[0:05] and welcome to Connecting
[0:07] Cornelius, our Evening Edition.
[0:10] Thanks for coming out. What a
[0:11] great crowd and thanks to David
[0:13] and the folks with Barley
[0:14] Market for hosting us once
[0:16] more. This is this is the hot
[0:18] spot. So, we're going to show
[0:20] our our county commissioners
[0:22] that are our guest tonight. Two of my favorite folks on the
[0:26] county commission. We're going
[0:27] to tell them how to actually
[0:30] have fun in town of Cornelius.
[0:34] So, they've got a lot of good
[0:36] stuff to share with you and I'm
[0:38] looking forward to all the
[0:39] great input we'll have. We'll
[0:40] have some things to update you
[0:42] on as well. Uh I want you to to
[0:46] meet our incoming new police
[0:48] chief that's with us tonight. I
[0:50] want you to hear about our
[0:52] history museum, his great
[0:54] progress being made there and
[0:56] we've got some folks here that
[0:57] can tell you a lot about what's
[0:58] going on there. I want to talk
[1:00] about the wonderful, beautiful
[1:03] Cane Center of the Arts which
[1:05] is scheduled to open in
[1:06] January. So, we got a few neat
[1:08] things on our agenda. So,
[1:10] Elaine, come on around. This is
[1:12] your stool and we want you just
[1:13] to relax and we'll just have a
[1:16] conversation. I know you got
[1:17] some some things you want to
[1:18] tell us but you know, we're just on a I'm your host
[1:23] and welcome to Cornelius TV.
[1:27] So, but this is recorded and it
[1:30] will be out on our Facebook
[1:32] page. So, a lot of folks will
[1:33] join in that way as well. So,
[1:36] Let me tell you who we've got
[1:39] with us tonight from the county
[1:40] commission. Uh first of all,
[1:43] our district one representative
[1:45] Elaine Powell. The both of
[1:47] these ladies are fresh off of
[1:49] successful election campaign
[1:52] and we congratulate you both on
[1:54] your reelection to the county
[1:57] board.
[2:00] Also with us is one of our
[2:02] at-large representatives, Lee
[2:04] Altman. I've gotten to know Lee
[2:05] over the past few years that
[2:07] she served our county. I work
[2:10] with Lee closely as it relates
[2:13] to our MTC board in Charlotte.
[2:17] She's our chairman now at least
[2:19] for this particular round and
[2:21] she does a great job there and
[2:23] I've enjoyed getting to know
[2:24] her better as we work through
[2:25] some issues related to cats and
[2:27] our MTC board. So, she might
[2:30] update you on a couple of
[2:31] things there if there are
[2:32] anything to update. So, so
[2:33] anyway, we're going to have a
[2:36] great night tonight. If you
[2:37] haven't giving David a little
[2:40] business back here at Barley
[2:42] Market, feel free to do that.
[2:43] Uh you know, this is not
[2:45] formal. Like I say, we'll just
[2:47] have a conversation with each
[2:48] of you and we'll open it up to
[2:51] any questions you may have for
[2:52] me, our commissioners. Let me
[2:54] find our commissioners. Here's
[2:56] one right here, Commissioner
[2:57] Colin Firch. Uh let's give him
[3:00] a hand. There you go. And let's
[3:03] see. By missing any
[3:05] commissioners? Uh manager
[3:06] Grant, do you, I think I, I
[3:08] tell you he's he's carrying the
[3:11] load tonight.
[3:16] He'll he'll make sure the
[3:17] others realize that he's
[3:18] carrying their load tonight but
[3:20] we're going to have a good time
[3:21] anyway. So, let me start with
[3:25] our very own district one
[3:27] representative Elaine Powell.
[3:29] Um. Yeah, we're going to give
[3:31] you on the microphone, Elaine.
[3:32] If y'all just pass it back and
[3:34] forth and we'll just let you give us a perspective
[3:37] of what's going on with our
[3:40] county. You know, you're
[3:41] getting ready to start another
[3:43] term. This is your what term?
[3:44] Third. Your term of of serving
[3:48] as a Mecklenburg County
[3:49] Commissioner and Elaine's got a
[3:52] great history beyond that of
[3:53] serving on our county park
[3:56] board. So, you will find out
[3:58] that Parks and Rec and our
[4:01] environment are some real real
[4:03] hot buttons. Uh these both of
[4:06] these ladies were so supportive
[4:08] of us as we work through the
[4:10] Kane Center for the Arts. The
[4:12] county's contribution to that.
[4:14] It was a very major
[4:14] contribution and helped us
[4:17] encourage our state folks to
[4:19] step up and do even better and
[4:21] they did just that But thank
[4:23] you for that support. So, I'm
[4:25] just going to turn it over to
[4:26] you and and let you cover
[4:27] whatever's on your mind and
[4:28] then we'll give Lee a chance
[4:30] and and then the the questions
[4:31] will start. Whatever's on
[4:33] folks' mind. Good evening. Can
[4:36] you hear me? Okay. So, my name
[4:41] is Elaine Powell. I am the
[4:42] Mecklenburg County Commissioner
[4:43] for this district. Uh this is
[4:46] like Mayor Washam said, my
[4:48] third, this will be my third
[4:50] term And
[4:56] When I was in fifth grade, I
[4:58] gave up public speaking. I I
[5:02] had to do the Gettysburg
[5:04] address and I thought that was
[5:05] it the end. I'm not doing this
[5:07] anymore. So you can imagine.
[5:10] Better than that. You can so
[5:13] how did I end up here? Um for
[5:15] me to end up in such a public
[5:18] position. Came from a deep,
[5:21] caring about the really about
[5:25] the environment. And so this is
[5:26] your number thirty-three. I
[5:28] moved here in 1986 to work with
[5:31] the Sisters of Mercy. To work
[5:33] health care And when I saw the
[5:36] suffering that people were
[5:37] going through, I thought
[5:38] somebody has to do something.
[5:39] And so, early on, in 1989, I I
[5:45] was appointed to different
[5:46] boards and commissions for 29
[5:49] years. Thinking that believing
[5:51] that that would make a
[5:52] difference. And so my latest
[5:55] stint was stent almost nine
[5:57] years on the Park Commission.
[6:00] So they appointed me to an
[6:01] extra term to serve on
[6:05] environmental stewardship.
[6:08] after working for so many years
[6:10] trying to make a difference, I
[6:11] knew that if I really wanted to
[6:13] make a difference, I would have
[6:15] to be elected and so I am very
[6:17] excited to tell you what has
[6:19] happened since I've been
[6:22] elected. Um the major changes
[6:24] and differences that we have
[6:26] made as a board. I hear a lot
[6:30] of input, you know, especially
[6:33] as we were running for office
[6:35] about what is important to the
[6:36] community but I heard it before
[6:38] I was elected. So, 29 years I
[6:39] was elected, I heard what was
[6:41] important regionally, what was
[6:43] important locally, and it's not
[6:45] that different, like when you
[6:47] go to district to district,
[6:48] it's not that different about
[6:50] what is important to people.
[6:53] when we go over the budget,
[6:56] it's a big deal. We're in a
[6:57] three-day retreat and there are
[7:01] things that we have to fund.
[7:02] There's, we have no choice
[7:03] about it. In fact, most of the
[7:04] budget is already predetermined
[7:07] and then, there is a part where
[7:10] we have a say about what we're
[7:12] going to do with this money,
[7:12] what are our priorities? And
[7:14] so, as a board, the nine of us
[7:16] agree on our top five
[7:18] priorities. And so, I want you
[7:20] to know and you all the experts
[7:24] take input as well. We have
[7:26] researchers at the county that
[7:27] take community input These
[7:30] match what the community wants
[7:32] and so I'm just going to tell
[7:33] you what the board priorities
[7:35] are. Um and have been for the
[7:37] past two years in case you
[7:38] aren't familiar with that.
[7:40] Affordable housing. For the
[7:42] past 6 years, it has been the
[7:45] top priority for every person.
[7:49] Polled in in Mecklenburg
[7:51] County. a big concern about
[7:53] education attainment gaps
[7:56] There's a concern about
[7:58] environmental leadership. There
[8:01] is a concern about that pre,
[8:02] you know, making sure that
[8:03] children are prepared when they
[8:04] get to kindergarten. So, Mec
[8:07] Pre K is one of our priorities
[8:09] and there's a concern about
[8:10] workforce development, making
[8:12] sure that we're preparing a
[8:13] workforce for the future and
[8:14] Commissioner Altman, it like
[8:16] that is one of her passions and
[8:19] so, we have nine commissioners
[8:21] who we all care about these
[8:24] priorities. They are all our
[8:25] top priorities. The ones that I
[8:28] mentioned. We agreed on this.
[8:31] we have we have different areas
[8:35] of expertise and so I would say
[8:36] that is definitely your area
[8:37] and then my area is what I
[8:40] want to talk about. And I don't
[8:41] just have one area. But I am
[8:43] passionate about the
[8:44] environment. And I am
[8:45] passionate about emergency
[8:47] preparedness and medic and and
[8:49] so we we funded in this budget
[8:52] we funded an initiative for
[8:54] Matic through CPCC and with the
[8:58] leadership at Medic. And in
[9:01] fact I was out late last night
[9:02] honoring Medic. Um but I will
[9:04] to the mat for them. Uh they're
[9:06] a critical part of the quality
[9:09] of life here. and then
[9:13] interwoven into every single
[9:15] thing that we have as a
[9:16] priority is making sure that we
[9:18] are reducing racial
[9:20] disparities. And in fact we
[9:22] were working on something this
[9:23] morning where I think we made a
[9:25] big difference. So, let me talk
[9:28] about environmental leadership.
[9:30] When I was elected and sworn in two thousand and eighteen,
[9:34] there was no environmental
[9:35] stewardship committee at the
[9:37] county of 1. 1 million people.
[9:39] Imagine that. We are
[9:41] responsible for that. We're
[9:43] responsible. The county is
[9:44] responsible for air quality,
[9:46] water quality, stormwater
[9:47] management, all these things
[9:49] and there was no environmental
[9:50] stewardship committee. So,
[9:51] before I was even sworn in, I
[9:54] went and met with the county
[9:55] manager and I said, I think we
[9:57] really need an environmental
[9:57] stewardship committee and she
[9:58] said, well, you to have the
[10:01] support of your colleagues. So,
[10:02] before I was sworn in, I
[10:03] started working on that and we
[10:05] had I had unanimous support. We
[10:07] formed an environmental
[10:08] stewardship committee. We took
[10:12] our time to do it the right way
[10:15] We had community involvement,
[10:17] board involvement, staff
[10:19] involvement on it, developing
[10:20] an environmental leadership
[10:22] action plan. And once we
[10:24] approve that unanimously, in
[10:27] March of twenty twenty-one, we
[10:29] had dedicated funding for that.
[10:31] And so I just want to go over
[10:35] if you could hold this for me.
[10:45] Now, these handouts are at the
[10:47] front. If anybody wants to see
[10:48] the pie but for our priorities,
[10:51] we invested $81. 8 million
[10:53] dollars. And 54. 2 million of
[10:56] that was invested in in
[10:58] environmental leadership. And
[11:00] of that fifty-four point two,
[11:03] 50 million is dedicated to land
[11:04] acquisition. As our county
[11:06] approaches build out and there
[11:07] isn't much green space left.
[11:11] And so, at some point, we will,
[11:13] we'll put up the map of where
[11:15] we have invested since I got
[11:17] sworn in because this is part
[11:19] of environmental leadership,
[11:21] investing, and protecting our
[11:22] natural resources and it's not
[11:23] just parks, it's protecting
[11:25] natural resources. So, you'll
[11:27] see a significant chunk of land
[11:29] that we bought on the Catawba
[11:30] River and if you read the
[11:31] newspaper, you know that I was
[11:34] doing the Snoopy Dance. because
[11:37] we are protected. I've seen
[11:38] that. Yeah. Cuz we are
[11:40] protecting the water supply and
[11:44] the water quality And you know
[11:47] you hear elected people talk
[11:49] about, oh, you know, I'm
[11:51] going to do this, I'm going to
[11:52] do that. But it is our
[11:53] responsibility to protect our
[11:55] natural resources. And who
[11:57] does, you know, it's, you don't
[12:00] hear a lot of elected leaders
[12:00] talking about what a priority
[12:02] that is. It is our
[12:03] responsibility and we need to
[12:04] elect people who care about the
[12:06] environment and who are willing
[12:08] to do the work. Because it it
[12:10] took a long time to get all
[12:12] this together. And and we are
[12:14] making a significant difference
[12:17] as we approach build out which
[12:18] is a concern. So, here is the
[12:20] map that you can see. This is
[12:22] district one. So, this is just
[12:24] the district that that I
[12:26] represent and that we live in.
[12:27] We have made significant
[12:29] strides throughout the entire
[12:30] county but this is district one
[12:32] where we have purchased land
[12:33] and it's color coded by the
[12:34] year we buy it. But the most
[12:37] important thing is that we are
[12:38] making progress and we since
[12:41] I've been elected, have
[12:42] purchased two hundred 54 acres
[12:44] to protect.
[12:54] in district 1. So, I I wanted
[12:56] to, I learned that during this
[12:58] election, I'm not really good
[13:01] at bragging about the work I've
[13:02] done. Like, I grew up in a real
[13:03] humble family where you just
[13:04] did the work and it was kind of
[13:08] like a sin. It was brag about
[13:09] it but I think that I need to
[13:11] do a better job bragging about
[13:13] the work the board has done
[13:14] because this is really
[13:16] important work and I don't
[13:19] think it's a sin to talk about
[13:20] how your tax dollars were spent
[13:21] to protect the environment. So,
[13:27] I don't want to hog up all the
[13:29] time but I just want to tell
[13:32] you that there will be areas
[13:35] that are used for we bought all
[13:38] of this with the park and
[13:41] recreation environmental
[13:41] leadership money but it's not
[13:43] all going to be parked. Some of
[13:45] it will be passive green space.
[13:47] Some of it will be part of
[13:48] Greenway. We're doing
[13:49] accelerated greenway projects.
[13:51] Um and hopefully we'll we'll be
[13:53] doing some partnerships with
[13:55] the town of Cornelius in the
[13:56] future. In areas that that we
[13:58] have walked together. And so
[14:01] for now, if you want any
[14:03] details on the other things
[14:04] that we're doing in
[14:05] Environmental Leadership, there
[14:06] are many. Um we're doing
[14:08] retrofits, solar, solar panels,
[14:11] and electric vehicles and
[14:13] things like that. But the bulk
[14:14] of it right now has to go into
[14:16] land acquisition. As we
[14:18] approach build out, It's hard
[14:20] to take much more impervious in
[14:22] Mecklenburg County and not have
[14:24] a a big impact on our
[14:25] environment. And so for now,
[14:27] I'll hand it Alright, that's great. I'm I can't tell
[14:32] you how many opportunities that
[14:35] we've had to partner with the
[14:36] county. Uh the list is long and
[14:39] I'm going to I'm going to call
[14:40] on Troy Fitzsimmons, our park
[14:42] director in just a minute.
[14:43] Gonna give Lee a little time
[14:46] first and we'll get get Troy up
[14:47] here and and talk to you about
[14:50] some of those opportunities.
[14:51] They're they're significant and
[14:52] our board has led the way and
[14:55] Elaine is the leader in this
[14:56] topic on our board for sure.
[14:58] So, you know, I'm I'm really of
[15:00] that. We worked hard for that
[15:03] for years and we've come a long way. So, each of these new
[15:08] Greenways we open and there's
[15:09] been quite a few of those. She
[15:11] and I take the first walk,
[15:12] don't we? So, we've had that
[15:14] opportunity. Region Rec Center.
[15:16] Yeah and she has been
[15:19] instrumental. How many of you
[15:20] been down to the North Mac Rec
[15:22] Recreation Center down on one
[15:23] fifteen? Ain't that absolutely
[15:25] beautiful? I mean, it's amazing
[15:27] facility. $44 million dollar
[15:29] county facility right here in
[15:32] Cornelius that serves all of
[15:33] North Mecklenburg. It is
[15:35] absolutely outstanding and
[15:36] Elaine was the leader of our
[15:39] board. Obviously, our board had
[15:40] to had to support that but they
[15:43] did it and it's been a
[15:44] phenomenal story. So, with
[15:45] that, we're going to get Lee to
[15:47] talk about some even more
[15:50] interesting things like maybe
[15:51] he's on your mind like Rival
[15:54] and some good stuff coming up
[15:56] that I'm not giving her a total
[16:00] direction there but I'm sure
[16:02] we're going to hear about that
[16:03] before the evening's over. So,
[16:05] Lee, welcome. Welcome. Good to
[16:06] have you. Thank you very much.
[16:07] Mayor Washam and I will clip
[16:09] through some of this because I
[16:10] do want to have some time to
[16:11] hear questions from you. and I have to just stop real
[16:15] fast and say, if you ever were
[16:17] looking for the most salt of
[16:19] the earth and person of
[16:22] integrity who just wants to
[16:23] serve, you are so blessed to
[16:26] have is your district one
[16:28] representative truly and this
[16:31] is someone that I have seen up
[16:32] close and personal behind the
[16:33] scenes and everything she says
[16:35] in public is what she says in
[16:36] private and the other way
[16:36] around and you are truly, truly
[16:39] blessed. So, you do have nine
[16:40] members on the board of county
[16:42] commissioners. You have one
[16:43] district representative and
[16:44] three at large who represent
[16:47] you and so, I'm one of the
[16:47] at-large people. Uh when we do
[16:51] have a two-billion-dollar
[16:52] budget in addition to our green
[16:54] priorities that Commissioner
[16:55] Powell has been talking about,
[16:56] we also and sort of broad
[16:59] categories oversee public
[17:01] health, mental health. We give
[17:03] over $900 million dollars to
[17:05] education and literacy and the
[17:07] Department of Social Services.
[17:09] So, all the services that
[17:11] protect children and seniors
[17:12] and at-risk populations come
[17:13] under the county. Um and I'm a
[17:16] public interest lawyer. I spent
[17:17] a 17-year We are working for
[17:19] kids and families and when I
[17:21] moved to Charlotte, I became a
[17:23] guardian. I'd like them to
[17:24] seniors and adults with
[17:24] disabilities and later, I
[17:26] represented at-risk children
[17:28] and so that's why I ran for
[17:29] this office because we do human
[17:32] services and I wanted to work
[17:33] at the policy level for
[17:34] everything that I've been
[17:36] focusing on throughout my
[17:37] career. So, when Commissioner
[17:39] Powell got on the board two
[17:40] terms ago, that was the first
[17:43] board to ever add affordable
[17:45] housing as something that the
[17:46] county worked Prior to that, it
[17:50] was only the towns and the city
[17:51] of Charlotte that was funding
[17:53] affordable housing priorities
[17:55] but there's such a crisis in
[17:56] the community that the the
[17:58] board before I joined had the
[18:00] wisdom to add that to our work
[18:03] and we are doing great work not
[18:07] only with looking for
[18:09] opportunities to help get great
[18:11] projects built but funding
[18:13] critical home repair and and
[18:15] related services like So, I'm
[18:17] really proud about our work in
[18:19] the affordable housing space.
[18:20] Um I serve on the board that
[18:24] delivers mental health services
[18:26] to people who are uninsured and who are on Medicaid. Um we
[18:30] had a previous company not
[18:32] company but managed care
[18:33] organization. Um Cardinal that
[18:35] was doing it and I felt that
[18:37] they were delaying and denying
[18:39] the claims of our sickest
[18:41] residents and I fought very
[18:42] hard to get them fired and I'm
[18:44] very happy that we have a new
[18:45] organization on board and I'm
[18:48] watching them very closely for
[18:49] our residents. Um I do serve
[18:52] with your mayor on the
[18:53] Metropolitan Transit
[18:54] Commission. It has been such a
[18:56] pleasure. Uh I learned so much
[18:58] from him. Um you know, you
[18:59] don't run for county commission
[19:01] to do transit. It's kind of
[19:02] more seen as a city and town
[19:04] kind of function and I have
[19:06] learned so much and I I really
[19:09] value our close partnership to
[19:11] ensure that whatever we do, it
[19:13] serves the people of North
[19:15] Mecklenburg and that you feel
[19:16] good about the choices that
[19:18] we're making so that all the
[19:20] people and throughout this
[19:21] county are are are happy with
[19:23] your investments. Um and that's
[19:25] a commitment that I have. Um
[19:28] Commissioner Powell didn't say
[19:29] one of the most important
[19:30] things about our Green
[19:31] Priorities and that is that we
[19:33] committed a landmark. No pun
[19:36] intended. $50 million dollars
[19:37] to acquire green space for the
[19:39] residents of this community
[19:40] this year alone. $50 million
[19:44] dollars. Four years ago it was
[19:45] $6 million dollars. That's what
[19:47] leadership is. That's why it
[19:48] matters who you vote for. Um
[19:52] and so, the last thing I just
[19:55] do want to say is for anybody
[19:56] who is interested in workforce
[19:58] development, it is my passion.
[20:00] We have employers that don't
[20:03] have enough skilled folks to
[20:05] field their ranks and they are
[20:08] desperate to to to have their
[20:11] labor needs met and meanwhile,
[20:12] we have many people in this
[20:13] community who do not make a
[20:15] family a sustaining wage, who
[20:16] are not getting ahead, who are
[20:17] not making progress, and I feel
[20:19] the county has a very important
[20:20] to play to help connect these
[20:23] people and create better
[20:24] communications so that we can
[20:26] serve everybody better and and
[20:28] continue to move the needle for
[20:30] upward economic mobility
[20:30] because that is the key. You
[20:33] know, we can build affordable
[20:34] housing but we're never
[20:35] going to build enough. We need
[20:36] to make housing more affordable
[20:38] by increasing household wages
[20:39] also and so, I'm very committed
[20:41] to that because it's the key to
[20:43] better housing, better health
[20:44] care, better transit is to to
[20:46] help improve our our residents'
[20:48] ability to afford the
[20:49] necessities of life So, that's
[20:51] me in a nutshell and Rival, the
[20:54] mayor, the one thing he asked
[20:54] me to talk about, I will not
[20:56] avoid. Yes, Rival is coming. I
[20:58] want to tell you that, you
[21:00] know, I will not prejudge the
[21:02] process. My my commitment to
[21:04] you is that I will be looking
[21:06] to ensure that the tax assessor
[21:08] is fair and equitable in his
[21:10] work and that he delivers the
[21:13] professionalism and and how he
[21:15] goes about it so that so that
[21:18] this is born in a in a just way
[21:20] because as you have heard, we
[21:21] have incredibly important
[21:23] things that we do. Your
[21:25] taxpayer dollars in Mecklenburg
[21:26] County are being well spent and
[21:28] we need every dollar to give
[21:30] you the infrastructure and the
[21:31] services that that you deserve
[21:34] and that our residents expect
[21:36] and that's why we do this work.
[21:38] So, with that, I will turn it
[21:39] back over to the mayor for the
[21:41] next stage. Absolutely and you
[21:43] know, Can I say one thing? You
[21:47] can, Elaine. So, I just want
[21:48] everyone to know because
[21:51] there's everyone worries about
[21:53] revaluation. We have one of the
[21:55] best tax assessors in the
[21:57] country and you know, he was he
[22:00] was happy in his job at the
[22:01] school of government. He was
[22:03] very happy and we lured him
[22:05] away and I just want you to
[22:07] know like I have confidence in
[22:08] his ability and I think that's
[22:12] important for everyone else to
[22:13] know that we have one of the
[22:14] best in the country. Thank you.
[22:16] Yeah, it's a it's a tough time.
[22:18] Uh your property values have
[22:19] gone up. You know, that's a
[22:22] good and bad thing. You want
[22:24] your values going up but you
[22:26] don't want your taxes going up.
[22:28] So, you know, it's a process
[22:29] we'll we'll have to work
[22:31] through. I don't, I pay taxes
[22:33] in this in this town, in this
[22:35] county and I don't like paying
[22:36] em any better than anybody
[22:38] else. So, you know, we we will
[22:40] be presenting a revenue neutral
[22:43] budget and we'll go from there.
[22:45] If if the needs out there to to
[22:48] etch it up and the
[22:49] commissioners agree with that
[22:50] and the citizens want it, then,
[22:51] it's something that your board
[22:54] will consider. So, so thank you
[22:56] for for bringing us Ken Joyner.
[22:59] He presented our town board the
[23:01] last meeting. Did an excellent
[23:03] job and so we appreciate his
[23:05] efforts and I do think he will
[23:06] be fair and equitable and we we
[23:08] will do the right thing as
[23:10] political bodies at the end of
[23:11] the day. I'm convinced. So, so
[23:13] thank you for for hitting that
[23:15] head on and sharing that with
[23:16] us. One of the things I want to
[23:18] go back to is the comments that
[23:21] Commissioner Altman made about
[23:21] a housing because that's a
[23:25] priority of mine in this
[23:26] community as well. We've come a
[23:27] long way. It's a problem when
[23:31] 90% of the citizens that work
[23:34] in your town cannot afford to
[23:36] live in your town. That's a
[23:38] problem. So, we've gotta do
[23:40] something about that. I want to
[23:42] thank the county's involvement
[23:43] and support. Your town is
[23:45] going to is involved with it
[23:46] and will is supporting it as
[23:49] well. Uh I established a task
[23:51] group. Uh I don't know, a less
[23:53] than a year ago
[24:01] that has attacked this wide
[24:01] open and we have now set up a
[24:02] CDC community development
[24:03] corporation here in Cornelius.
[24:03] Pretty unheard of for a town
[24:06] our size to have that but it'll
[24:09] be a resource of gathering
[24:10] funds in, helping the town and
[24:12] the county gather funds for the
[24:15] right purpose and that is
[24:16] providing rental assistance,
[24:19] all the kinds of things that
[24:20] will make it that that will
[24:22] make those percentages look a
[24:23] little bit better. So, so
[24:25] anyway, we're we're not in a in
[24:27] a position where we can go out
[24:28] there and build a bunch of
[24:28] affordable housing units but we
[24:31] do support people that do like
[24:34] the Smithfield Community
[24:35] Coalition. The county has
[24:37] stepped up with $3 million
[24:39] dollars to support the
[24:41] Smithfield Community Coalition
[24:43] and their redevelopment
[24:43] efforts. I'm really excited
[24:45] about that. the town will be
[24:49] voting on our Arpa Funds this
[24:52] coming meeting or actually the
[24:53] manager will be representing
[24:57] his report for consideration
[24:59] for a vote. We'll be moving
[25:00] that forward and I think that's
[25:02] going well and we will also be
[25:04] supporting the Smithfield
[25:06] redevelopment plan as well. So,
[25:07] I think you'll see that when
[25:09] the final vote is taken. So,
[25:11] affordable housing is something
[25:12] we've all got to get real about
[25:14] and and you know, put some
[25:16] money where our mouth is and
[25:18] make a difference in our
[25:19] community. So, so with that,
[25:22] you know, I really want you to
[25:23] hear how important it is for
[25:25] our town to work closely with
[25:28] the county. It's a priority of
[25:29] mine. I I've, you know, it it
[25:32] doesn't matter who's elected in
[25:34] these chairs to me. Whoever's
[25:36] elected, it's my priority to
[25:38] work with everybody. I
[25:40] particularly enjoy these folks.
[25:41] Uh but at the same time,
[25:43] whoever's sitting there, we're
[25:45] going to work with them because
[25:46] it's such a important
[25:47] ingredient to the betterment of
[25:50] our town and to making our town
[25:53] a better place and supporting
[25:55] so many things that are
[25:55] important. So, I I want to I
[25:58] you to have a little bit of a
[25:59] clue about some of the things
[26:01] that we have worked so hard
[26:02] over over many years to put in
[26:05] place and I'm going to ask Troy
[26:05] to come up and Troy Fitzsimmons
[26:08] is our park and rec director.
[26:09] He's been here for quite a
[26:11] while and and let him brag on
[26:13] our county because they have
[26:14] been they have been so
[26:15] responsive and we have such a
[26:17] good relationship and we're we're really trying to be
[26:21] really nice to him because more
[26:23] to come, right? Yeah,
[26:25] absolutely. So, I know answered
[26:28] the question about who's been
[26:29] to the Regional Rec Center?
[26:30] Well, who's been on one of our
[26:34] Greenways? Raise your hands.
[26:35] Alright, quite a few. Those of
[26:37] you who have not, right here,
[26:41] pamphlet, map, no excuse not to
[26:44] walk or bike right over at that
[26:47] table there. So, we've been
[26:49] working very progressively with
[26:51] Mecklenburg County over the
[26:51] past decade on getting our
[26:54] greenway system in place. We
[26:55] have nearly six miles of
[26:58] Greenway that we've developed
[26:59] and that would not have
[27:01] happened just solely on the
[27:03] town. It's it's a pretty good
[27:06] network for a small town like
[27:07] ours. So, we've worked
[27:09] cooperatively with Mecklenburg
[27:10] County to to plan, design, and
[27:14] build these greenways. Now, the
[27:16] town has always had skin in the
[27:19] game in terms of building them.
[27:21] We've always chased after
[27:23] grants but we've also always
[27:25] worked with Mecklenburg County
[27:27] to develop these greenways
[27:28] whether that's just offering
[27:29] technical assistance or
[27:32] offering funding to help buy
[27:33] land or build the greenway and
[27:37] then, as importantly, once the
[27:39] facility is done, maintaining
[27:41] and managing it is critical. We
[27:44] have a very, very small parks
[27:45] department. Mecklenburg County
[27:48] has a very, very deep bench
[27:51] because of the hundreds of
[27:52] parks and miles and miles of
[27:55] greenways that they have. So,
[27:55] they actually operate and
[27:56] maintain all of our greenways
[27:59] and again, none of this would
[28:00] have happened without them. Um
[28:03] so, I do appreciate all that
[28:04] work and we do have another
[28:08] really big project in the
[28:09] pipeline I can't go into
[28:11] details right now but we are
[28:12] working on that right now. She
[28:15] knows what it is. But it it'll be something special.
[28:20] That's for sure. And then also
[28:23] we have another section of
[28:24] Greenway that's going to open.
[28:26] And my hope is that we have a
[28:27] grand opening just before
[28:28] Christmas. So we have a nice
[28:30] Christmas gift for folks in
[28:32] Cornelius as well as North
[28:34] Mecklenburg. But again we've
[28:36] done a lot with Mecklenburg
[28:38] County. We're looking forward
[28:39] to doing more. I have to give a
[28:41] out to Commissioner Powell
[28:43] about the Regional Rec Center.
[28:45] Little bit of back story. It
[28:47] was questionable if that was
[28:49] going to get built or not. So,
[28:51] we saw a lot of people raise
[28:52] their hands but it took a joint
[28:54] park commission meeting one
[28:56] evening years ago between
[28:59] Davidson, Huntersville,
[29:00] Cornelius, and Mecklenburg
[29:01] County, Cher Powell, she
[29:04] chaired the Mecklenburg Parks
[29:06] Commission, and Doctor Scott
[29:08] Higgins, who was chair of our
[29:09] parks and recreation
[29:11] commission. Well, that night,
[29:12] top priority. Top priority for
[29:16] all three towns of Mecklenburg
[29:17] County was the regional rec
[29:18] center and I'm going to call
[29:21] her Elaine because we're close
[29:23] friends but Elaine went to bat
[29:26] and I will never forget out in
[29:28] the parking lot. I'm not
[29:29] going to name who but she went
[29:31] toe to toe with that person to
[29:32] fight for it. Low and behold, a
[29:35] few months later, the planning
[29:36] had started and now it's open.
[29:40] So, hope you all are enjoying
[29:41] that but Commissioner Powell.
[29:44] Altman, thank you. and if
[29:48] you'll stop and think how lucky
[29:50] our our town is, we have three
[29:53] beautiful, wonderful
[29:55] Mecklenburg County parks in the
[29:57] town of Cornelius. Three.
[29:59] That's probably unheard of in
[30:01] most any other town other than
[30:03] Charlotte. So, we're really
[30:04] proud of that and there's some
[30:06] of your finest, most beautiful
[30:07] parks because they they face
[30:10] Lake Norman. They're they're
[30:11] part of Lake Norman and on Lake
[30:13] Norman and if you hadn't done
[30:15] that, we probably couldn't have
[30:16] afforded too. So, thankfully,
[30:18] the county stepped up and made
[30:19] that happen In addition, invest
[30:21] in this forty-four million in
[30:23] our rec center. In addition,
[30:26] making all these investments
[30:27] and giving all the help you've
[30:29] given on our greenway system.
[30:31] You know, we've got I think our
[30:33] greenway system is 13. 1 miles
[30:36] in all the way around. Is that
[30:38] about right? Troy? Yes. So, we
[30:40] have the concept of an emerald
[30:42] necklace which is a borrowed
[30:43] term but a 13-mile loop
[30:45] altogether which also goes into
[30:48] Davidson and Huntersville for a
[30:50] while but so far, we have three
[30:52] quarters of that completed.
[30:54] Little bit. Seventy-five
[30:56] percent. We're working with it.
[30:58] We've come a long way. We
[30:59] really have. If the county
[31:00] hadn't been there, it wouldn't
[31:02] happen. It wouldn't happen.
[31:03] That's right. So, I just have
[31:04] to brag on you a little bit.
[31:06] So, anyway, thank you all very
[31:07] much. We we do definitely
[31:09] appreciate that and thank you,
[31:11] Troy. We we appreciate your input there. So, now, any
[31:14] questions you have for your
[31:15] county commissioners before we
[31:18] maybe turn to some other topics
[31:20] that are of interest to some of
[31:22] you. Okay. Somebody got any
[31:24] questions. Ask him a hard
[31:24] question because I can you they
[31:26] can answer. Bob. Okay.
[31:35] It's a good one. I don't have
[31:37] the chart in front of me but
[31:39] we're starting, we're starting
[31:41] with the EV charges on our
[31:42] government properties. That's
[31:44] true. And so, we've already
[31:46] installed, there are some at
[31:47] the government center, there
[31:49] are some, and, and a lot, we
[31:51] just approved funding last
[31:52] night for. We which approved
[31:55] like five-figure, got aminos,
[31:56] like a million dollars. So,
[32:00] you'll see it coming like, but
[32:01] it will be in our government
[32:02] facilities starting. And and
[32:05] the electric cars as well. Yeah
[32:08] and if you it's easy to find
[32:11] us. I'm Lee dot Altman at Mech
[32:14] NC. gov. Elaine dot Powell at
[32:17] Meck and C dot gov. If you'll
[32:19] send me an email, I can get you
[32:20] the exact numbers of of what's
[32:23] been spent and how many have
[32:24] been purchased and.
[32:31] So this will be on our agenda
[32:33] in environmental stewardship in January. January or February
[32:37] but we're hoping January.
[32:38] Because we're reviewing all of
[32:40] that right now. Um we have the
[32:43] federal dollars coming for
[32:45] infrastructure. And then we
[32:46] have federal dollars coming for
[32:49] environment. So we're looking
[32:52] at all of that. And and also if
[32:54] you are interested again if you
[32:57] send me an Email, either of us
[32:58] I can get you added to the list
[33:00] so you can listen to the
[33:01] Environmental Stewardship
[33:02] Meeting. Um and of course by
[33:03] the just so you know, all of
[33:05] our meetings are televised
[33:08] second and fourth, Tuesday,
[33:09] every month. That's a great way
[33:12] to know what's happening with
[33:12] your county government also.
[33:15] Okay, what else? Any other, any
[33:18] other questions out there? Man,
[33:22] y'all did a really good job.
[33:25] Thank you to the, you know,
[33:26] these folks are shy. They, they really are. I think
[33:29] they're very impressed with
[33:30] what we're doing. I think they
[33:32] are too. Yeah. That's why you
[33:33] got re-elected, right? That's
[33:35] right. You know, when we talk,
[33:37] through all the years that I
[33:39] listened to citizen input,
[33:40] especially on the Park
[33:41] Commission. So, we were talking
[33:43] about this the other day. I
[33:45] represented the North region.
[33:46] So, I represented Huntersville,
[33:48] Davidson, Cornelius, North
[33:49] Charlotte on the Commission, I
[33:53] represented Environmental
[33:54] Stewardship for the Park
[33:55] Commission. I represented
[33:57] Therapeutic Recreation and and
[34:00] multiple other entities and
[34:04] it's big. Park and Rec touches
[34:06] at in my view as many lives as
[34:09] our utilities do. Like, it is,
[34:11] they do way more than you
[34:13] realize on the surface and so,
[34:17] Troy, you guys are so lucky to
[34:18] have Troy Fitzsimmons working
[34:20] in Cornelius because he has
[34:22] such a an extensive background.
[34:23] Um. Put your it up, Troy. No,
[34:29] I'm, it is the truth. Any true,
[34:33] like to have people that care,
[34:35] I mean, you can't, you cannot
[34:37] pay for that. We're very
[34:39] fortunate for sure. Very
[34:40] fortunate. Um but I heard what
[34:43] the priorities were in the
[34:45] north region but also
[34:46] throughout the county because
[34:48] we had to go to all the
[34:49] community meetings at on the
[34:50] Park Commission and so and then
[34:53] through Central Lina, those
[34:54] were also meetings that I
[34:56] attended for many years hearing
[34:58] the regional priorities and so
[34:59] when we talk about education,
[35:02] and environment in parks and
[35:03] rec. This is what you hear
[35:04] everywhere. Um these are the
[35:06] top priorities and so I met a
[35:08] scout at Jetan. I was just
[35:10] walking into Tom Park one day
[35:12] because you will find me in the
[35:13] parks. All I am to deal with
[35:17] all the stress of this job. but
[35:21] I was at Jetan and a scout came
[35:22] up. He did not know who I am or
[35:25] anything. He just started
[35:26] asking questions and I said,
[35:27] what are you doing? Like, what
[35:29] is your job? And he said, he
[35:31] was a scout looking to relocate
[35:32] a company to this area and what
[35:35] the they took surveys from the
[35:37] employees. What do you want to
[35:38] see in the community that we
[35:40] move to and the top priority
[35:42] was education. They wanted to
[35:45] have good schools in that area
[35:47] and the next priority was good
[35:47] parks and he said, I love this
[35:49] park. And so he had a lot of
[35:52] questions. And I thought this
[35:54] is fascinating. And he showed
[35:56] me the the poll that they had
[35:57] taken from the employees but
[35:59] not just the employees. The
[36:00] employees and their families.
[36:01] That was important to that
[36:03] company. And they were they
[36:05] were really looking in the
[36:06] Cornelius Huntersville area. So
[36:08] I like to share that with
[36:09] people because it's exactly
[36:11] what I have heard. So it's not
[36:12] like you know sometimes they'll
[36:14] think oh it's an Elaine
[36:15] priority. It's a community
[36:17] priority. I wouldn't be here
[36:19] wasn't so important to the
[36:22] community. Exactly. I just
[36:24] want to say one more thing.
[36:25] Just one last thing to wrap up.
[36:27] Um thank you so much for
[36:29] inviting us. Sure. Um and for
[36:32] convening all these residents.
[36:33] It's a really great group. It's
[36:35] hard to get people to turn out
[36:36] to hear about local government.
[36:37] So if you are a part of a book
[36:40] club or anything where you you
[36:41] know are going to gather some
[36:42] people and you think they could
[36:43] be interested. Please call us
[36:45] because you know we do make
[36:46] house calls. And and the other
[36:48] thing is I do a newsletter two
[36:51] or three times a month updating
[36:53] on county business. If you'd
[36:55] like to be added and stay in
[36:56] the loop, just Email me.
[36:57] Thanks. Great. Thank you all so
[37:00] much for for being with us.
[37:02] Hold on. Something else may
[37:03] come up and I've got an update
[37:05] folks on another couple of
[37:07] things going on in our town. Uh
[37:09] first of all, let me get Sarah
[37:14] Thomas come up and give give me
[37:17] give us a minute update on
[37:21] what's going on with our
[37:22] history museum and how excited
[37:24] we all are about the potential
[37:27] of our new history Museum. Just a real cliff notes. She
[37:32] can still talk a lot. Well,
[37:34] she's excited. It wasn't that
[37:35] long ago that we were all
[37:37] sitting here. Many of you and
[37:38] it was standing room only.
[37:39] There was probably, I don't
[37:41] know, 90 people in here talking
[37:43] about the history of Cornelius.
[37:45] I was fascinated with the fact
[37:47] that not being a native, so
[37:49] many people were here that were
[37:50] interested in the history. And
[37:52] part of that is that there is
[37:53] no place to go view that see
[37:55] that, learn about it. Um
[37:57] hopefully, you all went and
[37:58] voted recently and you may have
[38:01] walked past this little tiny
[38:02] room. Thanks to Mayor Washam
[38:05] and other people. We have a
[38:07] small collection. I say we
[38:09] other people have put that
[38:10] collection together called the
[38:12] Connor Collection and some
[38:14] things in the hallway to tell
[38:15] you about the town that we all
[38:17] live in. But there is no
[38:19] museum. There is no place to go
[38:21] learn about your history. And
[38:22] all of the people moving here,
[38:24] all of the children going to
[38:25] school here. We need to learn
[38:27] about where they, you know, the
[38:27] roots of this area. So, we are
[38:31] looking at something very close
[38:32] to the elementary school where
[38:34] we can house a museum, tell the
[38:37] history. We have so many
[38:39] wonderful people. Mister Potts
[38:41] is here tonight. Mayor Washam,
[38:45] Joy, you
[38:46] want to say something?
[38:47] Joy Dean. Joy Dean, many many
[38:50] people that were here that
[38:51] night where we were just
[38:52] gaining interest. Do people
[38:53] want to know more about this
[38:55] town that they are living in?
[38:57] And the answer was absolutely
[38:59] yes. So, we are getting ready
[39:02] to launch that. We've have a
[39:04] task force put together and we
[39:05] are getting ready to move
[39:08] forward with that. We'll be
[39:09] telling you more about that in
[39:11] the coming months. Thank you,
[39:12] Sarah and we're working very
[39:14] closely with with CM S, Elaine,
[39:17] and Lee, just so you know, to
[39:19] get our old ag building at
[39:22] Cornelius High School. Uh
[39:24] turned over to the town. That's
[39:26] a process. We may have to call
[39:28] on our county friends. I'm not
[39:29] sure but anyway, it's it's
[39:33] going to be another exciting
[39:35] venture here in the town of
[39:37] Cornelius that I can't wait to
[39:38] happen. So, the other quick
[39:42] news is we're we will be
[39:45] getting a new police chief here
[39:48] in our town. As of the first of
[39:50] January, Chief Black is
[39:52] retiring and our new police
[39:54] chief will be Major David
[39:56] Baucum and David's right here
[39:59] and we're looking.
[40:04] forward for very
[40:06] great things to keep our police
[40:08] department moving forward.
[40:09] Public safety is such a
[40:11] critical component for our
[40:12] community and we're excited to
[40:14] have have David step up to the helm and take us to the
[40:19] next level. So, the other thing
[40:20] I want you to get a real quick
[40:22] update and Imma hand the
[40:23] microphone off once more. We're
[40:25] going to make em fight over it
[40:26] but I want to give you a quick
[40:27] update on the Kane Center for
[40:29] the Arts which is right on the
[40:31] brink of opening. So, so
[40:33] whichever one will you y'all
[40:34] would like to do this. This is
[40:36] Paul Newton. Uh Paul's also
[40:37] helped us on the History Museum
[40:39] too by the way but he is the
[40:43] incoming chairman of the Kane
[40:46] Center, Kane Center for the
[40:48] Arts Board of Directors. So,
[40:50] his term will begin about
[40:51] halfway through the coming year
[40:53] and so he'll take the helm.
[40:54] He's very significantly
[40:56] involved in the construction of
[40:57] that facility. So, we're
[40:58] going to open it. Paul, is it
[41:00] going to happen? It's going to
[41:02] happen. If you haven't heard,
[41:05] we're opening on January third.
[41:07] I invite everyone to come down.
[41:09] It's for everyone. We've got a
[41:12] lot scheduled for that first
[41:14] week. Um we have tickets
[41:16] available to many shows. Please
[41:19] get online. Take a look at our
[41:21] site. Buy tickets. Come on down
[41:23] and and enjoy this wonderful
[41:25] new facility that's being
[41:27] built. Um it took a long time
[41:30] to get to where we are. Uh as
[41:32] the construction guy, I
[41:33] apologize for any inconvenience
[41:35] that might have happened along
[41:36] the way. Have a cellphone if
[41:40] any of y'all need it. We're almost there. Um if you
[41:44] haven't noticed, take a look at
[41:45] our new sign. It's on. Uh you
[41:48] can see what you can see that
[41:50] we're opening soon because it
[41:52] says so on the sign. And it's
[41:56] going to be a wonderful
[41:58] addition to the community. It's
[42:00] a economic catalyst and there
[42:04] are a lot of other businesses
[42:05] that are already looking into
[42:07] this area because of the Canes
[42:09] presence. We're very proud of
[42:11] that. And we're going to open
[42:14] and serve the community. So, we
[42:16] need to get response from the
[42:18] community. If we're doing
[42:19] something good, tell us. If we
[42:22] need to improve, tell us.
[42:27] there's a lot on the agenda
[42:29] already and again, the best way
[42:30] you can learn is take a look at
[42:33] our website, learn, and have
[42:35] your credit card handy. Thank
[42:37] you. Thank you. Well, that
[42:42] concludes our Connecting
[42:43] Cornelius for this evening.
[42:46] Pardon? Yeah, transportation.
[42:51] let me turn to transportation.
[42:53] That's always a good topic and I have special permission
[42:57] from our our boss here that we
[42:59] can take a couple of minutes,
[43:01] Wayne. So, thank you. Well,
[43:01] I'll take just a couple. Uh I
[43:03] know everybody has plans for
[43:05] the evening but very quickly on
[43:08] transportation. We have 13
[43:10] projects that we're all eagerly
[43:11] anticipating in our
[43:13] partnerships with DOT. Once we
[43:15] get even half of these
[43:17] projects, we will be in so much
[43:18] a better position for not only
[43:21] congestion but capacity. Uh I
[43:22] was talking to Scott earlier he
[43:24] said it took him 25 minutes to
[43:26] get from the west side over to
[43:27] here and I said, well, don't
[43:28] laugh but it took me 10 minutes
[43:30] just to get from town hall over
[43:31] there to here. So, we
[43:33] understand congestion. We
[43:35] understand what it's doing. So,
[43:36] we're very excited about our
[43:38] project. I'm going to just flip
[43:39] through real quick. That's a
[43:40] map of the thirteen. Let's keep
[43:41] rolling. In 2022, keep going.
[43:45] Uh the Gem Street extension.
[43:46] Now, this is actually a town
[43:48] project. It's fully town funded
[43:50] but this is given us an
[43:51] alternate to get from one over
[43:53] to twenty-one. Right now, many
[43:55] of you might know we finished
[43:56] Nanny Potts Lane. So, you'll be
[43:58] able to have an alternate to
[43:59] get from 21 going down Gem
[44:00] Street, down School Street,
[44:03] over to Nanny Potts. Now, I I
[44:05] keep saying it's going to be
[44:06] just for us locals. Uh other
[44:08] folks won't know about it but
[44:10] people keep telling me, oh,
[44:11] it's going to show up on GPS
[44:12] immediately. Uh and that that's
[44:14] true. So, it will be an
[44:16] alternate. It will be a quicker
[44:18] way. So, real quick. Um and Jim
[44:20] Street's scheduled to open
[44:22] January, I do believe. So,
[44:24] pretty pretty quick on the pull
[44:26] for getting this one open. Uh
[44:28] twenty twenty-three, Catawba
[44:30] twenty-one. Uh that's one end
[44:32] of our diverging diamond. Uh
[44:34] there's two projects. Uh
[44:36] Torrance Chapel is another one.
[44:37] I'll touch on that in a minute
[44:38] but that should start. North
[44:40] Cross Drive Extension. This
[44:41] will give us a north, south
[44:43] alternative to get from
[44:46] Westmoreland down to 73 in
[44:48] Birkdale. So, you don't have to
[44:49] use West Catawba. This will
[44:50] start in twenty three. Torrance
[44:54] Chapel, the only we we
[44:56] originally said because the
[44:58] cost got so high, the town
[44:59] asked DOT, we probably need to
[45:01] cancel this project. DOT came
[45:03] back and said, no, we don't
[45:05] want you to cancel it. We
[45:06] want to work with you to make
[45:07] it more cost effective. So, we
[45:09] downsize the project. The
[45:11] little delay means it will not
[45:13] start until 20 twenty-four now.
[45:14] That's the only negative but
[45:16] it's still going to be a good
[45:17] project where we're going to
[45:18] have improvements at Torrance
[45:19] Chapel. The left turns remain.
[45:22] So, you're, yes, you're
[45:24] welcome. So, you'll get to
[45:25] continue to make your left turn
[45:26] coming out of Torrance Chapel
[45:27] but there will be several
[45:29] intersection improvements that
[45:30] will make life better for us,
[45:32] not only at Torrance Chapel in
[45:33] West Catawba but down at One
[45:34] Norman. Uh next slide, 115
[45:37] Potts Roundabout right up here
[45:38] going toward Davidson. If
[45:40] you're coming out of the YMCA
[45:41] and you're going north, you
[45:42] take your life in your own
[45:44] hands, hands. If you're going
[45:45] north and you want to turn into
[45:47] the YMCA, you're taking your
[45:48] life and your own hands. So,
[45:49] this roundabout will improve
[45:51] safety and congestion. Next
[45:53] slide, Bailey Road Extension.
[45:55] Now, this is a small one that a
[45:56] lot of people aren't aware of
[45:57] but if you're familiar with the
[45:59] sharp curve in Bailey, this
[46:01] one's going to start in twenty
[46:02] twenty-three and we're going to
[46:04] punch that out to twenty-one.
[46:05] So, you don't have to drive
[46:06] through Oakhurst and you don't
[46:08] have to drive beside 131 Main
[46:09] and I still call it Cowboy but
[46:12] I think it's Waterman. Uh but
[46:13] you'll be able to punch out
[46:15] twenty-1. So, that'll be a
[46:16] little bit more convenient.
[46:17] Next slide. The shoulder
[46:19] hardening. This is another one
[46:21] that will be tremendously
[46:22] impactful that you be able to
[46:24] get off on exit 2-five and go
[46:26] to 28 without getting into the
[46:28] lanes, without getting out into
[46:30] the regular or the toll lanes.
[46:32] You'll be able to stay on the
[46:33] shoulder and just go from one
[46:34] exit to another. This will be a
[46:36] major benefit to us. Next
[46:38] slide. In 20twenty-four, the
[46:40] Hickory Street Signal. Uh and I
[46:42] continue to apologize.
[46:44] Everybody says it's just a
[46:45] signal. Why can't you just
[46:46] throw that thing up tomorrow?
[46:47] Believe it or not, it is so
[46:48] difficult right away.
[46:51] Utilities, but we are getting a
[46:53] signal at Hickory Street that
[46:54] will add for safety. Uh add for
[46:57] congestion management there at
[46:58] Hickory in one fifteen. Thanks,
[46:59] Slide. 2026 and beyond West
[47:02] Catawba. Uh everybody, we all
[47:05] want West Catawba but it's so
[47:08] voluminous and and it it the
[47:09] cost is now over 51 million. Uh
[47:12] DOT has told us it will start
[47:14] construction in twenty
[47:14] twenty-six. We continue to push
[47:16] that because that's the big one
[47:18] that we all need. It'll go from
[47:19] two lanes to four lanes. Um
[47:21] have a nice green, medium,
[47:23] multi-use path. Uh it'll just
[47:25] be so nice. Uh so, we're really
[47:27] pushing for the next slide. 2-1
[47:28] widening I did hear yesterday
[47:31] that it got moved back up in
[47:33] this draft step. So, we hope
[47:35] that'll get adopted and
[47:36] hopefully that will come along
[47:38] in twenty twenty 20 27s I think
[47:41] when it was. Next slide. NC
[47:44] seventy-three, there's three
[47:45] segments of this coming from
[47:47] Lincoln County all the way over
[47:48] to Cabarrus County. Uh 2027 is
[47:51] the date. Uh that's mostly in
[47:53] Huntersville but I tell you
[47:54] because we all use it. It's all
[47:55] a road that we all use. Next
[47:56] slide. Next slide. That's it
[48:00] So, very quick. Alright.
[48:07] Wayne, Wayne will be around if
[48:08] you have any questions but
[48:09] again, thank you for being here
[48:11] tonight. We'll be hanging
[48:12] around for a little bit. So,
[48:14] come back and come back up and
[48:16] meet your county commissioners
[48:16] again. Thank you again for
[48:18] being with us tonight and we'll
[48:20] see you soon, I'm sure. Thanks
[48:22] a lot. Good