Madison Park

Minutes of the April 12th, 2004 MPHOA monthly meeting

Apr 25, 2004

Minutes for April 12, 2004
Madison Park Homeowners Meeting


Ted Peters, President called the meeting to order promptly at 7:30pm.
17 attendees and 3 police officers were present.

Sarah Lewis brought in a couple of cakes to go with the coffee as a treat for the meeting.

Officer Monroe of the South Division spoke first and covered the incidents south of Tyvola Rd on the South side of Madison Park. There were 2 cases of cut tires on Londonderry Rd (one victim?’s tires were slashed twice) and one larceny from an auto on Tremont. Officer Monroe and Officer Russell have contacted Smith Middle School regarding trash problems with Londonderry neighbors specifically 5220, 5226, and 5300 Londonderry Road. The officers have requested that the resource officer work with the principal to try and resolve the issue. The school has reported to Marty Doss that the problem is not with students but with trespassers on the sports field. The school claims that they have no money for trash pickup. Officer Monroe and Officer Russell also checked out a metal storage building on Londonderry Road. A neighbor has reported homeless men staying in the shed behind 5226. The officers are going to speak to the resident about searching the building closer and possibly request that he tear it down.

Officer Monroe brought two different handbooks on ID Theft (how to prevent it and how it occurs for those that wanted them). He cautioned residents to be very careful about anyone offering steep discounts for services such as paving or painting -- stating quality would most likely be poor. He warned against paying anything upfront beyond a small deposit for ?“start-up?” supplies to begin any renovation work.

Officer Hairston from the Westover Division spoke next stating that the northern section of Madison Park experienced 25 crimes during the month of March. 5115 Murray Hill had ID Theft, at 533 Inwood Road a break-in suspect ran from the scene, 4828 Lamont had a break in, 1336 Abby Place had a larceny with a scooter stolen, 1156 Senaca Place an assault, 5400 Wedgewood Drive a break in of a garage, 4842 Gilmore an assault where a fight over a beer run with a friend resulted in a gun being drawn, 4916 Prentice Place a boyfriend threatened women, 4500 Bradbury Assault with gun began on Woodlawn when a road rage victim pulled over a driver who then pulled a gun [NOTE: Officer Hairston stated that no one should ever drive home particularly when a road rage situation results in the other driver following your car.] Also never leave your auto or confront the other driver. If you are being followed, drive to a safe, well-lit and busy location. If the driver persists, use your cell phone to call police or blow your horn to attract attention. 500 Seneca Place a simple assault was the last specific problem noted in our area.

Officer Hairston notes there have been a rash of car break-ins. If you have a face plate on an installed car stereo system he suggests always removing it and taking it with you. Don?’t leave it in the car under any circumstances. These newer systems are the ones being marked for break in. So many of the removable face plates that come with the newer stereo systems are being left in the car that thieves are playing a numbers game and breaking in just to see if they get lucky.

As an example of neighborhood / police cooperation, Officer Monroe described an incident in the Montclair neighborhood. Recently a mid-afternoon house break-in occurred. Two young males ?– both barely in their teens ?– were apprehended because an alert neighbor called police after seeing the suspects exit a neighbor?’s house with two stuffed duffle bags. The suspects left the premises on bicycles. The suspects then ditched their bikes and headed for the bus stop on South Blvd. One suspect was caught near South Blvd and the railroad tracks. A K-9 unit (that was part of the perimeter search setup by the police) stopped the 2nd suspect just as he looked back to see just how close Officer Monroe was chasing him.

The Clown Graffiti Tagger was apprehended behind Big Lots on South Blvd. This turned out to be a 14 year old. Officer Monroe stated that, unfortunately, many of these taggers are back out tagging within 24 hours.

Both Officers Monroe and Hairston stated that Zone Checks (where a resident requests that a patrol officer drive by their house while they are out of town) are not being done any more as a practical matter due to a lack of manpower. Police will still attempt to perform this service. But, the limited number of patrol officers requires that they stick to dispatched 9-1-1 calls as their highest priority while on patrol. It is not unusual for dispatched 9-1-1 calls to consume their entire patrol time.

Lamar Gunter suggested that neighbors be careful about putting mail out for the postman to pick up. This is especially true if you have a red flag noting a need for mail pickup. This just alerts a thief. If your outgoing mail contains a credit card bill the suspect would have your name, address and credit card number and bank account information ?– everything needed to execute phone or computer/internet credit fraud. He also noted that you should never place your Income Tax Return in your mail box. These forms contain a lot of personal information including social security numbers and could be very harmful to you if obtained by a thief in an ID theft scheme.

Marty Doss noted that while on Fairbanks Friday afternoon he was speaking with association member Candace Armstrong. The mail person approached them with the mail. Candace, who was standing next to her mailbox at the time, asked for the mail but the mail person refused to give it to her saying she must place it in the box.

Marty Doss asked the police officers if there were any chance that the flashing crossing signal light on Tyvola Rd by Smith Middle School could be made into a regular functioning traffic light (as traffic on Tyvola is still a problem ?– especially with speeding). The officers said they would check on this as an option but were not sure if it could be converted for speed-reduction purposes at this time.

Rich Horton wanted to know how the information gathered from the police ?“speed alert?” trailers was used. The information, according to the officers, once gathered, is used to map out and determine where and when speeding problems are happening. In that way, traffic officers can then be assigned to set up speed traps and watch specific areas during those times when the data collected from the trailers indicated that there were speeding problems. Typically there is a four to five week lag from the time the data is gathered by the trailers, analyzed by traffic technicians and speed trap assignments are made.

The 3rd officer present at the meeting was Officer Rucker from the Westover Division who patrols in Madison Park from 11:00 pm ?– 7:00 am (3rd shift).

The officers were thanked for their reports and attendance with a round of applause.

Dee McCandlish has been taken to the hospital with breathing difficulties. Ted Peters ask that all attendees please take a moment to reflect and think/pray for Dee in silence. It is hoped that Dee will have a speedy recovery and be back with us next month.

Ted Peters wanted to recognize Marty Doss for getting the yard announcement signs made and delivered to the meeting. He also recognized Marty for his attendance at the Neighborhood Symposium. He was thanked by the group for his service and symposium report.

Scott Andrew was recognized next for stepping up and serving as Vice President of the association. Unfortunately, Scott is moving out of the area after 15 years due to his career. Scott will be moving to Lake Norman. The membership wished him well and invited him and Suzanne to come back anytime.

Rich Horton was then officially nominated to fill the role of Vice President. A motion was made and carried with full approval by all attendees. The Madison Park Homeowners welcome Rich to his new position.

Ted Peters spoke on Group Discounts. As an association we are entitled to group discounts by numerous vendors. The examples given ranged from Knights tickets to Professional Service Providers. Other members suggested things such as Tax Services, Lawn Care, Movies, Concerts, tree services, maids and gutter cleaning. John Olsakovsky suggested that we use Bill Gordon?’s List. (Bill is a realtor that works in our neighborhoods and delivers a flier with several people offering services). Debra Campbell stated she would make a note with the minutes and request that anyone that had any ideas they would like to suggest for group discounts to email them to her. This item will be addressed again at the May 10th meeting. Debracampbell@juno.com is her email!

Lamar Gunter then spoke about the Observer article (mentioned in detail in the March Minutes of the Association). A retraction was printed after Lamar Gunter contacted the business editor. Dave Thompson had previously contacted the assistant editor and had only received a rationale for Madison Park?’s ?“West Charlotte?” designation in the pull box section of the real estate focused article. However, Lamar was successful with the business editor after he explained why we did not want to be labeled West Charlotte. A correction was printed and stated that Madison Park is in South Charlotte.

Lamar Gunter then addressed developments with the Queen?’s University Sports Complex at Marion Diehl Park. There will be a meeting of the advisory council at Queens University on April 22nd. Lamar Gunter is our representative on the council. Ground breaking is to begin on May 6th for the project. Surveying has already begun. The complex will consist of tracks; soccer fields, lacrosse, tennis, baseball, and trails for disabled people to use. The project will be around 10 million dollars with the money coming from University fund raising.

Scott Hudson with the Tar Hill Trailblazers spoke next about land at the other side of Tyvola behind the sewer plant. The land has been designated as non functioning from the Parks and Recreation board. (Alan Beaver of Parks and Rec. stated that the land will be a passive park). Mountain biking and running trails are planned in the area. This land will connect to the Greenway. A contract with the cycling group is to be signed within 30 days and the area will be opened to the public. This is something the cycling enthusiasts have wanted for 15 years.

Sarah Lewis then asked if we could get speed bumps on Londonderry Rd because she has seen a couple of squirrels flattened from being hit by cars. Londonderry Road has had stop signs put in to slow traffic (instead of speed bumps). Sarah was told that Marty Doss would contact Officer Russell and Officer Monroe to get them to check for speeding. The main problem with Londonderry Rd is that many drivers fail to stop at the stop signs. Another example of a problem road was Seacroft on the South Side of Tyvola. There are no speed bumps or stops on that stretch of road.

Marty Doss then spoke briefly on the Neighborhood Symposium. There were over 400 attendees at the Symposium. The meeting consisted of 4 different sessions running concurrently for 1 ?½ hours a piece followed by 4 more concurrent sessions and a nice lunch. After lunch, there was a 1 ?½ hour open session. However, the four speakers took up much of the time introducing themselves and their depts. leaving very little time to ask questions. All in all, the entire Symposium was very nice and interesting. Anyone is welcome to attend the annual event. It?’s a great way to meet other neighborhoods and learn how to promote your neighborhood and resolve issues that are of concern to all.

Marty Doss then gave an update on the new ordinance that prohibits Parking on Lawns. Anyone can call 704-336-7600 to report parking cars in front yards or side yards of corner lots. There is a warning ticket being issued this month. However, starting next month, violators will be fined 25 dollars per vehicle. If a resident gets 3 citations in one year the 4th will result in towing of their vehicles. Several residents on Tyvola road are guilty of parking on their lawns. The worse violator is 1819 Tyvola where the entire lawn is dirt. This house seems to be making an effort not to park on the lawn the last couple of days. It was also noted that 1813 Tyvola has hundreds of cans in their driveway and debris (sofa and tires) in their front yard that needs to be cleaned up. Anyone in Madison Park can call 704-336-7600 to report problems with parking on lawns or email martydoss@aol.com. If you choose to email Marty please include address and a brief description of the car(s) so that he can report this to the city. Marty noted that some of the other Homeowner associations were going to use one contact person to do the reporting.

Marty Doss then noted that the next ?½ price rabies clinic will occur May 3-8th. Many vets are not open on Saturdays. Most veterinarians are participating in the rabies clinic. Contact your vet to see if an appointment is required. Many vets will not require an appointment. It was also noted that if anyone has moved into the area from out of state and their dog is already vaccinated the new resident will still have to get a vaccination in NC. Rabies shots are good for 3 years for adult dogs, cats, and ferrets. Animals under the age of 1 require a booster shot within 1 year of their first shot.

Ted Peters passed out a handout ?“A Vision of Madison Park ---May Agenda Items.?” A review of mission statement and vision statements, a plan for a systematic approach to handling problem homes in our areas, Developing ?“Gateways?” to Madison Park as well as a Park for Madison Park, Crime Watch subcommittee appointments, Board member continuing education (classes offered by the city), spring social event, Gardens of Madison Park (recognition/contest), and a planted median for Seneca Place. Anyone having any further considerations or ideas in the above areas should plan on attending the May Meeting!

Debra Campbell then noted that their really is not a Garden Club per se that does Gardening in our neighborhood. There is a group of older ladies/friends that meet. But they are not just from our area. We are open to start our own Madison Park Garden Club if we like. [Marty Doss then noted that on Good Friday night someone dug up some of his Iris bulbs with the flowers and broke several other plants in the act of stealing them from a site adjacent to the curbing along Londonderry.]

Treasurer?’s report was given by Ted Peters on behalf of Dee McCandlish. $624.89 is balance with all bills paid. [$20.00 dollars was collected at the meeting from new memberships.]

The Yellow Ribbon Campaign continues for those neighbors who are interested in showing support for our troops.

Shut-in Awareness sign up sheets were again available. There are members ready to help those with a need for light clean up. Ted Peters said at this point we should perhaps approach those that we suspect might have a need for our services.

Marty Doss noted that the hours that were spent working on the storm drain marking program can be used as volunteer hours for the matching grants program.

Sue Valentine-Plyer stated she was having an open house coming up at 822 Seneca Place and invited members to stop by.

John and Debbie Olsakovsky joined the association. They live at 5217 Londonderry Road. Debbie had attended our December Holiday Social. This was John?’s first meeting. John noted that he had many contacts within the city and could help reach the right people if issues arise.

Carol Clarke from Milford was a new attendee. She is new to the area arriving Oct. 03. She chose the area due to the light rail coming to South Boulevard. Carol said she would keep us updated on light rail info and also has knowledge on the Little Sugar Creek Greenway.

After an introduction by Ted Peters who stressed his own heightened awareness of long term care issues in the neighborhood, Scott Andrew then gave a brief Education Item presentation regarding Long Term Care Insurance. This insurance is designed to protect your assets and help you decide where you want care provided if needed. Both Ted Peters and Scott Andrew have this insurance available through GE Capital in their financial services businesses. Scott said that most people 50 and above should see if this is something they might need. Lamar and Diane Gunter said they have the product and stressed that the cost is cheaper if you buy it when you?’re younger. The Gunter?’s feel it is important to have LTC Insurance if you have disabled children. Scott Andrew stated that Long Term Care was not for everyone. Yet, he encouraged everyone to get an education on the subject. Both Ted and Scott agreed that, given the drastic consequences of not understanding how long term care is provided in the United States, it is extremely important to learn the facts. Contact either Scott or Ted for educational materials. Scott said that members of the Madison Park Homeowners Association qualify for a 10% discount solely by virtue of their membership. [Given Scott?’s impending move, call him at his office (704) 663-1544. Ted Peters has his number listed in the phonebook.]

The meeting was adjourned.