of that as yet. Redistricting is common every 10 years after a Census is taken. No redistricting has ever successfully been overturned in the state.
The new maps will give Republicans an opportunity to affect change in their favor over the next 10 years and win more state and federal seats for themselves. Urban interests will take the place of primarily rural interests in previous years. The changes reflect the state’s growth that brought people to urban areas and saw rural areas lose population.
In the meantime, Cornelius Mayor Jeff Tarte officially announced that he will run for the newly created District 41 which runs through Mecklenburg County, from Davidson to Matthews and Mint Hill. Tarte has frequently said he would run for the office but had waited until this month to formally announce his intentions.
Tarte has worked with the parks commission and transportation commission in the county.
John Aneralla from Huntersville announced that he will run for the district. Both men are Republicans. In 2010, Aneralla ran for the District 40 seat now held by Sen. Malcolm Graham. Aneralla said he has endorsements from 35 state and local leaders.
Aneralla is an investment advisor who served as chairman of the Republican County in Mecklenburg from 2004 – 2007.
Tarte will kick off his campaign on February 7 in Cornelius then travel to the Matthews/Mint Hill area to begin campaigning there. There were no plans available for Aneralla as yet.
There is still plenty of time for others to announce their candidacy for this district which is said to be one of the hot spots in the November elections.

Queen’s Grant (K-8) to hold Open House

LS — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 17:58:19 +0000

Queen’s Grant Community Charter (K-8th grade) School will hold its final Open House event for the 2012-13 school year. If interested, go to the web site’s main page, and look under the heading “get to know us” and then click on the (All Events-Tab). Once there an interested parent will see the 2011-12 Events Schedule. Click on the RSVP link for this event. There will be an Enrollment Information Meeting Thursday, February 2, at 6:30 pm (sign-in at 6:15 pm). End of Open Enrollment deadline to apply for the (2012-13) school year is Tuesday, February 28 at 4:30 pm.