Access to town's public email system temporarily closed
The Town's "public mail access" system is down and not accessible to computer users for a period of time. The public mail is an internal communications system for town officials that is open to citizens.
The women of NorthCross Church invite you to come and sew with them 6:30 p.m. Thurs., Aug. 5. They are making dresses for young girls in Haiti to be shipped by Hancock Fabrics to Double Harvest, a ministry in Croix des Bouquets. Anyone is invited to help by bringing sewing machines, cotton fabric, simple children’s dress patterns, notions, trims and buttons. Please RSVP to Lynn Whitehill. NorthCross church is located at 11020 Bailey Rd. Ste. H, Cornelius.
July 17: Hunter Construction and Rea Paving will begin working on the asphalt paving and road widening associated with Robbins Park along West Catawba Ave this weekend. The widening will encompass the area between Kings Point Drive and Bluff Point. The road will be one lane with flagmen directing traffic. Crews will be working during the day Saturday and Sunday. They will also begin doing night work next week. This project is expected to take 60-90 days to complete and will require numerous times of traffic control in order to install the curb and gutter, and roughly 700 tons of asphalt. Crews have been instructed to attempt to minimize back ups and allow quick responses for emergency traffic.
New farmer's market
A farmer's market will be held 5-8 p.m. every Friday through October at the gazebo in Jetton Village. There will be produce stands, baked goods with jams and honey, jewelry, herbs and plants, flower bouquets, organic beef, cheeses and seafood.
The Cornelius Youth Orchestras (CYO) are holding three informational open houses and auditions this summer. Open houses will be held 6:30-8 p.m. July 20, July 27 and Aug. 10 at Cornelius Town Hall, 21445 W. Catawba Ave. Reservations are requested; please contact Nanette Haraden 704-576-7270.
Davidson alumni, parents and friends have demonstrated their belief in the importance of the college and its mission through record contributions to the college’s Annual Fund.
In closing the books recently on the 2009-10 fiscal year, Davidson fundraisers announced Annual Fund contributions of $10.776 million. Despite the gloomy national economy, that substantially surpassed the goal of $9.25 million, and set a new record for total gifts to the Annual Fund.
Moreover, a record 10,055 of Davidson’s 16,497 active alumni were donors, giving Davidson a 61 percent participation rate — the highest of any college or university in the nation this year. It also marks the eighth year in a row of contributions by 60 or more percent of alumni.
Austin Felker was recently recognized as a member of the Sigma Alpha Lambda National Leadership and Honors Organization at UNC Chapel Hill. Felker will begin his sophomore year at UNC Chapel Hill in August.He is the son of Eric and Sandra Felker of Cornelius.
Sleep, like exercise and nutrition, is essential for good health and general well being. We always intend to get the job done, but more often than not, we just can’t get a good night’s sleep.
Oh, we use excuses like “now that I’m older, I don’t need as much sleep.” Or:
“I snore a lot but I don’t think that’s a problem.”
“I’ll catch up on my lost sleep by sleeping longer tomorrow.”
“My obesity, hypertension, diabetes and depression have nothing to do with my poor sleep quality.”
“I sleep during the day so it’s OK that I don’t sleep well at night.”
Technical default at Augustalee has officials looking for answers
Aug. 5—Cornelius: The lender behind Cornelius Bromont and the Augustalee project has started foreclosure proceedings against the developer of the massive mixed-use complex along I-77 between Exits 25 and 28, based on a provision in the lending agreement.
Officials at Labor Management Fund Advisors, real estate advisors to The BUILD Fund, did not return phone calls. But it’s apparent Cornelius Bromont did not line up tenants in time for a deadline. No payments have been missed by Cornelius Bromont, which is a partnership consisting of Bromont Investments of Scottsdale, Ariz., and Carlsen Douglas Development of Huntersville. Sources said the technical default was not totally unexpected in today’s depressed commercial real estate market. “It does not jeopardize the project. It is not shutting down,” one Cornelius official said.
Augustalee is big enough to change its name as it moved from concept to shovel-ready project. It started out as The Village at Lake Norman planned for $30 million of farmland owned by the Cook and Hager families. The developers went through countless hoops and approvals, ultimately agreeing to $80 million in roadway improvements, including widening I-77. The project, said to be worth some $515 million, includes office, retail, high-end residential and hotel and conference facilities.
Officials in Cornelius said the technical default is likely to be worked out before any other critical deadlines occur. A more complete financing plan is expected mid-autumn. On Tuesday afternoon, Cornelius officials were trying to organize a meeting with Cornelius Bromont.
Mayor Pro Tem Susan Medlin said the Town Board and Staff are "committed to the long term success of the Augustalee project. Unfortunately today’s unexpected economic climate has caused the financing aspects of this project to have unanticipated challenges. While this should not come as a surprise to anyone who has observed the struggles faced by similar commercial projects in other parts of the country, we are disappointed by the immediate impact this could have on the timing and continued progress in moving the project forward."
Cornelius Bromont has already invested millions of dollars into the project, one indication that Augustalee will come out of the ground in one form or another. "However, we do remain committed to the original conditions of this project," Medlin said.
The office buildings planned at Augusta would bring a whole new set of tenants to the area. With floor plates of roughly 20,000 square feet to 25,000 square feet, the offices would attract larger Class-A tenants than in the past at Lake Norman.
Carlsen Douglas Development has developed such local projects as the Rosedale Office Commons in Huntersville and the Village at Oakhurst in Cornelius. Owners Chris Carlsen and Joe Douglas are partners in Augustalee with Bromont, an experienced developer of shopping centers around the country. Carlsen and Douglas are also partners with Mike Vaughn in the Captiva Group which owns the 131 Main chain of full service restaurants, and Tenders, a new concept in fresh food.
The third annual Hawaiian Luau will be Wednesday Aug. 18 from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the North Mecklenburg Senior Center, 18731 West Catawba Ave. The Luau, which will include food, games, entertainment, a bake sale and a silent auction, is open to everyone in the community. Proceeds from the event will benefit all older adults in the Lake Norman community in the form of creating new programs, lectures, exercise classes and social events. Admission is $10 in advance and $15 on the day of the event.
Kiwanis golf outing has sponsorships opportunities
The Lake Norman Kiwanis annual golf tournament is Aug. 30 at Cowans Ford Country Club. Sponsorships are available, including the gold level, which includes two free golfers and on-course signage, as well as recognition in advertising. The price is $600. Silver level includes one free golfer for $300. Individuals are $95. Net proceeds will benefit local community causes such as the Ada Jenkins Center and Barium Springs Home for Children. More info: Brenda Carsey, 704-942-5020 or brendacarsey@kw.com