Madison Park

Minutes for the August 8th, 2005 meeting

Aug 10, 2005

Minutes for the August 8, 2005 Madison Park Homeowner?’s Meeting

www.neighborhoodlink.com Madison Park HOA


Meeting was called to order at 7:30 PM by President Martin Doss after the 30 minute social time. Remember the doors always open at 7:00 PM.

31 attendees Present
4 Police officers from both the South Division and Westover Division

Crime Reports from the Westover Division were as follows presented by Officer Hairston
5848 Wedgewood Drive Theft from motor vehicle
5401 Glenham Harassing phone calls
1000 Seneca Place Orange Peal thrown from bus
2013 Tvyola communicating a threat
5319 Milford attempted breaking and entry

Crime Report from the South Division was presented by Officer DelDuca Officer Monroe is on vacation.
5801 Farmbrook Drive simple assault
5612 Londonderry Road motor vehicle theft Honda Accord (keys are available on the internet that fit these Honda Accords)
5300 Londonderry Road Larceny of Lawn furniture?…In this particular case the incident happened around noon. A red truck with temp. tags was witnessed pulling in the drive. A stocky white male exits the vehicle and immediately began loading the cast iron antique furniture 3 items in the truck and drove off. The information was given to the police!
1934 Tyvola Road Burglary
1627 Tammworth Drive damage vandalism of property right rear tire was slashed.
Intersection of Kentland and Londonderry Fight
5201 Londonderry Road Noise Disturbance?…. (This most likely was in conjunction with the illegal recycling business operating at the location)

The officer entertained one question regarding the length of time it takes for complaints to be investigated such as Parking on Lawns. These type complaints go to 311 now. It takes 3 business days to have an inspector come out. If it is on the weekend you can add up to 2 more days before the problem is investigate. The police only get the complaints that are happening after work hours during the week and on weekends.

All current open complaints can be looked up on the Charlotte Mecklenburg Website. You reach the site directly or use the link on our site www.neighborhoodlink.com 28210 Madison Park. Once your reach the Charlotte Meck. Home Page click on Neighborhoods, Appearance and Improvement, then scroll down and click on Health and Sanitation Codes, or Housing Codes. You can then key in the name of the road and see all open and closed cases. If the status of your complaint is unjustified you can call the inspector and find out why the problem was coded as such. If you don?’t get a satisfactory response please e-mail Martin Doss at Martydoss@aol.com with details and he will handle or follow-up on the problem There have been cases in the past where he suspected the inspector has failed to inspect the problem and simply stamped the problem unjustified!

Martin Doss thanked the officers for their support of the National Night Out Street Party that Madison Park held on 8/2/05. The officer were very helpful with the event. The reverse 911 system was used to call and invite residents in our area to attend the event. Martin had written out an invitation and the police dept. recorded the message on his behalf. Also Westover Division supplied Martin with a police vehicle the night prior to the event. He rode with an officer throughout our neighborhood using the loud intercom system to invite residents to attend the event. Martin had turned his vehicle into a float with decorated signs of the event and balloons. McGruff the crime dog stuck his head out of the sun roof and waved at the residents for 1 and ?½ hours as he was driven around the neighborhood. Special thanks goes out to our VP John Olsakovsky for wearing the hot costume two nights in a row.

The National Night Out Event is a Nationwide Event where over 34 Million residents come together in an event to meet each other and stand up against crime. This was the first time we participated in the event. Thanks were given to all that came out to support our event. We had around 200 attendees during the 2 hours event. Special thanks went out to Holly Harper who provided the band, Candy Bridges for the Space Bounce and Judy Bratton for the use of her electrical to power to inflate the bounce and the power up the band. Martin also thanks all his servers that night at the booths. John Olsakovsky was a big help lending his camper for the event. Joyce Merritt helped with the balloons that we inflated. Martin was thanked by Dee McCandlish for working to put the event together. The Mayor Pat McCrory attended for about 25 minutes and said it was the best one he had attended that evening. We were the 5th stop he had made that evening. Susan Burgess City Counsel had emailed that she had planned to attend but reported later that evening she had gotten lost and ended up on the opposite side of town and could not make it do our event. She sent her apologies to Martin Doss. John Tabor City Counsel sent his best wishes to the neighborhood but had not planned on attending.

The event took a larger portion of our budget than expected due to the fact that the National Sponsor Target was unable to give us a donation as planned due to the fact it turned out we did not have our 501 (C) 3 status. Even though we submitted proof our bylaws require us to operate as a Non Profit Target would not make the donation to us for the event. We have the application downloaded now several pages to file for the 501 (c) 3. It will cost around 300 dollars if we decide to go forward with getting the 501 (C) 3 status. Something we will decide on at a future date.

Martin reported he was alerted by a Montclair resident that Chedworth needed 25 mph signs and that Wedgewood on the South Side of Tvyola was 35 mph when on the North side it was only 25 mph. Chip Gallup with CDOT was kind enough to take care of both of these matters at his request.

There was another problem on the South Side of Tvyola Road at the corner of Tyvola and Farmbrook. 2132 has been parking vehicles and trailers in the road. They are operating an illegal car lot at this location. CDOT made two changes at Madison Parks request. CDOT put both NO PARKING SIGNS AND NO U TURNS at the entrance to Farmbrook. The NO U TURN sign was needed due to SouthPark Corner residents from the corner of Tyvola and Park Road coming down to Farmbrook to flip U-turns. This was happening because SouthPark Corner residents cannot head east on Tyvola from their parking lot exit on Tyvola Road. They must travel west and then flip a turn back down at the Farmbrook intersection. This was creating a danger to residents trying to drive down their road on Farmbrook.

Madison Park was approved for the Adopt a Street program. We were given Tyvola Road from Farmbrook to Park Road. This road carries thousands of vehicles a day. Two signs were installed. The name Madison Park HOA has been placed under the West bound adopt a street. On the East bound side the Madison Park HOA sign is missing. I have e-mailed to discover if the sign fell off, was stolen, or never installed. We should be recognized going both directions. In a couple of months Martin Doss said he would also like to adopt Seneca Place another busy road. This road will require minor pick-up since it is bordered on both sides by homes. This will allow us two more signs with Madison Park HOA and help ID our community to others. By using this approach we will save money on getting signs printed and then having to try and get permission from CDOT to install in the RIGHT AWAY! We will need a few volunteers every quarter to help pick up the trash. Hopefully we can purchase some trash poles for doing the pickup. Bags and supplies are furnished by the CITY. (UPDATE THE NEXT DAY THE 9TH OF AUGUST THE SIGN WAS INSTALLED WITH OUR NAME)

Sidewalks?…..It was a year ago that we had our big controversial sidewalk meeting. The city has adopted a new policy on sidewalks which is as follows. The previous 600 plus sidewalks on the list were not thrown out as reported in the Charlotte Observer a month ago. The procedure is as follows.

There are now 4 tiers for sidewalks to fall under.

Tier 1 Thoroughfares
Tier 2 Locals and Collectors with traffic greater than 3000
Tier 3 Locals and Collectors near Parks and Schools
Tier 4 Locals and Collectors with traffic volumes less than 3000

(Most of Madison Park falls under Tier 4)

City Staff has put the previous list into the 4 tiers.

City Staff going forward will identify and rank sidewalk needs in Tier 1, 2 and 3.

Residents can call 311 to request a sidewalk in any tier

For tier 1-3 no additional forms are needed to get on the list.

Fort tier 4 a valid nomination form is required. You can get this online at the Charlotte Meck site under new sidewalks. One lead petitioner will need to collect 25 % of property owners on either side of the street to submit the request.

When the project nears the top of the list CDOT will conduct a public meeting with JUST the residents living on that road. City Staff will determine the appropriate side of the street and the design along with the input from the public meeting. (please note that if your road was already on the list and you?’re a tier 4 you will get added points toward the project ?…this can move you higher on the list).

After the public meeting at least 60% of all residents from either side of the road must be in favor of the project before the sidewalk can be place on the list.

Nomination forms are due by Dec. 1, of each year to be considered for the following fiscal year?’s sidewalks.

Any road in our area that is now considered tier 4 must follow the petition application to request a sidewalk. But remember if you were one of the 600 already on the list you get bonus points for being on the old list!

Zoning Issues were discussed next. If you have any zoning issues the city handles these complaints or issues now. You must call 704-336-3569 to make a report. If you call 311 they should forward you to this number. Details of the problem are a must when making a complaint so be prepared with exact problem, time of day, vehicles (tag numbers help) and who is involved if you know with the problem. Current problems that are being worked on now are the Corner of Tyvola Road and Farmbrook for the illegal Car Lot operating at this location, Corner of Fairbanks and Farmbrook for the Limo Service that appears to be going again, and the corner of Londonderry Road and Tyvola road for the illegal recycling business. This Londonderry Road resident is hauling in large amounts of scrape metal and dumping it in the driveway. Then the resident hammers the metals and cuts them down before reloading the scrap metal to haul off. Not only has this created an eyesore the noise level has been a problem for many in the immediate area. (Note the 911 call in this months report for noise in above police recaps) Zoning Inspectors have sent Cease Operations letters to both the Car lot and the Recycling business! All 3 of the above have open complaints on their properties.

Dee McCandlish gave the treasury reports. Funds are around 100 dollars. Please pay your dues. Remember dues are only 10 bucks per calendar year currently per household. If you would like to prepay your dues for 2006 or you have not paid your 2005 household dues of 10 bucks you can do so immediately at the 2005 rate of 10 dollars. Please pay at the next meeting or print a form off our website or just send a check to Dee McCandlish our treasurer at 812 Fairbanks Drive, Charlotte NC 28210. Starting Jan. 1 2006 dues will increase to 15 dollars a year. Prepay now and save the increase! If you?’re just now paying your 2005 dues please note in the memo this is your 2005 dues. If you are prepaying 2006 now at this year?’s rate please note prepaying 2006 in the memo of your check so that you get credit at this year?’s rate. The prepay discount will end Dec. 1, 2005 so if you want to save the 5 dollars pay your dues at once.

Thanks to Debra Campbell for updating our master e-mail list. We currently have 198 names and e-mails on our list. Remember if you can?’t attend every meeting you can stay up to date by providing your e-mail to Madison Park HOA. We do not sell the list or send you spam. You will get the minute?’s e-mailed every month and any other important news that applies to our neighborhood. (If you are not getting the e-mails please send us your information again to Martydoss@aol.com or debracampbell@juno.com so we can make sure we have valid information.

Please remember to visit our website often for updated information. Many of the topics on how to make reports, complaints as well as tips and information from our police is posted on our website at www.neighborhoodlink.com Key in 28210 Madison Park. Madison Park is the only Gold Star Premier HOA a destination awarded by Neighborhoodlink due to the amount of information on our website. Remember you can list events on the website calendar. Please send your event such as yard sales to Martydoss@aol.com and I will be happy to add your event. Not only does the community see your event but it is added the city wide calendar. This is a great way to advertise a yard sale or an event or party. Our website gets over 1000 hits a month. Stay in the know and visit our site regularly.

Also please use the discussion area of our website. This is a great area to list found or lost animals. If everyone would look on here when a pet is lost it would be a great tool to reconnect pets with their owners. The discussion pages can be used for any topics and use can add topics or respond to current listings. This is a great way for the neighborhood to communicate.

The Garden Club will meet 8/15/05 next Monday at Eudora Alston?’s home. She is located at 831 Faircrest Road on the south side of Tyvola. You can travel across Wedgewood drive the first road will be Fairbanks the second right is Faircrest. Membership is free in the Garden Club and they have no dues. If you have any interest in Gardening please attend the Clubs Meetings. This club has many interesting topics at their monthly meetings including speakers from time to time.

The Fire Department is currently scheduled to make a presentation at our Sept. 12, monthly meetings. This will be the first time they have made a presentation for us. Please plan on attending to hear what services the Fire Dept. our local station can provide you and learn about current Fire Safety issues.

Our fall picnic is gong to be moved to Park Road Park. The event will be held on Saturday Sept. 17th at noon. The new locations at Park Road Parks largest Picnic Shelter will provide us with a picnic tables, shelter in case of in climate weather, electrical outlets, grills, and running water. You will not have to bring anything but a side dish or desserts. Further details will be posted on our website under the calendar. Candy Bridges from Park and Recs will be on the committee for this picnic. We need to get a few more volunteers to work on the planning of this event. If you would like to help please contact Martydoss@aol.com ASAP we need more members on the committee. It would be nice to have some different volunteers to help with our planned events but old standbys will be welcomed as usual. Candy has already got plans for some fun old fashion games for those that attend. In addition we will have access to horseshoes and other park attractions. It is hoped that the residents of Madison Park will find this change a positive one.

The floor was open for new business and concerns.

One of the concerns involved illegal signs in our community. We buy homes signs are continuing to pop up throughout the area. If you see these you should copy the information down, note the location and call 311 to make a report. Current signs that have been reported are on telephone poles on Seneca Place and a report was made after the meeting on the sign at Sandridge Road and Baker. This sign is posted above at Stop Sign also on a telephone pole. Violators can be fined 50 bucks for every sign put up in the public right away! 311 should take your complaint under the illegal sign ordinance. If you try to call this in to 311 and have a problem please e-mail Martin at Martydoss@aol.com or call 7045190677 with the details and I will see the complaint is made. (Walter Abernathy was going to send inspectors out 8/9/05 to investigate. Martin Doss noted 20 additional signs along South Blvd. from Seneca Place to Tremont Ave the next day)

Other members thought the current dues of 10 dollars a year are to low. That is one reason the 2006 rate is going to go up to 15 dollars a year per household. If everyone would pay their annual dues we would have no problems along with donations we get in providing nice events for the neighborhood such as the fall picnic, Holiday Social, and the recent National Night Out Street Party! It would also allow us to pay for things we need as a neighborhood such as signs and so forth. Also only paid members are eligible to cast a vote when something comes to the floor for a vote!

Ted Peters mentioned that the new driveway on Wedgewood to the Temp. School occupying the old Pinewood Elementary will have sidewalks on its border on Wedgewood Drive. Some trees were removed this week to accommodate the work. They will stop at the edge of the property.

The developer of the Storage buildings planned to open this fall at Seneca Place and Park Road appear to finally be doing some grading work this week. New stakes were noted along Park Road last week and some heavy equipment was on site Monday the 8th of August.

We have been unable to get a response to the flooding concerns of some of the residents of the school property. Messages have been left by both phone and email but as of today gone unanswered. Our contact person that had been working with us in the past is no longer in his current position. We will continue to seek updated information on this problem.

We had several first time attendees at the meeting tonight and welcome them all to our Association.

The meeting was adjourned