The Keep Charlotte Beautiful Committee is looking to fill seven vacancies. The board contains 20 appointees—13 by the City Council and seven by the Mayor's office. The Committee was founded more than 30 years ago and is one of the nation's first Keep America Beautiful affiliates.

Members coordinate and participate in neighborhood community improvement projects, Adopt-A-City Street, neighborhood recognition, the Great American Cleanup, and litter prevention programs. They also promote partnerships between citizens, businesses, and government to ensure a clean and healthy environment.

If you are interested in joining the Keep Charlotte Beautiful Committee, contact the City Clerk at 704-336-7494.

The Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) will host two public workshops in July to get your input on station locations as well as the Sugar Creek Road and North Carolina Railroad light rail alignment alternatives.

Thursday, July 10
6 – 8 p.m.
Oasis Shriners Center,
604 Doug Mayes Place

Tuesday, July 15
6 – 8 p.m.
Sugaw Creek Presbyterian Church,
101 West Sugar Creek Road

CATS will present the same information at both meetings. For more information about the meetings or for bus routes nearest the meeting locations, contact 704-336-RIDE or visit www.ridetransit.org.

As summer approaches, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Utilities thanks customers for their conservation efforts this spring and reminds them to continue these practices during the summer months.

The current mandatory water restrictions are as follows:

Lawn watering and/or sprinkler use, residential car-washing, and refilling of empty swimming pools and fountains are prohibited six (6) days per week.

The following are permitted (OK) water uses:

• Customers with odd-numbered addresses may irrigate lawns, wash cars and fill swimming pools and fountains on Saturdays.
• Those with even-numbered addresses may irrigate lawns, wash cars and fill pools and fountains on Sundays.
• Customers may use drip irrigation, hand-held hoses with nozzles or containers at any time to water trees, shrubs and flower beds.
• Pressure washing and fountain operation are permitted at any time.

Lake levels are normal for this time of year; however, we can expect those to dip once summer heat increases evaporation. Stream flow and groundwater still lag below normal, and our region continues to be listed in "extreme" drought by the U.S. Drought Monitor.

For WaterSmart landscaping ideas and other conservation tips, please visit www.cmutilities.com or www.saveyourwater.org.

Be aware of resurgence in a phone scam that has been used for years by people claiming to be court officials seeking personal information. The phone rings, you pick up, and the caller identifies himself as an officer of the court. He says you failed to report for jury duty and that a warrant is out for your arrest. If you protest saying that you never received a summons for jury duty, the caller asks you for your Social Security number and date of birth to verify the information. This is when you should hang up the phone.

Over the years, the fraud has been reported in 11 states. In the past, the federal court system has issued a warning regarding the scam and urged people to call their local District Court office if they receive suspicious calls.

As a rule, court officers never ask for confidential information over the phone; they generally correspond with prospective jurors via mail. You can protect yourself by never giving out personal information when you receive unsolicited phone calls.

To learn more about this scam, visit the FBI's web site or contact CMPD's Criminal Intelligence Unit at 704-336-2260.

Tune in to The Government Channel—Cable 16 this Thursday for an update about possible CATS fare increases and advice about using rain barrels to reduce water consumption this summer.