Cornelius Parks and Rec - There is a lot here for a town the size of Cornelius

I could really say a lot about the Town of Cornelius and it's Parks & Rec Department but for this post, I'm going to let Dave Gilroy, one of our Town Commissioners do the talking:

Parks, Arts, Recreation, and Culture (PARC) update. As you know, we are investing in a world-class parks infrastructure in Cornelius. With the build-out of Westmoreland Athletic Complex and Robbins Park areas (now in progress), we will have 11 Town parks and 4 major County parks (Jetton, Ramsey Creek, Blythe Landing, and McDowell Creek Greenway) in Cornelius. Including undeveloped open space in our park land inventory, we have almost 500 acres of facilities online. Our organized athletics, recreational, and cultural programs are wide-ranging, highly ambitious, and perhaps under-appreciated. Citizen awareness of what's available is undoubtedly a major concern, so I urge you to actively explore our PARC website and take advantage! Finally, special thanks to 3 citizens - Ron Kelley, Del Arrendale, and John Freese who have stepped up to conduct a detailed "Performance Audit" of our PARC department to ensure that we are working as efficiently has possible, spending every dime of taxpayer dollars effectively, and having maximum community impact. They will formally report in the next few weeks, and I will further comment on their findings and conclusions.

Long Range Planning for the Town of Cornelius - Where does Lake Norman Fit?

The Town of Cornelius held it's annual planning session at the tony Peninsula Club. While from all accounts, it was a good session, there was a lot of "dreaming" going on. Not necessarily a bad thing but with so many other issues on the table, it does seem odd that so much time was allocated to a brainstorming session on how to make Cornelius a shopping and dining destination.

Hopefully, the pressing issues of schools, land development, taxes, and CMUD over billing on water rates will float to the top of the agenda (you like how I used a water reference to make a point on a blog devoted to LKN?). Certainly, long range planning needs to happen but let's put it in priority with the other issues facing the town.

New Retail Coming to Huntersville

Either it is a sign that the economy is picking up or it has taken a really, really long time for the zoning in Huntersville to be finished. Regardless, it looks like there is new retail coming to the south west corner of Hwy 73 and Beatties Ford Road.

No matter which it is, looks like dirt may be moving in the area soon!

What to do in Davidson - Hurry!

There was such positive response to the post last week about what to do in Cornelius, I thought I would post a link to the Davidson Parks & Rec site.

Get out there and have some fun around Lake Norman!

What to do in Cornelius?

Are you looking for something to do on the south end of LKN? Look no further than the Cornelius Parks and Rec web site.

From movies to yoga, there is something here for everyone.

So get out there and do something!

The Towns and Communities of Lake Norman

If you have never been to Lake Norman, you may think of it as a single place but that is not the case at all. A man-made lake, owned and managed by Duke Energy, what we call Lake Norman today was mostly farm land, small towns, textile mills, and cross roads only 50 years ago. No one can argue the lake's impact on the region. I'm lucky enough to have grown up nearby and now have neighbors who grew up here, lived in these communities, and witnessed the dramatic transformation from farming and textiles to upscale living. But what is so striking is not how much this area has changed but how it has been able to evolve. Certainly, change is hard and many folks simply don't want it. I am sure that over the next twenty years, my family and I will see changes that make us uneasy. Still, time and progress march on and LKN seems to steadily improve.

Now, if you want to know a little about the area and the towns that dot the 520 miles of shoreline, take a look at this piece from the Sept. 2007 Charlotte Observer. And note the links at the bottom of the article to town specific sites. I think you will certainly learn a few things about Lake Norman and this wonderful region.

Come and see us!