The Steele Creek Blog

Not-Steele Creek Presbyterian Church

2011-03-09T10:01:00.004-05:00

While linking to the Steele Creek Residents Association website for the recent population/census story, I noticed this very interesting tid bit too:

Steele Creek Presbyterian Church, which has been at the same location since 1760, is not now nor has it ever been actually in Steele Creek!

In 2009, Mecklenburg County NCGenWeb discovered that historic property maps proved that the precise locations of the county's township boundaries have been incorrect for generations. The real northern boundary of the old Steele Creek Township was actually 1,000 feet south of where previously believed, putting Steele Creek Presbyterian Church (and about 60 homes) in the old Berryhill Township. Their findings were sent to the U.S. Census and the mapping changes have already been officially accepted for the just released 2010 Census.

As noted by S.C.R.A., "Is it possible that this historic church, which was the inspiration for the name Steele Creek being applied to the entire southwest corner of Mecklenburg County, was actually outside the original township boundary?"

Read more at the Steele Creek Residents Association website.

Steele Creek Population More Than Doubles

2011-03-09T00:10:00.003-05:00

According to statistics just released by the U.S. Census, the new official population of Steele Creek is now 52,014. That's an increase of 106% over the 2000 population statistics.

There is much more information about the new Steele Creek Census numbers on the Steele Creek Residents Association website. Lots of interesting maps and statistics, including:

54% of Steele Creek's land is within the city limits of Charlotte.
83% of Steele Creek's population is within the city limits of Charlotte.

and what I find most interesting of all...

If Steele Creek were an incorporated city, it would be the 17th largest in North Carolina, just behind Chapel Hill and ahead of Huntersville.

Footnote: Since the U.S. Census does not count Steele Creek as its own designated area, the population needed to be calculated by hand. Many thanks to Dave Wiggins from the Steele Creek Residents Association for calculating the Steele Creek population statistics, neighborhood by neighborhood and then manually compiling the data.

Steele Creek Library On The Chopping Block?

2011-03-02T09:24:00.005-05:00

According to WSOC-TV, Steele Creek Library is one of 9 branches targeted for closure by recommendations presented by the Future of the Library Task Force.

To quote the article at WSOCTV.com:

"The task force’s proposal included closing libraries at Steele Creek"

But according to the Charlotte Observer, Steele Creek Library is not on the list of 6 branches targeted for closure last night by the same task force.

To quote the article at CharlotteObserver.com:

"Among those on the list: Hickory Grove, Plaza Midwood, Myers Park, Davidson and Cornelius could close"

You'll clearly notice that Steele Creek is not on the list of recommended closures. Reading further into the article you learn that the plan would prioritize libraries in three "fragile" neighborhoods, and then a second level of prioritization would protect funding for "branches that are farthest away from regionals, including Steele Creek".

So what the heck is the deal here? One article claims that 9 branches are targeted, including Steele Creek. The other says that 6 is the maximum, and that Steele Creek is actually protected (to some degree). Which is it? Both of these reports can't be right. Steele Creek is either on the list of recommended closures or it isn't. One of these media outlets is, at very least, wrong.

Before I go off on a rant about deceptive reporting, I need to find the truth here. The recommendations presented last night do not appear to be posted for the public on the Future of the Library Task Force's website, so I'm now contacting library officials to get the lowdown. Stay tuned.

-----

Update 12:30pm

I haven't received an official response from the library system yet but they just tweeted a link to the Charlotte Observer story. In that post they stated "Up to 6 #cmlibrary branches could close under Future of the Library Task Force recommendations"... not 9.

Update 2:00pm

Via Twitter, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library system wrote "To clarify, Task Force looked at a scalable model/list of branches. One outlet chose to include all below Regionals." To me that sounds like closing the Steele Creek branch was just one of many options that were considered, but that Steele Creek was never recommended for closure. @cmlibrary goes on to tweet that they are now "seeking a retraction on errant reporting of branches".

Footnote: These recommendations are preliminary. Final recommendations will be released on March 21st.

SCRA Meeting This Thursday

2011-02-28T19:56:00.003-05:00

The 2011 Steele Creek Residents Association meeting is this Thursday, May 3rd at Southwest Middle School. Everyone interested in what's happening in Steele Creek is encouraged to attend. The meeting will begin at 6:30pm.

Mecklenburg County Manager Harry Jones will discuss the impact of the county's financial situation on Steele Creek. County Commissioners Jim Pendergraph, Harold Cogdell, and Vilma Leake will be on hand to answer questions. And Melony McCullough of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Planning Department will discuss the Steele Creek Area Plan.

Over a dozen local government and community organizations will have tables set up to provide information about their organizations and programs. Visit the Steele Creek Residents Association website for more details.

Two New Traffic Light Coming To Steele Creek Road

2011-02-05T09:04:00.001-05:00

The intersection of Steele Creek Road and Sledge Road is the third most dangerous intersection in Steele Creek, but it is the neighborhood's most dangerous intersection to not already have a traffic signal. There have been 28 accidents at this treacherous junction in just the past three years. The Department of Transportation plans to install a new traffic signal at this intersection this spring, as well as new turning lanes too.

A new traffic signal is also expected less than a mile up the road where Steele Creek Road intersects with Sam Neely Road. There were 16 wrecks at this location in the past five years (one-third the rate of the Sledge Road junction). The DOT originally expected to install the light here back in 2008 but couldn't come up with the $350,000 in necessary funds. Construction on this new signal and turning lanes is now slated to begin this summer.

For residents of the Planters Walk subdivision, these new lights can't come fast enough. Planters Walk residents utilize both of these dangerous intersections to access their neighborhood.

Facebook Friends

2011-01-08T14:23:00.001-05:00

In case you missed it, the Steele Creek Residents Association is now on Facebook. Click here to "Like" their page.

And don't forget that The Steele Creek Blog has been available on Facebook and Twitter since last summer. Click here to join us on Facebook or follow @steelecreekblog on Twitter if those are more convenient for you.

Steele Creek CMPD Moving Closer

2011-01-04T13:33:00.006-05:00

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department plans to move the Steele Creek Division to a location that is more centrally located to the community it serves.

The Steele Creek Division, comprised of 95 officers, is currently located at 1750 Shopton Road, beside the Charlotte Police and Fire Training Facility. That's location is just 1/4 miles from the northern border of Steele Creek, and only 1 mile from the northern border of their patrol division which ends at Tyvola Road. But they are responsible for patrolling over 60 square miles of Steele Creek [map] that is almost entirely located south of the division headquarters. By contrast, CMPD Steele Creek is located over 12 miles from the southwest tip of the county, which is within their response area, and could take almost half an hour to reach from their current HQ.

To help alleviate this geographical imbalance, CMPD Steele Creek is currently in negotiations to purchase land and build a new department headquarters at the corner of Westinghouse Boulevard and South Tryon Street [map]. This new location is 3 miles closer to the center of Steele Creek.

Ayrsley Tree Lighting

2010-11-29T16:17:00.002-05:00

The Ayrsely community will be holding a holiday tree lighting this Saturday, December 4th, at 4:30 p.m. The tree itself is being donated by real-estate company New Forum.

Toys for Tots Drive at Ayrsley

2010-11-23T14:54:00.004-05:00

Ayrsley is in the midst of a community-wide toy drive to help provide children in need with gifts this holiday season. The drive started on November 15th and will continue until December 4th. This is the second consecutive year that Ayrsley has organized a community-wide toy drive, but the first in conjunction with the Marine's Toys for Tots Foundation.

New, unwrapped toys can be dropped off at the following Ayrsley locations: Ayrsley Town Rehabilitation, Fintastic, Pi Kappa Phi, Regus, Wild Wing Café, Salsa’s and Saffron. Toys can also be dropped off at the Steele Creek location of Mac's Speed Shop on Sandy Porter Road.

More Dumb Exit Names

2010-11-04T23:04:00.006-04:00

A couple of days ago I wrote about how the new interchange on I-485 shouldn't be named the "Garrison Road" exit. Thank to an observant reader who pointed out that poor name choices on I-485 within Steele Creek wouldn't be anything new.

Steele Creek residents have probably seen this highway sign while traveling on the outer loop of I-485. To start off, it really should say "Steele Creek Road" and the fact that it doesn't is almost an insult to Steele Creek, but that's now why this is a bad exit sign. The reason this is a bad highway sign is because for most motorists this wouldn't be the best way to get to Fort Mill.

If you take exit 4 instead of continuing on the highway to I-77 south, it will take more than twice as long to reach the border of Fort Mill (14 minutes rather than just 6 minutes by highway) . Not to mention that out of town motorists looking for Fort Mill are far more likely to want to go the I-77 route anyway for popular attractions like Carowinds. If by chance the sign was referring to downtown Fort Mill instead of the border, there's less than a mile's difference between both routes but staying on the highway and taking I-77 will again be faster, saving you 5 minutes.

As a side note I also wish this sign said "To Fort Mill" to be more clear that Fort Mill itself is not at the end of this exit ramp.

$10,000 in Grants for McDowell Nature Center

2010-11-03T11:52:00.000-04:00

The McClintock Outdoors Club has been awarded $10,000 in grand funding for programs at the McDowell Nature Center. The McClintock Outdoors Club is a partnership between CMS and Park & Rec that utilizes the outdoors as a natural remedy to urban social issues. The funding comes from a $7,500 grant from the S.T.E.M. program, an affiliation of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, and $2,500 from The North Face Explore Fund, a program committed to breaking down barriers that prevent children and families from experiencing the outdoors. The money will help support nature education programming and off-site field trips offered by the club as an effort to curb the rate of childhood obesity and gang involvement in area youth.

Read more in the Lake Wylie Pilot.

Why "Garrison Road"?

2010-11-02T20:59:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I wrote about the start of construction on the new Garrison Road interchange on I-485. But will it actually be called the "Garrison Road" exit? I haven't heard or seen anything to suggest that this interchange won't be called "Garrison Road", but that really makes no sense at all.

The road crossing over I-485 is indeed Garrison Road at this moment, but when completed, going east from the new interchange will automatically become the newly realigned West Boulevard within 200 yards, and going west from the interchange will automatically become the Garden Parkway within a 200 yards too. The original Garrison Road quickly forks off north or south from the main east-west overpass within 200 yards in either direction of the interchange, so why in the world would you call it the Garrison Road exit when that name is completely insignificant to passing motorists? It would make a lot more sense to extend the name "West Boulevard" another 200 yards beyond the new realignment so West Boulevard is what crosses over I-485. Seeing "West Boulevard Exit" on the giant green interstate signs will be a lot more helpful to commuters than "Garrison Road". And if the Garden Parkway is indeed built, the exit can be called "West Boulevard / Garden Parkway Exit"... but hopefully not just "Garrison Road".

New Garrison Road Exit

2010-11-01T16:15:00.007-04:00

Work begins today on the new Garrison Road interchange on I-485. The $1.2 million project is scheduled to be completed by next June. The new Garrison Road interchange will directly connect to a realigned West Boulevard to the east, providing additional access to Charlotte-Douglas International Airport. It will also lead directly to the planned Garden Parkway heading west through Gaston County.

Note: Garrison Road is just barely outside of Steele Creek but the southbound entrance ramp and the northbound exit ramp do connect to I-485 within Steele Creek, so I'm counting this as a Steele Creek development.

Eyesore Finally Being Demolished

2010-10-26T18:21:00.006-04:00

The perpetually abandoned building on the corner of Choate Circle and South Tryon is finally being demolished. Long ago the property was a lonely country gas station but has been abandoned for more than a dozen years. The dilapidated structure became a Steele Creek eyesore and frequently attracted further unwanted problems including gang graffiti.

Several years ago the city of Charlotte ordered the property owner to bring the property up to code or face demolition. The city eventually did condemn the structure as unsafe and formally ordered it to be demolished - but then they never followed through and the building has remained untouched for nearly two more years.

Today there was a small non-city crew, hired by the property owner, finally beginning the long overdue process of structural demolition. They've already got half the building knocked down and hauled away via dump truck. After the remainder of the building is removed, you may soon see chain link fencing surround the property in order to safeguard the owner against liability issues.

The future of this highly visible corner property is unknown. The owner has not sold the property to a developer and has no immediate construction plans either, but getting rid of this dilapidated building is a good step nonetheless.

Update: The building is confirmed to be gone now.

Stop The Annoying Observer Ad Circulars

2010-10-25T15:14:00.007-04:00

Are you sick and tired of The Charlotte Observer throwing those annoying advertising circulars on your driveway twice a week, even if you don't subscribe to the newspapaer? A lot of people are and many are actually angered by it. Some argue that it's flat-out littering, just like any stranger driving by and throwing unwanted garbage on your property and taking off, over and over again, and calling it a service.

In Atlanta this issue has already come to the forefront in regards to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's similar practice with their "AJC Reach" circulars. Residents have organized themselves, gotten a website for their cause, spoken one-on-one with the mayor, and received television coverage too. The group boycotts any businesses who continue to advertise in the fliers and they encourage others to do the same.

To my knowledge there isn't a similar revolt in Charlotte, yet. Perhaps soon. But regardless of whether the Observer is littering, you can opt-out of this so-called "service". (And the fact that it's opt-out instead of opt-in is another issue altogether.) To stop delivery of the Charlotte Observer's twice-weekly advertising circulars just call 1-800-532-5350, then press option zero. Provide your address and request a do-not-deliver order. Within a week the circulars should stop. Not only will you be saving yourself the trouble of constantly picking them up and thowing them out, but you'll also help reduce waste and help the environment.

Fall Festival This Saturday

2010-10-21T15:08:00.006-04:00

RiverGate shopping center is holding its annual Fall Festival this Saturday, October 23rd. The event will begin at 11:00am and go until 3:00pm. Targeted for kids, there will be a Halloween costume contest, a magic show, and hay rides.

Segway Tours at McDowell

2010-10-01T15:38:00.003-04:00

As part of Alternative Fuel Day, McDowell hosts a Segway Sampler Series that includes free Segway demonstrations on Oct. 15 and guided adventure tours every Sunday in October. The Oct. 15 demonstrations last 10 minutes and are free, introducing guests to the basics of how to ride. The adventure tours cost $23, and last about two hours on the prairie restoration site at McDowell. Guests should sign up or call ahead for registration, with only six Segways available at a time along with two for group leaders. Riders should be 18 years and older.

Park and Rec has been offering Segway nature tours at Latta Plantation for a while now and they are routinely booked up months at a time. This is only a one month program at McDowell, so the few spots that are available should go very quickly. Registration for the Segway tours or sampling, is available by calling 704-588-5224.

See Lake Wylie Pilot for more information.

CMS Closures Won't Affect Steele Creek

2010-09-30T08:20:00.006-04:00

CMS is currently considering the possibility of closing 12 schools. None of those schools are within Steele Creek.

When schools close those students have to go somewhere else, so other schools would naturally be affected. The potential closure of 12 CMS schools would affect 59 other schools but again, none of those schools are within Steele Creek.

This is all good news. No schools in Steele Creek will be closed or affected by the potential plans currently being considered by CMS.

But as good as this is for Steele Creek residents, it's honestly quite odd how all of Steele Creek could escape completely unscathed. For example, E. E. Waddell High School is just barely beyond the boundaries of Steele Creek. In fact, even though it's not actually in Steele Creek E. E. Waddell is covered by the "Steele Creek" division of CMPD. Waddell is on the CMS chopping block so you would assume that with it being so close, it would affect the closest high school - Olympic High School. But that's not the plan at all. E. E. Waddell students would be transferred to South Meck (almost as close), West Meck, Harding, and Phillip O. Berry. I'm sure there are logical reasons, including student capacities at all these different schools, but it still seems odd at first glance.

Two Olympic Schools Honored

2010-09-27T22:11:00.003-04:00

Two Olympic schools were announced as winners of the 2010 U.S. Innovative Education Forum, an event recognizing innovative teachers who creatively and effectively use technology in their curriculum to help improve the way students learn in the 21st century. The two schools honored are the Math, Engineering, Technology, and Science (METS) and the International Business and Communications Studies schools.

What makes this honor stand out is that only five high schools in the entire United States were chosen as finalists. Congratulations Olympic. Read more on the CMS website.

Steele Creek's Most Dangerous Intersections

2010-09-21T17:43:00.006-04:00

Every year the Charlotte Department of Transportation releases their annual High Accident Locations (HAL) Report. The 2010 report is now out and 5 of the top 100 HALs are within Steele Creek. None of the locations should surprise any Steele Creek residents but there are some interesting trends.

Steele Creek's 5 Most Dangerous Intersections
#1 (#22 citywide) South Tryon @ Sandy Porter
#2 (#57 citywide) Carowinds @ Choate Circle
#3 (#67 citywide) Steele Creek @ Sledge Road
#4 (#80 citywide) South Tyron @Westinghouse
#5 (#98 citywide) South Stryon @ Arrowood

View 2010 Most Dangerous Intersections in a larger map

According to the report, the intersection of South Tryon Street and Sandy Porter Road is the most dangerous, which leads the list of of Steele Creek intersections with a Crash Rating of 1.76. That ratio includes 66 automobile accidents over the past three years, but is adjusted according to the amount of traffic volume at that intersection. The citywide ranking went up from #25 in 2008 to #22 last year, but this is misleading because the actual year numbers tell a different story altogether. In 2008 there were 28 accidents at South Tryon and Sandy Porter, but there were only 15 accidents in 2009 - 46% less.

As I mentioned earlier, there are several interesting trends to point out if you compare the same report from 2007 to the most recent report. 3 of the top 4 most dangerous Steele Creek intersections in 2007 are not even on the list anymore in 2010. The 3 intersections no longer on the list are (were) Sandy Porter at Arrowood/Brown Grier (previously #1 in Steele Creek), South Tryon at Carowinds (previously #2 in Steele Creek), and Steele Creek at Shopton Road West (previously #4 in Steele Creek). The intersection of Steele Creek at Shopton Road West was completely realigned last year, but I'm not sure what improvements were made to the other two. Whatever the difference, it seems like a good sign that improvements were made and helped with traffic safety.

Steele Creek at Sledge Road was #3 on the 2007 list (#68 citywide) and remains eerily consistent in 2010, remaining at #3 in Steele Creek (#67 citywide). This intersection has obviously remained a problem area for many years and I am not aware of any plans to improve safety at this location.

But overall it seems that the most dangerous drive in Steele Creek would have to be the 1.5 mile stretch of South Tryon between Westinghouse and Arrowood. Like running the gauntlet, this short route will send you through three of the top 100 most dangerous intersections in the entire city. Just these three intersections alone (not including any of the gaps between them) were the sites of a whopping 219 automobile accidents in just the past three years.

Be careful out there people!

Click here for the full CDOT HAL report.

Footnotes: This list is issued by the City of Charlotte and not by Mecklenburg County. Therefore it does not include data from areas of unincorporated Steele Creek.

Steele Creek Church Celebrates 250 Years

2010-09-12T22:10:00.004-04:00

Steele Creek Presbyterian Church was founded in 1760. That's 250 years ago - a quarter of a millennium! All year they've been celebrating this momentous milestone.

Several sanctuaries have existed on the grounds, starting with a small log cabin which was located where the cemetery is now. The current sanctuary (see photo) was dedicated in 1889.

For more, check out the history page on the Steele Creek Presbyterian Church website, or this article in the Charlotte Observer.

Albino Deer

2010-09-03T11:03:00.000-04:00

Have you seen the rare (mostly) albino deer roaming around Steele Creek? Local resident Larry Silvers has, and he shared his photo with WBTV last week.

Berewick Development

2010-09-02T22:37:00.002-04:00

The recession slowed down construction everywhere, including the Berewick Community. The first families began moving into Berewick in 2005. Five years later, 915 families now call Berewick home. But that's just one-third of the 2,500 homes that were expected in the original Berewick plans.

But construction is finally picking up again. Ryan Homes and Bellamy Homes are building again, including 24 spec homes. 47 homes closed in Berewick during the first half of the year.

But the bigger sign of a turnaround is development of the Berewick Town Center. There's no timeline for breaking ground but Harris Teeter has signed on as an anchor tenant in the commercial center.

Read more in The Charlotte Observer

Happy 25th McDowell Park Nature Center

2010-07-16T11:13:00.003-04:00

The Nature Center at McDowell Nature Preserve will be celebrating its 25th anniversary tomorrow, Saturday, July 17. Happy 25th! The park will celebrate with a variety of family friendly activities, including guided hikes, live music, hay rides, and crafts - all free. Activities will begin at 10:00am and go to to 2:00pm.

This article from the Lake Wylie Pilot has lots of good information on the event and on the history of McDowell Park. Some brief excerpts on the history of the park include:

"McDowell Park opened at its current location in 1976, and in 1985, the Southwest Nature Preserve and the Nature Center opened. The park was named for former Park and Recreation Commission Chairman John McDowell, who envisioned the park as a place on Lake Wylie for area families to visit and spend time together."

"The park opened with 150 acres and at a cost of $1.2 million. Now, the preserve has more than 11,000 acres and offers guided tours, launches by canoe or kayak into Lake Wylie, fishing, seven miles of trails, picnic areas, a playground, 56-site campground with primitive, RV and rent-a-tent sites, a prairie, and of course, the nature center. Copperhead Island, across the cove, also offers fishing and boating access and primitive camping."

McDowell Park was recently hit by recession-based government cutbacks, including reductions in staff and hours. The popular campgrounds will also be closed for six months of the year in the off-season.

Confusion Abounds

2010-07-05T20:39:00.006-04:00

I drive through several neighborhoods on my way to and from work and I saw lots and lots of gray Charlotte garbage bins out at the curb this morning. I'd say close to 50% of all houses put their garbage bins out. Most of Steele Creek, and I can only assume all of Charlotte too, seems to be very confused about the new solid waste and recycling schedules.

The City of Charlotte sent letters about the changes to every resident, and instructions were also attached to the new, 96-gallon, green, recycling bins when they were delivered, so the city has done a good job of getting the word out. And I've seen the news do stories on these changes too. And this is now the third time I've posted about the new pickup schedules. So why the mass confusion?

What I noticed was that while nearly half of all people put their garbage bins out this morning, most did not also put out their recycling bins too. I'd say less than 10% of houses had their green, 96-gallon recycling bins out at the curb. My guess is that people did get the message that there's a new day to put out their recycling, but they didn't get (or understand) the message that their regular garbage pickup day changed too.

To make this abundantly clear to everybody:
If you live in Steele Creek within Charlotte city limits, both recycling AND garbage pickup are now on Thursdays! Garbage is picked up every Thursday but recycling is only collected every other week, starting on Thursday, July 15th.

For more details, read my previous post!

Footnote: Most home owners' associations prohibit residents from leaving their garbage/recycling bins out at the curb more than 24-hours before or after pick-up. If you brought your garbage/recycling bins to the curb this morning I'd strongly suggest getting it back inside before you get a fine from your HOA. They may not stand for putting your bins at the curb 72-hours early - and 10 full days early for your recycling.

P.S. Tell your neighbors who put out their garbage too early that they would have known if they stayed informed by reading The Steele Creek Blog!