Neighborhood Plan needs your active support with the city

Posted on Aug 18, 2014 by David Arneke

Next Monday, the neighborhood association will discuss the next stage of the College Hill Neighborhood Plan.  We hope you’ll join us as we navigate the challenging path of gaining city acceptance of the plan.

The document is now complete and has broad support in the neighborhood. It’s consistent with the goals of the historic district, established 34 years ago and credited with a dramatic turnaround in College Hill’s quality of life and property values.  It was developed in close collaboration with the city Planning Department.

We’ve run into a problem with the city Planning Board, though.  When the plan was presented to them in July, they made it clear they wouldn’t support it. The matter has been continued, presumably to the meeting to be held on Wednesday September 17, 2 p.m. in the City Council Chamber.

One of the goals of the plan is to return the neighborhood to predominantly single-family owner-occupied housing. That objective has been one of the primary goals of the historic district since 1980, but that in particular seemed to concern the Planning Board.

Your presence and active support at that September 17 meeting could make a difference in whether the city accepts the plan. To see the plan, click here (PDF).

Continue reading →

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All residents eligible to join Greensboro Municipal Credit Union

Posted on Aug 18, 2014 by David Arneke

GFMCU screenshotAll College Hill residents are eligible for membership in the Greensboro Municipal Federal Credit Union. This eligibility is extended to members of all neighborhood associations that belong to the Greensboro Neighborhood Congress.

The credit union has offices at 217 North Greene Street and 2200 Soabar Street. It has ATMs at the Elliott University Center at UNCG and 30 other locations in Greensboro. Members also can use surcharge-free CashPoints ATMs throughout North Carolina. There are more than 40 CashPoints locations in Greensboro, including the State Employees Credit Union office at Tate and Market streets.

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Restaurant complex planned on Spring Garden Street

Posted on Aug 16, 2014 by David Arneke
View of street and warehouse

Warehouse at 509 South Edgeworth, seen from under the Freeman Mill Road overpass

A major redevelopment is planned for a warehouse on Spring Garden Street at the Downtown Greenway’s Morehead Park trailhead.

The building, 509 South Edgeworth Street, is at the corner of Spring Garden and Edgeworth, just beyond the Freeman Mill Road overpass from College Hill. It is the former location of Catering by Ellyn, which just up and disappeared one day a few years ago.

From the Triad Business Journal:

“Significant redevelopment plans are in the works to revitalize warehouse space at 509 S. Edgeworth St. in downtown Greensboro into a $2 million retail ‘multiplex’ with various eateries, a bakery, event space and a speakeasy-type lounge.”

The $2 million project is scheduled to be completed next spring. A company called “Fresh. Local. Good.” is the developer; it’s a local restaurant, catering, and event company. It owns the Iron Hen Cafe on Cridland Road near West Wendover.

Click here for the whole story from the Business Journal.

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Repaving cleans up mess at Mendenhall & McGee

Posted on Aug 15, 2014 by David Arneke
Intersection of South Mendenhall and Willie McGee

Repaved on Thursday: Mendenhall and McGee streets

The city has repaved part of the very ragged intersection at West McGee and South Mendenhall streets. The northeast corner, which looked like it had been hit by a very small bomb, was particularly improved (on the left side of the photo). James Keith recently dragged a city engineer over to the intersection while the guy was in the neighborhood on another matter.  I don’t think it was even to talk about what awful shape the streets were in right there, but the engineer was struck by it. Whatever the reason was, it’s a big improvement. It may keep fewer cars from bottoming out while heading east on McGee, but you still might want to be a little careful there.

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Be aware: Fake door-to-door salespeople reported nearby

Posted on Aug 15, 2014 by David Arneke

 

ADT logo

Don’t be fooled: ADT Security Services does not send salespeople out door-to-door.

Residents of the Westerwood neighborhood report a group of men have been going door-to-door pretending to sell ADT home security systems.  Westerwood neighbors checked with ADT and learned that the company does not send out door-to-door salespersons.

Update: There are now similar reports coming from Lindley Park.

This appears to be a scam to get into homes and evaluate their contents, means of entry, lack of security, and the people who live there.

This information was reported at last night’s meeting of the Greensboro Neighborhood Congress, and we thank our Westerwood neighbors for letting us know (and GNC member and minutes recorder Ann Stringfield). For those not familiar with Westerwood, it’s the neighborhood adjacent to College Hill on the other side of Market Street and Friendly Avenue.

Remember: do not open your door to people you do not already know. Don’t let people you don’t know into your house.  If you see any suspicious people, immediately call the police at 911 or 373-2222. Don’t wait and don’t expect anyone else to call.  And then let your neighbors know and send an email to the neighborhood association (click for the email address) so we can help get the word out.  College Hill is safer when we let the police and each other know what’s happening.

We all count on each other.  Don’t let us down.

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Triad Business Journal: New Manager Cleans Up Student House Complex

Posted on Aug 12, 2014 by Judy Horn

The Aug. 12, 2014, issue of Triad Business Journal includes an article on “The District,” located on West Market Street at Greensboro College. New management has cleared more than 100 violations! Click here to read the article. 

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If you have bats in your attic, read this before doing anything

Posted on Aug 06, 2014 by David Arneke

I’ve been noticing more bats lately on early-morning walks in the neighborhood, and today I came across this important information about them via email from the Aycock Historic District. The source is Kim Yeoman, a biology grad student at UNCG who certainly has the qualifications to talk about these helpful, misunderstood little beasts.  Her comments came in response to a neighbor who has bats in the attic:

“Many species of bats roost in large maternity colonies, which confers predation protection, and also speeds up the development of their offspring, via heterothermia. If you attempt to seal off any openings to your home before September, you may be sealing off hundreds of baby bats (pups), which will die, rot, and stink up your attic.

“Also, depending on which species are present, you may also be committing a felony, as three of NC’s bat species are endangered, and thus federally protected (Myotis grisescens, M. sodalis, and Corynorhinus townsendii virginianus). Using moth balls will incur additional animal cruelty penalties, as moth balls are extremely toxic (carcinogenic) to mammals, and such open usage may also expose pets and children to the vapors.

“Did you know that 25% of all mammal species are bats, and less than half of one percent of all bats carry rabies? Bats eat mosquitoes, agricultural pests, disperse seeds, and pollinate flowers, including the tequila agave
(http://www.batcon.org/index.php/media-and-info/bats-archives.html?task=viewArticle&magArticleID=310).

“Bats live for about thirty years, and once sexually mature, have 1-2 pups each year, which is an incredibly slow rate of reproduction for a mammal their size (e.g. mice). This slow reproductive rate combined with habitat destruction, pesticide accumulation, and white nose syndrome (https://www.whitenosesyndrome.org), are decimating bat populations worldwide.

“I strongly recommend that once pup season has definitively passed (September), you contact a local wildlife removal specialist. A colleague of mine once worked for Trutech LLC and can confirm that they use legal and humane methods to remove sensitive species from
buildings. 

“Here’s an informative link on how to properly exclude bats from buildings:
http://www.batcon.org/pdfs/education/fof_ug.pdf

“Here’s a video on how to capture and safely remove a bat from inside your home:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzax0V0DG_M“

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Here come the students, here come the car break-ins

Posted on Aug 04, 2014 by David Arneke

Three car break-ins were reported late Saturday and early Sunday in the area of the Province. Two cars were in the 700 block of Fulton; one was on Province Spring Court.

As students return for fall, this kind of petty crime is no surprise. [Clarification: It’s no surprise because too many students are easy prey for criminals.]  So use good sense and do what so many people don’t bother with: Lock your car, don’t leave valuables (especially phones, laptops, tablets, etc.) in it, and if you have to leave something valuable in it for crying out loud don’t leave it in plain sight.  Above all, think about what you’re doing, especially when you’re doing something as mundane and habitual as getting out of the car.

It doesn’t take much to deter this sort of thing. Cars generally aren’t broken into on speculation; it usually happens because something worth stealing can be seen from outside the car.  And if you do get victimized, no matter how petty the loss is, call the police. Knowing that this kind of thing is happening, and where, helps the police and the neighborhood.

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College Hill Neighborhood Assn to meet Monday, 7/28, 7 p.m.

Posted on Jul 26, 2014 by Judy Horn

The July meeting of the College Hill Neighborhood Association will be  held at 7 p.m. on Monday, July 28, 2014 in the Fellowship Hall of the Church of the Covenant, 501 S. Mendenhall St.  The Community Watch meeting will precede the meeting at 6:30 p.m. in the same location. All College Hill residents are welcome to attend.

The July agenda is being prepared and will be available at the meeting. One of the items up for discussion (carried over from June) is renewal of the contract with New Earth Designs. Board members are urged to become familiar with the NewEarthContractRenewal2014-15 to facilitate that discussion.

Attached are the draft minutes from the June meeting.  CHNA_June23_2014_Minutes

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Reminder! Saturday, Music & Arts Festival, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

Posted on Jul 22, 2014 by David Arneke

Flyer for PCOC's July Jubilee, 7/26/14, 11 am-3 pm

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