Information Items:
- State of North Carolina Neighborhood Stabilization Program
- CMPD Recruit Graduation, Friday, October 24
- Briar Creek Relief Sewer Construction Begins

Attachments:
- Briar Creek Relief Sewer Construction Newsletter

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Information items:
State of North Carolina Neighborhood Stabilization Program
Resource:
       Stanley Watkins, 704-336-3796, swatkins@ci.charlotte.nc.us

Several weeks ago, we informed City Council that the City of Charlotte received an allocation of $5.4 million from the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to address foreclosed and abandoned properties in our city. The City Council's Housing and Neighborhood Development Committee is working with staff on a program design that will be presented to the Council prior to the December 1, 2008 federal application grant deadline.

Since that time, we have learned that the City has an opportunity to apply for additional funding of up to $5 million from the North Carolina Neighborhood Stabilization Program that is administered by the North Carolina Department of Commerce, Division of Community Assistance. In order to be considered for these additional funds, the City must submit a letter of intent by November 3, 2008.

The City Manger intends to take advantage of this opportunity and submit the required Letter of Intent to the State by the deadline. The final application for the funding, subject to Council approval, will be required at a later date.

The Housing and Neighborhood Development Committee met on October 8, 2008 to begin reviewing the Federal grant requirements and is scheduled to meet again on November 6, 2008. During that meeting, staff will present a proposed program design for how the additional State funds might be used to address the foreclosure issue in Charlotte. This will be included as part of the Council's discussion on the Federal grant application.

We think this is great opportunity for the city. If you have any questions, please contact the City Manager or Stanley Watkins. City staff will advise Council if we learn about other opportunities to address this community issue.

Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) Recruit Graduation
Resource:
       Marylyn Williams, 704-336-2361, mwilliams@cmpd.org

CMPD's 155 Recruit Class will graduate on Friday, October 24 at 4:00 p.m. at the Police Academy. The class is comprised of 36 new police officers, 33 males and 3 females. Class members come from varied backgrounds: three have Master's degrees and eight were recruited from the military. Two of the new officers interned with CMPD's Violent Criminal Apprehension Team and Violent Crimes Task Force and one worked with Animal Control. The new officers will now complete the field portion of their training and will then be deployed to the 13 patrol divisions.

Council is invited to attend the graduation and wish these new officers well as they begin their service to the community.

Briar Creek Relief Sewer Construction Begins
Resource:
       Doug Bean, 704-391-5070, dbean@ci.charlotte.nc.us

Fifteen months of construction for the 24-month Briar Creek Sewer Improvement Project is complete. In fact, seventy-six percent of pipe installation for the project is complete. The project is on schedule and should be testing pipe in Spring 2009.

When finished, the sewer line will reduce the risk of sewer overflows, protect the water quality in Briar Creek, and meet demands for growth. Phase I of the sewer line runs from the Sugar Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant on Tyvola Road to Randolph Road.

Attached is the newsletter the City has mailed to update more than 3,600 customers.