STEELE CREEK NEWS

Residents Receive Updates at 2012 Residents Association Annual Meeting

(March 15, 2012) The more than 100 people who attended the 2012 meeting of the Steele Creek Residents Association last week had an opportunity to meet and mingle with over a dozen community and government organizations and learn more about the economy in Steele Creek and the new Steele Creek Division police station.

Brad Richardson, Director of Charlotte Economic Development, and Charles Wilkerson, President of the Arrowood Business Association, talked about the economy and jobs in Steele Creek.

Mr. Richardson said that Charlotte has structured itself to make it a desirable destination for attracting people, which in turn attracts jobs. City marketing efforts promote a 16-county region but also focus on small, local economies, such as Steele Creek. Steele Creek is blessed as a local economy, containing the largest largest employment center in the county outside the city center. The big buildings along Westinghouse Boulevard have created a diverse economic base for the community.

Mr. Wilkerson is the founder of Steele Creek Printing & Design  and also a member of the Board of Directors of the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce SouthWest Chapter. The Arrowood Business Association has about 80 member businesses from throughout Steele Creek and bordering South Carolina areas, primarily in the Arrowood Road, Westinghouse Boulevard, and Carowinds Boulevard corridors.

He said that the Association is a strong voice for the business community in the area but also has a major philanthropic mission within the community. He said the Association recently made contributions totaling approximately $15,000 to the Olympic Community of Schools, which together form one of the best performing schools in the county.

 A recent survey of Steele Creek businesses showed that most believed that future prospects in the area  were either positive or the same. "Steele Creek is on the Rise," he said. "Not fast, but it's happening."

Captain Allan Rutledge is Commander of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department's Steele Creek Division. It is one of the largest divisions in the department and has a staff of 115. He said that Police Chief Rodney Monroe has focused on reacting quickly to crime trends. The division had a department best 20% reduction in crime in 2009 and a 50% reduction over the last four years, marks that are difficult to maintain. Steele Creek Division is the only police division with a reduction in crime so far in 2012, although it is only at 2%.

The division office currently is located at the old Police Academy on Shopton Road, but a new station is under construction at the corner of S Tryon Street and Westinghouse Boulevard. Captain Rutledge said that the new station will have 12,500 square feet and cost approximately $7 million, including the land, building, and furnishings. He said that the weather has cooperated and construction is on schedule for an August opening.

See New Police Station to be Accessible and Environmentally Friendly

The new station will have a sculpture in front designed by artist Billy Lee. Nicole Bartlett, representing the Public Art Commission, said that the sculpture will feature a tree cut into a 9-foot tall circular aluminum plate. The tree represents the center of the community, growth, protection, and stability, and relates to the role of law enforcement to serve and protect. See New Steele Creek Police station Artwork Design Concept Approved.

Representatives of community organizations and local government agencies and facilities set up tables with displays and information. This provided a great opportunity for attendees to interact with each other and learn more about their community.

• Berewick Recreation Center and Winget Recreation Center

• Carolinas Medical Center-Steele Creek

• Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation (Lake Wylie Covekeepers)

• Charlotte-Mecklenburg Animal Care and Control

• Charlotte-Mecklenburg Planning Department - Steele Creek Area Plan

• City of Charlotte Code Enforcement

• McDowell Nature Center

• Morningstar United Methodist Church

• Steele Creek Athletic Association

• Steele Creek Library

• Steele Creek Presbyterian Church

• Steele Creek YMCA