Art and branding on Central Avenue

As mentioned earlier, the Arts and Science Council has a call to visual artists for public art on Central Avenue near the Merry Oaks neighborhood. It specifically asks for art to help brand the area as an international corridor and is seeking murals for the area, encouraging entries from Latino or Asian artists.

Neighborhood advocate Nancy Pierce has been asked to serve on the review/selection committee, which meets Nov. 10. Before that meeting, she's seeking ideas and answers to some key questions. From her note to the neighborhood Google group:

&ldquo While I support public art, I am concerned that some art, in time, just adds to visual clutter. I am also unconvinced that we should welcome certain branding unless we first decide exactly how we want to be branded, in consultation with adjacent neighborhoods. In fact, there is no formal city initiative to brand Central as the International Corridor. Do we want this?

&ldquo What about the &lsquo green’ branding some of us have discussed, building on the greenway, bridge art, ped/bike/transit focus of Merry Oaks? Could public art work support that?”

Merry Oaks has a developing greenway along Briar Creek, and over the years it has attracted people interested in bikes and short commutes as well as a diverse group of artists among its residents. Nearby neighborhoods have similar personalities and a stake in the discussions as well. I suspect most people in the area are very proud of our diverse businesses and population.

Are they separate brands? Can both internationalism and a &ldquo green” brand be sustained?

This particular call for artists is Part II of a project. Part I involved a team of young professionals with the Knight Creative Communities Initiative, who commissioned ceramic artist Amy Sanders for a residency at Garinger High School challenging students to explore visual imagery appropriate to the international flavor of Central Avenue, according to the Arts and Science Council. Sanders created ceramic designs for trash receptacles.

For ideas on Part II, visit the Merry Oaks Google group to let Nancy know what you think, or leave a comment here.

Some background:
Carlos Herrera Burgos received a grant earlier for a mural as part of the international corridor idea, but had difficulties finding a place to display the work. It appears that the art was part of the Central Krawl in June at Pura Vida; I'm not sure where it is now.

Chapel Hill has some excellent murals, but the town is more condensed than Central Avenue, with alleys and tall brick walls. They're working on freshening them up and preserving them.

Online Carolina and national election results

Go here.

Visit Flickr for Elizabeth pumpkin wall pictures

Want more pictures of the pumpkin wall in Elizabeth?
Go visit Flickr, a photo sharing service. This particular search at the link is for the words "pumpkin wall," and you'll see a few walls that are in other places too as an added bonus.
Do not miss the shots by the photographer called Doxieone. She did a great job capturing the pumpkins at night.

Pumpkin wall lighting on Wednesday

The Elizabeth neighborhood is building its annual pumpkin wall, and the official lighting ceremony is Wednesday at 7 p.m. (-ish, I suspect).
More photos soon from the wall on Sunday. There were plenty of pumpkins yet to be carved on Sunday afternoon. Pumpkins are free, but you're welcome to carve your own at home and bring it to the wall.
Note: I did not see any pi pumpkins as of Sunday. That was my favorite pun in the past.
Where: 537 Lamar Street.

A great story about a Merry Oaks teacher

Kansas City sports writer Joe Posnanski writes a lovely tribute to Merry Oaks Elementary teacher and Elizabeth resident Lolo Pendergrast.

His tribute is not about her teaching abilities now, but rather her teaching abilities for a young reporter.

Joe says Lolo taught him this:
"...We shouldn’t shoot low, we shouldn’t settle for the ordinary, we shouldn’t be limited by ceilings in our imagination. I don’t know that I ever thanked Lolo for teaching me those lessons; and I’m sure if I did she scoffed at the very idea of that I would thank her for sharing of herself. That’s what I mean by the Lolos in our lives. They don’t want thanks. They don’t want anything, I guess, except someone willing to listen."

We're lucky to have teachers like Lolo at Merry Oaks, and we're lucky to have writers like Joe who share the stories.

Pumpkin wall update

Under the Water Tower has the scoop on the Elizabeth pumpkin wall. Go check it out.
More pictures here.

Where to find election information

So you're looking to study up before voting? Want to go beyond the TV commercials?

The Charlotte Observer's vote guide is here.

The Raleigh News and Observer's election coverage is here.

Indyweek.com, the website for The Independent in The Triangle, has election information here.

The League of Women Voters has PDF documents covering state and local elections here.

The Mecklenburg Board of Elections has early voting information and other stuff here.

You can also check the links in the "Politics" sidebar about halfway down on the left of this blog.

MONA potluck and pitfire tonight

Last-minute reminder:

Tonight, Saturday, Oct. 18, is the Merry Oaks Neighborhood Association's fall potluck and pitfire gathering. Bring a side dish and hang out and visit with your neighbors. See the Google group for more details.

Merry Oaks cleans up Briar Creek

Trash and litter are like laundry: There's always more to be done.

Merry Oaks residents cleaned up areas of Briar Creek along the neighborhood greenway on Oct. 4 as part of The Big Sweep. But heavy undergrowth and continuing warm weather prevented volunteers from getting everything. As the weather cools and snakes and bad bugs go into hiding, we have great opportunities for getting more trash out of the creek and nearby greenway. It doesn't always take an organized event: Mindful visits with trash bags in hand work well too.

Here's part of the report from the official cleanup from the neighborhood Google message group:

"Merry Oaks volunteers did their part on Oct. 4 to clean up our section of Briar Creek at the greenway. Many thanks to Kate Mellnik and Ben Kubie who headed up a group of five who ended up with 15 bags of trash and about 5-7 bulky items. They lugged them to Arnold Drive for special pickup and reported results to Mecklenburg County. These were some of the more interesting items that were found: boxsprings, basketball backboard, thermos, baseball, lots of golf balls, cordless phone, tire, sofa cushions, phone card, and dentures."

Elizabeth's pumpkin wall

No matter your politics, you can't deny that the Elizabeth community's pumpkin wall has been a treat for the neighbors during recent years. Most of the photos here are from the 2007 wall, challenged by drought and then rains at carving time.

The photo second from the top is from the 2006 truth wall, which created a bit of political controversy.

Will there be a wall this year? What will it say? Let me know so I can share.

But one word of advice this Halloween: Let's hope all the nearby neighborhoods get a clue this year. Don't add to traffic and gas consumption by swarming Elizabeth and Plaza Midwood (and even Chapel Hill) for Halloween festivities. Let's try to make it work in our own neighborhoods. If we must visit the nearby sites, be mindful of people big and small on foot.

Call for artists

The Arts and Science Council of Mecklenburg County has released a call for artists for up to three $15,000 commissions for local painters to develop murals along the Central Avenue international corridor.

The project focuses on Central Avenue between Briar Creek Road and Eastway Drive, just next to the Merry Oaks neighborhood.

ASC encourages artists of diverse backgrounds – particularly Asian and Latino, reflecting the new immigrant communities – to apply. The application process involves qualifications only – no proposals.

From the prospectus:
"The goal of this project is to provide the corridor with a more colorful and cohesive visual identity....

"Ceramic artist Amy Sanders will continue as the lead artist. She'll have oversight of the artists hired, will coordinate community meetings to involve residents and artists in the project and will work with business owners as appropriate. The suggested locations for the murals are the Asian and Latino businesses near Briar Creek."

Application deadline is Oct. 30. Details: the Arts and Science Council.

Photos: Courtesy of the prospectus provided by the Arts and Science Council, showing a sample mural idea proposed in the UNCC Master Plan. The building is Cafe Central, at the corner of Central Avenue and Arnold Drive.

Finding gas using Twitter

(Edited December 2009: Embedded Twitter box no longer included, because #cltgas tag isn't being used at the moment.)

The box up above is a feed of notes people have posted on Twitter about gas availabilty in Charlotte. Posts with the keyword #cltgas will show up in the box, with a small bit of delay, human intervention and moderation using Google Reader.

It's not instantaneous, and it's not really high-tech. Someone with programming skills could do a better job than me, I'm sure. But it's working somewhat here in Charlotte, and definitely in other places like Atlanta. You can search Twitter at Twitter Search for the tag #atlgas and see an illustration.

What's so cool is that Twitter is easy to use from a cellphone, just the sort of thing you'll have with you while driving your dinosaur around town looking for fuel. And it's an illustration of how we can help each other quickly: Anyone in Charlotte for Hurricane Hugo or an ice storm can attest to the need for immediate information about basics like ice, gas, firewood, open restaurants and hotels. And sometimes, instant messages are the only communication method that works.

So check out Twitter. You might not need it now; in our neighborhood, many of us are lucky or smart enough to not be too dependent on gas. And walking and biking are certainly green alternatives. But live long enough and you will find a time when you need good local information from neighbors; Twitter can help.

Update Monday, Sept. 29: The Charlotte Observer added a link to Twitter Search on Monday for the #cltgas tag, and The Atlanta Constitution had a link up through the weekend for the tag #atlgas. Both used links directly to Twitter Search, so the results were real time. You can go there too for faster updates than you'll see here.

And Scott Dodd wrote about the shortage at Switchboard, a blog for the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Meet the other candidates

By now we all know Barack Obama is visiting Charlotte on Sunday, Sept. 21.

If you're into smaller crowds and finding out more about the other candidates, here's a great opportunity:

From noon to 4 p.m. Sunday at the Levine Museum of the New South, 200 East Seventh St., state and local candidates will be talking and meeting with voters.

From the event's Facebook page:

"Charlotte voters can ask questions of state and local candidates, receive state and local voter guides, register to vote, and gain a better understanding of what it means to participate in their local democracy from candidates themselves.

Several candidates and elected officials confirmed to speak include U.S. Senate candidate Kay Hagan, N.C. Gubernatorial candidates Pat McCrory and Bev Purdue, N.C. State Representatives Beverly Earle and Robert Pittinger, N.C. State Senator Malcolm Graham, Mecklenburg County Commission candidates Harold Cogdell, Hal Jordan, Dan Ramirez, Jennifer Roberts, and more. Panelists will include Charlotte Observer political video columnist Tonya Jameson and CNN and Fox News political contributor Lenny McAllister (The Hip-Hop Republican).

The event is sponsored by the Charlotte-area Association of Black Journalists, the Charlotte chapter of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, Generation Engage and the Levine Museum of the New South."

County could buy homes damaged by floods

April Bethea write in The Charlotte Observer:

"Mecklenburg County could buy up to 50 homes that sustained serious flood damage in the past month under a deal approved unanimously by commissioners on Tuesday.

Under the plan, the county's Storm Water Services department would spend $4 million to buy up to 30 homes, mostly along Briar Creek. Also, Park and Recreation could purchase up to 20 more residences using money from greenway bonds approved last year.

The program would be limited to homes severely damaged in floods on Aug. 27 or Sept. 10, and most prone to future flooding.

Most of the targeted properties lie in the Briar Creek floodplain, and include homes on or near the following east Charlotte streets: Dunlavin Way, Harbinger Court, Dolphin Lane and Shannonhouse Drive.

(snip)

The program is voluntary."

(Note: I'd copy less here, but fear the link to story won't last more than two weeks. I recommend to any readers that they click on the link to read the full story at The Charlotte Observer and continue to visit charlotteobserver.com.)

FEMA flood plain maps

Here's a snippet of the official FEMA floodplain map for Briar Creek next to the Merry Oaks neighborhood.
Now that Hanna has blown through the Carolinas and Ike threatens other areas, it's a good chance to take the long view, study the maps and compare with the reality of how the water rose.
Anybody looking at real estate should check these maps before making purchases. They take a long time to maneuver around in at FEMA's website, but the information is valuable for informed choices.

And a fun update: Owners of the little Puffer sailboat that floated down the creek to the greenway have been located through the neighborhood Google group. Yay!

Whose missing a sailboat?

Briar Creek, swollen from the remnants of Hurricane Faye last week, captured a sailboat.

Then the creek spit it out into the undergrowth near the pedestrian bridge between Arnold Drive and Masonic Avenue next to the Merry Oaks neighborhood.

Workers with Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation hauled the boat out of the woods and took it off for safekeeping on Tuesday. They hauled a refrigerator out of the creek earlier.

Is the boat yours? Want it back? Call Susan Donnelly, greenway gardener, at 704.507.8950.

You might need it later this week as Storm Hanna heads up this way.

Briar Creek flooding

Pictures of the flooding of Briar Creek on Aug. 27 here.
This is the Flickr stream tagged with "flood" and "Briar Creek" so you might see some unrelated stuff as you go through the list, but it's a quick way to see photos from several people.

Tax revaluation ruh-roh

It's almost September 2008. A Mecklenburg County tax revaluation, with accompanying bills, is due in January 2009.

Do you know where your neighborhood stands?

Check The Charlotte Observer's comparison of recent home sale prices in 2006 and 2007 to tax values with an interactive map here.

The map above shows Merry Oaks. Red dots indicate home sales that were more than 50% higher than existing property tax values. Orange dots indicate sales that were 30% to 50% higher. Green dots indicate sales 10% to 30% higher.

Of course, prices in your neighborhood could have changed dramatically since 2007. If so, it might be worth your while to gather data on those price changes.

Briar Creek art dedication

Greensboro artist Jim Gallucci joined with neighbors and local officials Saturday to dedicate his mesh-and-metal sculpture lining the Briar Creek bridge on Central Avenue. Nearby restaurant Dim Sum provided some treats for those who attended, and La Onda Tropical provided shade and a gathering spot near the bridge.
Read more and see one view of the art here.

Dedicating the Briar Creek Bridge art

From the Merry Oaks Google group mailbag:

Residents of Merry Oaks, Plaza Midwood, Commonwealth, Morningside & Briar Creek Neighborhoods are invited to a public art dedication at the Briar Creek Bridge on Central Avenue, at 10 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 23. The bridge is near the intersection of Central Avenue and Masonic Drive.

City Council member Patsy Kinsey and artist Jim Gallucci of Greensboro will be there to celebrate the new public artwork for the Briar Creek Bridge. Gallucci worked with neighborhood representatives to design art railings on the newly renovated bridge that reflect the elements of water, plants and the natural stream environment.

Refreshments will be provided.

Questions? Contact Sarah Gay, Associate Vice President of Public Art for the Arts & Science Council, at 704-335-3036.

This public artwork was made possible by the City of Charlotte's 1 percent for Art
Ordinance, and the project was managed by ASC and the Public Art Commission
on behalf of the City.