Carrick Community

Neighbors,

Important update. We need maximum attendance at BOTH meetings next week.

At exactly 4:00 PM today, we were notified that CMS has scheduled a community engagement meeting for Thursday, September 10 at 6 PM in the Pinewood Elementary cafeteria — just two days after Tuesday’s Board meeting and with less than one week’s notice.

In our August 9 correspondence, we specifically asked CMS to provide the requested information and studies (linked here) with adequate time for community review before a meeting, and to coordinate the meeting date with neighborhood representatives before it was announced. Neither occurred.

CMS now says it has “worked with our partners to develop a solution” that it plans to present Thursday. This makes a strong community presence especially important. We need CMS and the Board to see firsthand how strongly our community feels about preserving Madison Central Park.

Please do not assume attending one meeting is enough. Tuesday is our opportunity to speak directly to the Board. Thursday is our opportunity to show up as a community, hear what CMS is proposing, ask questions, and make sure our concerns are heard.

If you are able, please attend BOTH meetings — and personally ask your neighbors to join you.

Tuesday, September 8 at 5:45 PM
CMS Board Meeting
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Center

Thursday, September 10 at 6 PM
CMS' Community Engagement Meeting
Pinewood Elementary School Cafeteria

Thank you,
Your Neighbors at Save Madison Central Park

You can watch the CMS Board meeting live on youtube this evening starting at 7 PM 9/8/26.

I also was sent notification this am of the special meeting being held at Pinewood this Thursday 9/10/26 at 6 PM.  Hopefully good news will be coming our way on the effort to Save the Park. 

Here is what was sent to me this am.

Good afternoon Community Members,

Please see the information below about the upcoming community engagement session regarding Madison Central Park. This message will be sent to all families who attend Pinewood Elementary School this afternoon. Also feel free to share this with other members of the community so that those who are interested can make plans to attend.  

I look forward to seeing you at the meeting next Thursday and let me know if you have any additional questions. 

Tim

Pinewood Elementary School Families and Community,

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools remains committed to keeping our families and community informed and engaged as conversations continue regarding the property adjacent to Pinewood Elementary School, known as Madison Central Park.

When district leaders met with members of the Pinewood Elementary and Madison Park communities in July, we committed to listening to your feedback and continuing the conversation as we worked toward a path forward.

Since that meeting, CMS has continued to carefully consider the input and concerns shared by community members and has worked with our partners to develop a solution that we believe addresses the needs of both the school and the surrounding community.

As promised, we are inviting families and community members to join us for a community engagement meeting to hear more about the solution, ask questions and continue the conversation.

Community Engagement Meeting

• Thursday, Sept. 10 at 6 p.m.

• Pinewood Elementary School Cafeteria

We appreciate the thoughtful input we have received throughout this process and look forward to sharing more with you. Thank you for your continued partnership with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools.

Tim Ivey
Chief Operations Officer
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools