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.
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
Also at the meeting were several members of the Charlotte City
Council and Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners as well as
candidates for the County Commission and North Carolina General
Assembly.
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