College Hill Neighborhood Association

A big tree on Rankin Place gets a big send-off

Posted on Mar 09, 2018 by David Arneke

Massive tree trunk on its side

Hand-lettered sign: Big Tree Parking There was a gigantic red oak tree that towered over Paul and Barbara Phillips’ house at 805 Rankin Place. The house was built in 1910, and the tree probably was there then. By last fall, it was clear that the tree’s health was failing, and it had to come down.

After weeks of work, it had been taken down this week, and the branches had been cleared away. Sam Bridges of Bridges Tree Service invited some folks over Friday to say goodbye.

Chainsaw artist Ericksen Krietemeyer carved a bear into one end of the trunk. Master furniture craftsman Joe Schoolcraft came over from Sunset Hills to saw through a seven-foot length of trunk for wood to turn into tables. A preschool class of five-year-olds from First Baptist Church arrived to see something big happening. Some their parents came, too, and neighbors from Rankin and Mendenhall and Carr, a videographer from Fox8 News and two officials from the city’s Historic Preservation staff.

Over the course of an hour and a half or so, some 30 people paid their respects to one of College Hill’s grandest trees. It was a more fitting end that most trees get, even great ones like this. Our neighborhood’s tree canopy is one of our great assets, one that requires care, respect and awareness to maintain. Events like Friday’s should become a tradition, one that will help keep us from taking our trees for granted.

kids looking into a big hole in the tree

Everyone wanted to see inside …

… and get inside.

Chainsaw artist Ericksen Krietemeyer carves a bear into one end of the giant tree trunk.

Joe Schoolcraft begins sawing through a seven-foot section of the tree.

Joe’s chainsaw rig after he started to cut through the trunk

little boy looking into a hole in the tree

Everyone got to see where the bees had been and the honey they left behind …

children getting little spoonfuls of honey

… and then get a taste of pure honey straight from the tree.

Posted in Rankin Place, Trees | Leave a comment

UNCG to stage major-emergency drill Thursday February 1; exercise will include simulated gunfire, several street closings

Posted on Jan 30, 2018 by David Arneke

Don’t be alarmed if you see a lot of police and ambulances on campus on Thursday February 1. The university says it will be conducting one of the largest emergency exercises ever in the UNC system. The drill will focus on the McIver Building, located just off Spring
Garden Street on Administration Drive between the Foust Building and the back of the UNCG Auditorium (formerly Aycock).

Simulated gunfire may be heard between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m.

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Posted in Alerts, Spring Garden Street, UNCG, Walker Avenue | Tagged emergency drill | Leave a comment

Garbage/recycling collection delayed until Monday, probably

Posted on Jan 18, 2018 by David Arneke

The city has announced that Friday’s collection of garbage and recycling will be postponed until Monday because of the snow. No collections were made Wednesday, and none will be made today (Thursday).

City crews plan to work Friday and Saturday to start catching up, but if the roads are still impassable for garbage trucks tomorrow (Friday), they’ll have to delay our collection further. The city is posting updates on Nextdoor.

Posted in Alerts, City Government | Leave a comment

Condolences to our neighbor Janet Frommann

Posted on Nov 30, 2017 by David Arneke

The College Hill Neighborhood Association extends its condolences to our neighbor Janet Frommann of McGee Street on the death of her daughter, Kirsten Poag. Kirsten, 27, died Sunday. A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m., Saturday, December 2, at Presbyterian Church of the Covenant, 501 S. Mendenhall Street.

Posted in Condolences, McGee Street, Neighbors | Leave a comment

Thursday Nov. 30: Don’t miss your last opportunity to comment on the College Hill segment of the Downtown Greenway

Posted on Nov 14, 2017 by David Arneke

Posted in Downtown Greenway | Leave a comment

Don’t drag that used but undamaged mattress to the curb — donate it to a group that can give it to someone who needs it

Posted on Nov 06, 2017 by David Arneke

mattress in yard, thrown away by some thoughtless person

There’s a steady stream of mattresses that move from College Hill bedrooms to the curb to the landfill. And that’s a shame because there are people in Greensboro and the Triad who need them. Used mattresses that don’t have tears, holes, structural damage or stains can be donated to charities that can get them to people in need.

In Greensboro, used mattresses can be donated to the Barnabus Network, the Salvation Army or the Vietnam Veterans of America. Please call one of these groups to come and pick up your used mattress rather than throwing it away.

Posted in Businesses | Tagged barnabus network, salvation army, used mattress donations, vietnam veterans of america | Leave a comment

Neighbor Jim Clark of Carr Street dies at age 72

Posted on Oct 31, 2017 by David Arneke

headshot of Jim Clark Longtime College Hill resident Jim Clark died Monday. He was 72. He had suffered a severe heart attack last spring. Jim and his wife, Daniele, had lived on Carr Street since 1980 and raised their two children, Stefan and Josie, there. They moved to Westerwood after Jim’s heart attack to be closer to their daughter.

Jim was the director of UNCG’s MFA program in creative writing for many years, a position he still held. He also was editor of the program’s magazine, The Greensboro Review.

In a quote posted on the MFA program website, novelist Kevin Wilson said, “Until it broke, my answering machine held a message from Jim Clark, telling me I had a story accepted in The Greensboro Review. Though I would not mention this to Jim, as it would embarrass the hell out of him, on days when I got a rejection or I felt like a terrible writer, which was often, I would listen to his message and feel better.

“Jim is the kind of editor that you hope for, one that believes wholeheartedly in the work, supports writers in whatever way he can, and makes you believe that he had no hand in making the piece better through editing, even though he made my story so much better.”

Visitation will be Thursday November 2, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Forbis & Dick Funeral Service, 1118 N. Elm Street. Click here for more information.

Posted in Carr Street, Condolences, Neighbors, UNCG | Leave a comment

Reminder: Sewer-line smoke testing is now under way

Posted on Oct 18, 2017 by David Arneke

The process is scheduled to begin today in College Hill and is expected to take three to four weeks. Here’s the full announcement from the city, including a link to a map of the areas where testing will be conducted:

Beginning Wednesday, October 18, the City of Greensboro and contractor Hydrostructures will be performing sewer line smoke testing in various locations throughout the City for three to four weeks. This is part of the City’s effort to continue to monitor and improve its infrastructure conditions. View a project location map of the testing areas here.

During the survey, a non-toxic smoke will be introduced into a manhole eventually flowing into the sewer lines. Any open break in the sewer line will be identified by the presence of smoke.

The smoke is non-toxic, non-staining, has a slight odor, and will appear white to gray in color. The smoke does not create a fire hazard. To prevent smoke from entering into a structure, customers are advised to pour a gallon of water into every sink, tub, and floor drain that is not used on a daily basis.

Motorists traveling in the project location sites may experience some minor traffic delays. Additional updates will be issued as testing progresses. For additional information, please call the City Contact Center at 336-373-2489 or visit the Water Resources website.

Posted in City Government | Leave a comment

Update on Phase 1 of College Hill traffic improvement project: Temporary changes are slowing traffic on Mendenhall

Posted on Oct 15, 2017 by David Arneke

The first phase of the College Hill for Everyone project is primarily a demonstration project. It’s being used to gather information and demonstrate the use of innovative techniques and materials to slow traffic on South Mendenhall Street and to improve pedestrian safety and quality of life in College Hill.

The changes that have been put in place are temporary. The information gathered during this test phase will help identify what kinds of changes will be effective at reducing motor vehicle speeds, reducing traffic noise and improving safety for bicyclists and pedestrians.

After the testing phase, we’ll use what we’ve learned to develop long-term improvements. The timing of those improvements will be coordinated with upcoming water and sewer replacement and street resurfacing projects to limit the disruption and cost.

Vehicle speed and pedestrian safety

Mendenhall doesn’t look like a 25 mph street. It’s straight and wider than the nearby side streets. Most of its intersections lack crosswalks, and one side is clear of parked cars. It doesn’t give motorists obvious reasons to travel at or below the posted speed limit.

The combination of a high level of pedestrian traffic, lack of marked crosswalks, high rate of motor vehicles speeding and other factors create a dangerous situation.

Chart: Pedestrian Risk of Injury or Fatality by Speed

Click the chart to see it larger.

Last year, traffic speed data were collected on the 500 block of Mendenhall, where the lane diverters are being tested. Only about 40% of motor vehicles were travelling at or below the posted speed limit. The maximum recorded speed was 54 mph.

Data collected after installation of the temporary treatments show that the changes to the design of the street are reducing traffic speeds significantly. Over 97% of vehicles are travelling at or below 25 mph. Only 0.1% of vehicles are traveling above 35 mph. The maximum recorded speed was 38 mph.

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