IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jennifer Green (704) 336-2267
Cindy Robbins (980) 343-1081
NEARLY 600 SCHOOL CHILDREN GET READY TO TAKE THE FIELD
Charlotte, N.C., October 23, 2008 - What happens when two groups work together for the good of the community? Join the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) on Friday, October 24 at 9:00 a.m., as we celebrate "Partnerships at Play," the official opening of the new Sterling Elementary School playfield. The event features Mecklenburg Board of County Commission Chair Jennifer Roberts, District 6 Charlotte City Council Member Warren Turner, District 3 Board of Education Member George Dunlap, District 2 Board of Education Member Vilma Leake, CATS Chief Executive Officer Keith Parker, Sterling Elementary Principal Nancy Guzman and CMS Area Superintendent Robert Avossa. Sterling Elementary School is located at 9601 China Grove Church Road, off of Westinghouse Boulevard.
Nearly 600 students, along with teachers and staff, will be on hand to break in the new play area, the first of its kind in the Charlotte area. CMS and CATS entered in land agreement that allowed CATS to build a 1,120 space parking garage at the I-485/South Boulevard transit station. In return, CATS built a 2.5 acre playfield for the students on top of the parking deck.
"By working together with CMS and the Sterling Community, we were able to develop an unusable piece of land behind the school and avoid any residential impacts to the neighborhood," said Keith Parker, Chief Executive Officer of CATS.
"In the process, CATS also saved over $5 million dollars in land costs along the LYNX Blue Line by not having to purchase additional right-of-way and an alternative parking site."
"This is collaboration at its finest," said Nancy Guzman, Sterling Elementary School Principal. "Our students had very little area to play before today. Now we have the space to provide new physical education opportunities plus conduct events for the school. Our heartfelt thanks go out to the leaders who worked together to make this happen."
To learn more about CATS and its services, call 704-336-RIDE or visit us on the web at www.ridetransit.org. To learn more about CMS, log on to www.cms.k12.nc.us.
